Business

China’s Dalian Wanda to spend £700m on luxury London hotel

19-Jun-2013 - Today’s announcement that the first luxury Chinese hotel brand to open oversees will be in London has been welcomed by Mayor Boris Johnson as ‘yet another sign of the soaring global confidence’ in the capital.

Cafés and coffee shops a better bet for expanding restaurateurs than brasseries and pubs

19-Jun-2013 - David Colcombe, chef director of Opus Restaurant in Birmingham, has opened a new café under the Opus brand in the city and has said coffee shops could be a better option than brasseries and pubs for restaurateurs looking to expand.

Amber Taverns to extend wet-led pub model further south with Midlands acquisitions

19-Jun-2013 - James Baer, managing director of successful community pub operator Amber Taverns, has told BigHospitality he believes the company's wet-led pub model could work in areas in the south of the country.

People on the Move in Hospitality: June 2013

19-Jun-2013 - In this exclusive gallery, BigHospitality rounds up some of the latest movers and shakers in the hospitality industry. The past month has seen a number of new appointments at hotels, restaurants, pubs including The Midland, One Canada Square and Brakspear. 

News in brief

Living Ventures to open new Manchester bar connected to Australasia restaurant

19-Jun-2013 - Living Ventures has announced it is to open a new bar and kitchen in Manchester which will be connected to its modern Australian restaurant Australasia.

National Waiters Day: A day in the life of a maître d’ with Paulo de Tarso

19-Jun-2013 - To celebrate the first ever National Waiters Day, BigHospitality decided to discover a little bit more about one of the most important front-of-house restaurant roles - the maître d’. For this exclusive video we spent a morning with Bar Boulud's Paulo de Tarso.

The London Edition: Lifestyle hotel brand enters UK, Jason Atherton to head up restaurant

18-Jun-2013 - American entrepreneur Ian Schrager, the man behind five star properties Sanderson and St Martins Lane, is returning to London for the first time in 15 years to launch The London Edition – a brand he conceived in partnership with Marriott International.

Tough times ahead for pubs, according to property advisors

18-Jun-2013 - Lack of funding, red tape restrictions and the ability to attract the right people into the trade are among the biggest challenges facing pubs and bars over the next 12 months, according to a new survey from the Association of Valuers of Licensed Property (AVLP).

Destination dining quarter planned for Newcatle shopping centre

18-Jun-2013 - Shopping centre giant Intu has submitted an application to refurbish two of the areas within Intu Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle, with plans to create a ‘destination dining quarter’ as part of the £17m development.

News in brief

Novus Leisure chief executive to step down

18-Jun-2013 - Steve Richards is to step down as the chief executive of bar and nightclub operator Novus Leisure this summer, after eight years at the helm.

Cosmo plans to replicate Derby restaurant in five further sites

17-Jun-2013 - Multi-cuisine buffet restaurant chain Cosmo has revealed its latest site in Derby will become a flagship for the group and will be replicated in at least five further sites.

Rebecca Mascarenhas partners with Theo Randall for new Italian restaurant

17-Jun-2013 - Restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas and chef Theo Randall have announced a new business partnership to launch Bibo – a modern Italian tratorria based on the site of Mascarenhas’s Cantinetta restaurant in Putney later this year.

Mezze unveils five target pubs to continue expansion

17-Jun-2013 - West Country restaurant chain Mezze has unveiled five pubs that will continue the expansion of the all-leased group into 2014.

Boris Johnson gets behind London’s small food businesses

17-Jun-2013 - London Mayor Boris Johnson has pledged his support for the capital’s small food businesses by backing the pilot scheme of an innovative new programme which aims to create more jobs and reinvigorate the high streets. 

Former Hotel du Vin GM creates boutique hotel company Bonne Nuit

17-Jun-2013 - Nick Lawson, a former general manager at Hotel du Vin Harrogate, has created a new boutique hotel company called Bonne Nuit, a brand he is aiming to roll out across the UK after establishing it at The Balmoral hotel in Harrogate. 

News in brief

James Petrie leaves The Fat Duck to 'explore other opportunities'

17-Jun-2013 - James Petrie, head of creative development at The Fat Duck, has announced he has resigned after 11 years working for Heston Blumenthal at the three Michelin-starred restaurant.

Small Luxury Hotels of the World reports rise in number of solo female travellers

17-Jun-2013 - Hoteliers are being advised to make their services more female friendly after figures from Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) found that the number of women staying alone at hotels has risen more than 53 per cent in the last year. 

Marco Pierre White to rebrand Frankie's Bar & Grill restaurant in Hoylake

17-Jun-2013 - Marco Pierre White is to rebrand his Frankie’s Bar & Grill restaurant in Hoylake as Marco’s New York Italian in a deal with hotel and restaurant development firm Sanguine Hospitality.

Queen's Birthday Honours 2013: Jill Stein and Adnams boss Andy Wood made OBEs

15-Jun-2013 - Restaurateur Jill Stein and Adnams chief executive and chairman Andy Wood have been awarded OBEs in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours list while chefs Geoffrey Acott and Clare Smyth and Drake & Morgan founder Jillian Maclean were made MBEs. 

Hand Picked Hotels acquires St Pierre Park Hotel & Golf Resort in Guernsey

14-Jun-2013 - Hand Picked Hotels, the country house hotel firm founded in 2001, has acquired the 131-bedroom St Pierre Park Hotel & Golf Resort in Guernsey.

Maxwell's to rebrand Navajo Joe as Joe's Southern Kitchen & Bar

14-Jun-2013 - Maxwell's restaurant group is to open Joe's Southern Kitchen & Bar next month on the Covent Garden site which was formerly home to the group's Navajo Joe restaurant.

Luxury Hospitality: London named one of the world's fastest-growing destinations

14-Jun-2013 - London is one of the world's fastest-growing destinations for consumers seeking out a stay in a luxury hotel, according to a report released at the first Luxury Hospitality summit held in Switzerland.

News in brief

Hospitality businesses warned about dangers of rising costs of raw materials

14-Jun-2013 - Almost a third of UK hotels and catering firms are looking to cut costs due to the rising prices of raw materials, according to new research.

Carl Clarke to open permanent Rock Lobsta restaurant in Mahiki London

14-Jun-2013 - Chef and pop-up restaurant expert Carl Clarke is to open his first permanent restaurant when he launches Rock Lobsta at the Mahiki London nightclub next month.

Andreas Antona: Pearls of Wisdom

14-Jun-2013 - The chef opened Simpsons in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, more than 20 years ago, relocating the Michelin-starred favourite to Birmingham in 2004. Recently, Antona was instrumental in his head chef Adam Bennett’s successful fourth-place performance at the Bocuse D’Or competition.