Hop was the 2017 brainchild of highlands-based hoteliers, Richard Drummond and Jon Erasmus and developer, Ronald Tweedie.

The trio developed Hop out of frustration at expensive, outdated systems, creating single-point software which could handle everything including bookings, multi-system payments, orders and check-ins. Now, after penning a contract with 5 English hotels in Duncan Bannatyne’s Bannatyne leisure portfolio, the company is celebrating new business in Florida and Nigeria, with a deal also closed in Barbados.

Hop, who will attend the ScotHot hospitality showcase at SEC in Glasgow this month, already enjoys a significant market share in Scotland, with software operational in 65 hospitality venues. However, recent deals which will see them operate across 3 continents, have changed the global outlook for the business, which retains strong roots in the highlands and islands and an office in Edinburgh.

Richard Drummond, co-founder, who also runs the McKays Hotel, Restaurant and Bar in Pitlochry, said: “We have a good presence and foundation in Scotland. This is probably because we have over 40 years of experience running our own hotels here. That gives us a ground-up, daily insight into the Scottish and UK sector and we are keen to continually build on that, with the knowledge we have.

“Securing the Bannatyne contract was really important for us, as a business, while the international deals take things to a new level. We are in a crowded market but our customers tell us our product represents the type of functionality they want for their money, which is crucial in a time of rising costs across the hospitality sector because people are looking for value,” said co-founder, Jon Erasmus, who also owns the Glen Mhor Hotel in Inverness.

“Like all businesses, Covid-19 was a challenge for us, but the aim now is to effectively double the size of the business in the next few years.”

Hop’s Florida tie-up sees them provide solutions for Skyborne Aviation, which operates a 314-room campus hotel as part of an airline training academy at Vero Beach. The company is also providing systems for CheckInn, which is a multi-property organisation, in Nigeria. Another partnership with a holiday complex in Barbados in the Caribbean is due to go live within weeks.