Articles by Date : May 01 2006 - May 31 2006

Eating out in the UK is a 'postcode Lottery' when it comes to food safety
Eating out in the UK is a "postcode lottery" because most restaurant hygiene scores are not made public, a consumer group said today. more
(10 May 2006 11:12)

McDonald’s defends end of Disney tie-up on Happy meals
McDonald’s has been forced to defend the dissolving of its 10-year exclusive billion-dollar deal with Walt Disney once again, despite first.... more
(10 May 2006 11:10)

Burger King to raise more than £200m through Stock Market listing
US fast-food giant Burger King is set to raise around $400m (£215m) in a stock market listing on the New York Stock Exchange, which could value the.... more
(10 May 2006 10:59)

Premier Travel Inn and Paramount Restaurants to open Caffé Uno in new London hotel
Budget hotel chain Premier Travel Inn and Paramount Restaurants have teamed up to open a Caffé Uno at a new Premier Travel Inn hotel in London. more
(10 May 2006 10:26)

Europe Group opens Europa Royale Riga hotel... and other European news
Essential news from around Europe, including: Europe Group opens Europa Royale Riga hotel; Estonian Radisson SAS hotel steams ahead; Ex-Soviet Union.... more
(10 May 2006 10:14)

HP Sauce to stop production in the UK
Brown sauce purveyor HP is to cease production in Britain, despite launching a campaign to save the Great British Greasy Spoon from extinction last.... more
(09 May 2006 17:51)

Deadline set for One Devonshire Gardens bids
Property agent Christie + Co has set a deadline of 19 May for bids for Glasgow’s only five-AA-red-star hotel, One Devonshire Gardens. more
(09 May 2006 17:09)

EasyHotel names Splendid Hotel Group as first London franchise
EasyHotel has named the Splendid Hotel Group as its first London franchisee. more
(09 May 2006 12:41)

Jamie Oliver has slated the Government’s efforts to improve the service
Chef Jamie Oliver has slated the Government’s latest efforts to improve school meals. more
(09 May 2006 12:40)

Arabian Hotel Investment Conference
A round up of news from the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai. more
(09 May 2006 11:34)

Hotel group Kempinski launches alcohol-free hotel concept for Middle East
Luxury hotel group Kempinski has launched a new booze-free hotel concept targeting the Middle Eastern market. more
(09 May 2006 11:21)

Property owners in Middle East need to share risk of development with developers
Property owners in the Middle East should share the financial risk of new developments and form partnerships with developers, according to experts. more
(09 May 2006 11:14)

United Arab Emirates and Oman offer investors the best opportunities
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman offer hospitality investors the best opportunities over the next two years, according to a new report. more
(09 May 2006 11:08)

Hotel investors with an eye on the Indian market should get in now
Hotel investors wanting to break into the Indian market should get a partner and get in quick, industry experts said last week. more
(09 May 2006 10:56)

London Marriott Hotel awaits decision on legal action from Tottenham Hotspur
The Marriott hotel in London’s West India Quay is bracing itself for possible legal action following a spate of food poisoning among the Tottenham.... more
(09 May 2006 10:09)

Whiskey’s days as UK’s favourite spirit are numbered
Whiskey’s days as the UK’s favourite spirit are numbered, according to market analyst Datamonitor. more
(09 May 2006 10:09)

Brits want to share their hotel room with Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone
Keira Knightly and Ray Winstone are the sexy stars most Brits would love to share a hotel room with, according to a survey by Travelodge. more
(08 May 2006 17:12)

Jamie Oliver school meals show wins best factual show at Baftas
Celebrity chef and school meals campaigner Jamie Oliver won the best factual series Bafta for his Jamie’s School Dinners programme, at an awards.... more
(08 May 2006 14:50)

Northern Ireland smoking ban champion named new UK tourism minister
Shaun Woodward, who as parliamentary under secretary of state at the Northern Ireland Office led the province towards a smoke-free future, has been.... more
(08 May 2006 13:18)

Cross Oak Inns closer to raising £3.3m expansion fund
Fledgling pub-restaurant group Cross Oak Inns has raised nearly a third of the £3.3m it is seeking to fund its expansion. more
(08 May 2006 12:14)

Tchenguiz shortlisted to buy former Spirit Group 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: £12m refurb planned for Edinburgh’s George hotel; Tchenguiz drops.... more
(08 May 2006 11:18)

Robert Tchenguiz abandons attempt to buy pub group Mitchells & Butlers
Property investor Robert Tchenguiz has thrown in the towel in his high-profile battle to take over managed pub operator Mitchells & Butlers (M&B). more
(08 May 2006 11:17)

Release of the new nutritional standards for school meals delayed
New nutritional standards for school meals will not be released until later this month, owing to the current political situation, according to.... more
(05 May 2006 18:16)

