Articles by Date : November 01 2005 - November 30 2005

Compass contract leaves question mark over transparency
Compass Group's contractual arrangements with its suppliers have been called into question after Caterer obtained a letter it sent to a cleaning.... more
(16 November 2005 16:57)

Government gets tough on antisocial drinking
The era of the drunken yob and the rogue licensee is coming to an end, according to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell. more
(16 November 2005 16:32)

Tourism Society honours Olympic team
After successfully bringing the 2012 Olympics to London, the organisation behind the bid was yesterday honoured by the Tourism Society. more
(16 November 2005 14:36)

Licensing reform passes final hurdle
A last-ditch attempt by opposition MPs to delay the start of the new licensing regime in England and Wales has been defeated in the House of Commons. more
(16 November 2005 14:01)

Industry charged with boosting turnover in run-up to Olympics
Prime Minister Tony Blair has called on the hospitality and tourism industries to seize the opportunity of the London Olympics in 2012 to boost.... more
(16 November 2005 13:37)

BHA launches AirMiles scheme for members
The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has announced an AirMiles loyalty scheme for its 40,000 members. more
(16 November 2005 13:27)

M&S eyes move into event catering
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced a plan to move into the event catering market. more
(16 November 2005 13:18)

Nando's wins training award
Nando’s, the 110-strong chain of chicken restaurants, has scooped two accolades in the National Training Awards programme for the second year in a.... more
(15 November 2005 16:56)

Visit Britain picks up trio of awards
London is the world’s leading tourist destination – and has the world’s best tourism agency behind it, according to 200,000 industry professionals. more
(15 November 2005 16:39)

Hilton denies Michels departure rumours
Hilton has denied speculation its UK chief executive David Michels is set to leave the company. more
(15 November 2005 16:23)

Luminar remains optimistic despite no offers for entertainment division
Bar, restaurant and nightclub operator Luminar still has high hopes for its struggling entertainment division, despite an apparent absence of any.... more
(15 November 2005 16:08)

London restaurateur donates truffle to BBC's Children in Need
London restaurateur Claudio Pulze has donated his truffle from last weekend’s international charity auction to UK charity Children in Need as part of.... more
(15 November 2005 16:07)

Condé Nast honours UK and Ireland's top hotels
Eighteen of the UK and Ireland’s top hotels were honoured in Condé Nast Johansens Annual Awards for Excellence ceremony, held in London yesterday. more
(15 November 2005 14:53)

Crowne Plaza Dublin to add Holiday Inn
The owners of Dublin airport’s Crowne Plaza hotel have announced plans for a second €30m (£20.2m) hotel and conference centre. more
(15 November 2005 12:21)

Host Marriott to buy 38 Starwood Hotels for £2.3b
US real estate company Host Marriott has agreed to buy 38 luxury and upscale hotels from Starwood Hotels and Resorts for around $4.04b (£2.3b). more
(15 November 2005 11:39)

Carluccio's follows Gondola on ride to stockmarket
The restaurant industry is being swept by listing fever, it seems. After Gondola Holdings, the owner of the Pizza Express and Ask brands, listed on.... more
(15 November 2005 00:00)

Knockout profit at Punch boosts its bid desire
Bumper profits announced at Punch Taverns are set to embolden the pub chain to make a solo-bid for its rival pub group Spirit. It had planned to.... more
(15 November 2005 00:00)

Truffle charity auction scores big
An international truffle auction held in London on Sunday (13 November) has raised a record breaking £123,107 for charity. more
(14 November 2005 11:29)

InterContinental and Whitbread plan Britvic flotation
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Whitbread and Pernod Ricard plan to float soft drink supplier Britvic on the London stock market before.... more
(14 November 2005 11:12)

All-in breakfasts will bring business
Mintel research shows that inclusive breakfasts can help attract business but budget operators disagree more
(14 November 2005 10:49)

What the weekend papers say
Michels set to quit Hilton Group; Ritz now worth £175m; M&S to go into contract catering?; Fearsome TV chefs scaring away potential students;.... more
(14 November 2005 10:49)

Cornish hotel for sale in Doc Martin fishing village
The Bay hotel is a character property in the ancient Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac where the TV series Doc Martin (starring Martin Clunes) is.... more
(14 November 2005 00:00)

Brighton sea-front hotel sells for in excess of £4.7m
The four-star Belgrave hotel on the Brighton sea front has been sold for more than £4.7m through property agent Colliers Robert Barry. more
(14 November 2005 00:00)

Cumbrian couple buy historic inn on the Isle of Mull
The Bellachroy hotel, an historic drovers inn on the Isle of Mull, has changed hands for more than £445,000. more
(14 November 2005 00:00)

Redruth’s Italian Canteen goes oriental under new owner
The Italian Canteen in Redruth, West Cornwall is turning oriental under new owner Mr Cao, a restaurateur from Penzance. more
(14 November 2005 00:00)

