Today has been another bewildering day for hoteliers. Thanks to Friday's Government announcement, we are clear on what to do with pubs, restaurants, spas and gyms, but less clear on bedroom accommodation. I continue to work alongside UK Hospitality which has strongly discouraged taking any future reservations for leisure purposes in the coming months.
Our Government has asked us to stand by our staff, and whilst I completely agree with the sentiment behind the statement I also completely understand why the hospitality industry has struggled to do exactly that.
At 8pm, the number of people who died from COVID 19 in France was officially 91 and the number of confirmed cases was above 4,500.
Venice is widely known for the crushing crowds of tourists. The seasonal events that take place on this historical city, such as the Venice Architecture Biennale or the Venice Carnival, have placed it to one of the most sought-after destinations. However, its tourism industry has significantly suffered over the past 3 months. The exceptionally high tides, which further resulted in the flooding in November, led to mass reservation cancellations dropping significantly the anticipated average daily rate as well as the occupancy rate on the hotels.
Latest update on Expedia's controversial (and, so far, unilateral) cancellation policies due to coronavirus pandemic. As per today, all bookings for hotels in Italy will be refunded, even the non-refundable ones. A full refund, so far, will only be guaranteed for bookings made before March, the 10th 2020 and with stay date between today and the 3rd of April, 2020.
The Merrion Hotel in Dublin comprises four adjoined-terrace houses originally built around 1760 for wealthy Irish nobility. But nowadays you don't have to be nobility to be a guest here, nor particularly wealthy, as nightly rates range from a few hundred to well over a thousand Euros nightly depending upon room type selected. Regardless of the room selected, you'll be treated to perhaps the finest guest service you can find in Ireland's charming capital.
Off-plan hotel leases are often complex and lengthy contracts to negotiate. The parties involved generally engage in several rounds of negotiations, and both the owner and tenant must bitterly debate the guarantees imposed by the former, whose financial stakes are high.
Is there really such a thing as a perfect event that's held at a hotel? You know, the one that brides dream of or the one that corporate meeting planners hoping to make their mark lust after? For the past few years, I've been following numerous properties on LinkedIn, and standing out from the pack is Forbes five-star, The Lanesborough in London, England, a member of the Oetker Collection.
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.
If you're up for the excursion, Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland is well worth it. Situated near the western coast of the island, the property is about a three-hour drive along the highway from Dublin Airport. My advice is to take the journey through the illustrious countryside to visit this simply spectacular National Geographic Unique Lodge of the World.
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.
HVS identifies five key issues that hotels need to consider moving into the new decade, including the fact that travellers are now expecting a more personal service, the issue of corporate responsibility and the importance of attracting and retaining good staff.
The Sporades are an island complex along the east coast of Central Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea, in the Aegean Sea. They consist of 24 islands, four of which are permanently inhabited, namely Alonnisos, Skiathos, Skopelos and Skyros. Skiathos is the westernmost island in the Sporades group, east of the Pelion peninsula in Magnesia on the mainland, and west of the island of Skopelos.
Those who live there today continue to enjoy lodgings and dining that belong to a centuries-old tradition. It was the beginning of hospitality in Europe. Later, with the development of economic exchanges throughout the old continent, inns and hotels flourished.
The region of the Ionian Islands consists of the islands in the Ionian Sea on the western coast of Greece. Since they have long been subject to influences from Western Europe, the Ionian Islands form a separate historic and cultural unit than that of continental Greece. The region is divided administratively into four prefectures (Corfu, Lefkada, Kefallinia and Zakinthos) and comprises the islands of Kerkira (Corfu), Zakinthos, Cephalonia (Kefallinia), Lefkada, Ithaca (Ithaki), Paxi, and a number of smaller islands. The Ionian Islands are the sunniest part of Greece, but the southerly winds bring abundant rainfall.
It's wild times in the UK. At least that's the perception of this here Yankee. Regardless of politics, ever since Jan. 20, 2017, the U.S. has been on a rambunctious ride of its own, and now, with the appointment of Boris Johnson as UK prime minister on July 24, 2019, the UK has gotten to join in the rollicking fun, as the calendar moves closer to Oct. 31, the day the UK is slated to leave the EU bloc.
Since our previous article in April 2018, the business environment in France has experienced positive change with a decrease in unemployment rate and an increase in purchasing power, following the 'gilets jaunes' disruption. The Economist Intelligence Unit forecasts modest GDP growth to pick up to around 1.5% for the foreseeable future. In terms of tourism, Paris enjoys an exceptionally well-balanced mix of business and leisure demand, which allows the City of Lights to have both a broad seasonality and strong average rate. Paris has remained, alongside London, one of the two most desirable destinations for hotel investment for more than a decade.
Researchers at Ecole hôteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland are developing a forecasting model to predict guest stays at Swiss hotels but how useful will the model be for hoteliers?
My thesis set out to answer these questions, based on a sample of 525 graduating students from four Swiss hotel management schools: EHL, Les Roches, Glion and SHL (Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern). Specific emphasis was placed on the Employer Branding aspects which employers can offer in order to appeal to the young graduates.
Amsterdam is in the province of North Holland, in the heart of the Randstad, Europe's sixth-largest metropolitan area. The city of Amsterdam is the capital and the largest city in the Netherlands, with a population of just over 850,000 recorded in 2018. While Amsterdam is known globally for its historic canals, art museums (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum), red-light district and 'coffee' shops, it is also a significant European financial centre. Approximately 2,000 foreign companies have established offices in the Amsterdam metropolitan area, and more than 200 of these companies have headquarters in the city. The Dutch capital is consistently ranked among the best cities in which to live and has become an increasingly popular gateway destination thanks to its excellent connectivity via Schiphol Airport, the port of Amsterdam and high-speed rail services such as Eurostar.