Olympic Games

Mele e Pere founders to open second site Gotto in London’s Stratford

12-Apr-2016 By Hannah Thompson

Gotto, a new restaurant from the founders of London Soho Vermouth bar Mele e Pere, is to launch in London’s Stratford in May.

Hotel chains have reasons for optimism after strong showing in August

27-Sep-2013 By Luke Nicholls

As expected, year-on-year figures for London’s hotel market were down last month, due to the uplift during the 2012 Olympics. But when comparing August 2013 with the same month in the pre-Olympic year of 2011, profits and revenues were up significantly. 

People 1st to run free training session at Hospitality House

26-Sep-2013 By Emma Eversham

Sector skills council People 1st's training company is hosting a free training event at the Hospitality Guild's new training hub Hospitality House next month. 

Summer sales up for London’s restaurants and pubs

14-Aug-2013 By Luke Nicholls

A recent survey of BigHospitality readers revealed that 65 per cent of restaurant and pub owners saw increased bookings and sales as a result of the heatwave in July, and the latest figures from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker reflect these benefits. 

Olympic 'bounce' giving UK hotels a welcome boost

06-Aug-2013 By Emma Eversham

One year on from the London Olympics, hotels in the capital and outside it are reporting a boost to trade which they believe has been caused by the feelgood factor linked to last year's sporting event.

‘The Olympic Bounce’: British tourism hits pre-recession levels

15-Jul-2013 By Luke Nicholls

One year on from hosting the London 2012 Olympics, Britain’s tourism industry is booming. The latest figures from the ONS International Passenger Survey show we’ve had the best first-half of a year since 2008, with tourism spend at an all-time high.

VisitEngland Excellence Awards 2013 winners announced

21-May-2013 By Emma Eversham

The Swan Hotel in Suffolk, Gidleigh Park in Devon and The Feathered Nest pub in Oxfordshire have been named among the winners of the VisitEngland Excellence Awards 2013. 

Post-Olympic summer slump predicted for London hoteliers

29-Apr-2013 By Peter Ruddick

London hotels should prepare themselves for a less busy than expected summer period despite the long-predicted boost from last year's Olympic Games, according to a new report.

Carluccio's celebrates 'record year' as profit and new openings exceed targets

27-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

Italian restaurant group Carluccio's is celebrating a 'record year' after its annual results brought pre-tax profits of £6.8m, a 15 per cent rise on the previous year. 

2012 tourist figures: Inbound visitors spend £19bn in UK in Olympic year

14-Feb-2013 By Emma Eversham

Inbound tourism contributed £19bn to the UK economy in 2012 as 31 million international tourists flocked here for the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have shown. 

Olympics hailed as ‘saviour of 2012’ for London hotels as Provinces see further profit decline

01-Feb-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The disparity between London and the Provinces when it comes to the profitability of hotels is continuing to increase as properties in the capital recorded a third successive year of growth but those in other regions slumped to a fifth consecutive year...

UK tourism outperforms GDP during recession but visitor numbers fall

17-Jan-2013 By Luke Nicholls

As the UK continues to endure the longest double-dip recession since the 1950, the tourism industry has been ‘resilient’, outperforming the general economy and leading the way in terms of employment numbers. 

Happy New Year: Why hospitality businesses should be confident about 2013

02-Jan-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Despite fears of an uneventful 2013 being a dead year for business, a number of leading hospitality and tourism bodies have given reasons for restaurant, hotel and bar operators to remain optimistic, insisting that the next 12 months could be even more...

BigHospitality's 2012 look-back: Catering for diners with special dietary needs and the London 2012 Olympics

19-Dec-2012 By Emma Eversham

The third instalment of our 2012 look-back feature sees us take a closer look at two big stories from the year, including one about the impact of the London 2012 Olympics on the hospitality industry and another about how restaurants are better catering...

Olympics boosted UK tourism but came at a cost for hospitality businesses

16-Nov-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Tourism figures released this week indicate that Britain is well-placed to build on encouraging inbound Olympic visitors, but a post-Games review by foodservice consultancy Horizons shows that the event actually came at a big cost for hotels, restaurants...

