Monday 29/6/15
Propelinfonews.com: ALMR secures major booking site victory on flexibility: The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has secured a major victory for accommodation operators as international accommodation website booking.com agreed to apply commitments made to French, Italian and Swedish competition authorities to all European businesses. The changes will give operators using booking.com greater flexibility to alter rates and conditions offered through other channels and allow direct marketing to guests who booked through the website. Chief executive Kate Nichols said: “We continue to press for less restrictive terms on hotels and restaurant booking sites.” Former ALMR chief executive David McHattie, who offers 11 bedrooms at his Devonshire Arms pub in Baslow Derbyshire, told Propel: “This might not sound a lot but it was a significant and financially rewarding victory, allowing operators using booking.com greater flexibility to alter rates and conditions offered through other channels. It also allows us to directly market to guests who booked through the website. While booking.com has certainly done a great job for us it is great news that we can flex rates via our own website bookings and can now market directly to guests they sourced for us to ensure that more future bookings come direct. With over 4,000 bed nights a year and a typical marketing cost of £10 – £20 for every booking.com or laterooms.com booking, guests booking direct is worth a substantial amount. This is ALMR membership paid very swiftly.”
Burton Mail: Green light announced for novel pub in Burton: A PUB with a nod to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novels has been given the green light by the council, with building work now set to begin. The Middle Earth Tavern will be built in an old office unit at the Midland Grain Warehouse, off Derby Street. The micropub is the brain-child of Lord of the Rings fan Stephen Twells, of Springfield Road, Etwall, who also owns microbrewery Middle Earth Brewery. Mr Twells, 51, said that he is delighted that he can now go ahead with his plans for the venue. He said: “We are pleased that it has all gone through but we never expected it not to. “We have a lot to do to it so I don’t have an opening date yet, but it should be in a month or so.” The work will include the installation of a bar, a new fireplace and two log-burning stoves to create an atmosphere befitting of Middle Earth itself. East Staffordshire Borough Council approved Mr Twell’s licensing application as well as allowing adaptations to the former office unit. Mr Twells explained that although the venue will nod to Tolkien’s most famous trilogy, the pub will not be heavily themed. The only conditions as part of the approval are that the work begins within three years and that it matches the current building style.
Bighospitality.co.uk: Cutting tourism VAT could provide £20bn boost to the UK
By Sophie Witts, 25-Jun-2015
The campaign to Cut Tourism VAT has placed renewed pressure on the government after a study revealed that lowering the tax could be worth £20bn to the UK.
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Cutting-tourism-VAT-could-provide-20bn-boost-to-the-UK
Tuesday 30/6/15
Propelinfonews.com: Middletons Steakhouse & Grill eyes fifth site in Leicester: Middletons Steakhouse & Grill is looking to open its fifth venue in Leicester city centre. The company has lodged plans to turn the former NatWest bank, which is currently empty, in St Martin’s into a restaurant. The application, recommended for approval by Leicester City Council, states the exterior of the grade-II listed building would not be altered with changes only being made to the inside. Middletons first opened in 2010 just outside King’s Lynn, in Norfolk, and also has restaurants in Norwich, Colchester, and Milton Keynes.
Wednesday 1/7/15
Propelinfonews.com: Former chef to the Queen takes Hawthorn Leisure site for first pub: Former private chef to the Queen Des Sweeney and his wife Trish, a pastry chef, are to on their first pub next week (9 July), The Kitchen at the Cross Keys in Epperstone, Nottinghamshire, a Hawthorn Leisure site. Trish Sweeney said: “The Cross Keys is a dream come true. We have an amazing team, all from the local area and most of whom have worked with myself and Des for almost a decade. We’re a tight-knit community here in Epperstone, so it’s a pleasure to be able to create new jobs in the village but also to provide a calm oasis where people can come to enjoy fresh food, quality drinks and relax with their friends and family, which is essentially what we want the Cross Keys to be all about.” The pub has been transformed into a chic, traditional country venue with chesterfield sofas, open fires and log burners, two bars, a dartboard, an open kitchen, and banquet seating. Des Sweeney added: “I’ll be changing the menu daily, if not hourly – it all depends on what products I receive that morning. We are committed to using fresh ingredients, sourced from local suppliers or from our vegetable and herb garden. We also have a chicken coup and have planted fruit trees – apple, plum and cherry.”
