Edinburgh has more green space than most cities. Along with gardens and parklands there are inner-city paths along old train tracks and beside rivers which feel so peaceful it is hard to believe that you are in the middle of the city. Stroll through the city centre Princes Street Gardens, climb Arthurs Seat or picnic in Holyrood Park or walk the banks of the Water of Leith walkway.

Whether you want to experience 18th century Edinburgh, see a million pounds in cash or meet a Tyrannosaurus Rex, you can do it at Edinburgh’s museums, and it’s all free. Many museums also have excellent cafes and offer guided tours and events. The National Museum of Scotland is presenting an unmissable exhibition of ancient treasures from ancient Egypt on a rare visit to the UK. Fascinating Mummies is a significant exhibition of world famous Egyptology collections of the National Museum in Leiden. It’s on between 11 February and 27 May 2012.

Get involved in the free action along the sweeping East Lothian coastline, whether you chose to ride the waves, watch the wildlife or walk some of the John Muir Way, a coastal path which takes in East Lothian’s great beaches. Running up the great sand dunes at Gullane beach will certainly test your fitness.

Art galleries in Edinburgh are airy and welcoming with space for you to relax and enjoy great art . The galleries have plenty of art to see for free, some with paid touring exhibitions too and also have great cafes, shops and events. So whether you prefer fine art and old masters in the Scottish National Gallery or modern art and installations in the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, there is something for everyone.

Edinburgh’s skyline is punctuated with churches and cathedral spires. Peaceful refuges from city hustle and bustle, these historic buildings are well worth a visit for their interesting architecture and many also have cafes, exhibitions and events. Take in the contrasts of the Scott Monument, St.Giles’ Catherdral, the old Greyfriars Kirk (and the memorial to Grey Friars Bobby) and the ancient Canongate Kirk on the Royal Mile.

The award-winning Scottish Parliament building is situated at the bottom of Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile and is one of Scotland’s most distinctive buildings. As well as being the centre of Scottish politics, the Scottish Parliament is also a visitor attraction, where you can learn about Scotland’s political history, watch live debates and well as marvel at it’s unique architecture. Entry to the Parliament is free and you can book a free tour to explore the impressive architecture which was created by Enric Miralles, who sadly died before the building was opened. His designs drew inspiration from a wide range of sources including the surrounding landscape, flower paintings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the upturned boats on the seashore to create a unique space for Scotland’s new government following devolution in 1999.

Established in the 1940s, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the world. The Fringe showcases a diverse and exciting line-up of over 2,000 shows across the city throughout the month of August, many of which are completely free.

So a visit to Edinburgh need not be expensive. Spend the day exploring Edinburgh for free and then relax in the evening with a glass of malt whisky or a good bottle of wine with all the money you’ve saved.

The Bruntsfield Hotel was a top 3 in the category Medium Size (31-70 rooms) Hotel of the Year but I’m proud and delighted that Keavil House Hotel took the national award in the category Large Size (over 70 rooms) Hotel of the Year in Great Britain. What a fantastic achievement for both hotels and recognition for the hard work of both teams and for the continual on-going investment in our properties.

These awards are given to the hotels which score the highest marks in the annual quality assessment plus receive the most guest compliments and least guest complaints. Well done to all the teams at each hotel.

The quality assessment is in two parts. Part A checks that all the minimum standards of the brand are in place to ensure customers experience a consistent hotel in terms of service amenities, wherever they are in the world. Every Best Western hotels must offer guests minimum service amenities related to the Public Areas, Guest Rooms and Guest Bathrooms. These are extensive and comprehensive and cover issues such as breakfast provision, customer services, office services, bedroom facilities, free internet access, lighting levels, work desk area and bathroom services. The checklist is exhaustive and covers over 80 items which a Best Western hotel must provide. Part B of the assessment checks the quality of the housekeeping and maintenance in the Guest Rooms & Public Areas and Supplemental Areas such as meeting rooms, restaurant & bar, health club and lounges. Additionally the quality of staff performance is evaluated and a check is made to ensure that the hotel is correctly branded as a Best Western hotel. It’s an exhaustive and detailed assessment and a challenge to score highly in.

