This week's Restaurant of the Week is Kinloch Lodge, Isle of Skye and courtesy of Great British Chefs Located in some of the most outstanding scenery that the UK can offer, the restaurant at Kinloch Lodge is proud of its status as the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the locality. It keeps its standards reassuringly high as a result. The hotel itself offers … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2012
UK hotels stutter in June
Hotels across the country experienced a noticeable decline in occupancy in June as economic concerns at home and overseas brought the sector’s recent recovery to an end, according to figures released today by PKF Hotel Consultancy Services. e London hotels saw occupancy drop by 9.0% to 82.0% compared with 90.1% in June 2011, whilst room rate increased by 2.2% from £163.40 … [Read more...]
London Venues optimistic on 2012 Olympic legacy
The Westminster Collection (TWC), Unique Venues of London (UVL) and The Conference Bench have grouped together to launch a new London-centric meeting and events survey, culminating in the 2012 London Venues Business Report which has just been released. The report brings together results from 100 prestigious venues, iconic tourist attractions and renowned hotels across the … [Read more...]
Rain affects Fuller’s
Results for the 15 week period to 14 July 2012 show total sales for Managed Pubs and Hotels growing 8.0%, but the persistent rain affecting sales in a large number of pubs with gardens, causing like for like sales to decline by 1.1%. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Euro 2012 benefited the other parts of the business more noticeably, with Tenanted Inns like for like profits … [Read more...]
Big guns gather for Love British Food 2012
27 July – 12 August 2012 Big names in retail and food service are coming together to stage a patriotic foodie extravaganza during the Olympics, with the stage now set for a huge showcase of British food whilst the eyes of the world are on London. Running in parallel to the Games, Love British Food 2012 is bringing a patriotic outburst to shop shelves and menus … [Read more...]
My Top 10 Hotels, by Chris Evans
In his 2nd Autobiography ‘Memoirs of a Fruitcake’ Chris Evans uses copious amounts of Top 10’s to emphasise his thinking at the start of each chapter. One of them is as he says my ‘TOP 10 FAB HOTELS I’VE STAYED IN’ Here they are in some instances with summary explanations… 10. The Butlins Metropole in Blackpool - the first proper hotel I ever stayed … [Read more...]
Innovate services announces partnership with Mary’s Meals charity
Innovate Services Ltd, the innovative catering facilities operator to the education sector, has announced it is supporting Mary’s Meals as its designated charity. Mary’s Meals is a global movement that sets up school feeding projects in some of the world’s poorest communities, where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education. The idea behind … [Read more...]
First the coffee shops, now pubs…taken over by mums!
We’ve all seen it: the crowded coffee shops just after mums have dropped their children off at school in the morning – and again when they pick them up in the afternoon. Good business for the coffee shops, and now the wider hospitality sector is getting in on the act and boosting their ‘child friendly’ credentials using initiatives which H & C News certainly welcomes – … [Read more...]
50,000 REASONS TO CHANGE: Sustainability and banqueting lessons from the Lancaster London
The Lancaster London has demonstrated its commitment to sustainability for many years: it first set up an Energy and Environmental Task Force back in 2005, with recycling and energy-saving its first priorities. Since that time, it has made great progress throughout the hotel, with its Rooftop Honey Farm attracting considerable publicity since it was installed in 2009 – the … [Read more...]
Two hotels overlooking The London 2012 Olympic Park for sale
CBRE Hotels EMEA have been appointed to sell The Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites Westfield, on behalf of Patron Capital and Cycas Hotel Partners. The hotels are located in the heart of Westfield Stratford City, Europe’s largest urban shopping centre (1.9m sq ft) and part of the leading urban regeneration project in London. They are close to London’s iconic 2012 … [Read more...]
M & B trading up 1.9% year to date
M & B has announced its trading figures for the last quarter and the year to date: like-for-like sales growth was 0.4% in the 14 weeks to 14 July, and 1.9% for the 42 weeks of the year to date. The recent period in particular has been adversely impacted by the persistent wet weather and the negative impact of the European Football Championships. Within this, trading on … [Read more...]
New boutique hotel: The Lalit, London
The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group will open a high-end boutique hotel in London by the end of 2014, after paying £15 million to acquire a prominent site, which will be converted into a hotel. Located near Tower Bridge in the City of London, the group has bought a ‘heritage’ building - St Olave’s was formerly a grammar school. The company will start the restoration and … [Read more...]
Pig in a Poke at Henley Royal Regatta 2012
Maverick wine brand Pig in a Poke has been a sponsor of Remenham Farm during the 2012 Henley Regatta season and successfully launched its first 75cl plastic bottles (PET) designed to serve many outdoor events. At Henley, Pig in a Poke was served in The Courtyard Enclosure, The Barn Bar, The Redgrave Bar and the New Barn Bar VIP area, and was the … [Read more...]
Lancashire’s finest chosen for open championship menus
This year's Open Championship - which will be held at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club from 19 to the 22 July - has shown commitment to sourcing local produce for the Championships official catering, and Sodexo Prestige, the official caterers for the event, has taken the time to sample the regions finest produce, selecting only the best for the prestigious event. Each … [Read more...]
Love Soup, Love The New Autumn Range
The variety of soup flavours available on the market has certainly come a long way over the past century. But despite a massive diversification, with exotic recipes becoming increasingly prevalent, nearly half of users (47%) still want to see a wider variety of flavours in the soup market. In response to consumers’ demands for more variety and the growing trend for ‘grab … [Read more...]