In brief

Roux Scholarship date

There's still time to enter the 2005 Roux Scholarship - one of the most prestigious cooking competitions in the calendar. If you're a British trained chef in full-time employment and aged between 22 and 30 at 1 February 2005, then you can enter the first stages of the competition by submitting a suitable crab recipe. The prize is a three-month stage at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe, but there are also trips to New York, Milan and Champagne. Further information is available on www.rouxscholarship.co.uk. Closing date for entries is 17 January.



Dawnay Shore deal

Dawnay Shore Hotels has bought three four-star properties for £57m to add to its Paramount group. The three former Hanover International hotels are in Hinckley, Leicestershire; Daventry, Northamptonshire; and Basingstoke, Hampshire. All have large banqueting and conference facilities, as well as health and leisure clubs. The deal will take the Paramount chain to 16 outlets and is due to be completed at the end of this month.



Grand acquisition

The Monte Carlo Grand hotel has become the first acquisition of a new, big-spending joint venture that has raised £800m to invest in luxury hotels throughout Europe. The partnership is between Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Inc (25%), Kingdom Hotels International (25%) and the Bank of Scotland (50%). The deal to buy the 619-bedroom landmark property on the Côte d'Azur was advised by CBRE Hotels.



CHE remains optimistic

CHE Group, the European branded hotel operator and franchise business, has announced a positive trading performance in line with the recovery in the UK hotel industry. The group predicts sales up by 6.6%, with year-on-year improvements throughout the UK in occupancy, room rate and revenue per available room. The group, which operates 57 hotels in Europe under the Comfort Inn, Quality Hotel, Clarion Hotel and Sleep Inn brands, plans to expand its budget hotel offering.