Fine Dining

SACO and Oaktree merger creates £60m serviced apartment firm

02-Mar-2015 By Sophie Witts

Oaktree Capital Management and The Serviced Apartment Company (SACO) have announced the merging of their serviced apartment platforms to create a new £60m hospitality company.

The Mac Factory begins London expansion with Covent Garden pop up

02-Mar-2015 By Sophie Witts

Street food concept The Mac Factory is opening a weekly pop up at Covent Garden based Earlham Street Clubhouse, and plans to open a permanent site later this year.

Sir David Michels launches hotel investment fund

02-Mar-2015 By Carina Perkins

Ex-Hilton chief Sir David Michels has launched a £200m fund targeting investments in the UK and European hotel sectors.

Somerston Hotels sets out expansion plans under new Atlas Hotels name

02-Mar-2015 By Emma Eversham

Hotel owner and operator Somerston Hotels has set out plans to expand its business following its name change to Atlas Hotels.

UK hotel growth set to continue into 2016

02-Mar-2015 By Carina Perkins

The UK hotel sector will deliver impressive growth over the next two years, with record occupancy and rates in London and the regions, according to the latest forecast from PwC.

Hospitality businesses among UK’s best companies to work for

02-Mar-2015 By Sophie Witts

Hospitality businesses including Red Carnation Hotels, T.G.I Fridays and Marriott Hotels have ranked highly in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For list 2015.

Ask the Experts

How to boost conference and meetings business

02-Mar-2015 By Ciara Feely

Effective promotion of meetings and conference space can provide a big boost to non-room revenues, but many businesses are missing out. Ciara Feely of ConferenceConverterToolkit.com, gives her tips on how to convert lobby traffic into conference clients.

London's eating out scene thriving, finds survey

27-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

London’s eating out scene is thriving, with diners frequently visiting restaurants at lunchtime and on weekday evenings, according to a new survey.

PS - the Pub Company rolls out Blue's Smokehouse concept

27-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

PS - the Pub Company will open its second Blue's Smokehouse in Twickenham this weekend as it looks to roll out the concept in and around London.

Starwood Hotels partner with Uber to launch mobile loyalty scheme

27-Feb-2015 By Sophie Witts

Starwood Hotels and Resorts have launched a new digital partnership with Uber.

Infographic: Bacon butty trends

27-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

Brits have voted on what makes the best bacon butty, with some interesting findings for pubs, restaurants and hotels to take note of.

Regions outperform London in January

27-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

Regional hotels outperformed London properties in January 2015, achieving double-digit profit growth compared to bottom line declines in the capital.

Claude Bosi hosting dinner to support Hospitality Action

27-Feb-2015 By Sophie Witts

Claude Bosi is hosting a dinner to raise money for Hospitality Action at his two Michelin starred restaurant Hibiscus in Mayfair on 15 March.

Half of hospitality businesses make use of zero hour contracts

27-Feb-2015 By Sophie Witts

Fifty-three per cent of hospitality businesses make use of zero-hour contracts, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

VIEWPOINT

Simon Jenkins on how we can improve prospects for pastry and pastry chefs

27-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

Simon Jenkins is the group pastry chef at Marcus Wareing Restaurants. He talks to BigHospitality about why giving pastry chefs more recognition could help make it easier to recruit and retain people in this sector.

Georgian House Hotel invests £35k in creation of wizard-themed rooms

26-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

The owner of Georgian House Hotel in London has invested £35k into her business to create two more wizard-themed bedrooms due to rising demand for a more quirky proposition.

Show preview

The definitive guide to ScotHot 2015

26-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

ScotHot – Scotland’s food, drink, hospitality and tourism show – will return to Glasgow’s SECC on 4 to 5 March 2015.

Alcohol licence fees to continue to be set nationally

26-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

Alcohol licence fees will continue to be set at a national level until the Home Office can source more evidence that allowing local authorities to do so wouldn't put 'an undue burden' on pubs, restaurants and hotels.

S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 competition crowns UK and Ireland winner

26-Feb-2015 By Sophie Witts

Mark Moriarty from The Culinary Counter has been named as the UK and Ireland Winner of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 competition.

Union Hanover submits plan for Stratford City development

26-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

Union Hanover has submitted a planning application for its proposed dual hotel development in Stratford’s East Village.

