United Kingdom

Diageo National Pubwatch Awards launched to encourage responsible drinking

07-Feb-2012 By Luke Nicholls

National Pubwatch has teamed up with drinks business Diageo to launch an award to encourage and recognise safer social drinking environments.

GTBS sustainable certification programme achieves nationwide endorsement

30-Jan-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) has become the first sustainable certification programme of its kind to be endorsed by all five National Tourism Agencies of the UK and Ireland.

Cardiff the top UK city for socialising and going out

10-Jan-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Cardiff has been declared the most social city in the UK with residents of the Welsh capital most likely to go out and meet others in its restaurants, bars and pubs, according to social network CitySocialising.

VisitBritain calls on hospitality businesses to ‘Share Your GREAT Britain’

06-Jan-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Hospitality businesses are being urged to make use of a free online toolkit from VisitBritain that allows users to participate in, and benefit from the ‘GREAT Britain – You’re Invited’ 2012 campaign.

Hospitality businesses neglecting UK’s ageing population

03-Jan-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Two-thirds of hospitality businesses are neglecting the over-65 age group, with no specific services or products tailored to this growing market.

2012 Olympics and Queen's Diamond Jubilee to help push UK visitor numbers to 30 million in 2012

20-Dec-2011 By Emma Eversham

Key events such as the 2012 Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee could push up the number of visitors to the UK to 30 million next year according to VisitBritain as it delivers its predictions for 2012.

Westminster parking charges postponed until after 2012 Olympics

16-Dec-2011 By Luke Nicholls

The controversial plans by Westminster City Council (WCC) to introduce weekend and night-time parking charges in London’s West End have been halted after a High Court judge granted campaigners a judicial review.

UK hotel prices surge by up to 200% for New Year’s weekend

09-Dec-2011 By Luke Nicholls

Hotels across the UK are ramping up their tariffs over the New Year’s weekend, with Edinburgh hotels charging almost three times more for a one-night stay in a standard double room.

London hotel room prices leap by a third year on year

22-Nov-2011 By Rachel Parkes

London hotel prices in November 2011 have risen 33 per cent in the past year to £177 per night, making the UK capital one of the main drivers for European hotel price recovery, online booking service Trivago reported today.

Pickles planning “curry college” to train British nationals

21-Nov-2011 By Rachel Parkes

Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles is planning a UK “curry college”, in an effort to plug the skills gap caused by the Home Office immigration cap on chefs from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Olympics already having a positive impact on UK tourism

17-Nov-2011 By Luke Nicholls

The 2012 Olympics are already having a positive impact on UK tourism, with seven Olympic cities and towns in the top 20 most-stayed-in destinations for 2010, according to new research from VisitBritain.

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.

UK holidays reach record-breaking high for September

11-Nov-2011 By Luke Nicholls

The number of international visitors to the UK has risen to record-breaking levels for September, with 2.53 million arrivals and 970,000 holiday visits.

VisitBritain receives major funding boost ahead of bumper 2012

07-Nov-2011 By Luke Nicholls

With the year ahead packed full of iconic, once-in-a-lifetime events including the London 2012 Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, VisitBritain has received a welcome injection of £27m funding to help promote the UK.

Hotels given stark reminder to pay TV licence fees

31-Oct-2011 By Luke Nicholls

UK hoteliers have been reminded to pay their TV licence after the Grove Hill Hotel in London was prosecuted and fined for failing to do so.

Hotels and B&Bs to benefit from VisitEngland’s Growing Tourism Locally campaign

31-Oct-2011 By Luke Nicholls

Hoteliers and B&B owners throughout the UK will be welcoming the news that VisitEngland’s bid for additional funding from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) has been successful.

Pub companies ‘behaving like bankers’

21-Oct-2011 By Luke Nicholls

Pub companies are ‘stifling’ the UK pub market by behaving in an irresponsible manner not dissimilar to that of country’s banks in the lead up to the recession.

British tourism has ‘mixed’ August, report finds

14-Oct-2011 By Luke Nicholls

A report from the Office for National Statistics has revealed ‘mixed’ tourism figures for the month of August, following the riots which hit many parts of London and other major cities.

Live sport to become ‘more affordable’ for pubs after landlady wins TV football fight

04-Oct-2011 By Luke Nicholls

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has suggested that live sport could now become more affordable for pubs, after landlady Karen Murphy has won a court battle over the use of a foreign TV decoder to screen football matches.

Adam Bennett to represent Britain in Bocuse d'Or 2013

30-Sep-2011 By Emma Eversham

Adam Bennett, head chef at Simpsons restaurant in Edgbaston, has been chosen to represent Britain in the next Bocuse d'Or competition.

British beer drinkers pay 40% of European Beer Tax bill

23-Sep-2011 By Luke Nicholls

Britain’s beer drinkers are paying a staggering 40 per cent of the entire European Beer Tax bill, according to a new report from global accountancy firm Ernst & Young, commissioned by the European brewing industry.

Canadian gastro bar opens in Newcastle

14-Sep-2011 By Luke Nicholls

Shark Club gastro bar – an award-winning chain from Western Canada – has opened its first European venue in Newcastle.

Rossopomodoro opens first Italian restaurant outside London

05-Sep-2011 By Becky Paskin

Italian restaurant chain Rossopomodoro has expanded its UK operations beyond London for the first time, with a new site at Selfridges’ food hall in Birmingham.

