Ten Hill Place receives ‘Presidential seal of approval’

An Edinburgh hotel has passed its most stringent test as it reopens to the public – meeting the unwavering standards of one of the UK’s top surgeons.

Ten Hill Place, which reopened its doors to the public yesterday has now been given a presidential seal of approval – as a result of the extensive tour by Professor Mike Griffin, the President of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd).

During the visit, the Professor – who was awarded an OBE in 2013 for his work overseeing huge improvements in cancer recovery rates at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, cast his highly experienced clinical eyes over everything in the hotel.

His visit was to ensure the hotel team had gone above and beyond in establishing protocols throughout that guarantee safe service, while it maintains the crucial ability to make guests feel comfortable by providing first-class Scottish hospitality.

Ten Hill Place, in the heart of the Old Town is operated by Surgeons Quarter on behalf of the RCSEd, with all profits put towards improving surgical standards across the world.

Professor Griffin, who took on the esteemed role in 2018, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Ten Hill Place is open again and ready to welcome back guests. I am truly astonished at the level of detail the team in the Hotel has gone into to ensure all Scottish Government guidelines are adhered to whilst the Hotel still looks really welcoming and not clinical.

“The risk assessments produced for each area of operation are immensely detailed, all staff have completed numerous modules of on-line training ahead of returning to work and I have been surprised with some things I did not expect.

“I was amazed the team have installed hand sanitiser dispensers in the lifts to minimise the risk of infection from key touch points such as lift call buttons, but I was actually speechless when I saw the Key Card sanitising Oven at reception.

“This is a truly amazing innovation that uses Ultra Violet technology to mitigate the risk of cross contamination from the electronic keys used to access bedrooms, this is absolutely brilliant”

Scott Mitchell, Managing Director at Surgeons Quarter which runs Ten Hill Place, said: “We are uniquely placed here at Surgeons Quarter that we have access to the experience of the membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

“We can draw on clinical and medical input to enhance everything that we are doing in these times.“Of course, we follow all Government advice and Industry protocols but we further benefit from the experience of surgeons, clinicians and dentists and if they feel we are doing everything we can and they want to stay with us, I see this as a great endorsement for all guests to feel safe and comfortable within Ten Hill Place”

The hotel has welcomed the recently announced temporary VAT reduction for the hospitality and tourism sector and the Dine out in August scheme, and has pledged to ensure customers reap the benefits.

Scott added: “We have reduced the price of our food and rooms, and adapted our menus accordingly, meaning our customers will really notice the difference. We’re hopeful all of this will help to reboot Edinburgh’s tourism and the hospitality industries, which have suffered a devastating hit.”

Ten Hill Place remained open from March to May in order to provide 2,137 free nights of accommodation and thousands of meals to frontline NHS workers during the Coronavirus pandemic – at a cost of more than £100,000 to the charitable organisation. This also enabled the hotel to implement, practice and test strict social distancing and enhanced hygiene measures.

Ten Hill Place is run by Surgeons Quarter, the commercial arm of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RSCEd). Surgeons Quarter promotes, sells and manages all commercial activities held within the RCSEd campus. All profits support the charitable aims of the College which are education, assessment and advancement in surgical standards worldwide.

RCSEd was first incorporated as the Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1505, and is based in Edinburgh and Birmingham. It is one of the oldest surgical corporations in the world with a worldwide membership of almost 29,000. The majority of our members practice across the UK, with 11,000 professionals based in England and Wales. The College also has a significant global presence with 11,000 members in over 100 countries worldwide.