Edinburgh's Ten Hill Place hotel hails good occupancy vitals

A charitable hotel and events business tied to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is flagging a good prognosis, with strong occupancy and projections well above expectations.

Surgeons Quarter, which operates what it says is the city’s largest independent hotel, Ten Hill Place, will have hosted more than 2,000 guests in May, including a range of surgical students sitting vital in-person exams.

It meant that throughout the month, occupancy exceeded 40 per cent, which it said was 10 per cent above the base level for the city according to data from sector expert Smith Travel Research.

The Edinburgh-based organisation also cited STR highlighting that upcoming bookings at the 129-room Old Town hotel are more than 7 per cent above the average of its ten closest competitors, as it looks to recapture market share while the sector emerges from lockdown.

The independent hotel will have welcomed more than 2,000 guests in May. Picture: contributed.

Scott Mitchell, managing director at Surgeons Quarter, said: “We’re confident that we can emerge from the past 15 months in a very strong position.

“The number of bookings is very heartening and a good 25 per cent above what we were anticipating given all the uncertainty.

“We’re already expecting close to 50 per cent occupancy for June. While we’d expect more than 75 per cent in a normal year, we appreciate that everything has changed – and we’re delighted to be operating at this level.”

'We’re already expecting close to 50 per cent occupancy for June,' says Surgeons Quarter MD Scott Mitchell. Picture: Ewan Barry.

Surgeons Quarter said that at the outset of the pandemic it hosted more than 500 clinical and frontline workers, providing 2,137 free room nights to staff working at nearby hospitals.

It also said that as well as the hotel, it typically operates one of the Scottish capital’s busiest events and conference programmes, making use of the RCSEd’s buildings while they are not in medical use.

Additionally, it is now advancing “blended” technologies, hosting the UK hub of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ annual scientific conference –featuring a mix of in-person and live streamed features and Q&As with Professor Jason Leitch and RCSEd President Professor Michael Griffin. It has also opened a Drinks and Dining Al Fresco space.

All profits support the charitable aims of the college, which are education, assessment and advancement in surgical standards worldwide.

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