Tag: Surgeon’s Quarter

City centre hotel offers foodie fantasy with exclusive deal

A PREMIER four-star city centre hotel and restaurant is giving back to residents with a chance to rediscover the magic of the city with an exciting exclusive ‘Drinks and Dining’ offer in February.

In partnership with Forever Edinburgh Resident Rewards, Ten Hill Place Hotel is providing the perfect opportunity to relax and recuperate with £50 of food and drink for just £25 per person, saving 50%.

Located on the prime location of Nicholson Street in the buzzing Southside district, the exclusive offer allows guests to experience its relaxed and contemporary restaurant and enjoy locally sourced seasonal dishes paired with carefully selected drinks including its exclusive in-house 1505 gin and 1505 Ale for less.

Mark McKenzie, General Manager of Surgeons Quarter said: “We wanted to help Edinburgh locals beat the winter blues by offering an exclusive offer to city residents.

“The offer is a fantastic opportunity for people to escape in their own city and enjoy a top-class meal for half the price.

“The response so far has been fantastic, and it has been great to have a buzz in the hotel and campus – making for a perfect Valentine’s Day treat.”

Forever Edinburgh works with members, partners, and stakeholders to maintain the profile of Edinburgh as a world-class destination to visit, invest, live, work and study though championing Scotland’s capital city locally, nationally and internationally.

Eleanor Lee, Digital Marketing Lead at Forever Edinburgh said: “Resident Rewards Edinburgh, now in its third year, is an exclusive initiative for Edinburgh residents, offering substantial savings and a chance to try new experiences in the city we all call home.

“The enthusiastic participation of local businesses including the return of partners like Surgeons Quarter underscores the programme’s success and since July 2023, the Resident Rewards landing page has attracted over 57,000 visitors.

Edinburgh is bucking the trend when it comes to footfall to our city centre and was recently declared the top performing city in the UK, and I have no doubt that this is in part thanks to the incredible range of attractions on offer and initiatives like this.”

Bookings can be made by emailing j.hudson@surgeonsquarter.com using the code EHReward50.

Ten Hill Place is run by Surgeons Quarter, the commercial arm of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RSCEd) with profits supporting the charitable aims of the College which are education, assessment and advancement in surgical standards worldwide.

The offer is valid from Monday 1st February to 29th February 2024 from 1pm-9.30pm, to learn more about the offer, visit: https://edinburgh.org/residentrewards/

More information about Ten Hill Place hotel can be found at: 

https://www.surgeonsquarter.com/accommodation/

Edinburgh hotel ‘check in’ staff wellbeing with new initiative 

Surgeons Quarter invest in staff following post-pandemic event boom

A FLAGBEARER of Scottish hospitality has launched a new engagement initiative to improve staff wellbeing as the sector booms post-pandemic.

‘SQ Cares’ by Surgeons Quarter is a programme run by representatives across all departments focussing on the welfare and wellbeing of staff – adding to the existing schemes already in place.

Nine members have been meeting once a month since January to discuss six key areas across the business – charity, community, wellbeing, green, inclusion and social – of which three pledges have been made for each.

Current pledges devised by the initiative include wellbeing programmes and seasonal treats, while some entail giving back to the community through supporting charities such as Bowel Cancer UK and organised community clean-ups.

Sarah Williamson, Business and Talent Manager and driving force behind SQ Cares, said: “After a turbulent few years, it’s great to see the events sector back operating at full capacity again.

“Staff have stepped up during busy times so we wanted to introduce a way to engage with them across all departments to gather input and ensure we put their voices at the heart of everything we do.

“SQ Cares is having a positive impact on the business already as the pledges have been created by staff for staff and since these have been put into practice, engagement has soared.

“A business is really all about its people- making sure that they are happy and looked after is so important. We are such a busy company and always running about so sometimes it is nice to just stop and say thank you.

“Initiatives already implemented include celebrating International Employee Appreciation Day where staff were treated to lunch and we also issued thank you cards. We also reintroduced Employee of the Month which has been met with a lot of enthusiasm.”

SQ Cares adds to the number of existing employee initiatives that the event venue already offers, such as a £2,000 holiday bonus for its hard-working hospitality recruits.

