Tim Bacon, the entrepreneur behind Living Ventures, will open four new businesses in 2011, including a coffee deli concept in Manchester and second sites for his Red Door and Alchemist formats.
Whitbread has acquired the coffee vending firm Coffee Nation, which it will incorporate into its subsidiary Costa to create a new express coffee-bar brand.
Consumers can now easily find reviews and details of individual hotel rooms, including what view it has, thanks to the launch of a new online hotel room database.
Hotels looking to build their banqueting operations should use their food as an extension of an event’s content in order to engage delegates and event organisers, and ensure repeat business, according to a recent round table discussion.
Hotels in London were faced with lower demand for their rooms in January, indicating that even the resilience of the capital is impacted by the traditionally tough trading month.
Restaurants across England and Wales are using false ‘local’ claims on some of their products, a Local Government Regulation investigation has revealed.
Breakfast in hotels is often one of the most under-rated and overlooked meals, but if it’s done right it becomes a key driver for business and extra revenue. BigHospitality takes a look at how you can make the most of breakfast in your hotel.
Britain is launching a new marketing campaign to attract affluent Asian and Middle-Eastern tourists by promoting some of the country’s luxury resorts and destinations.
Trained under Raymond Blanc and Joël Robuchon, Michael Caines is operational partner, director and executive chef at both Devon’s Gidleigh Park and The Bath Priory in Bath.
Jillian MacLean, founder and managing director of restaurant/bar group Drake & Morgan, has been shortlisted for the Veuve Cliquot Business Woman of the Year award 2011.
Pizza Express is set to roll out the pioneering features from its Living Lab site in Richmond to the rest of its estate, starting with six “New Generation” restaurants penned to launch in the next two months.
Punch Pub Company, the managed arm of Punch Taverns, is to roll out a new pub format – Original Pub Company – as part of its continued focus on concept strategy.
Some restaurant operators have been serving breakfast successfully for years, while others are only just beginning to understand the potential revenue stream afforded by the early morning mealtime.
Eighteen finalists for this year’s Roux Scholarship have been announced and are now due to compete in regional heats in March, followed by the national final in April.
A quarter of UK hoteliers have decided not to pass on the VAT increase to their customers, while another 27 per cent are only passing on portion of the rate hike, according to a new HotStats report.
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.
Celebrity chef Martin Blunos is to oversee the new restaurant at The Parc by Thistle in Cardiff, following a new partnership between the hotel and South Wales-based Crown Hotels and Restaurants.
Town & City Pub Company, operator of Yates’s and Slug and Lettuce, has launched its own chef schools to help chefs and kitchen managers improve their skills.
Morag Stark is the general manage of the MacDonald-owned Cardrona Hotel in Peebles, but had started her career in hospitality with the NHS, which gave her the basic skills she needed to succeed.
A new campaign is calling on small business owners to join forces and help revitalise the British economy by cutting through red tape and complex tax laws to make it easier for businesses to grow.
Mrs Paisley’s Lashings, the pop-up restaurant devised by chef Arthur Potts Dawson and environmentalist Jo Wood, will be appearing at this year’s Real Food Festival as it returns to Earls Court on 5-8 May 2011.
Hoteliers not thinking about social and environmental responsibility will likely face losing some business as the consumer and corporate market becomes increasingly more demanding in the field, says the Considerate Hoteliers Association.
A project to redevelop the area around London’s Victoria Station will force a number of hospitality venues to close down as land is claimed for new developments.
Chef Angela Hartnett, CH&Co founder Robyn Jones and BHA chief executive Ufi Ibrahim all stand to be voted amongst the hospitality industry’s most influential women through a new initiative launched by Women 1st.
This year’s S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards are due to be announced on 18 April, marking the tenth year for the restaurant industry’s most influential awards.
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.
With some of the biggest high street pub brands moving into the breakfast market, BigHospitality takes a look at why early morning trade makes sense – for some pubs.
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...
Restaurants, pubs and hotels including Copthorne Hotel Merry-Hill Dudley and The Cinnamon Club, tell us what promotions they’re running to attract customers.
The Master Sommelier has been Hotel du Vin’s director of wine for 15 months, and previously oversaw the wine offer at Gordon Ramsay Holdings for eight years. He recently appeared on Michel Roux’s Service programme for BBC2, and is now concentrating on...
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...
The first of 50 planned Australian coffee houses has opened in Liverpool, as part of a £12.5m investment by Green Cauldron Coffee to break into the UK market.
David Page, the restaurant industry veteran and former chief executive of Pizza Express, has teamed up with Giuseppe Mascoli, the Italian chef behind the fledgling Franco Manca pizza chain.
The Grove hotel in Hertfordshire has joined the Great Hotels of the World collection, becoming part of a club of some of the world’s most luxurious brands.
VisitBritain is withdrawing its marketing campaign from 14 countries and cutting 70 jobs in reaction to the Government spending cuts in October last year.
People 1st has launched an apprenticeship strategy aimed at helping hospitality businesses meet their staff needs and improving the long-term performance of the sector.
Hotels have benefited from the breakfast opportunity for years, but with the economic downturn biting at the heels of many hospitality businesses, restaurant and pub operators are now waking up to the potential revenue provided by early morning service...