Brian Turner: UK Bocuse d'Or team should channel the London 2012 Olympics spirit

14-Nov-2012 By Peter Ruddick

With 75 days to go until the grand final of the Bocuse d'Or 2013, the UK team president Brian Turner has called on Olympics-inspired support for Adam Bennett.

Are we moving forward? Hospitality business confidence falls but it's not all doom and gloom

29-Oct-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Almost half of hospitality and leisure companies in the UK will not reach profit targets this quarter with an increasing number of business owners feeling pessimistic in outlook due to the lack of any bounce in spending during the Queen’s Jubilee and...

Three quarters of hotel general managers expect RevPAR to stabilise or increase after 2012

16-Oct-2012 By Peter Ruddick

While the global economy and the Olympic Games legacy remain concerns, a majority of UK hotel general managers expect revenue per available room (RevPAR) to stabilise or increase next year and into 2014.

Hospitality industry urged by VisitBritain to help deliver 40m tourists by 2020

10-Oct-2012 By Peter Ruddick

VisitBritain is calling on the hospitality industry to help it achieve an ambitious inbound tourism growth strategy by taking part in a consultation and helping address perceived weaknesses of Britain's image such as food, value and welcome.

London 2012 Olympics brings major room yield boost for hotels

18-Sep-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Hotels in London recorded an increase in room yield by almost 50 per cent last month as a result of year-on-year room rates rocketing up from £110.22 to £165.05 a night, with occupancy levels remaining above 80 per cent for the entire period of the London...

Restaurant and pub groups see London sales boost in August

12-Sep-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Combined like-for-like sales for pub and restaurant groups inside the M25 increased by 5 per cent in August, but businesses outside of London saw a much more modest uplift of just 1 per cent compared with the same month last year. 

Hospitality operators fear 'Empty 2013' as business confidence plummets to lowest level for 20 years

11-Sep-2012 By Peter Ruddick

A number of restaurant, bar and hotel operators are warning of difficult trading conditions ahead as the focus moves away from Britain and the packed 2012 events calendar.

Hotel prices fall across the UK

07-Sep-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Despite price hikes in nearly two thirds of hotels in international destinations, nearly three quarters of hotels in the UK have seen prices drop in the first six months of 2012.

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. 

Fall in leisure guests during the Olympics build-up hit London hotel occupancy in July

03-Sep-2012 By Peter Ruddick

In July, during the build-up to the London 2012 Olympics, hotels in London suffered a drop in occupancy of 10.2 per cent as a result of a fall in demand from leisure and tour group visitors but the city still led the way among major cities in Europe.

UKinbound tells Government 'act now to deliver on Olympic legacy promises'

30-Aug-2012 By Emma Eversham

The Government needs to act now if it intends to deliver on its promises of an Olympic legacy for the UK’s tourism and hospitality industries, the chief executive of trade association UKinbound has claimed.

London's Mayor praises international investment into capital's restaurant and hotel sectors

23-Aug-2012 By Emma Eversham

London Mayor Boris Johnson has praised recent investment by three overseas companies into the capital's restaurant and hotel sectors, claiming it proves that London is 'the best big city in which to start and grow a business.'

Jamie Barber: Olympics helping change perceptions of Stratford

20-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Jamie Barber has revealed his Cabana restaurant in Westfield Stratford served more than 10,000 covers in the last week of the Olympics and he expects the Games to have a longer-lasting impact on businesses in the area.

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.

Damp July and Olympics Opening Ceremony hit restaurant and pub sales

15-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The week running up to the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics was the worst performing week of July for the UK’s leading restaurant, pub and bar groups, pushing an otherwise generally flat period into negative territory. 

London hotel prices drop, Edinburgh prices rise

14-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Any positive effects of the London 2012 Olympics on the hotels in London are likely to be offset with a drop in room prices by an average of 35 per cent across the capital.

Hospitality’s Olympic legacy: Catalyst for industry growth or series of broken promises?

14-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

“You have shown the world the best of British hospitality,” said IOC president Jacques Rogge in his speech at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics on Sunday evening. And the praise for the work of hotels, restaurants and pubs during the Games...

