A June opening (next week) is now confirmed for the first Smith & Wollensky to launch outside the USA. Operating in the historic Adelphi Building on John Adam Street off the Strand, the restaurant will showcase Smith & Wollensky’s signature USDA Prime dry-aged steaks alongside British and Irish cuts, premium seafood, award-winning wines and classic … [Read more...]
BHA welcomes one-stop-shop for Chinese visa processing
The British Hospitality Association has warmly welcomed news today that the Government will start a pilot with Belgium designed to make it easier for Chinese visitors to visit the UK. Starting on 1 July, this pilot will enable a Chinese person to visit UK visa application centres in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai and apply for both a UK and Schengen visa at the same … [Read more...]
Ibis hotel voted ‘2015 Most Improved Brand of the Year’
AccorHotels, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, is delighted that ibis Hotel has been awarded the prestigious accolade of ‘Most Improved Brand of the Year’, in the 2015 BDRC Hotel Guest Survey. ibis Hotel advanced the most of all brands tracked in a composite measure based on key metrics of ‘Awareness’, ‘Leading Choice’, ‘Usage’, ‘Recommendation’ … [Read more...]
Marriott and TripAdvisor announce Instant Booking partnership
Marriott International and TripAdvisor have announced they are expanding their partnership and will add Marriott’s global hotel portfolio to the TripAdvisor Instant Booking platform. Starting later this summer, travellers shopping for hotel rooms on TripAdvisor will be able to conveniently make a booking at any of Marriott’s more than 4,200 hotels around the world without … [Read more...]
UK Meeting Industry valued at over £21 billion
New research into the UK’s conference and business events sector, entitled the ‘UK Conference and Meeting Survey 2015’ (UKCAMS), values the sector at an estimated £21.6 billion in venue and destination direct spend in 2014. The total represents an increase of some £2 billion compared with the previous year, due mainly to an increase in event size. The ‘UK Conference and … [Read more...]