Ailing pub group looking for buyer... For more hospitality stories, see what the weekend papers say

Ailing pub group looking for buyer
Honeycombe Leisure, the pubs operator, said that it would continue to hunt for a buyer after turning in another year of losses. The Preston-based group runs 95 pubs and hotels in the north of England. - The Times, 28 October

Tourism at record level in Ireland
A record number of overseas visitors travelled to Ireland in August. The country hosted more than 928,000 tourists - the highest number to visit here in a single month. New figures also show that the number of tourists coming to the country rose by 11% in the first eight months of the year. – Irish Independent, 28 October

Corfu hotel manager facing manslaughter charge
The manager of the Corfu hotel in which two British children died from carbon monoxide poisoning is among four people facing manslaughter charges. The announcement came as the children’s mother visited the scene, amid calls for British tour operators to do more to prevent a repeat of the incident. - Sunday Herald, 29 October

Row over free ovens to cook school chips
Chip manufacturer McCain has outraged health campaigners by giving free chips and an industrial oven to a Scottish school in a controversial move that could be rolled out across the country. McCain has donated two high-speed ovens worth £12,000, plus £600-worth of oven chips, to Castlehead High School, Paisley. – Scotland on Sunday, 29 October

MTV founder leads bidding for Hard Rock Café
Robert Pittman, the co-founder of MTV, has emerged as a potential buyer of the Hard Rock Café chain, put up for sale by Rank. It is understood that his investment vehicle, Pilot Group, is among a number of suitors for the chain, which could fetch more than £500m. Other interested parties are understood to include Permira and TDR Capital, the private equity groups, and Apollo, the American buyout firm. The next round of bids is due on 6 November. – Sunday Telegraph, 29 October

Jurys may close four-star Dublin hotel
Jurys Doyle Hotel Group is believed to be considering closing its four-star hotel in the Ballsbridge district in Dublin in January, eight months ahead of the date for handing over the property to developer Sean Dunne. The company said no final decision had been made. The neighbouring Berkeley Court, which was also sold to Dunne, will remain open after its four-star neighbour has closed for business. Both properties were due to close by September 2007 after Jurys netted a €206m (£138m) profit from their disposals to Dunne. – Sunday Times (Irish edition only) 29 October

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