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Scotland’s Hotels Urged to Drop Corporate ‘Bland’ To Attract More Visitors
Added: (Fri Aug 25 2006)
Scotland needs a greater variety of low-priced, good quality accommodation for home-grown tourists in the wake of international travel chaos, claims the owners of two of the country’s leading budget hotels.
The company behind Glasgow’s McLays Guest House and The Osbourne Hotel in Edinburgh believe the increase in tourism will only be maintained if visitors are made more welcome and their trips more memorable.
”There are too many hotels in Glasgow and Edinburgh that are carbon copies of each other. There needs to be more individualism,” said Managing Director Shahid Chaudhry, whose family have been providing low-budget hotel accommodation for 20 years and recently invested almost £2million in extending and upgrading their city centre inns.
”If everywhere is the same there is no difference between Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh or London. There is a monotony about too many hotels which makes it difficult to tell one from another
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”Scotland has a world reputation for being different, a unique place to visit, and our hotels need to be more individualistic to reflect that.”
McLays Guest House in Renfrew Street, Glasgow and The Osbourne Hotel In York Place, Edinburgh are two of Scotland’s premier budget hotels.
By providing only bed and breakfast the company’s no-frills policy means that without the need to maintain a restaurant or bar inside the hotels their room rates can be kept low and the standard of service high.
”Most people who come to Glasgow or Edinburgh for a holiday don’t want to spend their limited time eating in the hotel, they want to get out and experience the city and its nightlife,” said Mr Chaudhry.
”The recent travel chaos affecting international travel means we are already receiving an increased number of calls from people looking to take a break in the UK rather than queue up at airports.”
The family recently invested more than £1.1million extending and upgrading McLays Guest House by adding 19 new rooms and increasing accommodation to a total of 81 - each complete with satellite television, telephones and tea and coffee making facilities.
Similarly, at The Osbourne Hotel in Edinburgh they have just finished a £600,000 project to extend the listed Georgian townhouse hotel to increase the number of rooms to 57 while retaining many of the listed-building’s original characteristics.
Around 90% of all tourism in Scotland comes from the UK market and increasingly travellers who have become to used to cheap flights on no-frills airlines are looking for similar deals on their accommodation.
”People are taking short city breaks more frequently and if travel becomes more complicated and stressful as a result of recent events it is likely they will take those holidays in the UK,” said Mr Chaudhry.
”If Scotland is to increase and maintain its share of the UK travel market then there has to be sufficient good quality, low-cost accommodation that sets us apart from the rest of Britain.”
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Notes to Editors:
The Osbourne Hotel at 53/59 York Place, Edinburgh EH1 3JD is one of the city’s leading providers of good quality, budget accommodation.
The 19th century Georgian townhouse offers 57 rooms with a choice of Single, Double, Twin and Family occupancy, most with ensuite facilities. All rooms have television, tea and coffee making facilities, telephones and central heating. More information on The Osbourne Hotel can be found at www.osbournehotel.com
McLays Guest House at 264/276 Renfrew Street, Glasgow, G3 6TT offers 81 spacious rooms, the majority with ensuite facilities, and all with satellite television, telephones and tea and coffee making facilities.
Situated in the centre of Glasgow it provides quick and easy access to the city’s cultural, commercial and leisure attractions. More information on McLays Guest House can be found at www.mclays.com