HOTELS in Glasgow achieved another strong overall year-on-year rise in revenues in March, boosted by comedian Miranda Hart's shows at the SSE Hydro and a major conference, a survey has shown.
The hotel sector in Aberdeen was also buoyant in March, according to the survey of three and four- star properties published yesterday by accountancy firm BDO.
Overall revenue per available room for hotels in Glasgow in March was up 21.2 per cent on the same month of last year at £46.75. This measure, also known as rooms yield, is calculated by multiplying occupancy by average room rate achieved.
Aberdeen hotels achieved revenue per available room of £69.75 in March, up by 11.8 per cent on the same month of 2013. Rooms yield in Aberdeen remains the highest in the UK outside London, by a considerable margin.
The sharp year-on-year rise in rooms yield in Aberdeen in March was achieved in spite of a marginal fall in occupancy, to 74.6 per cent from 74.9 per cent in the same month of last year.
Occupancy for the Glasgow hotel sector in March came in at 76.2 per cent, up from 74.4 per cent in the same month of last year.
Hotels in Glasgow and Aberdeen had also enjoyed strong year-on-year growth in rooms yield in February.
Overall, hotels in Scotland achieved a year-on-year increase of 8.5 per cent in rooms yield in March, to £46.52. This was ahead of a revenue per available room figure of £41.64 for hotels in England. However, the year-on-year rise in rooms yield for England in March, at 11.9 per cent, was stronger than that in Scotland.
Occupancy at Scottish hotels in March came in at 69.6 per cent overall. This was up slightly from 68.5 per cent in the same month of last year, but most of the rise in revenue per available room was driven by rates.
Hotels in Edinburgh recorded a 0.2 per cent year-on-year dip in revenue per available room in March, to £50.33. Inverness hotels achieved rooms yield of £29.46 in March, up two per cent on a year earlier.
BDO partner Alastair Rae said: "Edinburgh's revenue figure is pretty solid and Glasgow experienced a considerable hike in March due to the European Breast Cancer conference and many high-profile events at the Hydro and SECC, including a Miranda Hart show."
He added: "These figures are a further indication that the Scottish hotel sector is continuing to do very well.
"The relatively static occupancy figures are actually a positive sign when combined with the increase in revenue as it means that hoteliers felt confident enough to charge more without impacting unduly on the number of guests."
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