Each Best Western Hotel worldwide receives a minimum of one assessment every 10-11 months. I can honestly say that it is impossible to “prepare” for the assessment as it is so comprehensive that no hotel could go around the whole hotel and correct any shortcomings within the 2-5 days notice that you receive. The standards of the assessment require an all year round focus on quality and standards by all Best Western Hotels. It is the guest who benefits as they experience a fresh, well maintained hotel with all service attributes in place whenever they choose to stay in a Best Western

Both our hotels received their annual quality assessment in December 2010 and January 2011. The time, care and training that we undertake for quality management has certainly paid off again this year as both hotels passed their assessment comfortably. If any Best Western hotel achieves a quality assessment score which is roughly in the top 10% of all Best Western hotels worldwide then this is recognized with the awarding of a Quality Assessment Award. Our fingers are crossed. However until this decision, I am confident that our guests will be experiencing a high standard of quality and service in both the BEST WESTERN PLUS Bruntsfield Hotel in Edinburgh and BEST WESTERN PLUS Keavil House Hotel in Dunfermline.

After a few hours of “cutting and pasting”, all the content from my old Blogger blog has been moved across to this blog so no posts are lost but unfortunately all previous post comments and replies have not been possible to carry across to WordPress.

If you are reading this on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, it’s because this blog is connected so that all posts are shared across all media platforms. However, I suspect it will be some time before it appears in browser Search, so expect the old Blogger blog to remain visible in Search for a while.

So here we are, ready to go again. Expect the occasional blog post about my views and comment about Hotel life, Travel experiences, Marketing issues and occasionally favourite Wines with a few unexpected issues thrown in. This new blog is not going to be self-serving and indulgent. I’ll share it across our hotel websites and so it will be read by existing and potential customers. I’ll try and include posts which give a flavour of the personality of our hotels and issues which will help customers get the most out of any planned visit to Edinburgh or Dunfermline….especially if you plan to stay with us at BEST WESTERN PLUS Bruntsfield Hotel or BEST WESTERN PLUS Keavil House Hotel.

As any amateur blogger knows, the biggest challenge is creating interesting things to say and share. Be patient and I’ll promise to post regular articles which don’t cause you to “click” to another site or press “Delete”.

Enjoy reading the occasional “Views from an Edinburgh hotel”.

Understandably, customers are looking for a great deal in times like this. Many customers have become fixated to the “deal” and cannot or will not buy unless some sort of discount is evident. For many, the idea of paying the “normal” price has gone. There is a potential group of customers who are just waiting for the deal and there are many hotels that are all too eager to offer discounts on Groupon. Hotels see competitors embracing Groupon and think that they must too promote themselves via this method. But is this business “good” business for the hotel?

There are of course many perceived advantages to promotions on Groupon for hotels. The hotel achieves a wide distribution of their offer to potentially “new” customers. New geographical markets are penetrated and the hotel is exposed to a very large number of potential customers. On the face of it, it is a very low cost method of promotion and there are many customers just waiting for the next attractive hotel deal to buy. Many hotels will acknowledge that a Groupon promotion was successful and that many hotel stays were purchased within the time window allowed, resulting in a large increase in business volumes. However did this increase in business result in additional profits and the acquisition of new customers who became loyal to the hotel. Unfortunately, it probably did not.

Before a hotel deal is accepted as a Groupon promotion, it must offer a “face value” which illustrates a discount of at least 50% off the “normal” published price. This is the hook to the customer. Groupon need some profit from the promotion so their commission on every deal bought is around 25% of the promotional price. As you can see, the net price to the hotel is nothing close to the “normal” price. Imagine a 2 night hotel stay with breakfast & dinner (the normal Groupon type hotel promotion) for which the hotel could justify a price of £340.00. 50% off this brings the price of the Groupon offer down to £170.00. This is highly attractive to the customer and it is not surprising that these types of hotel deals are very successfully sold on Groupon. However, if Groupon take 25% commission off this, the net price to the hotel is £127.50 for the provision of two nights’ accommodation, two breakfasts and two dinners. There is little profit, if any, in this type of pricing.

