A shortage of hotels that charge realistic prices threatens Aberdeen’s economic growth prospects, a travel specialist has warned.
David Robertson, an energy consultant for the Colpitts World Travel agency, called on Aberdeen City Council to take the lead in encouraging further investment from hotel groups to the city.
He added that despite three new hotels due to open in and around Aberdeen next year, the planned closure of the Marcliffe Hotel and spa was a “significant blow for a city trying to build a reputation as an international business centre”.
The problem also causes the Aberdeen Convention Bureau to turn away business, as hoteliers are reluctant to accommodate conference organisers who tend to book rooms three to five years in advance.
Mr Robertson said: “A failure to compete for international conferences will not only limit the growth of the oil and gas sector, it will also impact on the potential for the north-east economy to diversify.
“How can Aberdeen become a leading life sciences centre, for example, if we cannot host major medical research conventions?”
Mr Robertson described how the shortage led to hoteliers inflating prices – and how it affects companies who use the agency to book rooms in Aberdeen.
“We get approached by a client looking for a last-minute midweek hotel room for two engineers who are required to travel offshore the following morning,” he explained.
“After an extensive search it is not uncommon to find the only availability comes at an inflated rate – rooms which sell for around £70 at the weekend can be charged at upwards of £300 for a weeknight – or is located several miles outside of Aberdeen, both of which are impacting on the competitiveness of the city as a global oil centre.”
There have been 1,000 rooms built in and around Aberdeen in the last four years, bringing its total to around 4,500, Colpitts said. These include the Jury’s Inn at Union Square and the Park Inn on Justice Mill Lane, as well as the Marriott Courtyard and Premier Inn at Aberdeen Airport.
Meanwhile the De Vere Urban Village Resort being built near Kingswells will add 148 rooms while two new Accor-owned hotels, an Ibis and a Novotel planned for the ABZ Business Park nearby the airport, will add a further 500 rooms.
“Encouraging further investment from hotel groups, as we are currently seeing within the city, must be a key focus for the future,” said Mr Robertson.
“The local authority must continue to take a leading role here.
“The tourism sector must also do its part to help promote the city as a great short-break destination. This could help spread the demand for rooms and ensure that new developments are viable throughout the week, not just Sunday to Thursday when the oil industry demand puts an inflated price on the city’s existing hotel stock.”