OFT won't refer Punch Taverns to Competition Committee
Punch Taverns has escaped action from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over its takeover of managed pub group Spirit. more
(05 May 2006 18:14)

Hospital caterers put patients first
Better Hospital Food programme now "largely achieved" more
(05 May 2006 17:32)

New chef for Orrery
Allan Pickett, head chef at the Great Eastern hotel's Aurora restaurant, is to replace André Garrett at the Orrery. more
(05 May 2006 17:22)

Brits are booking more holidays than ever
British tourists are booking weekend breaks and short trips in addition to, rather than at the expense of, longer package holidays, according to a.... more
(05 May 2006 14:49)

Food service briefing
A round-up of the latest news from the contract catering industry including: Leith's takes over Beaulieu estate contract; University of Buckingham.... more
(05 May 2006 13:33)

IHG completes sale of 23 hotels
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the legal completion of its sale of 23 properties in Continental Europe. more
(04 May 2006 18:25)

Kent council forced to re-tender school meals contract
Kent county council has been forced to re-tender its school meals contract after a poor response from bidders. more
(04 May 2006 17:59)

Cheshire hoteliers buy historic Welsh hotel
Cheshire hoteliers Tony and Helen Holland are the new owners of the Northrop Hall country house hotel in Flintshire, North East Wales. more
(04 May 2006 17:23)

“Dad’s Army” Suffolk inn changes hands
An historic Suffolk inn that has featured in several episodes of TV comedy series Dad’s Army has changed hands. more
(04 May 2006 17:19)

Torquay hoteliers move to Somerset
Torquay hoteliers Michael Collen and Christian Hutchins have moved to Somerset to run the Old Manor House hotel in the village of Keynsham, half-way.... more
(04 May 2006 17:15)

Blackstone buys Center Parcs' UK property
Acquisitive US investment company the Blackstone Group has agreed an £825m deal to buy Center Parcs UK's property assets. more
(04 May 2006 17:11)

New owners for Solihull country inn
The White Lion inn, which occupies the High Street in the Warwickshire village of Hampton-in-Arden, has passed into new hands. more
(04 May 2006 17:10)

Derbyshire buyers for four-diamond Torquay hotel
First-time buyers David and Pamela Cole from Derbyshire have bought Mount Edgcombe hotel in Torquay from Michael Collen and Christian Hutchins, who.... more
(04 May 2006 17:04)

Dartmouth hotel buys pub next door
The privately-owned Dart Marina hotel in Coombe Road, Dartmouth, has bought the 17th century inn and restaurant next door. more
(04 May 2006 16:38)

Millennium & Copthorne to open five-star hotel in Beijing
Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) has agreed a joint venture with a Chinese real estate company to develop and operate a new £77m, five-star hotel.... more
(04 May 2006 14:52)

Tchenguiz turned down by Mitchells & Butlers
Entrepreneur Robert Tchenguiz has been rebuffed again by pub operator Mitchells & Butlers (M&B). more
(04 May 2006 13:16)

Rentokil Initial sees revenue rise 3.9%
Rentokil Initial has reported an upturn in its catering business for the first quarter of 2006. more
(04 May 2006 12:57)

Revpar soars by 20% in London
London hotels saw revenue per available room (revpar) soar by 20.1% in the week ending 30 April, according to figures from hotel benchmarking service.... more
(04 May 2006 12:34)

British beef ban comes to an end
British beef will be back on European menus after the EU lifted its import ban yesterday. more
(04 May 2006 12:21)

Historic Cotswold hotel with planning consent for sale
A Grade I-listed country house hotel in the Cotswolds with planning permission for expansion has come onto the market. more
(04 May 2006 11:44)

The Bench: London weekly hotel performance to 30 April, 2006
London hotels saw revenue per available room (revpar) soar by 20.1% in the week ending 30 April, according to figures from hotel benchmarking service.... more
(04 May 2006 11:33)

The Bench: London airport hotel performance in April 2006
Airport hotels saw revenue per available room (revpar) fall by 2.8% during the month of April. more
(04 May 2006 11:29)

Compensation claims: Fraud focus
Some claims for compensation are fair; some are not. So it's important know how to defend yourself from unjustified actions from customers - and.... more
(04 May 2006 00:00)

Hospitality and tourism team up to fight bed tax
A group of leading hospitality and tourism players have joined forces to spearhead the campaign against bed tax. more
(04 May 2006 00:00)

Making the most of your main course
The main course is the highlight of a menu, so it's important to get it right. Mains offer the opportunity to use cheaper cuts of meat and to cash in.... more
(04 May 2006 00:00)

Bed tax blues from around the world
Proposals for a UK bed tax have been roundly criticised by the hospitality industry and experiences abroad suggest the objections are justified. Ross.... more
(04 May 2006 00:00)

Use your brains
Out of favour in the UK since the BSE scare of 2000, brains have always been popular in French family kitchens and are a staple on the menu at Henry.... more
(04 May 2006 00:00)