Loch Lomond Members Buyout Near Completion

Not quite your standard membership takeover I'd suggest but then again not exactly your normal golf club. Minimum Equity stakes of £20,000 the BAA Chairman to front the club with a who's who of corporate names on the club committee, sorry on the board of the Off Shore Limited Liability Company.

According to financial reports, "Loch Lomond Golf Club in Scotland, whose members include Prince Andrew and Sir Sean Connery, is close to being bought out of administration by its 800 members. The members will buy the golf club, including the freehold to Dundonald Links, for £35.1m, including a £10m loan from Bank of Scotland Corporate, now part of Lloyds Banking Group.

To fund the purchase, members have been asked to contribute varying amounts of cash, with a minimum of £20,000, for an equity stake in a new company, Loch Lomond Members Golf Club Limited, a limited liability company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, that will own the club. The sale is due to complete by 31 December."

I know nothing about off shore limited liability companies running golf clubs in Scotland but I guess that they will not be collecting this year's members sub by monthly direct debit!

Do please let us know if your local golf club has considered off shore limited liability status as the solution to dwindling membership revenues... and we're not sure that Brodick Golf Club counts as off shore.

Crianlarich Hotel Chooses Bookassist

Bookassist are delighted to announce that The Crianlarich Hotel in Perthshire(but more accurately at the branch of the A85 to The Trossachs and the A82 north to the West Highlands) have started using Bookassist Online Reservations ahead of Christmas.

The 36 bedroomed three star hotel approached Bookassist less than a fortnight ago and in that time have been convinced not only of Bookassist's approach to online reservation but the support given to them by supportive account management.

It's no longer enough to just add a booking engine into a hotel website and watch the reservations come in; the booking engine must be part of a strategy that combines content with design and search and then conversion will come.

Sue McCulloch, Bookassist Account Manager for the Highlands, explained. Since the first approach from the hotel we have explained exactly what Bookassist can do for them from control of their rooms, rates and availability through to an understanding of how our code embedded into Google Analytics will help them understand how their conversion rate is improving. We've liaised in the past few days with Pole Position and Aviemore Business Solutions - the hotel's web designers and SEO teams - to ensure that the booking process is full embedded into their website with no linking out or diminishing of their branded and designs and just as importantly is found."

"At Bookassist we see booking engines being embedded in to sites which then link out of the site immediately thereby reducing conversion and even losing the booking to local competition. We explain to all our hotel partners that the Bookassist strategy is to drive increased levels of Direct Sales from their own website and reduce the dependence - and cost - of third party websites. We have no interest in driving traffic through high commission travel sites"

The Crianlarich Hotel joins a growing list of satisfied hoteliers across the length and breadth of Scotland who recognise that Bookassist provides a cost effective solution to growing their direct room sales on-line.

Ian McCaig who heads up the Scottish operation from Ayrshire welcomed The Crianlarich Hotel onboard, "One of the first properties we signed up for Bookassist in Scotland was The Drovers Inn which is just down the road and it has proved to be one of the most successful converters of business in the country. We look forward to working with the team at The Crianlarich Hotel to build their on-line sales in a similar way.

For more information on how your business may benefit from utilising Bookassist visit www.bookassist.org/sco or contact 01292 521404

Ski Ticketing Deals From Glencoe and Glenshee

What a great idea... not only have Glenshee and Glencoe put some great ticketing offers out there this season they have added in golf in the summer to a fantastic all year round deal.

 

Golf and skiing. Pure genius and probably something you'd find in a host of Alpine resorts. 

As for the skiing both Glencoe and Glenshee have an advantage card priced at £40 which then gives you 40% off your tickets throughout the season - it pays for itself after five visits.

The resorts are both selling season tickets at the low price of £170 for adults (children and seniors £99, students £110, families of two adults and two children £440). The first 500 applications received at either resort will receive a pass valid at both centres.

A year round Golf and Ski pass is also available for £485. You can choose to ski / board either Glenshee or Glencoe and enjoy a years golf at Glenisla Golf Centre, recently voted one of Scotland’s favourite courses.

The Glenshee Beginners Pass has been improved this season too. Valid on the Dink Dink, the Plastic and Claybokie its only £10 for adults, £6 for juniors under 18 and £8.50 for students.

For full pricing and current snow conditions check out the centres’ websites:
www.ski-glencoe.co.uk
www.ski-glenshee.co.uk

New Route from Knock to Edinburgh

Flybe announced on the 16th of December a new expansion from Ireland West Airport Knock by introducing a 3-times-a-week service to Edinburgh in Scotland.

The new flights between Knock and Edinburgh will commence on the 19th April 2011 and tickets are already on sale from €36.00 one way including taxes and charges.

Flights from Knock to Edinburgh 

• 12:40 - 13:55 Tuesday and Thursday
• 15:45 - 17:00 Sunday

Flights from Edinburgh to Knock 

• 11:00 - 12:15 Tuesday and Thursday
• 14:05 - 15:20 Sunday

The new route is a significant boost to flight access from the West of Ireland as the Airport is now connected to a key city in Scotland and compliments the significant access already available to major regions in the UK including Birmingham, Bristol, East-Midlands, Leeds, Liverpool, London (Stansted, Gatwick and Luton) and Manchester.

Chief Commercial Officer for Flybe, Mike Rutter said: "With this brand new route we’re not only giving travellers from Edinburgh the opportunity of booking low cost direct travel to one of Ireland’s most popular holiday and pilgrimage destinations but also offering convenient and direct access to and from the rest of Scotland from the West of Ireland, a win-win for both economies. Despite the economic challenges of the past 12 months, Flybe has continued to expand its route network and we remain committed to expanding our route network and to providing the widest range of convenient and affordable regional services for our passengers."

Golf Tourism Scotland Appoint New Chair

Trade body Golf Tourism Scotland (GTS) has named its new chairman, appointing board member Lee Derrick to the post following the retirement of Nick Hunter.

 

Derrick, who heads specialist marketing agency Blue Spinach, has an enviable track record, racking up more than 15 years' experience working with Virgin Atlantic, VisitBritain and Golf & Resort Management.

He says of his elevation to chairman: "Being a part of GTS has been a wonderful experience and to be given the opportunity to take the organisation forward is one that I will savour.

"I hope I can carry on the good work started by Nick and the other board members by championing our members' concerns and aspirations."

Hunter, who held the post for two and a half years, oversaw the establishment of GTS as a key player in Scotland's lucrative tourism sector. He recalls: "As far as high points, there are quite a few to choose from, but the fifth-anniversary celebrations in St Andrews sticks out."