Spirit Pub Company has announced it is continuing to transform the business as pre-tax profits for the 28 weeks to 3 March 2012 rose 7 per cent to £20m driven by a strategy for the managed site portion of the business.
International hotel operator Accor has revealed in its first quarter results that increased revenue growth globally has been driven in the UK by a very strong period in London with occupancy rates at near record levels for the French company.
National tourist board VisitEngland has revealed the names of the hospitality businesses and individuals who have made the final shortlist for 15 award categories in its 2012 Awards for Excellence.
BigHospitality rounds up the latest appointments in the hospitality industry. This month sees key appointments at hotels, restaurants and pubs including Carberry Tower, Colette's and Doubletree by Hilton.
Kurt Ritter, chief executive and president of Rezidor and co-chair of Carlson Rezidor, has been inducted into the British Travel and Hospitality Industry Hall of Fame in an annual dinner and ceremony in London last night.
Harbour Hotels has been granted planning permission for a super-yacht inspired £25m luxury 76-bed hotel at Southampton's Ocean Village Marina; building work is expected to start within weeks.
As the countdown to the London 2012 Olympics reaches the last 100 days hospitality businesses are being urged by VisitBritain and People 1st to 'warm up their welcome' and improve customer service to make the most of the Games.
In the ten years since the World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards was launched a wide variety of gastronomic and dining styles have been represented in the top 50 so as excitement builds for the 2012 list BigHospitality asked chefs and experts what makes...
Hotels both in and outside of London are on track to benefit from London 2012 with occupancy and room rates predicted to continue to rise during the summer months following strong growth in March.
It has been confirmed that the Covent Garden Market Building which was acquired by Jamie Oliver in February is to open under the Union Jacks brand in July.
Restaurants and pubs have benefited from the unseasonably warm weather of March, with collective like-for-like sales up 1.9 per cent and total sales up 6.3 per cent on the same month last year.
A number of high-end restaurateurs and industry experts have condemned the use of online reservation systems, claiming booking websites are contributing to the growing number of people booking tables and not showing up.
Hotel group Hilton is running a week of promotional activity around recruitment to help fill 700 jobs across its properties in the UK and promote hospitality as a valid career option.
London-based Japanese restaurant chain Feng Sushi has announced it is to open its eighth site in West Hampstead later this year focusing on diners eating in; the second opening since serial investor Luke Johnson took a majority stake in the business.
Nestlé Professional has launched its award-winning Viaggi beverage machine in the UK which delivers ‘barista-style’ coffees and hot chocolate to foodservice operators.
Antoinette Hotel Group has acquired the Best Western Crown Hotel in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, and is planning a £1m investment in the venue which is the fourth for the company and its first site outside London.
Rupert and Jo Clevely, the duo behind London-based, food-led pub operator Geronimo Inns, have reclaimed the Group’s first pub and are set to relaunch it this month, 17 years on from its initial opening.
The organisers of a fundraising dinner in honour of Eddie Gilbert’s founder Jonny Dunhill are hoping to raise enough cash to set up a chef bursary in his name.
Bed and bath linen supplier Monarch-Cypress has worked with Irish linens manufacturer Lissadell Liddell to produce a new range of bedding for hotels to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
Hoteliers are being warned to pay more attention to their social media profiles as negative comments and complaints could significantly damage a business’s reputation if ignored.
A Bromley-based property developer, accused by Sydenham residents of demolishing more of The Greyhound pub than Lewisham Council's planning permission allowed, has pledged to rebuild the venue and ensure it is reopened for the local community.
National tourist board VisitEngland has today launched a new version of its Access Statement Online Tool, specifically tailored for restaurants and cafés to help them cater for customers with access needs.
Benny Peverelli, former head chef at healthy fast-food chain Leon, has said London restaurants should not 'rest on their laurels' and must consider value for money as a survey suggests diners think some restaurants might be overpriced.
The world’s largest hotel operator, Accor, has today launched a comprehensive sustainability programme as part of its bid to reduce CO2 emissions by 10 per cent by 2015.
