Scots hotels among successful switchers, says Thames Water
 SCOTTISH hoteliers are being urged to shop around and ensure they receive the best deal from their water supplier.
Since April 2008, businesses north of the border have been able to change their water provider.
And it seems hotels, which typically use a lot of water, are among the businesses that can benefit from switching supplier.
“Switching energy companies has become the norm to get the best rates and better service level agreements for your business – so it makes sense for tourism operators to look at doing the same with their water management contract too,” said Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Toursism Alliance.
One supplier which claims to have seen an “unprecedented surge” in the number of Scottish hotels signing up to it is Thames Water Commercial Services (TWCS).
Alan Munro, who heads TWCS in Scotland, said business owners who don’t shop around “could be paying over the odds”.
“From big name chains to smaller boutique hotel groups, such as Cosmopolitan Hotels in Renfrewshire, all have made savings by moving to us, many enjoying a reduction of up to 20% a year on their water bill,” he said.
“Further savings of an additional 30%, depending on the type of hotel, can be made by tightening water management processes, which can also have a significant impact on the all-important energy bills.
“Flexible billing and helping to reduce water and energy all help a hotel get on top of their utilities, leaving them to focus on their core operation – running a great hotel.”
Parminder Purewal, director of Cosmopolitan Hotels, whose portfolio includes The Erskine Bridge Hotel & Spa and The Normandy Hotel in Renfrew, switched to TWCS after he said the firm discovered “further cost efficiencies” at each of its hotels.
“We were offered impressive efficiency savings demonstrated by highly motivated business development managers who were transparent in the breakdown of traditional costs,” said Purewal.
