The Royal Scots Club Takes Personal Approach
The private members club has thrived with HotelPartner Revenue Management, with its unique rooms becoming a selling strength
The Royal Scots Club was founded in 1919 as a tribute to those who fell in The Great War and is situated in one of Edinburgh’s finest Georgian streets. It offers 31 elegant rooms and prides itself on offering a combination of the charm of a country house hotel with a cosy club atmosphere.
The club receives support from HotelPartner.
The property had decided to revisit how it managed its room sales with the aim of increasing occupancy and room rate, especially during the shoulder months of business. It had an additional layer of complexity; catering to non-members as well as members and was looking for a personalised solution.
Adrian Hayes, general manager, had spoken to fellow hoteliers in Scotland about HotelPartner, who had confirmed that working with them had made a difference.
Hayes said: “We are not a big hotel with lots of standard bedrooms. We are unique in that we are a Private Members Club who sell rooms to our members at heavily-discounted rates. When our members do not take up those rooms, we sell them to non-members visiting Edinburgh. HotelPartner needed to understand that our members are very important to us. But, just as important to us that we do not sit with unsold rooms when we are in the heart of a busy destination city like Edinburgh. We also have a variety of room types, each with their own starting price point, which in itself is a challenge to understand.
“The team at HotelPartner have a monthly call with the Club’s Revenue Manager to advise on the actions on rates they have taken and to learn why we may wish to challenge some of their decisions.
“The relationship works well and since onboarding with HotelPartner we have seen an increase in occupancy, an increase in rate and a small increase in bookings coming directly via our web site.”
A complicated market such as Edinburgh, which has multiple demand drivers at any one time, also required an individual approach. Hayes added: “The main challenge we have faced has been maximising rates and responding quickly to changes in the local market. HotelPartner, have helped enormously with this, their algorithms combined with their staff’s speedy response to differing local conditions has made a big impact on the actual rate we are achieving.”
Robert Holland, managing director UK & Ireland, HotelPartner, added: “With such strong demand in Edinburgh, selling rooms was never going to be the challenge. With the help of Adrian and his team, we have understood the uniqueness of the club and have tailored a personalised revenue strategy to optimise the rooms revenue. Our technology is able to deliver this strategy in real time, whilst our team of revenue managers constantly analyse the performance and amend parameters where necessary as demand patterns change.
“With experience across 170 markets throughout Europe, our experts have developed 1000’s of strategies over the years and our partner hotels regularly outperform their competitors. Our ability to manage distribution as well as revenue ensures that the direct channel is favoured when occupancies are high, minimising commissions and maximising profit. “We look forward to a long and successful association with Adrian and the Royal Scots Club.”