Morningadvertiser.co.uk: Second London pub demolished without permission
By Emily Sutherland, 30-Jun-2015
A Wandsworth pub has become the second in London to be bulldozed without permission from the council.
http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Legal/Legislation/Second-London-pub-demolished-without-permission
Golf Club Management: These golf clubs run 9 hole scheme to tackle slow play: Uttoxeter Golf Club in Staffordshire has launched a scheme that offers nine-hole green fees and a loyalty card so that golf can be played in a short time. Surveys have shown that slow play is a huge barrier to people participating in golf, and just this week Daily Telegraph columnist John Timpson urged companies to no longer provide corporate golf days because of the time it takes to play 18 holes. Uttoxeter also offers golfers the opportunity to play in weekly, after-work roll-ups, which are open to non-members, where a handicap is not essential and players are paired up with other golfers for what are described as ‘fun competitions’. Iain Lancaster, regional manager for England Golf, added: “The time it takes to play the game is a barrier to the sport. We are hoping that marketing the message that playing shorter rounds of golf to suit your available leisure time will be acted on by players new to the game, current golfers and even lapsed golfers; leading to an increase in golf participation.” Uttoxeter member Paul Shaw commented: “Many golf clubs have run these type of nine-hole events over the years, but it is brilliant that now England Golf and Staffordshire Golf have put a national brand behind it.” “Very conveniently our tenth green is very close to the clubhouse and at £9 it is great value at less than a pound a hole. As popularity builds we plan to hold ‘roll-up’ events with prizes for the three best scores over the ten holes.” Research from Syngenta shows that 54 percent of golfers are intimidated by 18 holes of golf and a nine-hole option gives the golfer choice. Other clubs offering Golf Express are mostly in Staffordshire: Bloxwich, Branston, Calderfields, Darnford Moor, Dartmouth, Druids Heath, Izaak Walton, Lakeside, Lichfield, Mark Butler Golf Academy, Newcastle, Onneley, Oxley Park, Stafford Castle, Stone, The Chase, Trentham Park, 3 Hammers and Cannock Park. Howley Hall, the first golf club in Yorkshire to be awarded the latest GolfMark accreditation, is also offering Golf Express green fees. Available after 5pm on Thursdays, golfers can play ten holes for £9 and there are plans to hold open tournaments. Head professional James Whitaker said: ”Time is an increasingly important commodity in people’s increasingly hectic lifestyles and this initiative gives golfers in the area the opportunity to get all of the golf in half the time. Following the Golf Express experience the clubhouse filled up with elated golfers, who sat with their fellow golfers and sampled the club’s food and drink, and enjoyed the evening as a selection of prizes were given for the two division winners. Gareth Shaw, Staffordshire county development officer, commented: “This is what golf is all about, having time to play the sport we all love and also have time to socialise with friends following the round.” Over 40 golfers took part in ‘Golf Express’ at Uttoxeter, an England Golf initiative that offers nine-hole green fees and a loyalty card to encourage golfers to play more often: if they play five rounds, they get the sixth free.
TravelDailynews.com: Starwood Hotels & Resorts cut water, energy and emissions: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced it has reduced energy use by 12.08%, carbon emissions by 16.07% and water use by 17.26% across all owned, managed and franchised properties from 2008 through 2014. The reductions stem from Starwood’s 30/20 by 20 environmental goals, launched in 2009, to cut energy use by 30% and water use by 20% by 2020 globally. In 2013, Starwood added a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 30% during the same timeframe.“We’re pleased with the progress and are encouraged by the reductions we made while maintaining an aggressive global growth strategy,” said Ken Siegel, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Head of Global Citizenship at Starwood. “Our 30/20 by 20 goals challenge us to create short- and long-term programs and partnerships that protect the environment, reduce operating costs, enhance the guest experience and make sustainable upgrades possible for perties.”Starwood has made reductions by working together with its properties, using low-cost, foundational initiatives such as installing high-efficiency LED lighting and low-flow fixtures and faucets as well as capital improvements including enhancing or eplacing mechanical systems. In most properties, foundational initiatives account for approximately one-third of the progress towards 30/20 by 20 goals and are projected to save US$1 billion across the portfolio in less than 10 years. Capital improvements and partnerships that bring innovative, renewable, and efficient technologies like solar, help shore up the remaining reductions to-date.The Sheraton Santa Fe in Mexico City is one hotel leading the charge. The property cut energy use by 26.1%, carbon emissions by 35.61% and water consumption by 39.33% since 2008 by installing LED lighting, motion sensors and low-flow faucets, recycling soapy water and using rainwater collection. It also undertook larger projects including re-engineering water heaters and installing control systems, said German Angeles, property Director of Engineering and Security and local sustainability champion. He used Starwood’s internal reporting system to measure and track consumption in order to make decisions about the hotel’s specific needs. The next project is replacing the chillers.“We had great savings in energy and water and that’s helping our finances and driving business. The investments we’ve made help our top-line growth as more companies request information about our sustainable meeting practices before signing contracts,” he said. “Associates are looking at recycling, and saving water and energy differently. They are taking pride in their ability to protect the environment while still delivering an enhanced guest experience.”Andrea Pinabell, Vice President of Sustainability at Starwood added, “We’d like to thank the dedication of sustainability champions, engineers, general managers, and passionate associates throughout our properties who work tirelessly to make improvements and implement programs that protect our environment.”
