Hotel Chains

Jurys Inn’s hotels in Chelsea, Islington and Heathrow will become DoubleTree and Garden Inn properties

Hilton snaps up three Jurys Inn hotels

By Luke Nicholls

Jurys Inn Hotel Group has signed a franchise agreement with Hilton Worldwide to convert three of its prime London hotels into DoubleTree and Garden Inn-branded properties. 

Accor is Europe’s largest hotel group with nearly 3,600 hotels and 460,000 rooms worldwide

Accor overhauls business to improve performance

By Luke Nicholls

Accor’s new chief executive has announced the business will be divided in two in a bid to maximise operational performance, generate sustainable growth and boost shareholder returns.

The mid-market operator remains confident that the business is well placed to meet the challenges

Britannia’s profits plunge as recession takes its toll

By Luke Nicholls

Less than a month after being named as ‘the worst hotel chain in the UK’ by consumer watchdog Which?, Britannia hotels has reported a 69 per cent fall in pre-tax profits due to ‘additional demands on the business’.

Peter Gowers will begin his new role as Travelodge chief executive on Monday 25 November

Peter Gowers replaces Grant Hearn as new Travelodge boss

By Luke Nicholls

Travelodge has today announced the appointment of a new chief executive, with former Safestore Holdings boss Peter Gowers replacing Grant Hearn after 10 years of service with the budget hotel operator.

The new Travelodge Southampton is situated in a converted office block previously occupied by Lloyds Bank

Travelodge starts work on six new hotels

By Luke Nicholls

Travelodge is adding 579 rooms to its growing UK portfolio with today’s announcement that the budget hotel chain is beginning work on six new hotels in Glasgow, London, Southampton, Winnersch and the Isle of Wight.

The development includes the former Port of London police office and an old car park to the front of the Grade II-listed Cannons Workshop building

Waterways specialist secures Isle of Dogs deal with Tune Hotels

By Luke Nicholls

A specialist firm that converts canal and river trust assets into hotels has secured planning permission to redevelop a site on the Isle of Dogs as a 130-bedroom property which will become the fifth London hotel for Malaysian low-cost chain Tune Hotels.

Stephen Mannock, general manager, King's Head Hotel

People on the Move in Hospitality: September 2013

By Luke Nicholls

BigHospitality rounds up some of the latest movers and shakers in the industry with this last month seeing a number of new appointments at hotels, restaurants, pubs including 

Accor to give guests free Wi-Fi in UK hotels

Accor to give guests free Wi-Fi in UK hotels

By Emma Eversham

Accor has announced that 194 of its UK hotels will now offer guests free Wi-Fi after research showed that the service is the most important factor for business guests and that 27 per cent of holidaymakers wouldn't stay in a hotel if it didn't...

DoubleTree Hyde Park now includes a 24-hour fitness centre, 12 new first-floor guest rooms and a ‘farm to fork’ restaurant

DoubleTree continues UK growth with Hyde Park hotel opening

By Luke Nicholls

Less than a week after DoubleTree by Hilton entered Dundee, Hilton Worldwide’s upscale hotel brand has added the DoubleTree by Hilton London Hyde Park to its growing portfolio, following a £10m refurbishment of the 228-bedroom property.

Outsourcing: The management of a hotel, its staff and F&B offering is now often leased out

The virtual hotel: Have major chains ‘lost their DNA’?

By Luke Nicholls

The move by major hotel chains to adopt an asset-light or ‘virtual hotel’ business model by franchising and managing properties has created a ‘vertically disintegrated’ marketplace, with the number of specialised firms involved in the industry continually...

Eighteen Travelodge hotels have gone to new owners while 20 have fallen under franchise agreements

Travelodge offloads 38 hotels under CVA programme

By Luke Nicholls

Budget hotel chain Travelodge has today moved a step closer to completing the offload of 49 hotels under its financial restructuring programme, with 18 properties transferring to new owners and 20 moving under franchise agreements.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has said its 'preferred brands', such as Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza, will drive growth despite launching two new concepts in 2012

IHG commits to growth of 'preferred brands' in key cities

By Peter Ruddick

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has said its growth strategy in Europe will focus on key cities as the company as a whole concentrates on its 'preferred brands' such as Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza.

Pentahotel, which currently operates one hotel in the UK in Reading, will open five new properties this year

Pentahotels to open five UK venues in 2013

By Peter Ruddick

German hotel chain Pentahotels has announced it plans to open five new properties in the UK this year, adding to its only existing venue in this country in Reading.

Jurys Inn re-positioning pays off as corporate business rises 8%

Jurys Inn re-positioning pays off as corporate business rises 8%

By Emma Eversham

A two-year focus by hotel chain Jurys Inn to refurbish its estate and re-position itself as a 'credible alternative' to four-star and budget hotels has paid off with the company seeing an increase in corporate guest business of 8 per cent over...

The St Ermin's hotel, part of Accor's MGallery collection of venues, has been named SME Employer of the Year 2012 by HOSPA

St Ermin's hotel named small employer of the year by HOSPA

By Peter Ruddick

HOSPA, the organisation representing finance, revenue management and IT professionals in the hospitality industry, has revealed the winners of its annual awards with the St Ermin's hotel scooping SME Employer of the Year 2012.

(Top left to bottom right): W London, Ampersand, Apex Temple Court & Bulgari have all used innovate design features to stand out in a busy London hotel market

Grand designs: The evolution of style in luxury hotels

By Luke Nicholls

From Travelodge to the Savoy, hotel design has always played a crucial role in reinforcing brand identities and differentiating a business from its competitors. But with an increasing number of 'design-led', 'luxury' and 'boutique'...

HOSPACE 2012, the annual conference for hospitality's finance, revenue management and IT professionals, takes place later this month

HOSPACE 2012: How to take hotel investment forward

By Emma Eversham

How the hotel sector can gain investment and then take it forward will be put under discussion at this year's HOSPACE, the annual conference and exhibition for hospitality finance, IT, revenue management and commercial professionals. 

Top 10 best business hotels revealed

Top 10 best business hotels revealed

By Peter Ruddick

Birmingham's Bloc Hotel has declared free hotel Wi-Fi internet remains the most crucial feature for corporate guests as it is named the best for business travel by hotel discount specialist LateRooms.com.

IHG reveals strong profit and revpar growth in 2011 results

IHG reveals strong profit and revpar growth in 2011 results

By Peter Ruddick

InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) has announced global operating profits of over $550m in 2011, representing annual growth of 26 per cent, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) also rose despite a fall in the last quarter of the year in the UK and...

Accor reveals record expansion in 2011

Accor reveals record expansion in 2011

By Peter Ruddick

International hotel operator Accor opened a record 39,000 hotel rooms across its global estate last year, driven in part by franchise deals that saw 24 UK hotels converted to its Mercure brand.

Of the 146 hotel locations on the Travelodge target list, 65 of them are located within the Greater London area

Travelodge: 2011 review and 2012 outlook

By Luke Nicholls

Following a year which saw Travelodge develop its Metrolodge strategy as well as securing deals with pubs and supermarkets, the budget hotel chain has added a further 146 new UK locations to its target requirements list for 2012.