Moat House name looks set to disappear
The Moat House Hotels brand, once one of Britain’s biggest hotel chains, looks set to disappear after its parent company signed a franchise deal with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to convert up to 13 of its British hotels to IHG’s Holiday Inn franchise and up to three to its more upmarket Crowne Plaza brand. This will leave it with only five hotels still operating under the Moat House banner. – The Times, 13 August

Another twist in Jurys Doyle sale
Irish property developer Sean Dunne has spent €37m acquiring more than 2.1 million shares in Jurys Doyle, currently the subject of a takeover bid by Precinct. Mr Dunne, who now owns 3.37% of the company, has agreed to buy a prime Ballsbridge site currently home to the Jurys Ballsbridge and Towers hotels for €260m. – Irish Independent, 13 August

Lehman Brothers looking at Jurys Doyle
Derek Quinlan, the Irish property developer, is courting the Doyle family in an attempt to convince the 24.9% shareholders in Jurys Doyle to join him in a bid for the €1.1 b hotel group. It is understood that the investment bank Lehman Brothers is also preparing to enter the battle. – Sunday Times (Irish edition), 14 August

Irish hotel group gets downward valuation
Loss-making Great Southern Hotel Group (GSH) wrote down the value of its Irish properties by more than €9.3m last year after a review by valuers. Asset impairment and trading losses cut the value of the group by 17% to just €52.8m. Owners the Dublin Airport Authority is keen to sell the hotel chain, but the move has met with government opposition. There are nine hotels in the group. – Sunday Times (Irish edition), 14 August

Westminster rejecting new licence bids
Local councils in areas that have become blighted by binge drinking are refusing new licences to pubs, clubs and bars that want to open late in an unforeseen twist to the new drinking laws. Westminster City Council — the biggest licensing authority in the country — said this weekend it would refuse new applications for late-night drinking venues in the West End. Nottingham and Newcastle Councils are also planning tight controls on late-night drinking. – Sunday Times, 14 August

Michelin star chef dies in late night car crash
Police in Northern Ireland were last night trying to determine the cause of the car crash in which celebrity chef Robbie Millar was killed not far from his Michelin-starred restaurant in Co. Down. Mr Millar, 38, who owned and ran the critically-acclaimed Shanks Restaurant with his wife, Shirley, died early yesterday when his Maserati car was involved in an accident just outside Bangor. – Irish Independent, 14 August

BA set to ditch Gate Gourmet as preferred caterer
British Airways is set to ditch Gate Gourmet, the caterer whose dismissal of 660 staff precipitated chaos at Heathrow airport last week, as its exclusive supplier of in-flight food. The annual contract with Gate Gourmet, which is worth £130m per annum, runs out next year. It is understood that the airline is unlikely to renew it in the wake of last week's events. – Sunday Telegraph, 14 August
 
Urbium receives news offer for Tiger Tiger
Urbium, the owner of the Tiger Tiger bar chain, has received an offer of more than £10 per share in a proposed takeover that would value the group at more than £100m. The new all-cash offer is understood to have been made by Electra Partners, a private equity firm, which outbid several other private equity houses. – Sunday Telegraph, 14 August