Sleeperz Hotel Newcastle, a 98-bedroom premium budget lifestyle hotel on Westgate Road, has reported excellent year-on-year growth on the eve of the second anniversary of its opening. Long term decline in Newcastle’s hospitality market? The hotel’s achievements are good news for Newcastle’s hospitality market which commercial property experts say is showing signs of long … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2014
Food service: impact of new Alpro ‘may contain nut’ warnings on soya products
Food service operators of all kinds who are just beginning to get to grips with the requirements of the incoming EU Food Information Regulations, and the growing market of customers with food allergies or intolerances, may not immediately see the relevance of the problems outlined below. But read on and you will begin to understand just how important allergies and intolerances … [Read more...]
Time’s up for hotel booking bullies?
What Skype did for phone calls and Easyjet did for air travel, start-up Bidroom.com now plans to do for hotel reservations – and H&C News will be watching closely to see if and how UK hotels take up the Bidroom proposition… At present, customers using hotel booking sites, and the hotels themselves, are getting a rotten deal. That's because of the enormous commissions that … [Read more...]
UK’s Best Breakfast venues revealed by public vote
After months of searching and thousands of votes, the best places to eat breakfast across the country have been revealed by the Best Breakfast Awards. UK’s Best Breakfast Tavern Co Restaurant in Liverpool walked away with the ultimate prize as their Full English was named the UK’s Best Breakfast, scooping the most public votes. The Best Breakfast Awards highlight the … [Read more...]
Smoking hot, smoking cold
Foodservice Equipment Marketing has introduced Alto-Shaam cook and hold smoker ovens Diners love the wood-smoked flavour of barbequed food but this type of cooking is not practical in the winter months. To cope with year round demand Foodservice Equipment Marketing has introduced new Alto-Shaam smoker ovens which offer all the convenience of cook and hold ovens with the added … [Read more...]
Philadelphia Recipe, Courgette canapé cups
Ingredients for 8 5 - 6 medium sized courgettes 240 g Philadelphia Light 1 tsp fresh lemon juice A little lemon zest, chopped spring onion or pea shoots for garnish Instructions Prepare courgette ribbons. To do this, run a vegetable peeler repeatedly down the length of a courgette to form long ribbons. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Blanch the … [Read more...]
Craft Keg beer: growing range, sales and – now – availability
CraftKeg.com has just launched with the specific objective of delivering a range of UK Keg Beers to the on-trade: it will deliver a range of craft keg beers direct from any participating brewer to any UK mainland Pub, Hotel or Restaurant within 48 hours with no minimum order quantity. Hotels and restaurants may find this service of particular interest and value. One Way Kegs: … [Read more...]
FreeFrom Eating Out Awards seek ‘cloud’ sponsors
The FreeFrom Eating Out Awards are already breaking new ground in food service by seeking out the very best outlets for gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free food and genuinely allergen-aware service ahead of the implementation of the new allergen regulations in December 2014. Now they are seeking sponsors for their awards with an innovative 'cloud sponsorship' concept designed … [Read more...]
YO! Sushi is Britain’s ‘Most Trusted’ Restaurant Brand
YO! Sushi has been voted the UK’s most trusted restaurant brand following a report from the Human Era Index. Other brands topping their categories included Emirates Airways, John Lewis, Disney, Amazon and Virgin Atlantic. Leading the restaurant category with a score of 8.4 out of a total of 10, Paul Priestman, Director at Priestman Goode and President of DBA commented: “For … [Read more...]
The Keys to Growth: 21st Annual General Managers’ Conference
Last week’s Master Innholders Conference was attended by a record number of delegates, who much enjoyed the facilities and both excellent and extensive refreshments provided by the venue – the Park Plaza Westminster – including the ‘sweet stall’, which many found irresistible. As ever, the two day event provided multiple opportunities for networking: this is certainly one of … [Read more...]
David Muñoz hits the streets of London in 2014
David Muñoz, chef and creator of Madrid’s three Michelin starred DiverXo and urban hotspot StreetXo, will bring his street-food inspired StreetXo to London in June 2014. This will be the celebrated maverick chef’s first restaurant outside of Spain and a return to London, the city that inspired his cooking style. His unique representation of street food is an evolution of … [Read more...]
Hotel Xenia appoints Giacomo Battafarano as GM
Kensington’s Hotel Xenia has appointed Giacomo Battafarano as new General Manager of the 99-roomed design-led boutique hotel which opened in 2013 in Kensington. Formerly at Hotel Imperiale Taormina in Sicily for the past five years, overseeing its extensive refurbishment and relaunch, Giacomo now brings his broad international experience to Hotel Xenia. His career in the … [Read more...]
Beer sales: pub sales down 2.2%, off trade up 3.9%
The latest figures from the BBPA for beer sales have produced very different reactions: the BBPA celebrates the growth in volumes, and urges a continued freeze in beer duty; the ALMR, in contrast, is concerned about the pace of the decline in pub sales of beer, and urges Government to level the playing field with the off trade. BBPA: brewers toast continued growth in … [Read more...]
D&D London re-launches Avenue Restaurant in St James’s
This February, D&D’s Avenue restaurant in St James’s will re-launch with a new look and a New American-inspired menu created by new head chef Michael Blizzard. Located on St James’s Street, London, the interiors will be designed by Russell Sage. The menu will draw on inspiration from the elements of regional American food, refining them with contemporary cooking … [Read more...]
P&G switches and follows marketing spend to digital
When a CFO endorses a major switch in spending, you can be confident that it is supported by the figures. Marketing Week reports that Procter & Gamble’s chief finance officer Jon Moeller, speaking on 24 January, confirmed that P&G will be spending close to 30% of its media promotion budget globally in digital, social and mobile – seeking to increase its presence, and … [Read more...]