Soaring guest bookings at Edinburgh’s largest independent hotel in August have helped to spark new optimism for the capital’s hospitality sector.

Ten Hill Place saw occupancy rates reach 90% during August – up from 50% at the beginning of the month and 58% in July.

The hotel’s prime location on Nicolson Street benefited from the renewed visitor activity from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe buzz, performing 20% above the average of its 10 closest competitors, with 6333 guests hosted throughout the month.

Ten Hill Place is run by Surgeons Quarter, the commercial arm of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RSCEd). Surgeons Quarter promotes, sells and manages all commercial activities held within the RCSEd campus.

Jackie Hudson, Revenue Manager of Surgeons Quarter, said: “Throughout August, we have welcomed a host of guests from Scotland and the UK, and further afield including France, Germany, and even America.

“The buzz within the hotel and campus has been great. Although it’s not the same volume as a normal peak Fringe period, we’ve been delighted to see some sort of normality returning.

“The footfall across the campus has been really positive. Working with our partner theSpaceUK more than 65,000 tickets were sold for performances hosted at SQ venues – it is brilliant to be a central part in helping people to enjoy the magic of the fringe.”

Ten Hill Place hotel performed better than expected. Staycations were trending through the month of August which meant longer length of stays for the domestic market, in comparison to previous years.

Jackie added: “We understand that the pandemic has left many guests feeling anxious about staying in a hotel however we are uniquely placed as we have access to the medical experience of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh membership.

“The team at Surgeons Quarter are very experienced in operating in the current climate with many of them having served NHS workers through much of the first lockdown. It has been a great endorsement for all guests to feel comfortable within Ten Hill Place.”

Drinks & Dining, which is based within the hotel, also launched a new menu in August which saw award-winning Executive Chef, Alan Dickson add a few of his favourite dishes, including Seared Hand Dived Scallops, and 16oz Chateaubriand to Share.

Ten Hill Place is Edinburgh’s largest independent four-star hotel with 129 bedrooms with six different room types.

At the outset of the pandemic Surgeons Quarter hosted more than 500 clinical and frontline workers, providing 2137 free room nights to staff working at nearby hospitals.

As well as the award-winning hotel, Surgeons Quarter typically operates one of the city’s busiest events and conference programmes, making use of the RCSEd’s impressive collection of buildings while they are not in medical use.

More information about Ten Hill Place Hotel can be found at www.tenhillplace.com.