The organisation has also recently relocated its office to new premises at Mission Hall in order to create an environment for staff to thrive and have all of the necessary equipment and tools to produce their best work.

An ‘open door’ policy has been introduced at the new office meaning members of the public can visit to discuss their hospitality, event or travel requirements with an experienced member of the team – without having to book an appointment.

Operations Manager, Stewart Munro joined the organisation in April and is supportive of the SQ Cares initiative focused on creating a happier workforce while boosting morale.

He said: “When I joined the team at Surgeons Quarter, I felt like my particular role was a blank canvas and one which I could run with on my own. I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with the team on the ground, helping them to develop and supporting them in any way I can.

“SQ Cares is a way to show our staff that we care and appreciate the amazing work displayed, especially throughout this particularly busy summer period.

“Surgeons Quarter is a fast-paced and forward-thinking company which is why I was delighted to be offered a job there – I feel its excellent employee benefit schemes really showcase this. They have allowed me to grow in my career already and I’m looking forward to seeing the pledges progress.”

For more information visit: https://www.surgeonsquarter.com

Surgeon’s Quarter hospitality team commit to massive training programme during pandemic

FURLOUGHED staff for a hospitality business in the heart of the Scottish capital have amassed more than 2600 hours of recorded training in the past year, securing a combined 169 industry-recognised qualifications.

Surgeons Quarter, which operates the city’s largest independent hotel alongside a host of venues and outlets owned by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), reinforced its culture of learning prior to the pandemic, with the appointment of a Business and Talent Manager.

It meant that as Covid-19 hit, it was able to work with employees, furloughed and working, to devise a training plan to boost their prospects and career ambitions – in keeping with government recommendations to encourage and facilitate professional development.

Sarah Williamson, who took on the newly created role and managed just a few short weeks with her team before working from home, has helped more than 60 workers achieve new accreditations.

Sarah, from Linlithgow in West Lothian, said: “Multiskilling is going to be the biggest aspiration in the hospitality industry after Covid-19 as many venues will have a smaller team, so staff will be required to do a bit of everything.

“There was a lot of amazing training happening within the industry whilst many were furloughed and we encouraged all 60 members of staff to take part and get full advantage of the opportunities.

“We have supplied laptops and tablets for individuals to complete training to ensure the opportunities were available and accessible to all staff.”

Staff have been encouraged to take part in courses available with industry bodies including, HIT Scotland and Hospitality Action, on top of the £3,400 investment which was made to FLOW – the company’s online training facility.

FLOW includes lots of Covid-19 health and safety modules as well as the statutory training requirements.

Nine employees were also successful with an application to the HIT Scotland scholarship, a 10-week virtual learning leadership course.

Further training has been made available through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund in partnership with the Scottish Government which is worth £5000 and will include online training courses with Edinburgh College.

Certificated courses on offer through Edinburgh College include Social Media and Content Creation, Sales Skills and IOSH Managing Safely.

Sarah added: “Some may think with our team returning to work from furlough the training opportunities will stop, however it’s actually the complete opposite – we have more to come and a calendar of training planned up until November.

“I feel very lucky to be part of a company who care about their staff and individual development, with the opportunity to get involved in areas of the business that are of interest.”

Prior to joining Surgeons Quarter, Sarah was Human Resource Manager at DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Westerwood Spa & Golf Resort and before that worked with Holiday Inn Edinburgh.

Surgeons Quarter’s profits go towards the College’s charitable objectives of improving surgical standards and patient outcomes worldwide.

Ten Hill Place accommodated frontline NHS workers for 2137 nights, at a cost of £100,000 and provided thousands of free meals to workers.

Bookings for Ten Hill Place can be made at www.tenhillplace.com, by calling 0131 662 2080 or by emailing reservations@tenhillplace.com.

Hotel bookings surge brings back optimism at Surgeons Quarter

A CHARITABLE hotel and events business tied to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is rebounding, with strong occupancy at its hotel and forward projections well above expectations.

Surgeons Quarter, which operates the city’s largest independent hotel, Ten Hill Place, will host more than 2000 guests in May, including a range of surgical students sitting vital in-person exams.

