ExecSpace

Thank you to the team from Malmaison and Hotel du Vin for visiting the ExecSpace offices recently! 👏

It was fantastic to hear about the continued investment across so many of their hotels, from refreshed spaces and relaunched food and beverage offerings to specially curated corporate retreat packages.

Designed with team gatherings, strategy sessions and planning days in mind, it's exciting to see even more options becoming available for businesses looking to bring people together, outside a traditional boardroom setting. Having previously experienced a champagne tasting session in the wine cellars at One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow and just the best non alcoholic Cosmopolitan cocktail, we would recommend experiencing one of the hotels for yourself!

With hotels from Brighton to Aberdeen, we look forward to assisting customers find the right Malmaison or Hotel du Vin for your event.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is almost here!

For a few weeks every August, the city comes alive with performers, visitors and industry professionals from across the world, turning Edinburgh into one of the most exciting places to be for culture, creativity and connection.

As an Edinburgh-based business working across the events industry, we love seeing the city showcase its incredible venues, hospitality and the people who help make these experiences happen.

With so much to choose from, we asked the ExecSpace team for their Fringe favourites and recommendations this year...

👉 Georgia’s pick: For a relaxed Fringe night, Georgia recommends catching a comedy show such as Nish Kumar or Phil Wang. If you can’t decide what to see, Fast Fringe is a great option with 12 hand-picked comedy artists in one show. Afterwards, grab a pizza slice from Civerinos before heading to Paradise Palms for a Margarita!

👉 Ellie & Gemma’s picks: For something a little more adventurous, Ellie and Gemma are looking forward to Trainspotting (their third time seeing it!), as well as Disenchanted, Sh!tfaced Shakespeare, Diva’s and comedy from Susie McCabe and Craig Hill.

👉 Their food and drink favourites: The Basement, Ting Thai Caravan, Edinburgh Street Food, Chaophraya and Topolabamba are all on the list for a great meal or pre-show bite.

Here’s to another fantastic Fringe season and to everyone helping make Edinburgh such a brilliant destination for events, experiences and visitors from around the world.

What are you planning to see at this year’s Fringe?

The Edinburgh Visitor Levy is now officially started (24th July), marking a significant change for accommodation bookings across the city.

For anyone organising conferences, meetings, accommodation groups or business events in Edinburgh, as well as individual travellers, this will mean an additional 5% fee onto the net price of your bedroom, for up to 5 nights.

The good news is, ExecSpace team has already been working with hotel partners to help customers and event planners navigate these changes for many months! We've been working closely with Edinburgh's hotels to ensure contracts, pricing and booking processes are managed correctly, helping our clients process these changes with confidence. Whether the levy needs to be included in upfront payments or paid directly by delegates at the hotel, we'll guide you through the process and make sure everything is handled correctly.

As always, our focus is on securing the best value for our clients while making the booking process as straightforward as possible, leaving you free to focus on delivering a successful event.

If you're planning an event or accommodation group in Edinburgh and have any questions about how the Visitor Levy may affect your booking, our team would be happy to help.

A huge thank you to the team at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh for hosting a fantastic client event for ExecSpace last week.

We had the pleasure of experiencing an incredible evening of 'foodie heaven' and dining theatre at the Chef's Table in Commons Club Edinburgh, where Chefs Giuseppe and Mindaugas took us through a specially curated menu celebrating the very best of Scotland's seasonal produce. 🍽️

From locally sourced meats and fresh seafood to perfectly paired beverages, it was a brilliant showcase of the quality and creativity on offer when dining in Edinburgh.

A big thank you again to the Virgin Hotels Edinburgh team, including Sales Executive Rosemarie, for a wonderful evening. We look forward to returning soon!

If you have a special team dinner to plan, contact ExecSpace to gather the best selections for you to choose from.

GOOD NEWS…📈 Positive signs for the UK hotel sector

Recent research from Savills - and published by Hospitality Investor - shows that UK hotel investment volumes exceeded £1.1 billion in Q1 2026, representing a 63% increase on the same period last year. The figures point to growing investor confidence in the resilience and long-term potential of the hospitality sector.

From the same source, we’ve learnt that, while London accounted for the majority of activity, the wider message is encouraging for the industry as a whole. Continued investment in hotels reflects confidence not only in the sector's recovery, but also in the ongoing importance of business travel, events, conferences and tourism to the UK economy.

At ExecSpace, we see first-hand the value that strong hotel infrastructure brings to destinations, event organisers and local economies. Investment in new developments, refurbishments and hotel portfolios helps create better experiences for delegates and visitors while supporting employment and careers in the hospitality industry.

It's really encouraging to see the hospitality sector attracting significant investment once again!

Here's to continued growth and opportunity across the industry. 👏 To read the article, visit www.hospitalityinvestor.com/data-trends/uk-hotel-investment-exceeds-ps1bn-q1-2026?