Thursday 2/7/15
Propelinfonews.com: Krispy Kreme submits plan for Peterborough drive-thru: Krispy Kreme has submitted a plan to open a drive-thru doughnut store in Peterborough. Signet Planning has, on behalf of Peveril Securities, lodged a full planning application to build a Krispy Kreme drive-thru store on a vacant site off Hadfield Road in Hampton. The Krispy Kreme unit will be a two-storey building totalling 4,500 sq ft. As well as the drive-thru facility, the unit will also be making doughnuts on the premises for local distribution. Plans also include the construction of a separate retail unit totalling more than 2,200 sq ft. Peveril Securities said the Krispy Kreme store will deliver 60 full-time jobs while the additional unit is expected to create ten new jobs.
Propelinfonews.com: Marco Pierre White franchised site to open at Leicestershire hotel: Marco Pierre White franchised restaurant, Steakhouse Bar & Grill, is to open at The Hinckley Island Hotel, Leicestershire, this summer. The new restaurant will serve a handpicked range of contemporary British classics and is expected to open in August following a £310,000 refurbishment of the hotel’s restaurant. The Hinckley Island Hotel offers 362 bedrooms and is situated just off the M69 motorway between Leicester and Coventry. The new 180-seat restaurant will be operated under a franchise agreement with Black and White Hospitality, which owns the master franchise with Marco Pierre White for the Steakhouse Bar & Grill brand. Tony Hill, executive general manager at The Hinckley Island Hotel, said: “The opening of the MPW Steakhouse Bar Grill is a clear statement of intent regarding our ambition for The Hinckley Island Hotel to become the leading conference venue in the Midlands.”
Friday 3/7/15
Propelinfonews.com: Anglian Country Inns reports like-for-likes up 4% in June: Award-winning pub and restaurant operator Anglian Count Inns has reported like-for-like sales rose 4% in June. Managing director James Nye said: “Anglian Country Inns finished up 4% like-for-like in June. The directors are pleased with the figures, which are in line with expectation and have contributed to an overall lift of 10% for the first quarter. The sites with outside spaces performed best. The beginning of June saw (our) newest site, The Cricketers, open after the first stage of renovation including a new wood fired pizza oven and sales have been 25% ahead of forecast for the month, selling over 600 pizzas in the first week.”
The Scotsman: Golf club chief ‘hid in room’ after money query: A Treasurer at a prestigious golf club locked himself in his bedroom after being confronted about missing cash, a court has heard. Barry Miller was in charge of finances at the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club when thousands of pounds allegedly went missing from the club’s accounts. Committee members claimed the “financial wizard” had told them he had invested the cash, even though he had been given no permission to do so. But when the funds failed to reappear in the golf club’s accounts members confronted the HSBC financial adviser at his home over the missing £12,000. Club captain Arthur Reid said he attempted to speak to the 36-year-old treasurer at his Edinburgh home but claimed Mr Miller locked himself away in his bedroom and refused to come out and explain himself. Miller is on trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court accused of embezzling £12,248. He denies the charge. The court was told he took over as treasurer at the non-profit golf club in April 2011 and had “casual” conversations with committee members about investing the club’s cash to make a profit. Mr Reid told the court that, despite Miller having not been granted permission to invest the club’s finances, money started going missing from the accounts. He said: “Mr Miller was nominated [for the position of treasurer] as we knew he was a financial adviser with HSBC. He said casually that he could make money for the club by investing. “But [in November 2011] I identified some things were amiss and on that date we went to Mr Miller’s house. I was concerned about his state of health as he locked himself in his bedroom and wouldn’t talk to us. “He was very defensive and agitated and gave us no reasonable explanation to what was going on. He was not very coherent and we didn’t get any coherent answers to where the money was.” Mr Reid, 55, and club secretary Jim Gilmour then went to a police station to report the matter. Mr Reid told the court he was subsequently forced to pay thousands of pounds of his own money into the club’s accounts just to keep it afloat. The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club is the fifth oldest in the world. He said Miller, from Edinburgh, had informed him he had made around “20 investments” in the name of the club and all the maturities would be paid into his own account and he would then transfer it to the club’s account. But, after several discussions with the club’s Royal Bank of Scotland manager, Mr Reid said it had become apparent “there had been no investments”. Former treasurer Stanley Love told the court that when he handed over the position to Miller, the golf club’s “cash flow position was healthy” and there had been “no financial difficulties” during his time in the role. The trail will conclude later this month.