The influx of Groupon customers also creates unexpected operational issues for the hotel. As business volumes rise above normal for the period of the promotion, staffing numbers have to be increased to manage the additional guests. Payroll costs will inevitably increase which eats further into profit. Variable costs of laundry, cleaning and consumables also increase. Hotels are very close to becoming busy fools.

But what about the perceived advantage of attracting a new group of customers to the hotel and converting Groupon customers into loyal customers who will book direct next time? Unfortunately this is just wishful thinking. Most customers on discount deals are loyal to the “deal” and not loyal to the “hotel”. These deal seekers are promiscuous users of hotels and move from hotel deal to hotel deal. This group of customers has become conditioned to the deal and to the discount and would never dream of paying the “normal” price. There is little opportunity to acquire new, regular customers.

Managing this type of business also has its issues at the hotel. Loyal hotel customers are loyal to the hotel and its quality of product and service. Mix this with a group of customers who have no loyalty whatsoever to the hotel and you have a potential difficult mix of guest types. They do not necessarily sit well together and the hotel is taking a risk by upsetting its loyal, less price sensitive guests. An influx of bargain seeking, deal hunters may damage the hotel positioning and cause more profitable, loyal guests to reconsider their hotel choice. Hotels run the risk of displacing highly profitable business with much less profitable business. If a customer is loyal to a hotel, they are unlikely to be attracted by promotional deals. From this perspective, the problem with the focus on providing discounts to loyal customers becomes clear: they’re precisely the consumers you don’t need to discount for!

So what promotional lessons are there for hotels seeking additional business in difficult times? I would suggest that hotels need to get back to basics of building a customer database of their loyal customers and using regular and targeted digital and traditional communications to offer customers a sustainable deal which is seen as a “thank-you” for their loyalty. Yes, new customers must be attracted, but they should only be attracted at a price which creates profit for the hotel and certainly at no lower a price than the hotel’s loyal customers.

Untargeted, deeply discounted promotions are a slippery slope to the bottom.

Not all tourists visiting a city stay in hotels therefore why should only a sub-group of tourists be subject to a tourist tax and a sub-group of the tourist industry (the hotels) be the unpaid tax collector? Why should tourists who stay in Guest Houses, Hostels, Campsites, Caravan Parks, with Friends & Relatives or are just visiting the city for the day, be exempt from such a tax? All tourists enjoy a city and use its resources. Why should tourists who are enjoying the city’s many bars, restaurants and visitor attractions not also pay a tourist tax? Will an additional tax be added to your bar bill, your café coffee, your restaurant bill or your visitor attraction entrance fee? Of course not, because local Edinburgh people pay these bills and local Edinburgh people are voters. No incumbent city administration wants to risk the backlash from local voters of applying additional taxes on them.

An Edinburgh tourist tax may also give rise to distortions of competition regionally and within Scotland. No other city is proposing such a tax so a situation where you pay tourist tax in Edinburgh but not in Glasgow, St. Andrews, Stirling or Perth would arise. Depending on the cost of the tax, tourists (especially budget travellers) may choose to stay just outside the city boundary and commute into the city.

How would such a tax be applied? Tourists in Great Britain do not experience additional costs added to their hotel bill. So would hotels build the tourist tax into their pricing (like VAT) or would they add it as a transparent cost at the end of the bill, and explain that it is a city tax and has nothing to do with the hotel. I believe that the negative image of this approach would damage Edinburgh’s reputation. Additionally, it is the total tax burden on businesses which matters and it is this total tax burden that should be measured against other international cities to ensure Edinburgh is competitive. Edinburgh hotels pay VAT at 17.5% (20% from 4^th January 2011), Payroll Taxes of say 12% of total payroll cost and Property Taxes of say 8% of total revenues. It’s a very high tax burden which has to be covered by pricing decisions.