Black Cat Taverns laps up Yorkshire’s Blacksmith’s Inn
The Blacksmith’s Inn, a popular dining venue in the North Yorkshire village of Westow, has been sold to new company Black Cat Taverns. more
(14 November 2005 00:00)

Bluebell pub changes hand in affluent Henley-in-Arden
The Birmingham office of Fleurets has sold the lease to the free-of-tie Bluebell pub in the affluent town of Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire. more
(14 November 2005 00:00)

London restaurateurs buy Solihull’s Beau Thai
Richard and Sudjai Jones, who ran a café in West London, have bought the Beau Thai restaurant in Solihull, West Midlands. more
(14 November 2005 00:00)

Mystery buyer eyes up Honeycombe
Preston-based pub and hotel operator Honeycombe Leisure is in talks with a potential buyer. more
(11 November 2005 17:49)

Heron International buys property from Club Méditerranée
Property and leisure group Heron International has bought four hotels from French-based holiday village operator Club Méditerranée for more than.... more
(11 November 2005 16:54)

Washington state to outlaw smoking in bars
Washington is set to become the ninth US state to ban smoking in bars from next month. more
(11 November 2005 16:30)

Phonographic Performance reduces tariff for smaller premises
Small restaurants, bars and hotels that play radios and TVs for their guests will pay a discounted rate from next year. more
(11 November 2005 16:29)

New York's St Regis hotel ranked best in the world
New York’s St Regis hotel has been ranked the best in the world by US financial magazine Institutional Investor. more
(11 November 2005 11:22)

Restaurants at Work takeover
Independent contract caterer Restaurants at Work has been taken over by a six-strong consortium. more
(11 November 2005 10:22)

Sean Dunne to sell stake in Jurys Doyle
Irish property developer Sean Dunne has agreed to sell his 28% stake in Jurys Doyle hotel group to the Doyle-family consortium JDH Acquisitions for.... more
(11 November 2005 10:22)

Big ideas for Little Chef
Roadside restaurant chain Little Chef is under new management. Nic Paton finds out whether Britian's most renowned motorway brand can reinvent itself more
(11 November 2005 10:16)

Donna Franklin, Andrew Lipscombe, Initial Catering Services
Initial Catering Services has made two appointments. Donna Franklin has joined from the Brookwood Partnership, where she was operations and food.... more
(11 November 2005 00:00)

Friday Wrap: 11 November 2005
The Scottish B&B owner who last year famously refused a room to a gay couple and branded them “unnatural, sexual deviants” is fuming after the.... more
(11 November 2005 00:00)

The Bench: South-western hotel performance in October 2005
Hotels in the South West of England saw revenue per available room (revpar) rise marginally by 0.1% during the month of October. more
(10 November 2005 17:48)

The Bench: London weekly hotel performance to 6 November, 2005
London hotels boosted revenue per available room (revpar) by 9.6% during the first week to 6 November, according to figures from hotel benchmarking.... more
(10 November 2005 17:33)

Win tickets for the HCIMA President's Ball
CatererSearch has teamed up with the HCIMA to give you the chance to win a pair of tickets and join us at the HCIMA President's Ball at the Sheraton.... more
(10 November 2005 17:32)

Atlantic Bar to reopen for Christmas parties
Simon Wright may relaunch the restaurant and bar under a new name in January if the lease is extended more
(10 November 2005 15:41)

British cow beef back on the menu
British cow beef has been allowed back on to menus after a nine-year absence. more
(10 November 2005 15:25)

Hoteliers and B&B owners can no longer bar gay customers
Hoteliers, Bed and Breakfast (B&B) owners and pub landlords will no longer be able to bar gay customers from their premises under laws approved by.... more
(10 November 2005 15:11)

Al Qaeda claims Amman hotel bombings
Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the bombing of three hotels in Jordan’s capital Amman, which has killed at least 57 people. more
(10 November 2005 13:50)

London restaurant to host International Truffle auction
A London restaurant will this weekend host an international truffle auction to raise money for charity. more
(10 November 2005 13:49)

Oliver turns in a £7m profit for 2004
Jamie Oliver's empire of cookery programmes, best-selling books and advertising deals has made him one of the UK's most successful entrepreneurs. more
(10 November 2005 11:38)

Scottish Executive releases smoking ban guidelines
The Scottish Executive has launched detailed guidance on the country’s forthcoming smoking ban. more
(10 November 2005 11:38)

We must restore confidence in school meals
School caterers feel they have received a major kick in the teeth, says Kevin McKay, national chairman of the Local Authority Caterers Association more
(10 November 2005 11:26)

New drinking laws give pubs a licence to serve breakfast
Operators favour early opening instead of all-night extensions more
(10 November 2005 11:08)