Tag: Ten Hill Place

Surgeons Quarter reports record breaking month

EDINBURGH based event and hospitality venue is thriving as it records its most successful business period to date after hitting record numbers during the Edinburgh International Festival

Surgeons Quarter (SQ), one of Edinburgh’s largest Fringe performing spaces, boasted a record 250,000 visitors to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s (RCSEd) campus and increased occupancy to an impressive 99.5% at its on-site, Ten Hill Place Hotel across the month of August. 

As the commercial arm of RCSEd, SQ worked closely with renowned festival producers theSpaceUK to host 248 productions across its 11 on site Fringe venues.  

Scott Mitchell, Managing Director of SQ said: “The buzz in Edinburgh during the Fringe this year was incredible. To see our venues, and Edinburgh, transform into a hive of creativity and culture was very special. 

“Each year we continue to grow and we’re incredibly proud of what we have achieved this year with record numbers coming in.  

“Working with such a talented organisation such as theSpaceUK again this year has been extremely rewarding and we’re delighted with how well received each show was at this year’s Fringe. 

“This year we have been able to host nearly 250 shows, with 120,000 audience members, which is just incredible. While the numbers are astounding, it is only testament to the quality of entertainment and service of those who performed and worked with us this year.” 

Celebrating its 14th year as one of the largest Fringe venues, SQ operated five festival bars, and transformed its Courtyard Bar and Hill Square Gardens into a fiesta of flavour with Mexican street food created by SQ’s Executive Chef Dominik Kawalec. 

This year’s line-up included shows from across the globe with musical performances, operas, drama and theatre shows as well as comedy and spoken word.  

Surgeons Quarter, Cafe 1305 Scott Mitchell – Managing Director

Scott continued: “None of this would have been possible without our fantastic, dedicated team, who worked incredibly hard to deliver top service across our venues throughout such a busy period. 

“Whilst delighted with our increased footfall a key point of action for next year is to find a solution to either the increased recycling or use of re-usable products in an outdoor environment to adhere to our licencing conditions and sustainability agenda. 

“I’d like to extend my thanks to not only those who worked with us, but to those who visited our venues and helped create a truly unique atmosphere in a Fringe that will live long in the memory.” 

The 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe welcomed worldwide audiences, selling nearly 2.5 million tickets across 288 venues.  

SQ will now turn its focus to the upcoming festive season, hosting 80s themed party nights throughout December offering a three-course meal, festive cocktail and wine for £60pp, and private parties from £65pp. 

Surgeons Quarter promotes, sells and manages all commercial activities held within the RCSEd campus. It includes facilities for conferences, meetings, private events, parties, weddings and its own four-star hotel Ten Hill Place as well as Café 1505 and SQ Travel. 

Profits from the Surgeons Quarter portfolio go towards the advancement of surgery and the improvement of patient outcomes worldwide. 

More information about Surgeons Quarter can be found at: 

https://www.surgeonsquarter.com/ 

City hotel checks in on climate action

Guests invest in good causes with every stay at Ten Hill Place

GUESTS at a forward-thinking Scottish hotel will have the chance to make a meaningful contribution towards improving the environment, simply by forgoing housekeeping visits mid-stay.

Ten Hill Place Hotel in Edinburgh will contribute towards ecological initiatives every time a guest opts out of room cleaning during a two-or-more night stay.

Contributions made by the hotel, which is owned by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, when guests abstain from housekeeping will offset half a tonne of CO₂e a night.


The new collaboration with Ecologi has already resulted in 100 tonnes of CO₂e offset through a verified carbon avoidance project in Thailand, generating electricity from wind. 100 tonnes of CO₂e is roughly equivalent to 55 round-trip flights from London to New York.

The next project set to receive support will be a small-scale onshore wind power project in Sri Lanka – with projects set to change every four months.

The new initiative follows a major carbon audit on every aspect of the hotel’s operations by Carbon Futures Ltd and Business Energy Scotland which has already resulted in rolling out daylight sensors and set the plans for plant equipment upgrades that would help the Old Town hotel introduce its own energy sources. 

Mark McKenzie, General Manager at Surgeons Quarter which operates the 129-bedroom hotel, said: “It’s very important to us that we make decisions which positively impact the environment and ensure this is at the heart of all of our operations – while also actively encouraging guests to minimise their effects on the environment. 

“Ten Hill Place Hotel is a good choice for conscious consumers as we are committed to doing our bit for the planet. With more and more people looking to live a greener life at home –it makes sense to stay at a hotel with similar ambitions.

“However, we’re still mindful of the effects that travel and the tourism industry have on our planet which has been reflected into how we fulfil all our green commitments and continue the highest standards possible.”

A doorhanger has been designed for all guest rooms explaining the initiative with a QR code linking to the venue’s Ecologi profile so guests can learn about the various projects supported to date.

Linda Adams, Head of Partnerships at Ecologi, said: “When businesses put sustainability in their plans, the list of wins really does go on and on. It is great to be working with Surgeons Quarter and see organisations stepping up and taking climate action to make a positive difference.” 

The venue’s commitment to sustainability has been ongoing for many years. In 2019 the hotel joined a Scottish Water campaign and removed single use bottles of water in the 129 bedrooms to reduce plastic waste. This has already saved around 80,000 plastic bottles  and £22k per year.

Six electric EV points are available for use by guests staying at Ten Hill Place, with more than £20,000 invested into the Garo charging ports with an ambition that the Hill Place hotel car park will, in the near future, only be accessible to electric vehicles. 

Surgeons Quarter Brand ambassador, Sandra Carruthers, added: “Working in partnership with Ecologi has enabled us to identify creative ways to be more sustainable while positively influencing and adhering to legislation at local and national levels.”

