LONDON - Hilton has given social enterprise Open Kitchens a major boost by opening up enough kitchen space to accept deliveries of up to 10 tonnes of surplus food per week, enabling the initiative to double its output and provide 50,000 more free meals a month to those in need, using produce which would previously have had to be thrown away.
Holidaying on the English Riviera, taking a trip on the Jacobite, soaking in the Stonehenge summer solstice, eating fish & chips at the seafront, exploring the Scottish Highlands and having a picnic on the Yorkshire Dales are just some of the activities to make Britons post lockdown UK bucket list.
General sentiment regarding the impact of COVID-19 in Italy is gradually becoming more positive. In two surveys by GlobalData, one conducted 28 April and the other 3 May, the number of Italians stating that they are 'extremely concerned' about the virus dropped by 14%. However, this positive outlook may change as Italy plans to open its borders for international tourists says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Portugal is planning to offer an 'air bridge' for British tourists to bypass quarantine rules. This concept will be positively received by destinations in Portugal that are highly reliant on UK tourism such as the Algarve. In 2019, the UK was Portugal's second largest source market after Spain, with 2.9 million UK visits.
Following the news that Spain aims to open up to overseas holidaymakers by late June;Ben Cordwell, Travel & Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on the current situation:
The COVID-19 outbreak has caused mass cancellation of corporate events, international congress meetings, sports and social events. International travel bans in addition to the UK's lockdown and social distancing measures are expected to severely impact the hospitality industry in the UK, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
The longer this lasts -- the lockdown specifically, and then the threat of contracting Covid-19 -- the greater the likelihood that there will be more significant changes in behaviour. Certainly in the short term, when the recovery does start, large group and convention business will likely be the slowest to recover, as both travellers' willingness to meet in large groups, and corporates' ability financially to support those events will be compromised.
The Spanish government on Thursday ordered the closure of all the country's hotels and promised to implement special measures in nursing homes after a surge in the country's coronavirus cases and deaths. The government decreed all hotels and other tourist accommodation be shut within seven days to "guarantee the containment of the pandemic," a further hit to the country's already ailing tourism sector.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced a number of measures in his Budget statement which should assist the UK hotel sector in the wake of the coronavirus, which has already precipitated a number of events and overnight stays in hotels to be cancelled or postponed, thereby causing a fall in hotel occupancy.
A novel coronavirus (formally known as 2019-nCoV) has sprung up over the last few weeks, with its epidemic center in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province (China). Little is known about this virus, but we do know that has an incubation period of 2 to 14 days and a mortality rate of 2.07%, according to CNN. While urgent research is being carried out, authorities are taking steps to contain the spread of the virus by closing air traffic from China, cancelling package tours to and from the country and placing people in quarantine. These very necessary measures intended to protect people and lives come, however, at a cost.
There are a significant number of headwinds facing the global economy -- the latest being the Coronavirus/possibility of a global pandemic, and reduced travel levels; and "shaming" from air travel and its environmental impact, to name a few -- that I think will all exert downward pressure on RevPar.
Transaction volume lags RevPAR growth for one, so in the early stages of stagnating or declining RevPAR growth, transaction may very well rise and flatten off at a later stage. Second, after 2018 interest rate increases by the Fed, interest rates have been lowered again in 2019 driving liquidity for asset purchases.
The deed is done. Brexit is begun. The United Kingdom is no longer a member state of the European Union (EU). And how did we recognize this historic moment? With the false chiming of Big Ben. So perhaps I could beg forgiveness and paraphrase a stanza in WH Auden's poem, Funeral Blues.
A nationwide study by Travelodge has revealed that Britons who work away on business have HAPPIER relationships than those who don't.
Britons need to ensure they take extra spends on their summer break this year as two thirds (67%) of holidaymakers will forget to pack two essential items, despite spending nearly a day packing. This absent mindness will result in Britons spending a collective spend of £1 billion on replacing their much needed forgotten items.
Marriott International announced that the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has communicated its intent to issue a fine in the amount of £99,200,396 against the company in relation to the Starwood guest reservation database incident that Marriott announced on November 30, 2018. Marriott has the right to respond before any final determination is made and a fine can be issued by the ICO. The company intends to respond and vigorously defend its position.
SiteMinder, the global hotel industry's leading guest acquisition platform, has partnered with Charme & Caractère Hôtels, a leading network of hotel owners, to elevate the guest experience created by luxury and boutique hotels and lodges across France and more than 80 countries. Under the partnership, member hotels of C&C can connect SiteMinder's distribution technology with their property management system to increase both their visibility among travelers online and understanding of their guests' booking journey.
Succession planning plays an important role for any entrepreneur and has become a central strategic component for company owners and managers. A recent study on Swiss small and mid-sized enterprises (SME) by a large Swiss bank highlights the importance of this topic. According to this study, 3/4 of managers have spent time and effort on succession planning. This is not surprising considering that some 70'000 to 80'000 SMEs will face a generational change in the upcoming years in Switzerland alone. This step is not only important for each individual company, but also for the Swiss economy as a whole as these companies account for about 400'000 employees.
Currently, if you are planning a trip to Russia for either tourism or business the application process is quite long and drawn out. Russia is big on obtaining details before they hand out a visa and as such you will need to complete an in-depth online form, print it, sign it, and present it at the Russian consulate or embassy with your passport and other documents. As you can imagine this take times. The good news is that a Russia Visa online application process is on the horizon.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is close to a deal to buy the B&B Hotels chain from PAI Partners for about 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), people familiar with the matter said. At that price, the Paris-based private equity firm will make a return of three times its initial investment, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are private. Goldman Sachs is doing the deal through its merchant banking division, which includes private equity deals, the people said. No final decisions have been made and PAI may still decide against a deal, they said.
A UK study has revealed today that nine in 10 Brits rely on just one individual to organise their travel and ensure they make the most of their time away. With UK adults feeling obliged to attend 14 events annually - from birthdays and sports matches to hen weekends and family parties - these unsung planning heroes are being kept busy. The research, conducted by award-winning hotel brand and home of Real Travel, Hampton by Hilton, has also revealed that collectively the adult population spends £35.6 million and 2 million days annually travelling to and attending these so-called "obli-cations," outside of their hometowns.