The collaborative venture will provide a comprehensive booking solution for hotels, enabling the sale of large scale events, room packages and food and drink services in a single click.

Founded in 2017 by Highland hoteliers Richard Drummond and Jon Erasmus, and developer Ronald Tweedie, Hop has developed software to simplify various operations such as bookings, payments, orders and check-ins. At present, the company has approximately 70 Scottish clients.

Now, hot on the heels of securing contracts in Florida, Nigeria and Barbados, Hop’s deal with iVvy will integrate the Australian company’s top-tier events booking software into Hop’s management system. This upgrade will extend Hop’s offerings beyond its existing capabilities for smaller venues, catering to businesses that rely heavily on large-scale events for revenue.

Mr Drummond, Hop Director, said: “We have clients now that are managing hundreds of events per year. That requires in-depth functionality and that is why, for this type of customer, we decided to partner with one of the industry leaders to provide that solution.

“Our clients are getting an amazing events module as well as Hop’s ability to handle all the bedroom reservations, rates, reporting and finances.

“In terms of the user, they are getting that seamless ability to book everything in one go; events, rooms and any add-ons integrated within the Hop system. It is quick and easy. It is the way people want to book these days. They don’t want to be jumping between systems. They want everything in one place.”

The events industry plays a significant role in both the UK and Scottish economy, contributing an estimated £84 billion per year, according to a 2022 report to the Department of Digital Culture Media and Sport. The Hop-iVvy integration will not only streamline booking procedures for venues hosting weddings, meetings and other large events but also promises to significantly reduce staffing costs and financial reporting time for Scottish hotel customers.

Lauren Hall, iVvy CEO, stated: “This partnership with Hop represents a significant win for our clients as they seek to manage their properties more effectively and efficiently.

“It will allow iVvy users to gain greater visibility over guest information and inventory, and save time on bookings and internal operations using automation.”

Recognised as the Property Management System Partner of the Year 2022 by SiteMinder, Hop continues to explore potential integrations with other prominent external partners. Its clients in Scotland include the Isles Hotel Group and the Cobbs Group, while in England and Wales, it serves over 100 customers. iVvy’s clientele includes TFE Hotels, Solotel, Accor Live Limitless and ALH Group.