The 129-bedroom hotel is operated by Surgeons Quarter– the commercial arm of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) – with profits put back into advancing surgical standards and improving patient outcomes worldwide.

Surgeons Quarter has also retained Gold Green Tourism Award since 2008 for the efforts to minimise its impact on the planet.

Surgeons Quarter’s Ecologi profile can be found here:  https://ecologi.com/surgeonsquarter

For more information on how the organisation is operating sustainably please visit:

https://www.tenhillplace.com/media/1965/sustainability-policy-2022-july-6.pdf

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.

Ten Hill Place: just what the doctor ordered

A CITY hotel’s new health and safety measures have been given the seal of approval from top surgeon, Professor Mike Griffin, as Edinburgh’s tourism industry reboots.

Ten Hill Place Hotel used their experience providing free accommodation and meals to NHS workers during the height of the pandemic to perfect their health and safety practices for reopening last month.

The hotel has been praised for its efforts by Professor Mike Griffin, the President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd).

The new measures include the use of QR codes for collecting diners’ contact details, hand sanitiser stations around the hotel, and an innovative key card oven for hands-free cleaning. The sanitising oven uses ultraviolet technology to stop the risk of cross contamination from key cards being passed to different guests.

Behind the scenes, Ten Hill Place has undertaken risk assessments of all areas, and all staff have undergone rigorous training modules on health and safety.

Scott Mitchell, Managing Director at Surgeons Quarter, said: “We are all delighted to be open again and welcoming guests back to Ten Hill Place. We hope the extensive measures in place will ensure our guests are as relaxed as possible, and are still able to enjoy our warm Scottish hospitality.

“Hosting the NHS workers enabled us to assess all of our health and safety measures and put in place new protocols in light of COVID-19, while cooperating with our guests.

“We accommodated frontline guests in all extremities of the bedrooms within the hotel to ensure water systems were running smoothly and to prevent Legionella. We also had our lightning conductor tested to make sure everything we could possibly think of was covered!”

Professor Griffin paid a visit to Ten Hill Place and found the team had gone above and beyond in establishing protocols that facilitated safe service, while maintaining the crucial ability to make guests feel comfortable during a pandemic.

The Professor – who was awarded an OBE in 2013 off the back of his work overseeing huge improvements to cancer cure rates at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary – said: “I am absolutely delighted that Ten Hill Place is open again and ready to welcome back guests.

“I am truly astonished at the level of detail the team have put in to ensure all Scottish Government guidelines are adhered to whilst the Hotel still looks really welcoming and not clinical.”

Scott Mitchell added: “We are uniquely placed here at Surgeons Quarter that we have access to the experience of the membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. 

“We can draw on clinical and medical input to enhance everything that we are doing in these times. 

“Of course, we follow all Government advice and industry protocols but we further benefit from the experience of surgeons, clinicians and dentists. If they feel we are doing everything we can, I see this as a great endorsement for all guests to feel comfortable within Ten Hill Place”.

The hotel reopened on 15 July in accordance with Scottish Government guidance.

Ten Hill Place remained open from March to May in order to provide 2,137 free nights of accommodation and thousands of meals to frontline NHS workers during the Coronavirus pandemic – at a cost of more than £100,000 to the charitable organisation.

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.

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

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

1000 free nights booked for medical staff at Edinburgh hotel

MEDICAL and clinical staff battling COVID-19 in Edinburgh have booked 1,000 nights of free rooms and meals at the largest independent hotel in the city.

Ten Hill Place, owned by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RSCEd), opened its doors to the city’s hospital staff on Friday 27 March and has since accommodated more than 200 key workers, with bookings increasing daily.

Located three miles from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and less than a mile from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, the hotel is providing much-needed nearby accommodation and meals for key workers tackling the pandemic.

This has proven invaluable to guests facing tiring commutes between expanding shifts or to help workers isolating from vulnerable family members.

Scott Mitchell, Managing Director at Surgeons Quarter, said: “The response to our decision to accommodate medical and clinical workers has been astounding, and we want to encourage more staff who are working at the city’s hospitals to get in touch with us to find out how we can help support them.

“It’s a privilege to play our part in helping make the lives of medical workers a little easier during one of the most difficult times the country has faced.”

Ten Hill Place has 129 bedrooms available for hospital staff, as well as packed continental breakfasts and complementary evening meals courtesy of its award-winning catering team.

Frontline workers have praised the hotel for its continued support during the pandemic.

A Tripadvisor user, “renaissanced”, posted: “I cannot explain how grateful I am to them. All social distancing respected and we are well looked after – not to have worries about cooking or cleaning plus a calm comfortable night’s sleep is great. This will be my top hotel in Edinburgh forever.”

Another user of the travel review site, “Richard G”, said: “My fiance and I stayed here while she has been working as an intensive care nurse which has cut out travel and time during this stressful period. I cannot praise the staff and ownership of this hotel enough – it is a wonderful facility and the help they are providing the NHS is amazing. I will always try to stay here in the future.”

Professor Michael Griffin, President of the RSCEd and one of the UK’s leading surgeons, said: “We’ve heard and seen directly from our colleagues how severe the impact COVID-19 is on our health service.

“Having accommodation near hospitals to rest and recover from allows our colleagues to be looked after, at a time when they need the most support. We’re incredibly proud of the team at Surgeons Quarter and their invaluable efforts to help the health service.”

Scott added: “We look forward to welcoming and accommodating as many workers as possible over the coming weeks, please contact the hotel on 0131 662 2080 or by email at reservations@tenhillplace.com to make your booking.”

As well as the commitment to accommodate staff, the RCSEd has been engaging with interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gregor Smith to declare its willingness to temporarily convert the hotel, should hospitals overflow.

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.

Ten Hill Place Hotel can be contacted on 0131 662 2080 or reservations@tenhillplace.com

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.