Articles by Date : May 01 2006 - May 31 2006

Henry J Beans buy helps The Food and Drink Group to bumper first half
The Food and Drink Group has seen its turnover leap in the first six months of the year thanks to the purchase of the Henry J Beans restaurant chain.... more
(31 May 2006 17:34)

English smoking ban set for June 2007?
Hospitality businesses in England could be operating under a smoking ban from June 2007. more
(31 May 2006 16:06)

Knightsbridge hotel to be first boutique chain
The Franklin hotel in Knightsbridge, London is set to become the first in a small chain of boutique hotels across Europe planned by its new owner in.... more
(31 May 2006 15:24)

Caffè Nero continues positive sales growth
Caffè Nero proved it still hasn’t run out of steam by publishing its 36th consecutive quarter of positive like-for-like sales growth today. more
(31 May 2006 14:12)

London & Edinburgh Swallow Group adds to portfolio
The rapidly-expanding London & Edinburgh Swallow Group has acquired another property north of the border. more
(30 May 2006 17:41)

Radisson Edwardian to open new hotel in Coventry’s Belgrade Plaza
Coventry is to get its first luxury hotel after a deal between Radisson Edwardian and developer Oakmoor Deeley. more
(30 May 2006 17:22)

US hotel industry has its best year so far
The US hotel industry had its best year in 2005, generating almost $123b (£65.3b) in revenues and $22.6b (£12b) in profits. more
(30 May 2006 17:07)

HCIMA adds to its energy efficiency advisory documents
The Hotel and Catering International Management Association (HCIMA) has added three new Hospitable Climate fact files to its portfolio of.... more
(30 May 2006 17:06)

TRI HotStats - monthly European hotel figures
London hotels proved the most profitable in Europe in the three months to March 2006, according to the latest Europe HotStats survey. more
(30 May 2006 16:32)

Cumbrian hotel offers haven for World Cup ''football widows''
A hotel in the Lake District has banned any mention of football during the World Cup in an attempt to drum up business from “football widows”. more
(30 May 2006 15:53)

Nottinghamshire Young Chef of the Year named
Lewis Beddington has been named Nottinghamshire Young Chef of the Year. more
(30 May 2006 10:43)

Wolverhampton and Dudley eye up former Spirit pubs... For more hospitality stories see what the weekend papers say
A round-up of the weekend's news affecting the hospitality industry. News includes: Pub chain removing Sky over cost of football matches; Leeds.... more
(30 May 2006 10:26)

good week/bad week
Baden-Baden England's WAGs (wives and girlfriends) boost local economy during World Cup and run up £30,000 bar bill. Olives Britain's first.... more
(29 May 2006 00:00)

Moto manager named energy-saving champion
Area general manager for Moto, Rob Bracken has been named the 2006 Hospitable Climates Champion of the Year by the Hotel and Catering International.... more
(26 May 2006 17:37)

Eastern Europe’s hotel industry attracts investors
Growing interest in Eastern Europe as a tourist destination has dramatically boosted the hotel investment market in the region, according to property.... more
(26 May 2006 17:20)

Scottish Executive declines to advise on smoking shelters
The Scottish Executive is avoiding involvement in any decisions over planning regulations for outside structures to accommodate smokers, despite.... more
(26 May 2006 16:40)

Orient-Express Hotels to buy Thai hotel for $25m
Orient-Express Hotels is to purchase a 100% interest in a luxury hotel and villa complex in Thailand’s Koh Samui. more
(26 May 2006 16:20)

UK hostels win top environmental award
Two UK hostels are the first businesses in the UK to be awarded a top European environmental accolade. more
(26 May 2006 15:05)

Internet bookings continue to grow for hotels
Worldwide electronic hotel revenue continued to grow in the first quarter of 2006, according to research from TravelClick, with the travel agent.... more
(26 May 2006 14:41)

FishWorks set to open 12th site
FishWorks signed contacts on its 12th acquisition on 25 May, just days after buying restaurant number 11. more
(26 May 2006 12:07)

Expansion is key to success for Wolverhampton & Dudley
Weaker consumer confidence, higher energy and employment costs and the risks presented by the impending smoking ban have not impeded growth in any of.... more
(26 May 2006 11:51)

Executive salaries soar in hospitality
Executive pay in the hospitality and leisure sector has rocketed over the past five years, outstripping average company profit growth and ordinary.... more
(25 May 2006 16:58)

Celebrity hang-out Rogano restaurant in Glasgow up for sale
Spirit Group, the food-led managed pub operator, has put the world-famous Rogano seafood restaurant in Glasgow on the market for more than £5.95m. more
(25 May 2006 15:46)

Tronc rules leave NI loophole
Employers can now avoid paying national insurance (NI) altogether by paying staff wages wholly out of tips, according to HM Revenue & Customs' latest.... more
(25 May 2006 14:14)

Mitchells & Butlers continues growth thanks to strong demand for eating out from consumers
Buoyant demand for eating out from UK consumers has helped pub operator Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) record continued growth in the first half of the.... more
(25 May 2006 14:14)

