GLASGOW'S hotel sector enjoyed a 21.3 per cent year-on-year hike in revenues in August, as the city received a major boost from the Commonwealth Games, a survey has shown.

The survey of three and four-star properties, published yesterday by accountancy firm BDO, showed that the year-on-year leap in revenue per available room in Glasgow hotels in August was achieved on the back of a sharp rise in room rates.

Occupancy for Glasgow hotels over August as a whole, at 91.2 per cent, was actually down marginally from 92.9 per cent in the same month of last year.

However, these hotels' revenue per available room, calculated by multiplying occupancy by average room rate achieved, jumped to £64.31 in August from £53.03 in the same month of 2013.

BDO highlighted the beneficial impact on the hotel sector of the Commonwealth Games, staged in Glasgow in late July and early August.

For the Scottish hotel sector as a whole, revenue per available room, also known as rooms yield, came in at £82.95 in August. This was up by 9.3 per cent on the corresponding figure of £75.90 for the same month of last year.

And it was well ahead of a rooms yield figure of £47.21 for hotels in England, outside London, in August, even though these properties achieved a year-on-year rise of 12.1 per cent in this key measure.

Hotels in Wales recorded a rooms yield figure of £49.02 in August - up 22.5 per cent on the same month of last year but nevertheless way adrift of the result achieved by the sector in Scotland.

For three and four-star hotels in the UK as a whole, outside London, the BDO survey showed that rooms yield in August was up 14.4 per cent on the same month of last year at £53.28.

BDO highlighted a strong performance by Edinburgh hotels, attributing this to the "enduring international appeal" of the festival.

Hotels in Edinburgh achieved a rooms yield of £116.39 in August, up by 4.9 per cent on the same month of last year. BDO observed that this revenue per available room figure for the Scottish capital was by far the highest anywhere in the UK outside London. The Edinburgh rooms yield figure, BDO noted, was just 37 pence adrift of the corresponding figure for the UK capital.

Aberdeen hotels achieved a 6.9 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue per available room in August, to £68.85.

BDO partner Alastair Rae said: "The hotel sector in Scotland continued to have an exceptional summer with revenue growing to £82.95, which is almost £30 higher than the UK average for August. Glasgow experienced the greatest gain, with a 21.3 per cent increase in revenue from £53.03 to £64.31 on the back of the overwhelming demand generated by the Commonwealth Games."

Among those appearing at the Commonwealth Games in early August was Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt.

Highlighting the strength of the hotel sector in the Scottish capital, Mr Rae said: "Revenue in Edinburgh rose to £116.39, which was only a few pence lower than the London figure during August and far above any other city in the UK.

"The popularity and worldwide recognition of the Edinburgh festivals drew record crowds and effectively filled the capital's hotel rooms."

Overall occupancy in the Scottish hotel sector dipped to 88.4 per cent in August from 89.8 per cent in the same month of 2013, with slight declines in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh. However, all of these cities recorded year-on-year growth in revenues on the back of higher room rates. Inverness achieved a 2.7 per cent year-on-year rise in rooms yield to £69.32 in August.

Mr Rae said: "Although occupancy fell across Scotland, this is to be expected when pricing is robust.

"Scottish occupancy was higher than anywhere else in the UK and Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness all had occupancy rates in the 90 per cent range which, by any standards, is very high and demonstrates that the pricing policy was well judged."