Management

Pan’Artisan rolls out Easy Stretch dough ball

09-Jun-2014 By Melodie Michel

Pan’Artisan has launched an Easy Stretch dough ball allowing chefs to stretch their own dough and make quality pizzas to order.

TripAdvisor launches free online reputation management course

29-May-2014 By Melodie Michel

TripAdvisor and eCornell online university have launched a free reputation management course for the hospitality industry.

Gusto undertakes MBO from Living Ventures

22-Apr-2014 By John Harrington

Restaurant and bar group Gusto has completed a management buyout from Living Ventures, the Tim Bacon-led premium operator, with funding from private equity group Palatine as it looks to add about 15 sites over the next four years, including a move into...

People 1st claim supporting industry leaders will get women in boardrooms

16-Apr-2014 By Lauren Houghton

Chief executive of People 1st Brian Wisdom has criticised the latest Government report on gender in boardrooms for not taking into account organisations with active strategies for encouraging women at all levels.

Ex-Gaucho MD to launch new venture ‘M’

01-Apr-2014 By Mark Wingett

Martin Williams, who stepped down as managing director of Gaucho earlier this month, plans to launch a new restaurant venture called M in London later this year.

Hot Talent 2014: front-of-house finalists revealed

28-Mar-2014 By Carina Perkins

Five talented young hospitality managers have made it through to the finals of this year’s Hot Talent awards, which are organised by Hotelympia and supported by BigHospitality and Restaurant Magazine.

Marriott focuses on youth development with hotel school partnership

14-Mar-2014 By Luke Nicholls

One of Marriott’s flagship London properties has partnered with the UK’s first hotel school in a fully functioning hotel for a series of training workshops which the hotel group hopes will help to inspire the industry’s future leaders.

Union Hanover eyes £1bn hotel portfolio

28-Feb-2014 By Luke Nicholls

Real estate investment and hotel development firm Union Hanover Securities has secured a major equity injection which will allow it to grow its £350m portfolio to over £1bn over the next five years.

Taste of Bradford: event aims to attract new restaurants to the city

24-Feb-2014 By Carina Perkins

Bradford business organisations are holding an event to encourage UK restaurateurs to set up in the city.

People on the Move in Hospitality: January 2014

23-Jan-2014 By Luke Nicholls

BigHospitality rounds up some of the latest movers and shakers in the industry with the past month seeing a number of key appointments at hotels, restaurants, pubs including the Dorchester Collection, Vapiano and Anglian Country Inns. 

Hotels to get corporate guest boost as business travel budgets increase in 2014

07-Jan-2014 By Emma Eversham

Hotels should expect to see an increase in the number of bookings from corporate guests this year after a survey showed that 76 per cent of business travel buyers will have more money to spend in this area in 2014. 

Whitworth Hall Hotel rescued from administration by engineering firm owner

23-Dec-2013 By Emma Eversham

Whitworth Hall Hotel in Spennymoor, County Durham, has been rescued from administration by the owner of a local engineering firm, safeguarding the future of the hotel and its 40 employees.

Inventive Leisure to extend Revolution bar refurbishment plan

29-Nov-2013 By Noli Dinkovski

A further 11 Revolution bars are to be given a revamp after Inventive Leisure announced it is to extend its investment programme across the 66-strong branded chain.

Institute of Hospitality announces 75th anniversary award winners

25-Nov-2013 By Noli Dinkovski

The best managers in the industry have been honoured at the Institute of Hospitality’s 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner, held last week at The Westbury in London

First-time managers given extra support with new training programme

17-Oct-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Hospitality business employees taking their first step up from team member to manager will now have access to additional support from People 1st Training Company which has launched its Management 1st training programme.

BaxterStorey's Janine Swales named AFWS 2013 Restaurant Manager of the Year

08-Oct-2013 By Emma Eversham

Janine Swales, a general manager for BaxterStorey, has been named the Academy of Food & Wine Service's (AFWS) 2013 Restaurant Manager of the Year.

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts to operate Solberge Hall Hotel

02-Oct-2013 By Emma Eversham

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement to operate Solberge Hall Hotel in Northallerton.

Fusion Group opens Dunblane hotel Old Churches House

24-Sep-2013 By Emma Eversham

Hotel operator and event management firm Fusion Group, has opened its third hotel in a former church meeting house in the Scottish town of Dunblane, close to Andy Murray's new hotel Cromlix House.

