Olympic Games

Hotel staff lack knowledge of local areas, finds customer survey

10-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The large majority of people in the UK feel that hotel staff don’t know enough about the local area, which significantly reduces the value of customer service provided.

South Bank restaurants and pubs to benefit from ‘accessibility makeover’

25-May-2011 By Lorraine Heller

London’s South Bank will undergo a £4m makeover to make it more easily accessible to visitors in time for the Olympics, with the works due to benefit the area’s restaurants, cafes and bars.

UK hotel performance improved, but future uncertain

31-Mar-2011 By Lorraine Heller

UK hotels saw a significant recovery in 2010 following a challenging environment the year before, but the road ahead remains uncertain, according to an annual hotelier survey from PKF.

Ask the Experts: Preparing for the 2012 Games Part II

21-Feb-2011

In the second part of this series on how the hospitality sector can prepare for the 2012 Games, Vince Fihosy, Director of London 2012 City Operations, tells BigHospitality readers about transport changes, engaging staff and preparing for special events.

Ask the Experts: Preparing for the 2012 Games Part I

14-Feb-2011

The eyes of the world will be on the capital as London hosts global events in 2012 and in the run-up to the 2012 Games. Vince Fihosy, Director of London 2012 City Operations, tells BigHospitality readers how the hospitality sector should prepare for the...

Businesses urged to enter 2012 events into London diary

04-Feb-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Hospitality operators planning special events for the London Olympic Games next year are being urged to enter their events into a Culture Diary set up by the city to ensure better planning and communication of all activities.

Risks to UK tourism threaten Olympics legacy, warns BHA

01-Feb-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The UK tourism and hospitality sectors stand to lose out on the full benefits of the Olympic Games if the country does not address a number of major obstacles it faces, the chief executive of the British Hospitality Association told industry leaders yesterday.

Cater for disabled customers or lose out on Olympics revenue

18-Jan-2011 By Becky Paskin

Hospitality businesses that don’t cater for disabled customers are setting themselves up to lose out on potential revenue during the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics.

Olympics customer service training programme gathers support

06-Jan-2011 By Lorraine Heller

UK sporting venues such as Twickenham Stadium and Royal Ascot have signed up for a customer service programme introduced last year by People 1st to train hospitality staff ahead of the Olympics.

Hospitality: getting in shape for London 2012

03-Dec-2010

The 2012 Olympic Games will descend on London in just over 18 months.

Royal Wedding to provide two-year tourism boost for UK

17-Nov-2010 By Becky Paskin

The royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton next year is expected to bring a two-year boost for hospitality operators, as tourists from across the globe flock to the UK ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games

Customer service training project to reach 200,000 by Olympics

12-Nov-2010 By Lorraine Heller

People 1st has launched a new campaign to train 200,000 hospitality and tourism staff in time for the 2012 Olympics

Food group expands at ExCel London as Olympics approach

25-Oct-2010 By Lorraine Heller

The food and drink firm Creativevents has added a new ‘healthy’ café to its catering facilities at the ExCel London convention centre, as part of its investment strategy leading up to the Olympic Games

Extortionate Olympics hotel prices could damage sector in long-term

21-Oct-2010 By Becky Paskin

Hotels are set to more than double their prices during the 2012 Olympic Games, but doing so could cause long-term damage to corporate business an expert has claimed

VisitBritain reviews operations to optimise Olympics tourism plan

20-Oct-2010 By Becky Paskin

Following the £80bn worth of spending cuts announced by the Government today, national tourism agency VisitBritain will need to review its operations if its Olympic tourism strategy is to remain on track

London Olympics to hit UK hotel recovery

20-Sep-2010 By Martyn Leek

The 2012 Olympic Games could harm the strength of the UK hotel recovery, especially in host city London, according to new research

Tourism to soar by 60 per cent, but only with Government backing

23-Jul-2010 By Becky Paskin

The value of British tourism is set to soar by over 60 per cent over the next decade, with the number of jobs in the industry rising by over 250,000

Hospitality Forum against fraud and theft launches

05-Jul-2010 By Becky Paskin

The UK’s first hospitality forum against fraud and theft has been launched, with Gondola Holdings, Starbucks and Compass Group amongst the first members to sign up

Travelodge opens 400th hotel amid anniversary celebrations

30-Jun-2010 By Becky Paskin

Travelodge has today launched its 400th hotel in London Waterloo as the chain celebrates the dual date of its 25th anniversary

Dirty hospitality reception areas turn off consumers

26-Mar-2010 By Becky Paskin

Nine out of 10 people would not recommend a hotel, pub or restaurant that did not appear clean and fresh, while half would not return somewhere that delivered a poor first impression

Tourism to grow faster than other UK industries in next 10 years

15-Mar-2010 By Emma Eversham

Research by VisitBritain predicts that tourism will grow faster than many other industries in the UK over the next 10 years with inbound visitor spend expected to double during that period.

New group to maximise benefits of 2012 Olympics for hospitality industry

18-Nov-2009 By Emma Eversham

A joint working group has been set up by some of Britain's biggest tourism and accommodation groups to help ensure hospitality businesses make the most of the 2012 Olympic games