easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou announced plans to float the budget hotel chain easyHotel on Aim next week but it has raised just half of the £60m it had hoped to gain. The company is owned by easyGroup Holdings and has priced its initial public offering (IPO) at 80p, but has raised £30 million instead of the £50+ million anticipated. Market conditions following … [Read more...]
Plan ahead to maximise success
People 1st, the skills and workforce development charity, has released new research which shows that just 58% of hospitality companies have a business plan, despite there being a clear link between business planning and increased profit. More revenue with a business plan The research, which is based on a telephone survey with industry employers commissioned by People 1st, … [Read more...]
HotStats UK Chain Hotels Market Review – May 2014
Outside London, in May South East hoteliers achieved a growth of 4.9% in gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR), according to the latest data from HotStats. The UK provinces in general also saw growth for the 5th consecutive month. South East surges: London loses Despite a drop in demand in May with occupancy going down by 0.3 percentage points (77.4%), hotels … [Read more...]
Travelodge appoints Karen Broughton to Sales & Marketing Director
Travelodge has announced the appointment of Karen Broughton as Sales and Marketing Director. Karen joins Britain’s value hotel brand from the Money Advice Service (MAS) where she is presently Executive Director, Marketing and Service Delivery. While at MAS, Karen introduced the highly successful ‘Ask Ma’ television advertising campaign and drove substantial growth in online … [Read more...]
First online booking portal for serviced accommodation
VisitRentals.com launched last month the world’s first real-time online booking portal dedicated to ApartHotels and serviced apartments. Founded to improve the identity of the serviced accommodation sector, VisitRentals.com plugs a gap in the current market by providing a transparent, convenient and competitive, live booking platform that offers instant access to the world’s … [Read more...]