Can we be sure that a tourist tax would actually be used to reinvest in tourist facilities, infrastructure and actions to improve tourist numbers? Edinburgh, like many cities, is facing serious funding pressures and the risk of a tourist tax being collected by the city and being used in budgets other than tourism is too great.

So what is the solution to fair and equitable funding of city tourism? Any comprehensive additional tax raising measures must encompass all tourists who visit the city and who use all tourist services. We must not only concentrate on visitors who stay in hotels. We must include all tourists. If a tourist tax was to be the answer then it would need to be applied in Guest Houses, Hostels, Campsites and Caravan Parks. We’d need to ensure that day visitors were also included by applying the tax in bars, restaurants, cafes, visitor attractions and retail. The tax raising power of this approach is high and could therefore be used to raise substantial sums. The actual tax element could be much lower than that required for a hotel based tourist tax only. We’d have a true city tax….not a tourist tax. And if the tax proceeds were used to improve the city then both tourists and locals would benefit from the tax they paid.

And what about hotels? I believe that hotels are prepared to specifically fund tourism promotion, but not via taxation. The ideal solution is a private sector / public sector partnership to create a tourism promotion and marketing body which has a membership fee structure and which is compulsory for all hotels to participate in. Make this body’s remit include the attraction of visitors to the city and the management of their experience within the city.

So what would the Edinburgh tourism landscape potentially look like in 2015? We’d have a city tax and a well funded city tourism promotion and marketing body. The city tax would be payable by all who benefit from the environment of the city of Edinburgh and membership of the tourism promotion body would be compulsory for all hotels. The city tax would be ring-fenced for tourism promotion and city improvement for the benefit of tourists. The promotion and marketing body would manage and deliver city marketing and promotion. It’s not an easy model to deliver, or a palatable solution for all, but it does provide the necessary resources. A hotel only based Tourist Tax only is not the answer for Edinburgh.

I have an example of a restaurant which just got everything right and there’s no doubt to me that on the evening that I visited, close to 100 customers must have left delighted and totally satisfied, ready to tell others what a great evening they had and ready to return again. This is not a Michelin starred restaurant for which first class customer service and food is essential. This is not a restaurant with hushed tones and the clink of crystal. This is not a restaurant with deep pile carpet and starched linen or a restaurant which is generally talked about as being in the Top 10 of the city. This is a bustling restaurant within a large hotel. It is the Cucina Restaurant of the Missoni Hotel in Edinburgh. It’s an Italian restaurant which serves simple, fresh, Italian food prepared by xxxx and is managed by a restaurant service team who certainly know how to give great service. The food is wonderful and memorable however I certainly do feel comfortable writing about technical food issues in the style of a food critic but I can say that it’s the best Italian food that I’ve tasted in Edinburgh, probably in Scotland. I can comment with some authority and knowledge on the quality of the service received.

You want to feel welcomed when you visit a restaurant and so arriving at the entrance to the restaurant and finding the host desk unoccupied always gives you a few seconds of irritation as you wait. However, we were noticed by the host from the other side of the restaurant, visually acknowledged and then the host briskly (visibly!) moved to us, smiled, apologised that we were left waiting (it was only seconds), welcomed us, checked our reservation, addressed me by name and said she would show us to a very nice table….and it was. A great start.

Our server introduced himself to us, offered us an aperitif and left us with menus and a wine list. A minute later he returned with a basket of bread and a bottle of olive oil. The variety of breads was explained and the olive oil from Sicily was introduced and poured. The restaurant manager came to our table and welcomed us back (we’d been before). These little extras were being noticed.

As we read the menus, we were asked if we needed anything explained on the menu. Never shy to engage with the restaurant team, brief menu questions were answered with confidence and accuracy.

