Business

Accor reveals global hotel energy usage with environmental footprint release

22-Feb-2012 - International hotel operator Accor has revealed the group consumes more than 18bn kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy, ahead of a spring publication of a new sustainable development strategy for the company.

News in brief

Great Hotels of the World reports huge increase in MICE enquiries for 2012

22-Feb-2012 - Great Hotels of the World, the London-based hotel sales and marketing alliance, has reported a 50 per cent increase in meetings, incentives, conference and events (MICE) enquires in 2011, illustrating growth in the MICE travel market for UK hotels.

InterContinental Hotels Group announces 3,000 UK jobs to be created over three years

22-Feb-2012 - Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza operator, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), has announced it is to create nearly 3,000 UK jobs over the next three years, with more than 1,000 coming in 2012 as the operator launches the IHG Academy in Newham, London.

Pan Chai and Mango Tree restaurants to open at Harrods

22-Feb-2012 - Southeast Asian restaurant Pan Chai and Thai restaurant Mango Tree are set to open sites at London department store Harrods this April.

Kitchen Equipment: Top chefs reveal their must-have kitchen kit

22-Feb-2012 - In the latest instalment of our Kitchen Equipment Special Feature we asked chefs working in pub, restaurant and hotel kitchens to tell us the one bit of kit they couldn't live without and we filmed three of them showing us exactly what made the equipment special.

Kitchen Equipment: When its time to replace or invest in key items

21-Feb-2012 - Installing a completely new kitchen is great if you have the funds and the time to do it, but for many, a dream kitchen can remain just that.

News in brief

BII 2012 Licensee of the Year: Semi-finalists revealed

21-Feb-2012 - The British Institute of Innkeeping has revealed the 21 semi-finalists for its 2012 Licensee of the Year Awards.

‘We were a great pub’: The Devonshire Arms in Chiswick closes in first year

21-Feb-2012 - The Devonshire Arms – Gordon Ramsay’s failed pub in Chiswick, London – has closed with immediate effect having only re-opened under new ownership in July last year.

Les Routiers reveals Restaurant, Hotel and Pub of the Year winners

21-Feb-2012 - Ten hotels, restaurants, pubs and inns have been awarded by guide Les Routiers UK for demonstrating ‘exceptional service, hospitality and quality of food’ throughout the year.

Pesto plans three more Pesto in the Pub openings

21-Feb-2012 - Pesto, the Italian restaurant chain founded by La Tasca founder Neil Gatt, is to open three more sites under the Pesto in the Pub concept in the next six months after the first under the brand was successfully opened at a Punch Taverns site in Cheshire last year.

People on the Move in Hospitality: February 2012

20-Feb-2012 - BigHospitality rounds up the latest appointments in the hospitality industry. This month sees key appointments at hotels, restaurants and pubs including The Doyle Collection, Eighty-Six and Fuller's.

Whitbread launches Olympics and Diamond Jubilee skills academies

20-Feb-2012 - Premier Inn and Beefeater operator Whitbread is launching three skills academies across the UK to offer training for restaurant and kitchen managers in time for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the London 2012 Olympics later this year.

Roast founder acquires Indian street food restaurant Moolis

20-Feb-2012 - Roast founder Iqbal Wahhab has bought Soho's Indian street food restaurant Moolis from administration with plans for menu changes before expansion aspirations for the business beyond the current Frith Street site.

Kitchen Equipment: When it's time to refurbish

20-Feb-2012 - Replacing a kitchen is not something you consider every day. When margins are being squeezed in every area of the business it can be hard to see how spending a five or six-figure-sum on new kit will have an immediate effect on your profit margins.

Raymond Blanc to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Hotelympia

20-Feb-2012 - Raymond Blanc is to be recognised for 'services to the catering and hospitality industry' with a Lifetime Achievement Award and induction to the Hotelympia Hall of Fame at the event later this month.

Wahaca takes over MARC's Charlotte Street site

20-Feb-2012 - Wahaca, the Mexican street food restaurant concept owned by Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby, is to open its seventh site in London, after securing the former Bertorelli site in Fitzrovia from the Marlon Abela Restaurant Corporation (MARC), according to M&C Report.

February hotel prices plummet, London continues to buck the trend

20-Feb-2012 - Hotel prices have dropped across every city in the UK apart from London, which is one of only seven major cities in Europe to have seen an increase in room rates for February.

ASK THE EXPERTS

How to keep your hospitality business free of pests

20-Feb-2012 - Savvas Othon, technical director at Rentokil Pest Control, advises hospitality businesses on how to keep pests at bay during busy times.

Macdonald Hotels take control of Donnington Grove Country Club hotel

20-Feb-2012 - Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, the privately owned hotel operator, has signed a management contract with the owner of Donnington Grove Country Club in Newbury in a bid to further increase its market presence.

Government urged to appoint 'hospitality minister' to promote industry and tackle unemployment

17-Feb-2012 - Stephen Kyjak-Lane, general manager of the Lancaster London hotel and the new chairman of the London advisory board of hospitality careers charity Springboard, has said a Government minister for hospitality is needed to promote the industry to jobseekers and bring down unemployment figures.

Last orders: Pub industry urges Government to cut beer tax ahead of budget 2012

17-Feb-2012 - As hospitality businesses are gearing up for next month’s announcement on the 2012 budget, the British beer and pub industry is unanimously demanding a freeze in the Government’s controversial beer tax escalator.

Marriott Gatwick Airport and InterContinental Westminster hotels up for sale

17-Feb-2012 - Marriott’s 218-bedroom Courtyard London Gatwick Airport Hotel is being offered for sale by business adviser Christie & Co, which is seeking offers in excess of £20 million.

Carlson Rezidor to rebrand all Radisson Edwardian hotels as Radisson Blu

17-Feb-2012 - Newly-formed hotel group Carlson Rezidor has announced the rebrand of all 14 Radisson Edwardian hotels in the UK to Radisson Blu by the second half of 2012.

IDEAS FROM YOUR PEERS

London Fashion week at The May Fair and Trendy Cocktails at The Fifth Floor Bar

17-Feb-2012 - Restaurants, hotels, pubs and bars including The May Fair, The Fifth Floor Bar, The Mulroy and Jurys Inn tell BigHospitality about special events and promotions they're running to attract new customers.

New hotel planned for Liverpool's waterfront in £45m development

17-Feb-2012 - Plans to build a 170-bedroom hotel in Wapping, Liverpool, are being submitted to the City Council later this month.