Scotland's budget hotels need to try much harder

Scotland's budget hotels and B&B's have a long way to go to achieve international standards, say MPs.

Sticky floors, price rises and poor service for the disabled in hotels were among the findings of the report on Scotland's tourism standards.

The Scottish Affairs Committee, made up of 11 MPs, said that while it was generally impressed with the overall level of improvement in hotels, not everything was as it should be.

One hotel gave a wheelchair-using committee member a standard room after it had assured the group that an adapted room would be available.

"There was one hotel with what can only be describedas sticky linoleum on the bathroom floor," continued the report.

Another hotel was criticised when its restaurant staff failed to cope with more than one small party of diners at once. At the same restaurant, bottles of wine were uncorked in the kitchen and brought to the table with the corks halfway in.

"We discovered that while Scotland's best ranks with the best in the world, the lower and middle end of the market has a considerable way to go before it reaches the standards of parts of Europe and North America," the report concluded.

However, Tom Buncle, chief executive of the Scottish Tourist Board, welcomed the feedback.

"We believe the conclusions and recommendations should be carefully considered by all those committed to raising standards," he said.