Figures released by the Office for National Statistics suggest that Britain is on track to record its best ever year for inbound spend. The rest of the year looks like continuing to benefit the hospitality sector. The amount spent so far in 2013 remains at record levels, some 11% above the first eight months of 2012. Between January and August 2013 overseas visitors have spent … [Read more...]
HIT launches new traineeship programme for 16-23 year olds
Leading hospitality apprenticeship provider HIT unveiled on 8 October its new Traineeship Programme for young people to help develop the necessary skills for sustainable employment. A step up on to the apprenticeship and employment ladder The Programme, which aims to give 16-23 year olds a step up on to the apprenticeship and employment ladder, combines work preparation … [Read more...]
Good Hotel Guide 2014 launches and urges hoteliers to cut out the middle man
In launching the 2014 edition of the Good Hotel Guide, the Guide’s editors, Adam Raphael and Desmond Balmer, charge that guests who reserve rooms via agents are paying over the odds because hotels have to pay 15% plus VAT on their gross revenue for each booking. The hospitality industry’s increasing reliance on web-based third party agents is a principle cause of price … [Read more...]
Which venues do event planners recommend? Latest VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditations
The Gold Standard Accreditation is given to properties recording a twelve-month Net Promoter Score of +70 or higher from forty or more Business Event Host responses in the twelve month period October 2012 to September 2013. VenueVerdict helps venues assess the quality of their meetings and events service. This completely independent, impartial service helps venues identify … [Read more...]
Is your air conditioning system ‘in breach of the law’?
Under UK energy efficiency regulations, all air conditioning systems in buildings with a cooling capacity of over 12kW should have been inspected – but fewer than 5% actually have been, according to Bob Towse, head of technical and safety at the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES). This means that the vast majority of such systems have been in breach of … [Read more...]