Olympic Games

Restaurants and pubs see sales pick-up in May

20-Jun-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Restaurant and pub groups across the UK saw a welcome 2.6 per cent increase in collective like-for-like sales in May, with total sales up 6.5 per cent on the same month last year.

UK tourism figures hit record levels ahead of London 2012 Olympics

14-Jun-2012 By Luke Nicholls

With the London 2012 Olympics just around the corner, hospitality businesses will welcome the news that a record number of internationals flocked to the UK in April, with a significant increase in both the volume and value of inbound tourism compared...

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.

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee brings trade boost to pubs, restaurants and hotels

07-Jun-2012 By Emma Eversham

The majority of pubs, restaurants and hotels across the UK experienced a welcomed boost in trade over the course of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee bank holiday weekend with businesses located close to organised events, or holding their own, benefiting the...

Average TripAdvisor ratings for UK hotels and B&Bs at highest ever level

28-May-2012 By Emma Eversham

The average rating for a UK hotel or B&B on reviews website TripAdvisor has hit its highest level yet with UK hotels now scoring more highly than many of their European equivalents. 

London’s restaurants, pubs and hotels urged to put Olympics delivery plans in place as TfL launches road changes tool

24-May-2012 By Emma Eversham

London’s restaurants, pubs and hotels are being urged to make last minute plans to ensure deliveries reach them and that staff can get to work during the Olympics as Transport for London (TfL) demonstrates the chaos that temporary road changes could cause...

What recession? London hotels boast highest occupancy rate of any Olympic host city

23-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

With London bracing itself for a bumper summer, packed full of once-in-a-lifetime events including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics, the city’s hotel market is booming, with the highest occupancy base of all time for any host city of...

UK hotels advised to target Singapore, South Korea and Brazil to boost bookings

10-May-2012 By Emma Eversham

Hoteliers in the UK are being advised to market themselves towards guests from three emerging markets – Singapore, South Korea and Brazil – in a bid to increase room bookings.

Novus Leisure on track for record profits

02-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Bar and nightclub operator Novus Leisure has announced it is on track for record profits of nearly £20m for the 12 months to June in a financial update this morning.

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...

London 2012: Hospitality businesses urged to improve customer service with 100 days to go

18-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

As the countdown to the London 2012 Olympics reaches the last 100 days hospitality businesses are being urged by VisitBritain and People 1st to 'warm up their welcome' and improve customer service to make the most of the Games. 

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.

Heston Blumenthal among hospitality industry figures named Olympic Torchbearers

02-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Heston Blumenthal, Tom Aikens and Angela Burns, deputy chair of Best Western hotels, have all been named as Olympic Torchbearers for the relay of the torch containing the Olympic Flame as the hospitality industry continues to discuss London 2012 with...

Temporary Event Notices: Hospitality lawyers advise licensees to apply before law change and Olympics

19-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Hospitality licensees considering applying for future Temporary Event Notices (TENs) for events including those during the London 2012 Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee celebrations have been advised to apply now before the system becomes more restrictive...

London hoteliers divided over impact of 2012 Olympics

05-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Less than a third (29.8 per cent) of London hotel managers believe the 2012 Olympics will influence the growth of their business this year.

Travelodge to open 184 London hotels by 2025

01-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

At the opening of the 500th Travelodge in the UK in Stratford, the budget hotel chain has announced significant London expansion plans with another 184 sites planned for the capital by 2025 creating 5,000 jobs across the city.

InterContinental Hotels Group announces 3,000 UK jobs to be created over three years

22-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza operator, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), has announced it is to create nearly 3,000 UK jobs over the next three years, with more than 1,000 coming in 2012 as the operator launches the IHG Academy in Newham, London.

Whitbread launches Olympics and Diamond Jubilee skills academies

20-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Premier Inn and Beefeater operator Whitbread is launching three skills academies across the UK to offer training for restaurant and kitchen managers in time for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the London 2012 Olympics later this year.

Record-breaking 2011 for tourism, could 2012 be even bigger for hospitality businesses?

10-Feb-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Britain’s tourism and hospitality businesses are surfing on the wave of a record-breaking 2011 for overseas visitors and spending, making perfect preparation for a bumper 2012, packed full of iconic, once-in-a-lifetime events.

TV sport in pubs: size does matter, says new study

07-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Pubs planning to show the 2012 Olympics or European football championships on TV in their venue over the summer have been warned most sports fans intend to vist the pub less and publicans need to bear in mind the size of their screen and drinks prices...

Olympics organising committee releases more than 120,000 hotel rooms for resale

30-Jan-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has released around 20 per cent of the hotel reservations it had made for the Games, meaning more than 120,000 hotel room nights in the capital will now be vacant during...

London 2012 Olympics: Six months left and businesses not prepared, says People 1st survey

27-Jan-2012 By Peter Ruddick

With six months to go until the London 2012 Olympics begin, the majority of businesses have not prepared themselves for the Games, according to a survey by hospitality skills council People 1st.

Golf resort Turnberry targets family market

26-Jan-2012 By Emma Eversham

Scottish golfing resort Turnberry has started to target the family market to help boost business during golf’s low season as corporate trade remains stagnant.

