Greene King fined
Greene King Brewing and Retailing has been fined £2,000, with £1,428 costs, by Taunton Deane Magistrates Court for food hygiene offences at its Hungry Horse Stonegallows pub in Taunton, Somerset.
Environmental health officers found evidence of poor cleaning standards in the kitchens during visits in April 2002 and again in March 2003, despite written warnings and a meeting in November 2001.
Extra charges
US hotels are padding out guests' bills with extra charges in a bid to increase their declining revenues, according to consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Some of the most common charges include early departure fees of about $50 (£31), charges of $15-$20 for using the gym, charges for in-room coffee or tea and daily newspaper delivery, and automatic tips for housekeepers.
The trend has also begun to appear in the UK, where some of London's top hotels have started adding discretionary charges to customers' final bills.
Insignia renamed
Consultancy firm Insignia Hotels has been renamed CB Richard Ellis Hotels, following the acquisition of Insignia Financial Group by CBRE Holdings.
F&B talks at Waldorf
Restaurant Associates, a division of Compass Group, is talking to Le Méridien about taking over the food and beverage operation at London's Waldorf hotel.
The hotel's general manager, Amanda Scott, commented: "We're in the middle of a £22m refurbishment and the future of food and beverage is part of that." The hotel includes a 60-seat brasserie and a restaurant, temporarily housed in the Minstrel Suite, that caters for up to 300 guests.
Last Drop work starts
Work has started on a £2m leisure club and beauty spa at the Macdonald Last Drop Village hotel in Bromley Cross, Manchester. Its leisure centre was destroyed by fire last year.
Bulldozers have begun to clear the remains of the centre so that work can begin. The two-storey club will be open next Easter.