HotelReview Scotland launches National Network of regional tourism websites

HotelReview Scotland today announced the launch of HotelReviewEDINBURGH.com, the first in a series of regional tourism websites edited and informed by local experts to be launched in 2007. Established in 2001, HotelReviewScotland.com (HRS) is currently ranked above TripAdvisor by Google as one of the most popular independent travel and accommodation advice websites serving Scotland.

[UKPRwire, Fri Jul 06 2007] HotelReview Scotland today announced the launch of HotelReviewEDINBURGH.com, the first in a series of regional tourism websites edited and informed by local experts to be launched in 2007.

Established in 2001, HotelReviewScotland.com (HRS) is currently ranked above TripAdvisor by Google as one of the most popular independent travel and accommodation advice websites serving Scotland. It holds the coveted no. 1 rank for searches such as ‘hotels Scotland’ and ‘Scottish hotels’.

Today’s launch of HotelReviewEDINBURGH.com and the unveiling of the new HotelReview Scotland National Network will further build upon this leading membership organisation’s success. HotelReview National Network will link key Scottish tourism areas and their best accommodation providers in one search-engine friendly network.

HotelReviewEDINBURGH.com
Edinburgh has long been a popular tourist destination with Americans. Recently that attraction has spread increasingly to growing European tourism markets such as Russia, Sweden and Germany. HotelReviewEDINBURGH.com will give visitors to Edinburgh from Scotland, the UK and around the globe a rapid, one-stop-shop for trusted, expert accommodation advice for the leading hotels and selected guest houses in the city.

Arts and travel writer Vivien Devlin has been appointed Editor of HotelReviewEDINBURGH.com. Vivien, who “loves Edinburgh and loves writing about it”, contributes to many magazines and guides and is a Member of British Guild of Travel Writers. “I’ve worked with HotelReview and the Scottish Hotels of the Year Awards for almost five years and am very excited about this powerful new, independent website which will allow me, in this new role, to update at any time news and information about the city’s hotels”, commented the Edinburgh-based reviewer.

Like all HotelReview websites the new Edinburgh hotel guide allows consumers to link directly to the hotels’ own websites, booking systems and offers from the guide’s independently edited review. This ensures that new, prospective and returning visitors and tourists will have instant and commission-free access to the best rates on offer from individual hotels – a feature appreciated by hotel owners and tourists alike.

Simon Williams, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Principal Hoteliers Association commented: “HotelReviewEDINBURGH.com will be a fantastic driving force to help bring even more tourists to Edinburgh. Its unique ability to provide both expert reviews alongside reviews from guests of all the properties makes it a great source for unrivalled advice on where to stay in Edinburgh”.

Scotland’s expanding HotelReview National Network
The next regions set to have their own HotelReview sites this summer are Skye, Glasgow, St. Andrews and the Borders. The autumn and winter months will see the roll out of even more guides, eventually covering all areas of Scotland and the islands.

Gary McLean, editorial director of HotelReview Scotland commented: “We are delighted to be launching the local hotel review websites, starting naturally with our capital city, Edinburgh. Our expansion this year has given us greater resources and expertise to explore innovative ways to help attract visitors to stay in the better – and ‘right for the individual’ – hotels in Scotland. Our network of guides will give tourists coming to Edinburgh and other regions in Scotland a highly reliable resource for travel advice. It will also give hotel operators exactly what they’ve been asking for – a proven online tool, well presented, dynamic and commission-free, to help drive tourism business to their properties.’

For more information please visit www.HotelReviewEdinburgh.com or www.HotelReviewScotland.com . Contact Gary McLean, editorial director at Editor@HotelReviewScotland.com or Vivien Devlin, editor of HotelReviewEDINBURGH.com, at Viv@HotelReviewScotland.com.

For membership information please contact bryan@hotelreviewscotland.com.

-ends-

For further press information, images or logos, contact:

Sara McMillan or Fiona Vernon at Niche Works on 0131 669 0333 sara@nicheworks.co.uk / fiona@nicheworks.co.uk


Notes to Editors:

Calinet Ltd acquired Hotel Review Scotland for £250,000 in September 2006. Operating in Perthshire, Calinet are leading internet marketing specialists with a key interest in the Scottish Tourism Market. Calinet Ltd has a long-established history of partnering with independent organisations across Scotland and the UK to further promote Scottish tourism. In addition to HotelReviewScotland.com, Calinet have many other partner relationships, notably with DestinationScotland.com, Vital Scotland, 360 Innovative, Navarino Services, international affiliate marketing company CTR Ltd (spearheaded by Calinet Ltd Director Paul Edwards) and Scotland Car Hire. (www.calinet.co.uk)

HotelReviewScotland.com is the most-visited Scottish hotel review guide website. HRS has enjoyed another period of growth and development in 2007 and has in the last quarter seen its visitors increase by 56% compared to 2006. The Scottish-owned and operated website is more highly ranked for national hotel searches than TripAdvisor for reviews of hotels in Scotland and is on target to have more than 1 million visitors in 2007. HRS has over 300 accredited members and has recently welcomed Gleneagles, Millennium Glasgow and Isle of Eriska hotels to membership. Reviews by the 11-strong team of experienced critics are fully independent. HRS also publishes the results of several other guides and organisations making it an absolutely industry-leading source of information for consumers.

The leading industry awards

HotelReview Scotland National Network operate the Scottish Hotel of the Year Awards. Widely regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the Scottish hotel industry, the awards recognise the best in category hotels and guest houses across Scotland, as voted by the public and a 20-strong awards panel. The 2007 awards attracted over 25,000 consumer votes. The presentation dinner was attended by the First Minister and over 500 hoteliers.


Tourism statistics of note

·Tourism employs 200,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses.

·The industry generates £4.2billion revenue.

·Tourism supports around 9 per cent of employment in Scotland (13 per cent in the Highlands Source: VisitScotland.org)

·Tourism in Edinburgh generates £1.6 billion annually and sustains over 30,000 jobs.

·Business tourism is worth an estimated £300 million to the economy of Edinburgh and the Lothians each year.

·Edinburgh is the most popular city in the UK in which to hold an international association meeting. (Source: Edinburgh Convention Bureau)

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