Five new outlets for Dim T chain
Pan-Asian dim sum restaurant chain Dim T is set to open up to five more restaurants this year, Caterer has learnt. more
(25 May 2006 12:27)

Caterers need more cash for new school meals standards
Caterers this week branded new Government nutritional standards for schools meals "unachievable" without more cash. more
(25 May 2006 12:27)

Acorn International group sold... and other International hotel news
Essential news from around the world, including: UAE capital to gain another hotel; Middle East hotels see massive boost in sales; Pillow mints to be.... more
(25 May 2006 11:48)

Spanish resort operator buys Hustyns in Cornwall for £10.5m
One of Europe’s leading resort developers and operators has snapped up the Hustyns hotel and holiday cottage resort in North Cornwall for £10.5m.... more
(25 May 2006 10:12)

New owner for Yorkshire village inn
Robert Gilpin is the new owner of North Yorkshire’s Hare and Hounds village inn. more
(25 May 2006 10:10)

Twickenham buyer for Highland leisure park
The Loch Tay Highland Lodges and Equestrian Centre in Perthshire has been sold off an asking price of £2.75m to Rupert Barratt from Twickenham. more
(25 May 2006 10:09)

West Somerton’s Lion changes hands
First-time pub buyers Tony and Tracey Wilkins have bought the Lion freehouse in the village of West Somerton in Norfolk. more
(25 May 2006 10:08)

Leading hotel in Poldark country is sold
James and Sara Evans have snapped up a leading three-star hotel in North Cornwall’s Poldark country, so-called after the novels of Winston Graham.... more
(25 May 2006 10:06)

Cheltenham Chinese restaurateur buys Cirencester brasserie
Chun Kong, owner of the Cantonese Mayflower restaurant in Cheltenham, plans to replicate its format in Cirencester on the site of the former Polo.... more
(25 May 2006 10:04)

Thorton Heath hotel sold after 20 years in same hands
The Beulah House hotel in a residential area of Thornton Heath in Surrey has been sold after 20 years under the same ownership. more
(25 May 2006 10:03)

Local pub managers buy Catworth’s Racehorse inn
Pub managers Chris and Shirley Cooke have bought the Racehorse country inn and restaurant in the Cambridgeshire village of Catworth. more
(25 May 2006 09:58)

Lake District religious retreat up for sale
The Lattendales residential centre for wellbeing offers a rare opportunity to develop a country hotel in the highly-desirable Lake District area of.... more
(25 May 2006 09:55)

The Bench: London weekly hotel performance to 21 May, 2006
London hotels boosted revenue per available room (revpar) by 16.9% in the week ending 21 May, according to figures from hotel benchmarking service.... more
(25 May 2006 09:53)

The Bench: Scottish hotel performance in April 2006
Scottish hotels increased revenue per available room (revpar) by 10.8% during the month of April. more
(25 May 2006 09:52)

Prime movers: Biodynamic rearing methods
Ian and Denise Bell claim the animals reared by biodynamic methods on their Shedbush Farm in Dorset have an enjoyable life, which is reflected in .... more
(25 May 2006 00:00)

VAT and zero rating
In law there's a fine line between catering and simply supplying food, but there's a big difference in the tax bill. VAT expert Adrian Houstoun.... more
(25 May 2006 00:00)

How to market a new restaurant
Whatever your location, intelligent and cost-effective marketing is a must when starting out. Emma Allen looks at two new restaurant openings - in.... more
(25 May 2006 00:00)

TV ad to boost school dinners
The Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA) plans to spend a reported £120,000 on a TV ad campaign in a bid to combat falling enthusiasm for.... more
(25 May 2006 00:00)

The celebrity hoteliers
They can afford to stay in some of the world's finest hotels, but what happens when celebrities decide to launch their own - and what can it do for.... more
(25 May 2006 00:00)

Club Hotel & Spa: When Huggler met Hutson
Lawrence Huggler got to meet his hero when Caterer flew hotelier Robin Hutson out to the owner's Club Hotel & Spa. Dan Bignold reports more
(25 May 2006 00:00)

Where next for hospital food as BHF is scrapped?
Now that the curtain has come down on the Better Hospital Food programme, Andy Williamson looks at what went wrong and what happens now more
(25 May 2006 00:00)

Table Talk
Gallic love god Jean-Christophe Novelli has been at it again (perhaps). Responding to a recent call from Caterer about the unfolding Winner-gate.... more
(25 May 2006 00:00)

Tim Davis: Hilton's IT man on making a success of selling hotel rooms online
Tim Davis, who is responsible for Hilton Hotel Corporation's technology and commercial development outside the USA, tells Ross Bentley how to steal .... more
(25 May 2006 00:00)

Galvin at Windows, London
Set on the 28th floor of the Hilton Park Lane, this iconic restaurant and bar has undergone a major transformation under the guidance of chef Chris.... more
(25 May 2006 00:00)

Caterer loves... Chelsea Flower Show
With all eyes on London's Chelsea for the annual flower show this week, local restaurants are going all-out to get customers' stomachs there, too..... more
(25 May 2006 00:00)