In this short audio podcast BigHospitality spoke to Robin Sheppard, managing director of Bespoke Hotels, Adrian Lowry, owner of Belfast restaurant 27 Talbot Street, Dean Pugh, manager of Leeds pub Mr Foley's Ale House and Andrew Biss, owner of the Primrose Valley hotel in St. Ives.
Hoteliers had been hoping for a change in the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) to include hotels, the pub and beer industry had been hoping for support from the rising alcohol duty and operators across the industry had been looking to George Osborne to change tack on VAT or energy and utility bills. But there was little to cheer and in a list of industries the Chancellor said the Budget backed, hospitality was notably absent.