Why capacity planning matters more than ever in events👇

In 2026, the best event planners are building operational resilience into every event.

One of the biggest shifts, according to our team of experts here at ExecSpace?
👉 Smarter capacity planning with built-in buffers.

The industry benchmark is that planners are now typically allowing 20% attendance swing from additional capacity above confirmed registrations and late additions, to drop offs and layout changes and operational surprises.

Why it matters:
• Guest lists are becoming larger, but still a reluctance to 'leave home' to travel
• Expectations around attendee experience are higher
• Hybrid work means attendance patterns are less predictable
• Last-minute changes are now normal rather than the exception
The result is that events without flexibility can become expensive very very fast…

Smart capacity buffers help teams:
✔ Avoid overcrowding
✔ Reduce operational stress
✔ Create smoother networking
✔ Handle late registrations confidently
✔ Protect the attendee experience

The best planners in 2026 have already learned from experience that flexibility is not to be treated as a last-minute contingency, so they are making it part of original event design. Dont forget to contract in the flexiblity you are looking for to avoid unnecessary charges!

Thank you to the teams at The Dixon Hotel and The Derby London City for hosting ExecSpace MD, Lucy, on a recent overnight visit to London. 👏

These two relatively new hotels are sister properties to Lost Property St Paul's London and Hampton by Hilton London City, all ideally located for London City business stays, group accommodation and smaller meetings.

With excellent transport links across the city, they're a great choice for anyone travelling into London City for business. Each property also has its own unique character, weaving the history of the building into its design. From The Dixon's former life as a court and gaol house to The Derby's inspiration taken from the iconic bowler hat, traditionally worn by bankers in the City, each hotel has its own story to tell.

A big thank you again to both teams for the warm welcome and hospitality!

If you're planning a business trip, accommodation group or meeting in London, get in touch with our team of experts to hear more about these four fantastic hotels.

NEWS ALERT 🤝

ExecSpace to support the Royal Highland Centre to source event accommodation requirements.

We are delighted to announce that the Royal Highland Centre has appointed ExecSpace to support the venue's group accommodation requirements for events taking place at the Royal Highland Centre.

As one of Scotland's leading event venues, the RHC welcomes thousands of visitors, delegates and exhibitors every year attending a huge selection of events and conferences. Through this partnership, we will work closely with their team and event managers to source and manage accommodation solutions that support the delivery across the venue's diverse event calendar.

We asked our MD, Lucy McNicoll, for her thoughts, and she told us: "We're thrilled to be supporting the Royal Highland Centre and the fantastic range of events hosted at the venue. By working together, we can help event organisers access accommodation solutions that enhance the delegate experience while also supporting hotels, local businesses and the wider visitor economy. Partnerships like this play an important role in strengthening Scotland's position as a leading destination for meetings and events."

Lynne Andueza-Haining, Head of Sales for RHC added: "We're delighted to be partnering with ExecSpace as we continue to enhance the support and services we offer event organisers at the Royal Highland Centre. Accommodation is an important part of the overall event experience, and working with a trusted specialist like ExecSpace will help us provide an even stronger proposition for our clients. We're looking forward to building a successful partnership that supports our event organisers, their delegates and exhibitors, and reinforces the Royal Highland Centre as a leading destination for events in Scotland."

The ExecSpace Services Series… First up: Group Bedroom Bookings and Accommodation Management 🏨

Whether working on organising accommodation for a small meeting, a large conference, visiting delegates, project teams or citywide events, securing the right amount of bedrooms, in the right location, at the right prices can quickly become a complex and time-consuming task.

At ExecSpace, we can assist you with:
✅ Group bedroom finding, negotiating, contracting and managing room allocations
✅ Delegate, visitor and VIP accommodation requirements
✅ Conference and event accommodation blocks
✅ Multi-property accommodation sourcing
✅ Accommodation management designed to minimise financial risk and administrative burden

But that’s not all…

…We've also invested in a specialist individual bedroom booking platform to make the process easier for organisers and delegates alike: our collaboration with the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) led to the launch of a citywide accommodation booking platform, providing a single, trusted place for organisers, delegates and visitors to search and book accommodation across Edinburgh, while also supporting larger room allocations for major events. Organisers can share the link with their delegates and add to their event website.

Alongside this, our 24/7 Client Portal gives planners greater visibility and control, allowing them to:
✔ Submit accommodation enquiries
✔ Manage overnight room requirements
✔ Track bookings and amendments
✔ Access real-time spend, savings and trend data
✔ Monitor accommodation expenditure through detailed reporting and analytics

📩 Contact the team directly for a tailored group bedroom proposal. In most cases, we'll provide multiple negotiated accommodation options within 24 hours.

And if you haven't already, take a look at our website to discover more about how ExecSpace supports meetings, events and accommodation programmes across the UK and internationally.