Roddy Watt is the founder and CEO of Buell Hospitality, an advisory and support business focused on the independent hospitality sector. With more than four decades of experience in hospitality, Roddy has worked with businesses ranging from independent hotels and family-owned operations to larger hospitality groups, owners, investors and developers.
He founded Buell Hospitality in 2012, bringing together an extensive network of experienced hospitality professionals and specialist businesses. Today, Buell provides management advisory, operational support, hotel and property development services, alongside a growing network of some 60 specialist Business Partners serving the hospitality industry.
Roddy is particularly passionate about supporting independent hospitality businesses and helping owners and operators navigate an increasingly complex trading environment. This has led to the development of Buell Connect, Buell’s community for independent hospitality businesses, as well as a growing programme of industry research, workshops, Business Exchanges and Insights events.
Known for his practical and collaborative approach, Roddy believes strongly in bringing together the right people, experience and expertise to solve problems and create opportunities.
Away from hospitality, Roddy lives in Perthshire and is a keen salmon fisherman, skier and enthusiastic, if somewhat less accomplished, golfer.
What do you think are the greatest opportunities for the Scottish tourism, retail and hospitality industries in 2027?
Scotland enters 2027 with an exceptional opportunity to grow the value of its visitor economy. International demand remains strong, with overseas visitors already accounting for more than half of tourism spend, while improved connectivity and major events such as the Tour de France Grand Départ provide further momentum.
The greatest opportunity is to encourage visitors to stay longer, travel more widely and spend more across hospitality, retail, food and drink and experiences. Scotland’s natural environment, culture, provenance and increasingly sophisticated tourism offer are powerful assets. Alongside this, better use of technology and AI can improve productivity, personalisation and profitability. The opportunity is significant – but collaboration across the visitor economy will be essential to realise it.
What are you looking most forward to seeing, meeting, or attending at ScotHot?
That’s an easy one – the people who are actually running hospitality businesses day in, day out. Owners, operators and managers who are dealing with the challenges, spotting the opportunities and continuing to innovate despite everything the industry throws at them. ScotHot is always a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends, make new ones and, most importantly, listen to what people across the industry are thinking. I’m particularly looking forward to meeting independent operators and hearing first-hand what they need from all of us who support the sector.
Why do you think events like ScotHot are important to the industry?
Hospitality is fundamentally a people business, and events like ScotHot give us something that technology can never entirely replace – the opportunity to meet, talk, share ideas and learn from each other. They bring together operators, suppliers, innovators and industry leaders under one roof, creating conversations and connections that often lead to new ideas, partnerships and opportunities. At a time when our industry continues to face significant challenges, that sense of community and collaboration is more important than ever. ScotHot gives us the chance to celebrate what’s great about Scottish hospitality while collectively looking at how we make it even better.