IT ‘stitch-up’: Hospitality managers misled with long agreements and hidden costs

05-Sep-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The majority of hospitality business managers believe they have been ‘misled’ by IT suppliers and are now saddled with upfront and on-going spiralling costs which were not transparent from the beginning.

Hospitality Assured releases free customer service analysis app

24-Jul-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Hospitality Assured, the quality standard created by the Institute of Hospitality (IOH), has released a free app which gives business owners and operators the chance to analyse their levels of customer service.

Want to keep your staff? Invest in training, says People 1st

10-Jul-2013 By Luke Nicholls

With the hospitality industry suffering from low levels of staff retention, nearly three-quarters of businesses working across the sector now believe that training holds the key, with an increase in budgets required to reduce turnover rates. 

Constancia pops up in Shoreditch with plans for permanent site

09-Jul-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Constancia, a family-run Argentinian restaurant in Bermondsey, has just opened a pop-up venue in Shoreditch Food Village with a view to eventually securing a bricks-and-mortar site in East London. 

Academy of Food & Wine Service invites entries into Restaurant Manager of the Year 2013

24-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

The Academy of Food & Wine Service (AFWS) is calling for entries into its 2013 UK Restaurant Manager of the Year competition.

Jurys Inn creates dedicated group meetings position as refurbs continue

13-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Jurys Inn, which is currently in the process of ploughing £1m into refurbishing its meeting rooms, has created a new dedicated Group Meetings & Events Manager position.

Women 1st aims to get more women into the boardroom with launch of new guide

01-May-2013 By Emma Eversham

Women 1st, the thought leadership, training and mentoring programme for the UK’s hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism industries, is hoping to get more women into the boardroom with the launch of a new book. 

Drake & Morgan to grow to 70 sites with Bowmark Capital investment

22-Apr-2013 By Emma Eversham

Bowmark Capital has bought bar and restaurant group Drake & Morgan for £30m with plans to grow the business to 70 sites across the UK. 

Cains unveils £50m plan for Liverpool Brewery Village complete with hotel and pub

11-Apr-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Cains Brewery has unveiled ambitious development plans for its Liverpool base which would see the current building and nearby area transformed into a Brewery Village complete with 100-bedroom hotel and refurbished pub.

How to become a hotel manager: Masterclass with Glion

03-Apr-2013 By Emma Eversham

What skills do you need to be a hotel manager? Following a special media masterclass for select hospitality journalists, this was the question posed to Arie van der Spek, chief executive of Glion Institute of Higher Education. 

Time and money top list of problems for restaurants, has Osborne helped?

21-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

In yesterday’s Budget announcement, George Osborne introduced a number of measures to ease the financial pressure on businesses, which will come as good news for the restaurant sector after a survey found that 79 per cent of F&B managers regularly...

Confidence in the conference: More hotels sign up to service to grab slice of meetings market

19-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

A website which helps conference and meeting organisers find venues easier has seen an increase in the number of hotels signing up to its service which its managing director believes is a sign of greater confidence in the meetings market. 

International Women's Day: Women 1st trains 1,000 hospitality leaders, £10m entrepreneur fund launched

08-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

To mark International Women's Day, mentoring programme Women 1st has announced it has trained 1,000 hospitality leaders with the aid of Thistle Hotels, while Boost Capital has revealed it is launching a £10m fund to support female entrepreneurs. 

Hospitality technology expert launches cloud-based business tracker mylivehospitality

27-Feb-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Hannah McIntyre, a hospitality technology expert, has launched mylivehospitality - a cloud-based system which allows operators to view and control all aspects of their businesses in one place.

Horsemeat scandal: How can foodservice operators avoid the fallout?

14-Feb-2013 By Emma Eversham

With the Government currently investigating how horsemeat has made it into processed beef products, restaurant, hotel and pub owners are being urged to take extra steps to know the provenance of the produce they are using to avoid being embroiled in future...

Hospitality managers invited to enter free Savoy Educational Trust MBA programme

24-Jan-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The Savoy Educational Trust has partnered with Cranfield School of Management to offer hotel, restaurant and contract catering business managers from across the UK the opportunity to undertake an MBA qualification completely free of charge.

