Marriott to open a further 50 UK hotels… For more hospitality stories, see what the weekend papers say
Marriott to open a further 50 UK hotelsMarriott InternationalThe Times, 13 May
Sandwich chain Benjys sued by former franchisee Pressure was mounting on sandwich chain Benjys after it emerged that one of its former franchisees is suing the company for misrepresentation in the High Court. This comes just a day after it was revealed that the company's accounts for the year to March 2005 showed losses had nearly tripled to £5.09m and debts had mounted. - Daily Telegraph, 13 May
Catering equipment manufacturer rejects hostile takeover
Enodis, the UK kitchen manufacturer with big brands such as Moorwood Vulcan, Frymaster and Garland, has rejected an £800m takeover approach from its smaller American rival Middleby Corporation. The US company said this weekend that a conditional offer to buy London-based Enodis had been rejected. - Sunday Times, 14 May
Ducasse to plan menus out of this world
Alain Ducasse, who boasts more Michelin stars than any other chef, has teamed up with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French National Centre for Space Studies to create gourmet meals, intended to cheer up astronauts on long missions that include planned voyages. - Sunday Telegraph, 14 May
Surprise new bidder for De Vere Delancy, the private property group run by Jamie Ritblat, has emerged as a surprise bidder for De Vere, the hotel group whose properties include Cameron House Hotel on Loch Lomond and The Belfry in Warwickshire. Jamie, son of Sir John Ritblat, the chairman of British Land, is understood to be preparing a bid worth 850p a share for De Vere, valuing the group at more than £710m. - Scotland on Sunday, 14 May
Caterer and Hotelkeeper owners reject takeover bid Anglo-Dutch media group Reed Elsevier, owners of Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine, has rejected an audacious private-equity approach for its business publishing arm from a private equity house Cinven. Analysts value Reed-Elsevier at £2b. - Sunday Times, May 14
Yo! Zone concept for revamped Battersea power station
Yo! brand founder Simon Woodroffe, who is selling his remaining 22% stake in the Yo! Sushi restaurant chain, said he was in "advanced talks" with the redevelopers of Battersea Power Station about opening a spa on its roof called Yo! Zone. - Sunday Telegraph, 14 May
Prue Leith calls for no-choice school dinners
Children should be given no choice when it comes to what they eat in school, Prue Leith will tell an audience of head teachers this week. She thinks school lunches should consist of just one healthy dish and salad. Otherwise children will always choose the unhealthy option. Leith said she visited a school that had gone down the no-choice route and worked. "The children ate because they were hungry and that is all there was." - The Observer, 14 May
Surge in online bookings in Scotland
VisitScotland.com, Scotland's national tourist bookings and information company, has reported a 76% increase in online accommodation bookings for the first four months of 2006 compared with last year. - Sunday Times (Scottish edition), 14 May
