The Open, St. Andrews

"This summer's sports event that's open for business"

So I decided to take a different approach with this blog post after a recent Business article caught my eye! The Open at St. Andrews is a Golf Championship held yearly and attracts golfers and tourists from all over the world. However, this is also a great opportunity for business, read on to find out why! 

The Open helps cement business relationships like no other major sports event. For a start, time is on your side, with the sporting event and relaxed hospitality present throughout the day. This summer from 12 - 19 July, The Open is back in St. Andrews and sales of tickets and increasingly-accessible packages are at record levels with a number of options already sold out.

Next month, the grandstand contractors start their work transforming the golf course into an arena in which the worlds greatest golfers will compete. Three-time Champion Golfer of the Year Jack Nicklaus triumphed twice in the 'Auld Grey Toun' in 1970 and 1978. With a famous quote of his to be, "you need to be the champion at St. Andrews if you are a player that will be remembered." 

Jack Nicklaus

Newcomers to The Open will encounter a bandwagon of would-be corporate hospitality hosts but The Open Hospitality Programme is the only ticket and hospitality provider approved by The R&A. No other company can offer facilities within the historic boundaries of The Old Course or guarantee tickets.

The Open Hospitality Programme offers a wide range of corporate hospitality options from on-course private chalets through fine dining course perimeter hotel suites and bistro style catering in the popular Champions Club. Located next to the 16th fairway on the Old Course, The Champions Club is making it's first appearance in St. Andrews. It combines admission ticket, Spectator Village location, exclusive entertainment and all-day hospitality. Dining is informal so patrons are free to come and go as they please to relax and refuel throughout the day. 

Unique to St. Andrews is a range of hospitality options hotels that sit on the fairway edge, The Old Course Hotel as previously mentioned, and the MacDonald Rusacks Hotel next to the 18th hole. Hospitality packages range from £345pp in The Champions Club to £899pp in the Rocca Restaurant next to the 18th hole. 

Full details on hospitality options at the 144th Open can be found at TheOpen.com/Hospitality or call +44 (0) 844 381 0565

Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland

Back in 1924 when the Gleneagles Hotel opened, it was described as 'a Riviera in the Highlands' and 'the eighth wonder of the world' and to this very day, this luxury hotel remains dedicated to excellence. The hotel was built by the Caledonian Railway Company, which is also just minutes away.  The hotel's golf course and luxurious surroundings meant that golf and grouse shooting had become a fixed part of high society's calendar.

Between 1982 and 1986, £11million was spent on renovating the hotel and every year since then the hotel has been awarded five red stars by the AA. In 2014, the hotel was redeveloped in preparation for hosting the 40th Ryder Cup Matches played on the Centenary Course.

Suites

There are 232 rooms in the hotel, as well as 26 luxury suites. Each room has it's very own individual design and layout, with all amenities of a five star resort. Guests have the option of a traditional or modern room. 

Room Tariffs per room per night are as follows (inc. breakfast):

Classic - £355

Large Sovereign - £405

Estate - £455

Estate Suite - £745

Whisky Suite - £900

Spirit Suite Tier 2 - £1,075

Spirit Suite Tier 1 -  £1,350

Blue Tower Suite - £1,815

Royal Lochnagar - £1,815

Dining

There are four restaurants within the hotel, set with the highest culinary standards, including Scotland's only two Michelin stars in Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles. There are also a fine selection of of elegant bars to choose from.

Activities

Guests staying at Gleneagles make the most of it's beautiful 850 acres. The three championship golf courses are among the very best in the world: 

The King's

The Queen's

The PGA Centenary

Other outdoor leisure pursuits include shooting, fishing, falconry, off-road driving, horse riding and swimming in The Club's two indoor pools.

Spa

The Spa at Gleneagles by ESPA, is a sparkling experience of treatments and healing waters, as well as ESPA Life, an innovative residential programme encompassing complementary and alternative medicine practices, lifestyle treatments and personal training.

Old Course Hotel, St. Andrews

“Luxury along the Scottish coastline”

Bordering the renowned 17th Road Hole of the Old Course, the Old Course Hotel overlooks the famous links courses, the West Sands Beach and the beautiful Scottish coastline. This prestigious AA Five Star-awarded hotel has 144 rooms including 35 suites and is recognised as one of Europe’s leading resorts. The Old Course Hotel features a combination of classically elegant and contemporary interiors, and French designer Jacques Garcia designed many of the hotel’s suites. Located just a short stroll from the historic university town of St Andrews, it’s a great vacation spot for golfers and non-golfers alike.

St Andrews is a former royal burgh on the east coast Scotland, and was named after Saint Andrew the Apostle. The town is home to the University of St. Andrews which is the third oldest university in the English-speaking world and the oldest in Scotland. St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife. St Andrews is also known worldwide as the “the home of golf”. This is partly because the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, founded in 1754, exercises legislative authority over the game worldwide, and also because the famous links is the most frequent venue for The Open Championship Visitors travel to St Andrews in great numbers for several courses ranked amongst the finest in the world, as well as for the sandy beaches.

The Room Tariffs of the hotel range from £305 per room per night, right up to £1410 per room per night. These prices include Bed and Breakfast; and you really make the most of your money! Full prices are as follows:

Eden Parkland                –        £305

Old Course Room           –        £355

Eden Parkland Suite        –        £355

Old Course Suite              –        £780

Fairway Suite                   –        £780

Deluxe Suite                     –        £1360

Royal Ancient Suite          –        £1410