It was another positive month for the Scottish hotels with the latest report from BDO LLP reporting that Scotland’s hotels outperformed the rest of the UK. Scottish hotels recorded the highest occupancy level at 89.5% and an average room yield of £78.70 during August. This compared to £42.79 for England as a whole. That’s a 13% increase for Scotland on August last year. England enjoyed a 77% occupancy rate and Wales came in at 83%.
Alastair Rae, a partner in the property, leisure and hospitality sector of the firm, said, “The expression ‘making hay while the sun shines’ never seemed more appropriate for the sector during August which saw revenues of £78.70 which was over £30 higher than Scotland’s national counterparts in the rest of the UK.
“Another month of strong figures must provide some reassurance to Scotland’s hoteliers who have had a difficult few years. This year would appear to be a return to form for the sector and will provide a welcome revenue boost for many owners.”
A regional breakdown of the figures shows that hotels in Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh all had occupancy levels of more than 90% in August, with Aberdeen behind at around 80%.
Revenue “soared” across those cities, all of which recorded increases of 12% or more on the previous year’s levels.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Edinburgh had the highest revenue during its busy festival month.