Yorkshire Meatball Company sets out city expansion plans

25-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

Harrogate's meatball-based restaurant Yorkshire Meatball Company is looking to expand into other cities following a successful first year of trade.

IHG to open two hotels at Manchester Business School site

25-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is to open a Crowne Plaza Hotel and a Staybridge Suites in Manchester as part of the University of Manchester's £1bn campus development.

Hotel guests offered chance to go on a 'digital detox' with new service

25-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

While hotels are being urged to embrace technology and find ways to connect better with guests via their smartphones and tablets, a new service is bucking the trend and encouraging hotel guests to have a 'digital detox' by giving up their devices...

PRODUCT NEWS

Holmesterne serves up time-saving pork crackling

25-Feb-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

Holmesterne Foods has introduced a new form of pork crackling that is claimed to offer busy chefs time-saving benefits.

Licensed operators welcome minimum wage recommendations

24-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

Licensed operators have welcomed the Low Pay Commission (LPC) recommendation to increase the minimum wage by 3 per cent this year.

People on the Move in Hospitality: February 2015

24-Feb-2015 By Sophie Witts

It's been a busy month in the hospitality industry with a whole range of new appointments at hotels, pubs and restaurants, including The Four Seasons Hampshire, Plateau restaurant and Geronimo Inns.

Aberdeen's hotels continue to feel effects of troubled North Sea oil and gas sector

24-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

Hotels in Aberdeen are continuing to feel the negative knock-on effects of a troubled North Sea oil and gas sector with January's occupancy down by 2.8 per cent to 63.4 per cent while Glasgow and Edinburgh also encountered a 'muted performance'.

PRODUCT NEWS

Steelite targets growing casual dining market with Tulip Bowl range

24-Feb-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

Steelite International has extended its Taste range to include a collection of multi-functional stacking bowls for busy, casual dining environments.

Hospitality employers named and shamed for failing to pay minimum wage

24-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

Hospitality businesses were among 70 employers ‘named and shamed’ by the government today (24 Feb) for failing to pay their workers national minimum wage.

Revere Pub Company opening two more pubs with rooms

24-Feb-2015 By Sophie Witts

Revere Pub Company, the premium pub format created by Marston's, has announced the opening of two new pubs with rooms.

Regional hotel growth set to continue in 2015

24-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

Regional hotels performed strongly last year and there is ‘considerable headroom’ for further revenue and profit growth in 2015, according to the latest report from CBRE Hotels.

Daylesford and The Captain's Galley named joint winners of Sustainable Restaurant of the Year

24-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

Daylesford, operator of three organic cafés in the Cotswolds and Kensington and The Captain's Galley, a restaurant in Caithness, Scotland, have been announced joint winners of the Sustainable Restaurant of the Year award at the 2015 Sustainable Restaurant...

HotelsCombined reveals 'Stellar Stays' winners

23-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

Hotel price comparison website HotelsCombined has revealed the 18 UK winners of its second annual ‘Stellar Stays’ awards.

UK's first insect restaurant opening this summer

23-Feb-2015 By Sophie Witts

The UK’s first restaurant serving insects will open in South Wales this summer.

Roux Scholarship 2015: Regional finalists revealed

23-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

The chefs who have made it to the regional finals of the 2015 Roux Scholarship competition have been announced with judges reporting a 'particularly strong year' for entries.

glh opens every hotel Piccadilly

23-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

London-based group glh has today opened every hotel Piccadilly, the first of four locations for its new limited-feature four-star brand.

Mövenpick Ice Cream launches Gourmet Dessert Chef of the Year competiton

23-Feb-2015 By Sophie Witts

Mövenpick Ice Cream has launched its annual Gourmet Dessert Chef of the Year competition.

Half of diners concerned about food safety

23-Feb-2015 By Sophie Witts

51 per cent of diners are ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ concerned about food safety in UK restaurants, pubs, cafes and takeaways, a report by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has found.

Luke Johnson: Foodie culture is making hospitality more attractive

23-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

Risk Capital Partners chairman Luke Johnson has said that Britain’s new foodie culture coupled with a more focused approach to training is helping to make hospitality a more attractive career choice for young people.

Marco Pierre White's Threadneedles Hotel restaurant to open under Wheeler's brand

20-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

The Marco Pierre White restaurant at the Threadneedle's Hotel will open under the Wheeler's Rib Room & Oyster Bar name, not a Steakhouse Bar & Grill as previously reported.