London 2012 Olympics: Mixed views over impact on hotel sector

19-Jan-2012 By Luke Nicholls

With fewer than 200 days until the London 2012 Olympics, the UK is preparing for an influx of visitors from around the world. But just how much of an impact will the Games have on the nation’s hotels?

Pub and bar operators 'cautiously optimistic' for 2012 after Christmas trading boost

11-Jan-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Pub and bar operators are ‘cautiously optimistic’ for the year ahead after seeing a year-on-year sales boost over the Christmas period, a survey from the Association of Licenced Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has discovered.

Could the Olympics hold the key to a prosperous 2012 for restaurants?

06-Jan-2012 By Luke Nicholls

With a bumper year packed full of iconic, once-in-a-lifetime events including the London 2012 Olympics, the London 2012 Festival and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the UK restaurant industry will be hoping to capitalise. But just how big an impact will...

Hoteliers see 2012 as turning point for bookings

21-Nov-2011 By Luke Nicholls

The vast majority of UK hoteliers believe that customers will change the way they book hotels in 2012, with mobile technologies seen as the future of hotel reservations.

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.

Olympics doesn’t mean full rooms, warns hotelier

16-Nov-2011 By Luke Nicholls

London hoteliers are being warned that next year’s Olympics may not have the positive financial repercussions many predict and that the event may in fact lead to a drop in occupancy figures.

UK hospitality industry ‘won’t be ready’ for 2012 Olympics

26-Oct-2011 By Luke Nicholls

The majority of consumers believe the UK hospitality industry ‘won’t be ready’ to welcome visitors for the London 2012 Olympics.

BBPA: English Tourism Week 2012 ‘great opportunity’ for pubs

20-Oct-2011 By Luke Nicholls

British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) chief executive Brigid Simmonds has urged brewers and pubs to get Behind English Tourism Week next year.

Boris Johnson calls for higher food standards in capital's restaurants and hotels ahead of London 2012

07-Oct-2011 By Emma Eversham

London mayor Boris Johnson is calling on the capital's restaurants, hotels and caterers to improve food standards ahead of London 2012 to help 'revitalise' the food sector and create a lasting legacy for the industry.

London hoteliers shrugging off recession after another bumper summer

28-Sep-2011 By Luke Nicholls

London hoteliers have so far successfully ridden out the economic storm, while rates in the provinces have remained ‘stubbornly flat’, according to the latest PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) report.

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.

84% of hospitality businesses have no special staffing plans for Olympics

15-Sep-2011 By Emma Eversham

A massive 84 per cent of hospitality business owners and managers have said they are not planning to make changes to staffing levels during the Olympics next year despite 15 per cent of workers saying they’d pull a sickie to watch the Games.

Reliance on temporary staff costing hospitality sector £33.4 million a year

08-Sep-2011 By Rachel Parkes

Over-reliance on temporary staff is costing the hospitality sector £33.4 million a year in initial training and constant recruitment, new research from the government’s industry sector skills council has found.

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...

Planning for the 2012 Olympics: Staff and training

28-Jul-2011 By Emma Eversham

As McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc once said ‘You’re only as good as the people you hire’ so if you believe his mantra and want to make sure your business is a winner during next year’s Olympic Games, make sure you read our fourth and final instalment of...

4m Brits plan holidays to avoid Olympic Games

27-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Just over half of Brits feel that the Olympic Games will have a positive impact on the country’s economy, while almost 4m people will be leaving the country to avoid the 2012 Games, finds a new survey by PwC.

Planning for the 2012 Olympics: Transport and deliveries

21-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Hospitality businesses will be amongst the most affected by the transport and logistics changes during the Olympics next year. This article includes a simple break-down of what you should be thinking about to ensure business continuity, together with...

Restaurants and pubs sign up to Olympics fair pricing charter

20-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Restaurants, pubs and other consumer-facing businesses in London have signed up to the Mayor’s new London Visitor Charter, which commits them to offering fair pricing for visitors during the Olympic Games.

ASK THE EXPERTS

How to ensure you don't miss out on business opportunities presented by the 2012 Olympics

18-Jul-2011

Ian Lacey, a market analyst at Elliott Marketing & PR and recent visitor to Vancouver, the host of last year's Winter Olympics, gives his top tips on how to avoid missing out on the opportunities the 2012 Olympics could offer your hospitality...

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.

London 2012 and TfL help businesses set Olympics transport plans

13-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

London 2012 and Transport for London (TfL) will be providing free tools and workshops to help businesses minimise transport disruptions to their operations during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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.

Olympic sponsor P&G helps hospitality operators prepare first impression

23-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Cleaning product supplier Procter & Gamble, which has been named a sponsor of the Olympic Games, will be launching a series of pop-up pods to help the hospitality sector deliver a positive first impression to the influx of visitors expected during...

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.

Learn from Royal Wedding and avoid Olympics price hiking, hoteliers warned

16-Jun-2011 By Becky Paskin

London hoteliers, particularly those in the luxury sector, are being warned to learn from the disappointment of the Royal Wedding trade and avoid ‘pricing themselves out of the market’ for the 2012 Olympic Games.