It meant that throughout the month, occupancy exceeded 40%, which was 10% above the base level for the city according to data from Smith Travel Research [STR], the world leaders in data intelligence for the sector.

Data from STR also highlights that upcoming bookings at the 129-room Old Town hotel is more than 7% above the average of its 10 closest competitors, as it looks to recapture market share as the sector emerges from lockdown.

surgeons quarter headshot photography

Scott Mitchell, Managing Director at Surgeons Quarter, said: “We’re confident that we can emerge from the past 15 months in a very strong position. The number of bookings is very heartening and a good 25% above what we were anticipating given all the uncertainty.

“We’re already expecting close to 50% occupancy for June. While we’d expect more than 75% in a normal year, we appreciate that everything has changed – and we’re delighted to be operating at this level. It’s a credit to our team.

“Guests are responding very positively to the expertise of our team, many of whom served NHS workers throughout much of the first lockdown gaining extensive experience of operating in the current climate.”

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.

It is now advancing “blended” technologies, hosting the UK hub of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons annual scientific conference – featuring a mix of in-person and live streamed features and Q&As with Professor Jason Leitch and RCSEd President, Professor Michael Griffin.

It also opened a new outdoor venue, Drinks and Dining Al Fresco, with a vast clear roofed marquee enabling guests to enjoy food and drinks in a safe and socially distanced environment.

All profits support the charitable aims of the College which are education, assessment and advancement in surgical standards worldwide.

Surgeons Quarter pledges to pay all staff for three months

ONE of Edinburgh’s largest hospitality businesses has committed to paying in full all 76 salaried and contracted staff over at least the next three months – despite the severe impact of COVID-19.

Surgeons Quarter, the operator of Edinburgh’s largest independent hotel and some of the capital’s busiest events venues has made the pledge to protect staff and give them vital financial certainty over the next quarter.

While many hospitality organisations will not be in a position to offer this guarantee, Surgeons Quarter’s management believes this is the correct approach while the city and wider world awaits to see how the pandemic unfolds.

The promise comes following a bold move to offer use of its four star Ten Hill Place hotel free of charge to all key clinical and medical workers at Edinburgh’s hospitals.

Owned by parent body, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), it has also signalled its willingness to the Chief Medical Officer for the hotel to be adopted by the health service should hospitals overflow.

Scott Mitchell, Managing Director of Surgeons Quarter, said: “In these uncertain and rapidly changing times, it is absolutely essential that we stand behind our highly talented workforce and give them financial certainty. 

“When we come out the other end of this current situation we will need all of our team to be ready to regrow our business and I, the Company and the College will do everything in our power to avoid cutting our workforce.”

As a company, Surgeons Quarter does not have a company sick pay scheme and would normally operate using Statutory Sick Pay. In these unusual times, it has moved to add discretionary sick pay at full pay levels for those team members required to self-isolate for either the seven or 14 day period.

Professor Michael Griffin, President of the College, said: “Surgeons Quarter in normal times services College and external events and provides excellent accommodation and service in Ten Hill Place, Café 1505 and all parts of the College.

“These activities provide the College with supplementary funds to improve patient outcomes around the world.  It is therefore only right in these unusual times that the College stands behind and protects the Surgeons Quarter team.

I would personally like to thank Scott and all the Surgeons Quarter team for their ongoing efforts in supporting the College and now the key workers within the Medical and Clinical workforce.”

Expanded and fully refurbished in 2018, Ten Hill Place is now the city’s largest independently-owned hotel.

Surgeons Quarter promotes, sells and manages all commercial activities held within the RCSEd campus. All profits support the charitable aims of the College which are education, assessment and advancement in surgical standards worldwide.

It typically boasts a year-round calendar of events and national and international conferences, making full use of the wide range of venues within the college campus.

 Ten Hill Place Hotel can be contacted on 0131 662 2080.

Surgeons Quarter forecasts record-breaking Festival

A historic city institution is set to host its biggest ever Edinburgh Festival Fringe as it celebrates a decade-long partnership with one of the festival’s leading production companies. Breaking its own record this year, Surgeons Quarter expects to see an estimated 80,000 visitors walk through its doors by the end of the month. Continue reading Surgeons Quarter forecasts record-breaking Festival