Venues

‘Idyllic’ Dalmunzie Castle Hotel up for sale

11-May-2012 - The 17-bedroom Dalmunzie Castle Hotel in the heart of Scotland’s Cairngorm National Park is being marketed for sale for £1.75m.

Lotus Professional introduces natural napkin to JustOne range

11-May-2012 - The Lotus Professional brand has introduced a natural, unbleached napkin using recycled paper to its JustOne range which it says will help hospitality businesses display their green and sustainable credentials.

Cozy Pubs continues Essex expansion

11-May-2012 - Cozy Pubs has increased its foothold in rural Essex with the acquisition of The Saracens Head Hotel in the market town of Great Dunmow.

Diageo debacle provided great media potential, says BrewDog PR

10-May-2012 - A major row between Scottish-based independent brewer BrewDog and global drinks giant Diageo provided ‘great media potential’ for the pub group, with its Twitter followers able to escalate the issue into a global trend overnight.

Jurys Inn meetings business secures AIM accreditation for all UK venues

10-May-2012 - Jurys Inn has become the first international hotel group to secure AIM accreditation from the Meetings Industry Association (MIA) for all its UK venues and is the latest hotel operator to announce its ambitions in the meetings sector.

UK hotels advised to target Singapore, South Korea and Brazil to boost bookings

10-May-2012 - Hoteliers in the UK are being advised to market themselves towards guests from three emerging markets – Singapore, South Korea and Brazil – in a bid to increase room bookings.

News in brief

Merseyside hotel doubles capacity using renewable energy specialist

10-May-2012 - Merseyside's Mere Brook House Hotel, near Thornton Hough in the Wirral, has opened a new cottage conversion with a design aided by a renewable energy specialist; doubling the capacity of the venue.

News in brief

YO! Sushi to open first US site this summer

09-May-2012 - YO! Sushi is to open its first US restaurant this summer at Union Station in Washington DC. 

IHG profits rise, UK market remains 'resilient'

09-May-2012 - InterContinental Hotels Group has revealed revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the UK grew in the first three months of the year and described the market as resilient as profits surged across the business.

BO Innovation's 'Demon Chef' Alvin Leung to open London restaurant

09-May-2012 - Alvin Leung, the chef behind the two Michelin-starred restaurant BO Innovation in Hong Kong has confirmed plans to open a restaurant in London this year. 

News in brief

Tonkotsu: Tsuru Sushi's new ramen concept unveiled

09-May-2012 - London-based sustainable Japanese restaurant chain Tsuru Sushi has revealed details of the first restaurant set to open under its new ramen concept in early July.

Wear Inns receives £10m investment to fund expansion

08-May-2012 - The northern pub chain Wear Inns has received an investment of £10m from the Business Growth Fund (BGF) and NVM Private Equity (NVM) to fund expansion plans for the company, which expects to make new acquisitions in the next few months.

Manchester restaurateur behind Southern Eleven announces second concept

08-May-2012 - James Hitchen, the restaurateur behind Manchester's Southern Eleven restaurant, is to open a second concept, Neighbourhood, in the city's Spinningfields development less than a year after his first project.

Hospitality Action Week 2012: How to get involved

08-May-2012 - The entire UK hospitality industry, from five-star hotels and country pubs to catering colleges, restaurants and industry workers, is uniting to take part in Hospitality Action Week from 14-20 May. 

ASK THE EXPERTS

How to improve environmental and commercial sustainability

08-May-2012 - Robert Morrall, managing director of Route Organisation , explains how hotels, pubs and restaurants can gain commercial benefit from improving their environmental credentials.

Amadeus wins Coventry Cathedral catering contract

08-May-2012 - The NEC Group's catering company Amadeus has won a £2m contract to supply catering at Coventry Cathedral for the next five years.

Leeds-based Stew & Oyster opens second site

08-May-2012 - Stew & Oyster, the pub concept in Leeds which serves craft beers alongside a selection of stews and oysters, has opened its second site just outside the city.

Raw food café concept launches in Mayfair

08-May-2012 - 42°Raw – a healthy, raw food café concept serving plant-based dishes all cooked under 42° - has opened within the site of The Royal Academy of Arts in the heart of London’s Mayfair.

Dedicated hotel insurance solution launched by Cooke & Mason

08-May-2012 - The commercial insurance specialists Cooke & Mason has launched Hotelcover, a new insurance and risk management solution designed specifically for hotels and the leisure industry.

World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2012: Were three British restaurants enough?

04-May-2012 - With only three UK restaurants on the list at Monday night’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, BigHospitality spoke with Noma’s René Redzepi, along with a 50 Best judge, a restaurant critic and two British restaurants that did make the grade, to find out why there was such a poor British showing.

Continuing divergence between managed and leased/tenanted pub performance

04-May-2012 - A new report from global ratings agency Fitch Ratings has concluded there is a growing divergence in performance of pubs in the UK between managed sites and those that are tenanted or leased.

Aurora Hotel Collection opens luxury hotel near Gleneagles, plans openings and acquisitions

04-May-2012 - Aurora Hotel Collection, the portfolio run by hotelier Steven McLeod, has opened The Cairn Lodge & Hotel in Auchterarder, near Gleneagles, and said it plans several openings in the next 18 months and is still looking to acquire venues.

Unexpected drop in hospitality administrations

04-May-2012 - Accountancy firm Baker Tilly has analysed the latest figures from insolvency regulators The Insolvency Service and revealed the number of hotel and licensed businesses appointing administrators dropped unexpectedly in the first quarter of the year.

The Collection lounge bar launches new restaurant

04-May-2012 - The Collection lounge bar in Chelsea has launched a new restaurant, Kitchen 264, headed up by Israeli executive chef Oded Oren offering a modern Mediterranean menu.

Career Profile: Barrie St Clair

04-May-2012 - Yorkshire-born Barrrie St Clair spent the first half of his career working through the ranks as a hotel chef. After working as a sous-chef at the Le Meridien hotel, St Clair worked with Marco Pierre-White for an unsuccessful stint before joining the Waterloo restaurant and wine bar The Archduke.