Average beer price breaks £3 barrier

26-Aug-2011 By Becky Paskin

The average cost of a pint of beer has broken the £3 barrier, as increasing taxes force prices up across the UK on-trade.

VisitEngland predicts 3% drop in number of August Bank holiday hotel and B&B stays

25-Aug-2011 By Emma Eversham

The number of people planning to stay in the UK’s hotels and B&Bs over the coming Bank Holiday has dropped 3 per cent on last year according to figures compiled by tourism body VisitEngland.

Businesses believe hospitality will drive UK’s economic recovery

22-Aug-2011 By Becky Paskin

Most business leaders in the UK expect the hospitality and leisure sector to drive economic growth over the next decade, new research has revealed.

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.

Important UK cities see hotel rates dip to lowest point this year

15-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

In UK cities such as Manchester and Birmingham, hotel prices have fallen to their lowest point since the beginning of the year as visitors prefer beach destinations.

Tourism to Britain increases 11%

14-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Britain is on its way to recovering its appeal as a holiday destination for international tourists, according to encouraging data on tourism figures so far this year.

UK’s popularity increases with European tourists

07-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The UK has this summer proved to be a more popular tourist destination for other European travellers than in past years, according to new data.

Chipotle hires property agent to find UK restaurant sites

05-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The Mexican restaurant chain Chipotle has hired property agents Michael Peddar & Co to find sites in the UK for its expansion in this country.

People 1st and GoSkills merge for unified hospitality and travel training

05-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The hospitality skills council People 1st has merged with the transport and travel skills council GoSkills in a move designed to streamline customer service training efforts across the sectors.

VAT cut like Ireland would create hospitality jobs, says BBPA

04-Jul-2011 By Emma Eversham

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) is calling on the Government to follow a move in Ireland to drop VAT rates in the hospitality sector which it says would create jobs and aid recovery.

Inner city pubs were hardest hit by smoking ban

24-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Inner city pubs have suffered most since the introduction of smoking bans in Scotland, England and Wales, finds a new report that examined pub closures around the country.

Hilton signs up to £100m VisitBritain marketing campaign

17-Jun-2011 By Becky Paskin

Hilton Worldwide has become a founding partner in VisitBritain’s £100m tourism marketing programme, which aims to attract an additional four million overseas visitors to the UK.

Hotel prices are more important than brands, finds survey

13-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Nine out of ten UK travellers say they value the price of a hotel more than its brand, finds a new survey.

Diamond Jubilee: event details revealed

03-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Buckingham Palace has issued details for the Diamond Jubilee celebration events next year, which will mark key dates in the calendars of hospitality operators set to benefit from extra footfall over the long weekend.

People 1st merger to align hospitality and travel training

01-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The hospitality skills training group People 1st is considering a merger with its counterpart for the UK transport sector, GoSkills, in an effort to pool reduced resources and streamline customer service training efforts.

Tourists spent £114bn in UK in 2008, says ONS

26-May-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Domestic and foreign tourists spent a total of £114bn in the UK in 2008, with more money forked out on food than on hotels, according to a new set of experimental data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Britons to spend £7bn on home holidays this summer

23-May-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The British tourism industry is set to receive a £7.2bn boost this summer from cash-strapped Britons opting to take their holiday break in the UK, reveals a new travel study conducted by the budget hotel group Travelodge.

Heston Blumenthal and British Airways search for apprentice chef

09-May-2011 By Becky Paskin

Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal is looking for an up and coming apprentice chef to create a signature menu for all British Airways (BA) flights flying into and out of London in the run up to and during the 2012 Olympic Games.

German budget hotel chain to launch in Edinburgh

21-Apr-2011 By Becky Paskin

German-based budget hotel group Motel One is to launch its first UK property in Edinburgh at a new £45m mixed use development next summer.

British palate becoming more European, finds survey

05-Apr-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The modern British palate is becoming increasingly European, with the majority of consumers in the country saying they like to try British dishes that incorporate European ingredients, finds a new survey.

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.

Chain hotel market stabilises, boosted by budget demand

14-Mar-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The Accor hotel group is by far the market leader in the European chain hotel sector, although Carlson was the chain to see most growth over the past year, according to the latest data from MKG Hospitality.

New service provides UK hotel data and analysis

28-Feb-2011 By Lorraine Heller

A new hotel data service has been designed to provide intelligence and benchmarking analysis to a range of businesses with interest in the UK hotel sector.

Extended opening hours for Royal Wedding

14-Feb-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The government intends to grant extended opening hours to restaurants and pubs during the Royal Wedding, allowing venues in England and Wales to serve food and alcohol until 1am on the festive weekend.

Be wary of Olympics ‘displacement effect’, warns Minister

11-Feb-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The Minister of Tourism John Penrose has warned the hospitality sector to be wary of a ‘displacement effect’ that could be caused by the Olympics, saying it is crucial to treat the event as the hors d’oeuvre rather than the main course if the UK is to...

Hotel managers face chop from UK immigration list

07-Feb-2011 By Chris Druce

The experts that advise the government on work-based immigration have called for hotel managers from outside the EU to be struck off the Tier-2 list.

ACF calls for entries to pastry competition

07-Feb-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Professional and trainee pastry chefs are being invited to enter a chocolate desert competition, which organisers ACF hope will raise the game of the sector in the culinary world.