The wine list at Cucina is vast and with an understandable bias to Italian wines, is perhaps not so familiar to many. It has a range of wines from mid £20s to north of £100. The dedicated sommelier was offering genuine help if required so what better way to allow his knowledge and skill to shine than to ask him to select a bottle of wine for us. We told him what we were eating, that we preferred red wine and that our budget was around £35.00. A bottle of Sangovese was selected which was both under the budget given and tasted superb. 10 out of 10 for wine service.

And so this excellent service continued throughout the meal. Dishes were explained as they were brought, wine and water was topped up at just the right time and never more than half a glass of wine was poured….the sign of a restaurant which understands wine. Time between courses was spot on. Service was just there when you needed it. It was invisible attentiveness.

By the end of the evening we had enjoyed a simply delicious meal which was served with a passion for customer care. We paid the bill, left a tip which recognised the service received and were thanked for coming by the restaurant manager as we left. I can honestly say that the service could not be faulted in any way and that every member of the team without exception gave exceptional customer care. I left thinking that I need to achieve these standards in my own restaurants.

Times may be tough and consumer spending may be being cut-back and some restaurants may be struggling or even going out of business but those who serve great food combined with memorable service will be remembered and stand out from the rest. Their restaurant diaries will be busy and their customers will be their advocates. The price paid will be less important than the value received.

Forget the economic challenges and spend a few hours enjoying La Dolce Vita with great food and wine at Cucina Restaurant.

In France, for example, it is 5.5% and on 1^st July, Ireland reduced VAT in hotels to 9%. Both destinations are major competitors for the UK hotel industry.

The Government has an objective to grow domestic tourism from 36% to 50% of total tourism spend by UK residents. The high level of VAT at 20% for hotels, restaurants and tourist attraction compared to many European competitors will prevent this objective being achieved. The UK is not a low cost destination in general and when VAT at 20% is added it becomes uncompetitive compared to France, Ireland and many other easily accessible European destinations.

The UK hotel industry is at a serious disadvantage when striving for growth. Global tourism is growing and the UK is attractive to many overseas customers. The industry has the potential to create many additional jobs and to add substantial value to the economy by increased tax generation. However we cannot be complacent and just assume that visitors will continue to come to the UK and that UK residents will stay at home to holiday. We are in a global competitive environment where travel is easy and the wish to experience different cultures is strong. The UK hotel industry must be able to compete on a level playing field.

High VAT taxation added to the red tape, regulations and rules that we must operate within make achieving this growth potential for the industry almost impossible.

If the industry is to achieve its potential we need lower VAT taxation and a reduction in red tape, regulation and form filling. We must take costs out of our industry so that we become competitive relative to our European neighbours who have already taken action in these areas.

As the BHA have stated “There is a significant risk to the industry’s potential for growth, regeneration and job creation in precisely those areas of the country where it is most needed.”

It is astonishing that as an industry and against this background, we also have to be defensive against frequent proposals from cities and regions to generate additional revenues from additional taxes dedicated to the hotel industry e.g. bed taxes. Our customers are not interested in how our prices are built up as they look at the headline rate only. We must remain competitive at this headline rate level and not disadvantage our industry.

The house is close to the heart of Edinburgh, was built in 1867, and is set in 20 acres of parkland and gardens. Originally a private residence for a member of Edinburgh’s business and political elite, during the 20^th century it evolved into a hotel. Over the past few years the hotel has been remodeled and redesigned by Edinburgh restaurateur and hotelier James Thomson into a luxury 5 star hotel which exudes opulent, individual style.  A breakfast meeting here was certainly not going to be an ordinary breakfast.

