STR's preliminary September 2020 data for London hotels showed lower occupancy but higher room rates when compared with August. Year-over-year declines remained significant. Comparison with September 2019:
Based in London, Jackie Brown is the new Regional Director for North & West Europe, overseeing a growing portfolio of 120 Wyndham branded properties in the region, with almost 70 hotels in the UK alone. Jackie brings a varied industry experience across sales, revenue management and events, having worked for several independent hotels and major hospitality chains. She recently served as Executive Director for Freeman, a multi-national events business where she was responsible for commercial strategy, exhibition delivery and sales development in EMEA.
The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. (LHW) has appointed Dean Bannon to the position of Managing Director, Europe. Mr. Bannon assumed the position on August 17, 2020 and will be based in London, England.
Aimée Gaudin is a marketing professional based in London, she has worked on marketing campaigns for the likes of adidas, Snapchat, Smartech, Selfridges and many more. Aimee has managed over 500 events globally and is a public speaker having talked previously at Christie's, Leweston School and The Hoxton hotels, and interviewed a number of high profile influencers and speakers. Aimée is passionate about levelling the playing field and helping other women of colour to fulfil their full potential; she is also the co-founder of Become, an initiative supporting young women of colour to kickstart their careers. Aimée Gaudin's appointment to WHTT is further the organisation's mission to increase the success and engagement in the workplace for women and other underrepresented groups, and to enable companies to attract, develop and retain potential diverse talent, nurtured by a powerful community. With international tourist arrivals projected to plunge by 60 to 80 percent in 2020, there are as many 120 million jobs at risks. WHTT mission to enable professional growth for women and underrepresented groups via education, mentorship and career development. WHTT believes that by inspiring communities to enter the industry and organizations to leverage and retain in the sector, will create more diverse and inclusive leadership. Aimée will take WHTT's mission to the next level by taking the accompanying WHTT to it's next stage of becoming a global brand for career pathing.
Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, the leading global boutique luxury brand from IHG® Hotels & Resorts, today opens Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester. It joins Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel in London, Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel in Glasgow, and Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh as the brand's fourth hotel to open in the UK. Kimpton Clocktower Hotel brings the brand's cosmopolitan style, irreverent culture and heartfelt service style to Manchester.
Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest global provider of sales, marketing, and distribution services to independent luxury hotels, has promoted Brenda Collin to Senior Vice President of Europe, effective immediately. In her new role, Collin will oversee a regional team to ensure the success and retention of more than 125 member properties based across an expanded region inclusive of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Nordics, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Eastern Europe, and Turkey.
Infor today announced that the five-star, 108-room Hotel Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, has chosen to implement Infor Hospitality Cloud solutions throughout all operations, including front of house, housekeeping, restaurants and conference bookings. Deployed in the cloud, the deal includes Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS), Infor Sales and Catering, and Infor Table Management.
Kimpton Fitzroy London has opened doors to guests once again after being shut amid the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Located in Bloomsbury, the iconic landmark building features stunning rooms and suites, as well as the magnificent Palm Court available for all-day dining.
Leeu Collection has promoted Jean van der Walt to the role of Area General Manager, United Kingdom, based at the group's Lake District property Linthwaite House. This is in addition to Jean's current role as Head of Brand Marketing for the boutique hotel group.
Lifestyle hospitality brand Locke will open its third London property in bustling Bermondsey this September. Comprising 143 studio apartments, Bermonds Locke will also be home to Robin Gill's newly relocated restaurant The Dairy Bermondsey; third-wave coffee shop and all-day dining destination Shaman; co-working space and wellness studio.
Ex-Firmdale boss Carrie Wicks is to spearhead the launch of a new hotel in London next year, inspired by the birthplace of the British music scene.
WTM London - the event where Ideas Arrive - and Travel Forward - the travel and hospitality technology event co-located with WTM London - will be entirely virtual in November.
Today marks an exciting time in the continued evolution of MMGY Global. We are pleased to announce the merger of leading UK luxury travel and lifestyle PR agencies MMGY Grifco and MMGY Ophir. The agencies, which were both founded by industry leader Claire Griffin, will combine to run as MMGY Grifco in London.
Each week, STR analysts provide a deep-dive into U.K. hotel performance. The most recent video, highlighting performance for the week of 31 August through 6 September, is linked below.Key highlights:
Global PMS platform, RMS Cloud, has announced Zen Valli as the newly appointed Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the UK and EU.Zen brings more than a decade of international hospitality tech experience to RMS Cloud and is an expert in his field, identifying industry challenges and finding solutions for hospitality businesses with innovative PMS technology. He has hands-on experience in operations and revenue management, having worked in esteemed establishments such as Intercontinental Hotels Group and Marriott International.RMS Cloud are keen to accelerate their growth in the UK and European hospitality markets and welcome Zen to the team.As senior VP of Sales and Marketing UK, Zen will focus on helping the hotel, apartment and holiday parks industries in the region grow and thrive, empowering more impactful decisions in an ever-challenging climate.
CapitaLand's wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), has opened Citadines Islington London - the newest addition to its Citadines' Apart'hotel portfolio in Europe. The prime property in the heart of Islington was acquired in April 2016 through Ascott's serviced residence global fund with Qatar Investment Authority.
STR's preliminary data for London hotels showed higher performance from previous months but at levels significantly lower than historical averages. Comparison with August 2019:
Manchester City Centre is to have a new hotel when the Kimpton Clocktower opens its doors next month.
Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square will welcome guests back from September 1, 2020 after temporarily closing its doors. The Hotel will champion the brand-wide Lead With Care program to strengthen its already rigorous health and safety measures to ensure the care, confidence and comfort of guests and staff alike upon their return.
Langham Hospitality Group has named a new managing director for its flagship The Langham, London property, also acting as regional vice president of operations, Europe & Middle East. Doris Greif has been chosen for the role after predecessor Bob van den Oord was elevated to COO of the group.