Rod Stewart gives Scottish hotel staff a £10k tip – and advice on how to spend it
Rod Stewart has given staff at a hotel in Scotland a tip of £10,000, as well as some advice on how he thinks they should spend it.
The moment came following the 78-year-old singer’s stay at the famous Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland – a spot made famous for hosting the first international match between American and British professional golfers.
There to celebrate Hogmanay, the last day of the year, with his wife Penny Lancaster and two sons, the artist caught staff working over the festive period off-guard by offering them a tip for £10,000.
Given to them in thanks for working over the holidays, he reportedly suggested they should use the amount to make a bet that Scotland will win the Euros this summer.
“I’ve been lucky enough to stay in some of the top hotels in the world and the service at Gleneagles is second to none,” he said (via The National Scot). “The staff do a terrific job at a very hectic time of the year and deserve every penny. It’s Scottish hospitality at its very best.”
“I advised the boys and girls at Gleneagles to invest the money wisely,” he added. “Stick the lot on Scotland to win the Euros.”
The singer posted a photo of his stay at the location on his Instagram page, showing him and his sons wearing kilts to welcome in the new year. According to the caption, he held the celebration in “dedication to my wonderful Scottish father”.
The 2024 instalment of the Euros kicks off on Friday, June 14, and will run until Sunday, July 14.
This isn’t the first time that Stewart has made headlines for his generosity. Back in February he visited his local NHS hospital in Harlow, Essex and paid for a day’s worth of MRI scans to help reduce the waiting lists.
The artist said he wanted to prove that he wasn’t “all mouth and no trousers” amid his comments about the state of the NHS. He also said he wanted to pay for scans elsewhere in the UK.
In other Rod Stewart news, last year it was reported that the artist had turned down a big offer to perform in Saudi Arabia due to the country’s human rights issues.
The rock veteran was rumoured to have been offered the biggest money sum of his career to bring his show to the Middle East but declined due to the kingdom’s discrimination against women, LGBTQ+ people and the press.
“I’m grateful that I have a choice whether or not to perform in Saudi Arabia. So many citizens there have extremely limited choices… women, the LGBTQ community, the press,” he told the Daily Mirror. “I’d like my choice not to go… to shine a light on the injustices there and ignite positive change.”
This wasn’t the first time Stewart used his moral compass to turn down a performance. He previously revealed that he declined almost £1million to perform as part of the Qatar World Cup, because “it’s not right”.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
