2012 Summer Olympics

Fuller's shrugs off bad weather, new acquisitions see profits rise

23-Nov-2012 By Luke Nicholls

London-based brewer and pub operator Fuller’s has delivered what it calls ‘a strong set of half-year results’ with both revenue and EBITDA up 8 per cent to £137.9m and £26.9m respectively.

Greene King and Spirit overcome Olympics drag and wet summer

04-Sep-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Pub groups Greene King and Spirit Pub Company have admitted that the London 2012 Olympics disrupted summer trade, but the poor weather has not been a dampener on business as both firms have reported an increase in sales. 

Training for consistency: restaurants

29-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

As those involved in training within hospitality have underlined in our previous article, developing staff can make a difference to consistency within a business, but if you don’t already have a training scheme in place it can be hard to know where to...

Pubs see sales turnaround during London 2012 Olympics

16-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Sixty per cent of pubs saw an upturn in trade during the second week of the London 2012 Olympics, with one in five operators seeing like-for-likes increase by 11 per cent or more compared with the same period last year.

London’s hotels and conference venues 'positive' about life after the 2012 Olympics

25-Jul-2012 By Emma Eversham

Two reports released this week have shown that many hotels and conference venues across the capital believe that the London 2012 Olympics will leave a positive legacy for them after the Games have ended.

Economy hotels drive UK Accor growth as company reveals negative Olympics impact

18-Jul-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Global hotel operator Accor has revealed strong performance from its economy hotels has driven growth for the business in the UK while preparations for the London 2012 Olympic Games have damaged revenue from the upscale and midscale properties.

Final preparations: is your business ready for the London 2012 Olympics?

04-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

With less than a month to go until the London 2012 Olympics kick off, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson has called on the capital’s business leaders to finalise their travel plans, urging them not to chance it by adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach.

Stratford’s ‘King Eddies’ pub secures Olympic legacy

22-Jun-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The King Edward VII, a traditional pub in the heart of Stratford, East London, has been acquired by Rocky Raj Group, with plans to convert part of the property into a British restaurant and wine bar.

IHG opens two hotels in Westfield Stratford City ahead of London 2012 Olympics

12-Jun-2012 By Luke Nicholls

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has today announced the opening of two new hotels in Westfield Stratford City ahead of the London 2012 Olympics.

London 2012 Olympics: Hotel prices during the Games continue to rise

30-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Hotel prices during the Olympics period later this Summer are continuing to rise with the cost of rooms in the capital up 65 per cent on average on last years prices although occupancy levels still have room to grow, according to the latest study from...

Sales boost for eating out sector following warm March

17-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

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.

Restaurants and hotels can learn from each other on sustainability, says SRA

27-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Restaurants and hotels can learn from what both sectors already do well on sustainability and responsibility for the industry to progress on environmental issues, according to Mark Linehan of the Sustainable Restaurant Association who was speaking at...

Hospitality industry remains robust despite economic turmoil, finds survey

17-Nov-2011 By Luke Nicholls

The UK hospitality industry is continuing to defy the odds with over half of senior hospitality industry executives claiming current trading is better than expected, a survey has found.

Strand Palace first UK hotel to receive WorldHost Recognised Business status

16-Nov-2011 By Luke Nicholls

Strand Palace hotel in London’s West End is the first hotel in the UK to be awarded WorldHost Recognised Business status with over 80 per cent of its frontline staff having been trained to WorldHost customer service standards.

Boris Johnson urges businesses to 'get online' for London Olympics

23-Sep-2011 By Luke Nicholls

Boris Johnson has called on London’s small and medium-sized businesses to take advantage of the latest wireless technology during next year’s Olympic Games.

Westfield Stratford City opens its doors and offers 70 F&B options for diners

13-Sep-2011 By Restaurant

Westfield Stratford City, the £1.45bn retail and leisure development located next to the Olympic Park in east London, opens its doors to customers today with almost 70 food and drink sites ready for operation.

London Olympics preparations on track for hospitality businesses

05-Sep-2011 By Becky Paskin

Most hospitality, travel and leisure businesses believe they are on track with their preparations for the London 2012 Olympic Games, although half claim staff availability for the event is a major challenge.

Cost of London riots to business and Olympics tourism “unquantifiable”

10-Aug-2011 By Becky Paskin

It is too early to anticipate what the long-term cost rioting and looting around the UK will be to the hospitality industry and the 2012 London Olympic Games, but experts believe the overall cost to the British high street will reach tens of millions...

How ready is the UK for Olympics hospitality?

27-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

With exactly one year to go until the London Olympics, the UK is sending out a call to the world to come to these shores next year, but initial figures suggest that the hospitality sector is far from ready to welcome the additional visitors.

Planning for the 2012 Olympics: Marketing

15-Jul-2011 By Becky Paskin

Once you’ve made yourself aware of what’s happening during the 2012 London Olympic Games (by reading our first feature in this series) you need to decide how you’re going to use the event to boost your business’s profile.

Planning for the 2012 Olympics: The details

07-Jul-2011 By Emma Eversham

The London 2012 Olympics are just over a year away with almost a million* people expected to be attending them and their related events both in the capital and across selected areas of the country.

Capital Pub Co. predicts strong sales through to London Olympics

21-Jun-2011 By Emma Eversham

Capital Pub Company, London's largest free house operator, predicts strong sales through to and beyond the London Olympics next year as the capital becomes the top destination for tourists.

Hospitality industry urged to improve customer service for 2012 Olympics

21-Jun-2011 By Emma Eversham

Businesses within the hospitality industry are being urged to improve their service standards in time for the 2012 London Olympics as a survey reveals that nearly three quarters of people don't think they are good enough.

UK hotel performance: the past, present and future

16-Jun-2011 By Becky Paskin

Delegates at the inaugural Boutique Hotel Summit this week were told to watch their pricing structure for the 2012 London Olympic Games to avoid pricing themselves out of the market.

Fire hinders construction work at Melia’s new Strand hotel

15-Jun-2011 By Becky Paskin

The construction of Melia Hotels International’s second London hotel on The Strand, ME London, was hindered yesterday evening by a ‘large fire’ in the roof of the building.

Heston Blumenthal and British Airways search for apprentice chef

09-May-2011 By Becky Paskin

Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal is looking for an up and coming apprentice chef to create a signature menu for all British Airways (BA) flights flying into and out of London in the run up to and during the 2012 Olympic Games.

London hotels more popular than New York and Paris

09-Mar-2011 By Becky Paskin

Hotels in London boasted the third highest occupancy levels in the world last year, finishing ahead of those in Hong Kong, New York and Paris.

How to deliver "outstanding" service like The Ivy

29-Nov-2010 By Becky Paskin

With the 2012 London Olympics fast approaching, the hospitality industry needs to step up its service standards to provide visitors with a warm, British welcome.