In the pipeline: Planning application research reveals big appetite for new restaurants

18-Jan-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Despite recent reports suggesting the high street is losing its appeal for acquisitive restaurant operators, the demand for new sites across the UK is actually higher than ever, with new research showing that over 50 planning applications are submitted...

Convivial Hotels founded, acquires two venues out of administration

14-Jan-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Convivial Hotels, a newly-formed company, has purchased its first two hotels, acquiring the Rossett Hall Hotel near Wrexham and the Charnwood Hotel in Nottinghamshire out of administration.

'Business as usual' for Admiral Taverns following acquisition by private investment firm

04-Jan-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Admiral Taverns has been acquired from Lloyds Banking Group by an affiliate of private investment firm Cerberus Capital Management with the new owners keen to maintain the positive momentum of the tenanted pub group.

Winners of HOSPA scholarships announced at HOSPACE 2012

23-Nov-2012 By Luke Nicholls

HOSPA, the education organisation for hospitality professionals, revealed the winners of its Career Investment Development Scholarships during the HOSPACE 2012 Annual Conference and Exhibition held yesterday at the Sofitel Hotel in Heathrow.

YUM! Brands sells UK Pizza Hut restaurants to Rutland Partners

12-Nov-2012 By Emma Eversham

The owner of Pizza Hut's global business, YUM! Brands, has sold its UK Pizza Hut restaurants to specialist restructuring investor Rutland Partners which it says will help it complete a turnaround of the business. 

Hospitality Management apprenticeship launched to take professionals higher

31-Oct-2012 By Luke Nicholls

People 1st has launched the first ever Level 4 apprenticeship framework for the hospitality industry to bridge the gap between the supervisory skills gained in an apprentice’s early career and the strategic management skills required to work at a senior...

Peter McAlister wins 2012 UK Restaurant Manager of the Year

23-Oct-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Peter McAlister, restaurant manager at the Culloden Estate & Spa in Belfast, was last night crowned the 2012 UK Restaurant Manager of the Year by the Academy of Food and Wine Service (AFWS).

Barracuda restructures, becomes Bramwell Pub Co

01-Oct-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Barracuda Pub Company has been renamed The Bramwell Pub Company in a restructuring which sees ex-Mitchells & Butlers chief executive Adam Fowle appointed as chairman and the newly-formed company benefitting from a credit facility of up to £10m from...

Steve Easterbrook leaves Pizza Express to join Wagamama

02-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Steve Easterbrook has left Pizza Express after less than a year as chief executive, joining fast-casual noodle chain Wagamama as successor to Steve Hill. 

Pepijn van den Abeele: Career Profile

13-Jul-2012 By Emma Eversham

Belgian national Pepijn van den Abeele has been manager of London burlesque club and cocktail bar, Volupté since November 2011. He worked in a variety of jobs in hospitality in Belgium before moving to London in 2006 to take up the role of manager at...

T.G.I. Friday's set to open 20 new restaurants in three years

06-Jul-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Karen Forrester, the UK managing director of American restaurant chain T.G.I. Friday's, has revealed the business has plans to open at least 20 new venues in the next three years as the brand reinvigoration continues.

Mark Derry: Pearls of Wisdom

25-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Industry veteran Mark Derry has built a reputation running and advising premium casual dining restaurant brands. In 2007 his Loch Fyne Restaurants company was sold to Greene King; now as chief executive of Brasserie Blanc Derry is leading the group in...

People on the Move in Hospitality: May 2012

24-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

BigHospitality rounds up the latest appointments in the hospitality industry. This month sees key appointments at hotels, restaurants and pubs including The Leaconfield, Jurys Inn and Vinoteca. 

ASK THE EXPERTS

How hotels can comply with fire safety laws

21-May-2012 By Geoff Wilkinson

Geoff Wilkinson, a building inspector, fire engineer and managing director of Wilkinson Construction Consultants, explains what hotels and other hospitality businesses need to do to stay within fire safey laws following recent prosecutions.

Nestle Toque d’Or 2012 catering competition final gets underway

18-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The grand final of the Nestlé Toque d’Or student catering competition is underway, with eight of the UK’s catering colleges being put through their paces in the most varied range of exciting catering scenarios in the competition’s 24-year history.

BHA restructures in bid to raise hospitality industry’s influence on Goverment

14-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has restructured its organisation, with the creation of a Board of Directors to replace the former BHA Council and National Executive.