Pitlochry hotelier joins major hospitality initiative to help safeguard around 220,000 jobs

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A hotelier from Pitlochry is joining forces with some of the biggest names in Scottish hospitality to help safeguard around 220,000 jobs as the industry faces “its toughest winter” since the start of the pandemic.

Owner of McKays Hotel Richard Drummond is teaming up with over 50 other firms - including Edinburgh’s Brewhemia and the Banchory Lodge in Aberdeenshire - for the ‘Help Out Hospitality’ campaign to support firms battling for survival due to rapidly escalating costs.Energy is the biggest reported cost hike on top of massive increases in food and labour bills this winter.Many business owners believe this could be a stretch too far without the vital support of initiatives.Since last year, commercial energy bills are around 400 per cent higher, food bills are up by around 20 per cent and labour costs have increased by around 10 per cent.The Bank of England’s biggest interest rate rise since 1989 (up by 0.75 percentage points to three per cent), is also having an impact on consumers, who are already starting to tighten their belts further and cut spending on eating out.Now, support has been drawn from across Scotland with hoteliers, restaurateurs and publicans, who are teaming up to highlight the scale of the crisis facing the industry and help drive footfall and bookings this winter.The ‘Help Out Hospitality’ Initiative has been designed to incorporate every aspect of the hospitality supply chain, including food and drink producers, allowing businesses to create enticing consumer deals on both meals and overnight stays at a time which typically sees a drop in business.The new commission-free ‘Help Out Hospitality’ online platform is now live for hospitality businesses to promote offers, attract direct bookings and