A round-up of the weekend's news affecting the hospitality industry...

Wagamama auction takes a new twist
The auction of the Wagamama noodle-bar chain has taken a fresh turn, after indications that the company has quit exclusive talks with a second private equity firm. – The Times, 14 August

New York Plaza sold by Millennium & Copthorne
The Plaza, the plush Fifth Avenue hotel in New York, has been sold for $675m (£396m). The deal, with El Ad Properties, of the US, will reap about £185m for Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, the London-listed company that owns a half share of the hotel in a venture with Prince Alwaleed, the Saudi billionaire. – The Times, 14 August

Britain to compete for inbound Chinese tourism

Britain’s £75b tourism industry will be given a major boost next month when the UK signs an  agreement with China to enable Chinese citizens to travel to this country as tourists. The agreement is to be accompanied by a streamlined visa application system that will allow Britain to compete for a share of the predicted five-fold increase in Chinese outbound travel by 2010. – The Times, 14 August

London aims to rival Edinburgh for New Year party
London is to challenge Edinburgh’s reputation for hosting Britain’s best New Year party, after organisers in the Scottish capital announced a £2.50 fee for street passes for this year’s event. The decision has delighted officials in London, who have pledged their own planned street celebrations will remain free of charge. The Visit London tourism agency aims to attract thousands of party-goers from south-east England who usually travel to Scotland for a New Year party. – The Scotsman, 14 August

Scottish restaurants urged to declare source of salmon
Scottish restaurants are being challenged to reveal whether the salmon they are serving is farmed or wild. The Salmon Farm Protest Group has begun to name restaurants which it claims are keeping customers in the dark. The group lists Glasgow’s Rogano restaurant, Edinburgh’s Balmoral and the Champany Inn in Linlithgow, West Lothian, as offenders. Jeff Bland, executive chef at The Balmoral in Edinburgh, said: "We don’t have salmon on the menu that often at our Number One restaurant. But when we do offer it, it is wild salmon rather than farmed." – Scotland on Sunday, 15 August

VisitScotland launches quality food promotion
The international image of Scottish food is to be given a multi-million-pound makeover by VisitScotland, the national tourism agency. A campaign called EatScotland is to be launched in October highlighting world-class Scottish produce and providing a showcase for the country’s best chefs and restaurants. – Sunday Times (Scottish edition), 15 August

MPW to seek stock market listing for ready meals
Marco Pierre White is on the verge of making his AIM stock- market debut — with the help of Andrew Regan, the entrepreneur best known for his controversial £1.4b bid for the Co-op. Portfolio Products, which is developing a range of celebrity-branded ready meals, will have a range of Marco Pierre White cooking kits — which provide would-be chefs with ready-to-cook ingredients. Portfolio Products is also developing its own seafood range, which will be marketed using the Wheelers restaurant brand name. – Sunday Times, 15 August

Park Plaza hotel brand to expand in Ireland
The Fitzwilliam hotel group, which owns the rights to the Park Plaza franchise in Ireland, is to rebrand the Fitzwilliam International hotel at Belfast airport and the Royal Dublin hotel on O’Connell Street by 2006 in the first phase of an expansion programme that will eventually see 10 properties operating under the new banner. “We believe that there is the capacity for a Park Plaza in every city in Ireland,” said Michael Holland, group chief executive. – Sunday Times (Irish edition), 15 August

Buy this week's Caterer magazine for more industry news and analysis