A round-up of news from the Christmas period affecting the hospitality industry...

Sale on the cards for Scotsman group
The Scotsman Hotel Group is to be bought by MBI International, a company controlled by Saudi Arabian tycoon Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber. The hotels are expected to be operated by JJW Hotels & Resorts, a London-based company controlled by MBI. - The Times, 24 December

Enterprise staff in £11m windfall
Staff at Enterprise Inns are celebrating an £11m Christmas windfall after a three-year share option scheme reached maturity. About 180 staff will benefit, making an average profit of about £60,000. - The Times, 26 December

Young's considers outsourcing ales
London brewer and pub operator Young's is considering outsourcing production of its famous ales to a third party. The move is one of a number of options being considered by the family-owned company, which is investigating the development potential of the historic Ram Brewery in Wandsworth. - The Times, 27 December

Ronay warns on gastropub prices
Food critic Egon Ronay has criticised gastropubs for being too expensive. - The Independent, 27 December

Chef Nairn buys pub
Celebrity chef Nick Nairn has reopened a pub to give him somewhere to celebrate Hogmany. He recently bought, with a group of friends, the Lake Hotel near his family home at Port of Menteith, Stirlingshire, and re-established the hotel's public bar. - The Herald, 28 December

Bar owner defends 31-hour "marathon"
A hotel bar owner in Aberdeenshire has defended his decision to open for 31 consecutive hours in what is being advertised as a "New Year marathon". The event at the Cube Bar in Peterhead runs from 6pm on 31 December to 1.30am on 2 January and has been criticised as irresponsible by alcohol awareness groups and politicians. - The Herald, 27 December

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