Hilton to introduce new hotel brands into the UK
The Hilton Group is introducing three lower-budget hotel brands into the UK in an attempt to rescue the once prestigious Hilton brand from permanently losing its cachet. A reshuffle of the hotel chain's property portfolio will see the group double the number of UK hotels from 75 to 150 within 10 years. The programme involves the reduction in the number of Hilton hotels as many of them are converted into any one of the three new brands, DoubleTree, Hampton by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn. – Sunday Telegraph, 18 March

London’s Blakes hotel looks to international expansion
The owners of London’s Blakes hotel designer Anouska Hempel and her husband Sir Mark Weinberg are looking for investors to help fund an international expansion of the business. They want to open five new Blakes in other cities, including New York, Paris and Los Angeles. – Sunday Times, 18 March

Mitchells & Butlers facing hostile takeover bid
Robert Tchenguiz, the property tycoon, has made preparations for a hostile bid for Mitchells & Butlers if the pub chain does not bow to his demands to spin off its £5.5b property portfolio. The Iranian tycoon believes he has the backing of more than 40% of M&B's shareholder register. – Sunday Telegraph, 18 March

Rocco sells Cardiff St David’s Hotel to Principal for £32.5m
Rocco Forte Hotels has agreed to sell The St David's Hotel and Spa in Cardiff Bay to Principal Hotels for £32.5m. The landmark waterfront resort will no longer be managed by Rocco Forte or carry its branding, as had been originally planned. – Western Mail, 17 March

Food poisoning alert for school and hospital bought-in sandwiches
Thousands of sandwiches on sale in schools, hospitals and staff restaurants throughout the South of England were at the centre of a food poisoning alert yesterday. The Food Standards Agency issued a warning about the possible threat to human health from sandwiches sold under the Anchor Economy, Anchor Gourmet or Pomegranate labels which may have been contaminated with the listeria bacterium for more than three weeks. Almost 250,000 packs could have been affected. – The Times, 17 March

Scottish hospitality businesses losing confidence in VisitScotland
Scottish tourism businesses are losing confidence in their local VisitScotland representatives, according to the public-private industry group the Scottish Tourism Forum (STF). The STF said businesses were reporting that the relationship with local VisitScotland representatives had "changed from a business to business level to that of being simply sold marketing deals". – The Scotsman, 17 March

Kew Green Hotels looking towards a sale
Kew Green Hotels, which operates such brands as Holiday Inn and Courtyard by Marriott, could soon be put up for sale. A source close to the company said a sale was attractive as the fresh investment would provide a platform for the next stage of growth. – Sunday Times, 18 March

Coffee Republic to go Turkish
Coffee Republic said it had signed a franchise agreement that will see the brand launched in Turkey in July. – The Times, 17 March

Aga Foodservice hint at wind turbine ovens
Aga Foodservice Equipment said it would continue to look for deals in the catering sector after announcing its annual results yesterday, despite having failed to land rival catering equipment company Enodis with a £1.3b merger approach last November. As part of a green blitz by the company, Aga also hopes to develop an oven that can be powered by a wind turbine. – The Times, 17 March

By Bob Gledhill

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