Food service and hotel operators are being urged to take part in the Gram Green Paper report for 2012 to look at the industry’s attitudes to the environment and sustainability.
Italian ice cream equipment manufacturer Carpigiani has launched the Freeze & Go machine, allowing chefs to create fresh ice cream and sorbet in just five minutes.
The Forum of Private Business has warned the proposed introduction of a Late Night Levy (LNL) is little more than a 'stealth tax' against business and will further harm pubs and operators catering for the night-time economy.
Portuguese-born Hugo de Castro has worked in the hospitality industry for 40 years, 30 of which have been spent as concierge at the Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa in St Helier. He has seen the hotel change hands four times, most recently in August 2011...
Restaurants, hotels and pubs, including The Gun in London's Docklands and The Arden Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon tell BigHospitality about new marketing ideas and promotions they are running to help attract more customers.
Grant Hearn is to return to the role of Travelodge chief executive less than two years after moving from the position to become executive chairman of the budget hotel chain; as a result of the decision Guy Parsons, the current chief executive, will now...
Nicola Horlick, the investment manager dubbed 'superwoman' for balancing her career and family, has described her latest venture, a Barnes restaurant with Trinity chef Adam Byatt in tribute to her late daughter Georgina, as a 'good business...
Punch Taverns has said it remains 'on track' to meet its expectations for the year despite a drop in first half pre-tax profits from £41m last year to £33m in the 28 weeks to 3 March 2012.
Hospitality businesses have renewed calls for extra support on energy bills and dealing with utility suppliers after the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced it was backing Ofgem proposals to help domestic customers.
Kinmel Hall, a Welsh mansion modelled on the Palace of Versailles in France and the largest private residential property in Wales, has been sold for around £1.5m and is set to become a luxury hotel after a development is completed.
The owner of new London restaurant, Lowcountry Bar & Eating House, is hoping to introduce diners to 'authentic and regional' American food when it opens in Fulham High Street next month.
As the number of people booking tables and then not showing up increases we ask how big a problem is it for the restaurant sector and what can the industry do to guard against it?
Hilton Worldwide has announced the £1.3m bedroom refurbishment at the Hilton Glasgow Grosvenor hotel in the West End district of the Scottish city has now been completed.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has launched a public consultation on options to change local planning laws to stop the closure of pubs including asking residents to make a list of pubs they want saved and protected.
Almost half of restaurant, hotel and pub operators feel positive about the year ahead with just 8 per cent believing the economy will slip back into another recession this year.
James Knappett, formerly of The Ledbury and Marcus Wareing's The Berkeley, is to open a new restaurant with his wife combining a hot dog and Champagne concept called Bubbledogs with a more private fine dining element - Kitchen Table.
Brasserie Bar Co, the operator of the Brasserie Blanc and White Brasserie brands, has secured a new £6m facility from Barclays to support its expansion and development plans.
Elena Arzak, joint head chef with her father Juan Mari at their restaurant Arzak in Spain, has been awarded the Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef Award 2012 by the World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards.
International hotel operator Accor has announced it is to open its second UK MGallery hotel in Bath in May; the first outside London for the luxury brand.
The rapid expansion of ethnic-oriented midmarket restaurant chains such as Yo! Sushi, Wagamama, Busaba Eathai and Banana Tree is being increasingly hampered by the lack of specialist chefs in the UK.
Brown Cow Organics has launched a range of its live organic yoghurts specifically produced in a size and design to be used by hospitality sector operators.
The owner of the former Colquhoun Arms Hotel in the Scottish village of Luss, has appointed a management team to run the property when it re-opens this summer following £2.7m of refurbishment work.
The bar and causal dining restaurant group Loungers has received a £16m investment from private equity specialists Piper which will now take a significant minority stake in the company led by managing director Alex Reilley.
Arnaud Stevens is executive head chef at 40/30 at The Gherkin and group development chef for Searcys. Part of the management team at Searcys, he has overall responsibility for the kitchen at The Gherkin while also overseeing all food concepts for the...
