THE hotel sector in Scotland enjoyed a 13.3% year-on-year leap in revenues in August, as Edinburgh benefited from the festival season and Inverness was boosted by a rise in domestic and international tourism, a survey shows.

Hotels in Glasgow and Aberdeen also enjoyed strong year-on-year rises in revenue in August.

Revenue per available room in Edinburgh came in at £116.85 in August, 12.9% higher than in the same month of last year, according to the survey published yesterday by accountancy firm BDO.

Revenue per available room, or rooms yield, is calculated by multiplying occupancy by the average room rate achieved.

Occupancy at Edinburgh hotels in August came in at 91.8%, up from 88.2% in the same month of last year.

BDO, which surveys a broad range of three- and four-star properties, highlighted the fact that the rooms yield figure for the Edinburgh hotel sector was way ahead of that for any other part of the UK outside London. It also observed that it was only £3 adrift of that London figure.

In Glasgow, rooms yield came in at £57.79 in August, up 16.4% on the same month of last year. Occupancy at hotels in Glasgow in August came in at 92.2%, up from 86.3% a year earlier.

The hotel sector in Inverness enjoyed a 12% year-on-year rise in revenue per available room to £74.18 in August.

Occupancy in the Inverness hotel sector came in at 93% in August, up from 91% a year earlier.

Aberdeen hotels achieved an overall 14.5% year-on-year rise in revenue per available room to £68.67 in August. This increase was achieved even though occupancy in August in the Aberdeen hotel sector, at 80.7%, was lower than the 82.1% figure for the same month of last year.

The Scottish hotel sector's overall revenue per available room in August came in at £78.70, up 13.3% on the corresponding figure for the same month of last year.

Scottish hotels recorded an occupancy rate of 89.5% in August, up from 85.6% in the same month of last year.

BDO observed: "Revenue soared across all four Scottish cities in the survey."

In the hotel sector in England, outside London, overall revenue per available room came in at £42.79 in August, up 4.9% on the same month of last year.

Hotels in Wales posted an overall 3.8% year-on-year fall in rooms yield to £42 in August.

Alastair Rae, a BDO partner who covers the property, leisure and hospitality sector, said: "These figures reveal another positive month for Scotland's hospitality sector.

"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."

He added: "Improved domestic and international tourism led to Inverness increasing its revenue by 12% to £74.18 - making it the second highest Scottish city for revenue during August. Aberdeen continued to plough a solid furrow.

"For Glasgow it will be interesting to see what impact the recently opened Hydro facility will have on the hospitality sector throughout the autumn."