But before I tell you a little about breakfast, let me tell you about this marvelous, individual and independent hotel. This is not a city boutique hotel; it’s much more extensive than that. 23 stylish bedrooms and suites are complemented by fine dining restaurant “Rhubarb”, a selection of private dining rooms, ornate lounges, public rooms, a wonderful wedding and banqueting suite and acres of beautiful gardens. However it’s the design and décor that sets this hotel apart from the competition. Bold, stylish colour, artwork, antique furniture, rich and warm fabrics and 5 star individual service result in a hotel experience which is exceptional. This is not an hotel which places the look of the hotel above functionality for today’s guests. All the rooms and suites are equipped with wi-fi, air-conditioning, fully equipped media cabinets, mini-bars and even complimentary Champagne on arrival. Bland is not in the vocabulary of James Thomson, the owner of the hotel.

Now back to business. After the presentation which I attended we made our way to Rhubarb for breakfast. No stale coffee, cold toast, unexciting cereals and standard grilled breakfast here! In true Prestonfield style we started the day with fresh banana smoothies and honey granola with stewed berries and vanilla yoghurt. This was followed by a never ending supply of mini breakfast treats which were placed in the middle of our tables on glass platters. Mini portions of Eggs Benedict, cinnamon egg toast, blueberry pancakes and smoked haddock croquettes were a few of the never ending selection. This was breakfast in style and the best start to any business day and was a welcome change to the usual rushed glass of fruit juice and cereal.

Prestonsfield House is a unique hotel. It provides luxury, style and service which are rarely found. It is the true pinnacle of independent hotelkeeping. There may be no recognisable brand name or logo anywhere but those who know Prestonfield know that Prestonfield is the brand. It offers everything a brand offers – a promise which is consistently delivered. In Prestonfield’s case this is a promise of an experience of divine decadence, luxury, individuality and style. It’s the perfect antidote to some of today’s bland and unexceptional hotels. Oh yes, and its serves a great breakfast.

The ubiquitous supply of hotels in most areas where customers want to visit has more or less solved the Location issue – there are now hotel wherever we wish to stay. The abundance of online travel agents and internet channels has resulted in Price becoming transparent and competitive and it is almost impossible now to attract customers based on price alone unless you offer a ridiculously low price which prevents the generation of sustainable profits.  Promotion (or sales & marketing) is professional and comprehensive and whether it is corporately provided by large hotel companies or outsourced by independent hotels to hotel marketing consortia, it is widely available to all hotels.

If there is a selection of hotels wherever you wish to find one, which have a price which offers no advantage over each other and the way the hotel is sold and marketed to you is successful….what determines your ultimate choice or how does a hotel  differentiate itself and offer something different to secure a guest’s custom and loyalty?

Of course hotel loyalty schemes and corporate buying decisions play a large part, but in an even playing field something has to give the hotel advantage. The only factor which is difficult for competitors to exactly copy is the actual Product or the physical hotel itself. The physical attributes or the furniture, the bar, the restaurant, the bed, the pool etc can of course be easily copied by competitor hotels but what of the emotional attributes of style, design, colour, image, smell, sound and environment?. These are very difficult, if not impossible to copy.

Today’s demanding customers are looking for something different in the design and style of the hotel they choose. …especially leisure travelers and all guests who have the outlook of Gen X, Gen Y and Millennials. Careful and considered physical hotel design results in a hotel experience which is easy, pleasant and efficient to use.  However overlay this functional aspect of design with the emotional aspects of colour, style, image, smell, sound and environment and you have a hotel which is appealing to our customers of tomorrow and certainly differentiates the hotel from competitors.

It may be slightly niche at the moment but I believe that it will shortly become a widespread method of attracting guests to a hotel and differentiating the hotel from competitors or attracting a new market of guests who find little appealing in many of today’s hotels.

Hotel design as a marketing element emerged from boutique hotels, townhouse style hotels and individual independents. It has now arrived in large corporations with brands such as W from Starwood, Indigo from IHG and Morgans Group. There are even marketing consortia which focus on hotels with individual style and design, for example  www.designhotels.com

Great, individual design is here to stay and the emotional attributes of a hotel visit are the next way to attract and secure our guests of tomorrow.