Essential news from around the world...
Milestone opening for TGI Friday's
TGI Friday's has opened its 200th international restaurant, in the city of Ulsan, South Korea. It is the 23rd TGI Friday's in the country and is operated by exclusive franchisee FoodStar Inc. There are now more than 715 TGI Friday's restaurants in 56 countries.
SAS invades Ireland
Rezidor SAS Hospitality has signed agreements for the development of two hotels in Ireland. The 116-bedroom Radisson SAS hotel in Athlone and the 132-bedroom Radisson SAS hotel in Sligo are both scheduled for completion in spring 2004.
Smoking ban "had no effect on sales"
The ban on smoking in bars and restaurants in the city of Ottawa, Canada, has had no impact on food and drink sales, according to a study by the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. The no-smoking bylaw came into force in August 2001.
Starbucks to open in darkest Peru
Coffee bar chain Starbucks has signed a licensing agreement with restaurant developer and operator Lasino to open Starbucks stores throughout Peru. The first store is set to open in Lima during the second half of this year.
Starwood completes Sardinia sale
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has completed the sale of its four hotels and a 51% stake in its undeveloped land assets at Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, Italy. The buyer is Los Angeles-based investment firm Colony Capital, which paid €290m (£200m).
Radisson in Pole position
Radisson SAS has opened a new hotel in Krakow, Poland. The 196-bedroom property is Radisson's fourth hotel in the country. It has two further projects under construction in Lublin and Katowice.
NH to launch restaurant brand
Spanish hotel company NH Hoteles has selected 26 hotels across Europe to take its new "nhube" restaurant brand. This follows three months' operation of the first "nhube" at the NH Balboa in Madrid, where the company claims restaurant sales were boosted by more than 20% year-on-year.
Mövenpick goes to Disneyland
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has signed a contract to manage the 400-bedroom Dream Castle Hotel being built at Disneyland Resort Paris and set to open in June 2004. It will target mainly German-speaking guests.
Viva Las Vegas!
A Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino is to open in Las Vegas after winning the race to buy the bankrupt Aladdin Resort and Casino. The $635m (£382m) purchase of the 2,567-bedroom hotel and 1114,000sq ft casino is a joint venture between Planet Hollywood and Starwood Hotels & Resorts.