City restaurant lands Boris Johnson with £90k bill for Olympic losses

10-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

A restaurateur from the City has sent London Mayor Boris Johnson a bill for £90,000 after revealing her businesses turnover has dropped by 80 per cent because of the Olympic Games.

Enterprise Inns reveals the Olympics are not having any material impact on trading

09-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Enterprise Inns has reported continued 'improving trading trends' but has declared the poor summer weather has affected its publicans and has had a bigger effect than the Olympics which has not yet materially impacted pub performance. 

London 2012 Olympics: Are restaurants still suffering from the ‘ghost town’ effect?

07-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The London 2012 Olympics may have reaffirmed Britain’s place at the toptable of world sport and sparked a wave of euphoria across the country, but for many of the capital's restaurants, the event has not yet proved to be so successful and business...

BHA puts pressure on Mayor to help get diners back into London’s restaurants

02-Aug-2012 By Emma Eversham

The British Hospitality Association (BHA) is urging London Mayor Boris Johnson to take part in a PR campaign to help drive more people into London’s restaurants, shops, and theatres following reports that the West End has been like a ghost town since...

London 2012 Olympics fail to bring gold so far for restaurants, but pubs fare better

01-Aug-2012 By Emma Eversham & Luke Nicholls

The London 2012 Olympics have so far failed to bring the benefit of extra trade to restaurants in London’s West End and City areas with some actually reporting a sales drop of up to 70 per cent. 

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 Olympics ‘non-events’ for occupancy, claim hoteliers

30-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Despite showing signs of overall economic optimism and strong profitability during the first half of 2012, Britain’s hoteliers and B&B owners believe that the nation's time on the world stage this summer will have no lasting effects on business.

London 2012 Olympics: Hotels slash prices to fill remaining rooms

26-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

With just one day to go before the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, hotels in London have slashed their prices by 17 per cent in the past three weeks in a bid to fill any remaining rooms.

London hotels suffer 9% occupancy drop in June but capital's pipeline leads Europe

20-Jul-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Occupancy among hotels in the capital dropped 9 per cent in June as the Diamond Jubilee failed to cancel out growing economic problems in Europe, however London and the UK continues to lead the continent in pipeline terms.

Bad weather affects Fuller’s spring and early summer sales

18-Jul-2012 By Emma Eversham

The bad weather across the UK so far this spring and summer has been blamed for a drop in sales across Fuller’s 360 pubs.

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.

London 2012 Olympics: 23% of London’s hotel rooms currently vacant for The Games

17-Jul-2012 By Emma Eversham

Hotels across the capital are lowering the cost of their rooms in the run-up to the Olympics to lure in guests as recent figures show that 23 per cent of them are currently unreserved for the two weeks of the Olympics games.

London 2012 Olympics: Hotel prices average £210-a-night

12-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The average price of a hotel room in London during the London 2012 Olympics is an increase of 26 per cent compared to the same period in 2011, with one night in the capital costing £210.

VisitBritain’s GREAT campaign delivers ‘gold medal’ performance as tourism breaks all-time record

12-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Today's news that inbound tourism to Britain has just delivered all-time record revenue to Britain over the past year has been hailed a ‘gold medal-winning performance’ by VisitBritain’s chairman, but he also warns that the industry must not get...

Third of London's restaurants, hotels and pubs stockpiling goods to reduce deliveries during London 2012 Olympics

11-Jul-2012 By Emma Eversham

More than a third (37 per cent) of London-based businesses, including restaurants, hotels, and pubs, have said they will stockpile non-perishable goods in preparation for the London 2012 Olympics to help reduce deliveries made during the Games. 

Ignite Group’s Matt Hermer reveals major expansion plans for Bumpkin

05-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

British restaurant chain Bumpkin, which currently has three sites in London, has plans to expand to 20 venues across the UK within the next five years.

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.

Hospitality industry surviving recession with ‘quick action and determination’, says BHA

28-Jun-2012 By Luke Nicholls

With today’s release of revised gross domestic product (GDP) figures showing that the double-dip recession is deeper than originally feared, the British Hospitality Association (BHA) believes the hospitality industry can have something to smile about,...

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.