Propelinfonews.com: TLC Inns reports like-for-like sales growth of 4%: Award-winning pub and restaurant operator TLC Inns, led by Steve and Jo Haslam, says it has “held up well against last year” despite poor weather in June. Like-for-likes for the quarter to the end of June grew by 4%. It saw its highest ever gross profit for April/May, just shy of £1m. The company runs eight pubs, four of which are large, high-turnover Grand Central venues and plans are afoot to open a fifth in the near future. TLC’s Steve Haslam said: “June was flat due to the weather. We have a lot of outside space and the weather did not work in our favour.” He reported a 40% increase in overall year-on-year sales thanks to new openings.
Golf Club Management: Gleneagles becomes latest major venue to be sold: Gleneagles, host of the Ryder Cup last year and the G8 summit in 2005, has been sold to Ennismore, the owner of the designer-budget brand, the Hoxton, in a surprise move. The sale is the latest in a long line of major golf club sales to have been sold in the last 18 months – joining the likes of Wentworth, Turnberry, Fairmont St Andrews and Lough Erne Resort, which were all sold in 2014, and The Belfry, which was sold in 2012. The five-red-AA-star, 232-bedroom Gleneagles hotel in Auchterarder, Perthshire, had been placed up for sale shortly after the 2014 Ryder Cup with a guide price of more than £200 million. Ennismore is believed to have outbid rivals, including KSL Capital Partners, owner of The Belfry, to secure the trophy property, which has been bought from drinks giant Diageo for an undisclosed sum. Sharan Pasricha, founder and chief executive of Ennismore, said: “We are delighted to be acquiring the iconic Gleneagles hotel, which is one of the world’s most prestigious and recognisable venues. “We plan to operate Gleneagles as a standalone business – alongside the Hoxton – to ensure that its management team can preserve the special appeal of this Scottish landmark.” Ennismore will retain the existing Gleneagles management and workforce, headed by managing director Bernard Murphy, while investing a significant figure across the 850-acre estate comprising three golf courses, the two-Michelin star restaurant Andrew Fairlie, and the rpa by Espa with 18 treatment rooms. Pasricha also pledged to retain the distinctive Gleneagles culture, service and brand established over its 91-year history: “We will be proud guardians of this asset, ensuring that the service-levels and visitor experience for which Gleneagles is renowned are preserved and enhanced in the years to come,” he said. The acquisition of Gleneagles represents a change of direction for Pasricha, who has retained the look of the original Hoxton hotel at new sites, with bare brick walls, tatty leather sofas and Soho House-operated food and beverage outlets throughout. Diageo will continue to have a relationship with Gleneagles, which will see its brands, particularly its Scotch whisky drinks, available at the hotel. Ivan Menezes, chief executive of Diageo said that the company decided to sell the hotel as it was not part of its core business. “Following the success of the Ryder Cup we feel this is an appropriate time to realise value through this transaction. We wish Ennismore and all the staff at the hotel a successful future.” Diageo acquired the property in 1984, three years after it was sold by British Rail to a consortium of British businessmen for £10 million. In the year ended June 30, 2014, Gleneagles achieved a turnover of £43.5 million and an operating profit of £2.6 million. VisitScotland chief executive Malcolm Roughead said: “We are delighted that Ennismore will be the new owners of the Gleneagles Hotel, and look forward to welcoming this new and significant investor to Scotland. “Following the success of the Ryder Cup last year and the G8 summit in 2005, Gleneagles has established itself as one of Scotland’s most iconic resorts, delighting visitors from across the world with its commitment to quality and excellence – something we are sure Ennismore will strive to continue.”
Propelinfonews.com: Bulldog Hotel Group reports 8.9% rise in second quarter: Coaching inn operator Bulldog Hotel Group has reported “strong” quarterly results with a 8.9% rise in like-for-like sales for the three months to the end of June. “We are very happy with trading and we know there is more to come,” said finance director Edward Walsh. “Our core business is definitely continuing to trade better with occupancy and yield up on rooms. Had we had the weather of May and June last year, we are confident the result would have been stronger as our customers continue to flock to our outside areas when weather permits.” Bulldog, led by Kevin Charity and chaired by Ed’s Easy Diner chief executive Andrew Guy, runs eight coaching inns with bedrooms.