Following a series of RM & Pricing Seminars held in China, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Africa, Easy (Ez) Revenue Management Solutions, global provider of cutting-edge Solutions & Services for Hospitality Revenue Management, next month hosts the first of its 2009 European Seminar series. The event will take place in London, UK, on 16th October, at the Radisson Edwardian Kenilworth Hotel.
Matthew Dixon is a well regarded international hotelier with a strong 5-Star pedigree developed in Europe and Asia. Originally Savoy trained, Matthew gained a sound knowledge of hotel marketing and operations at group level and at the Claridges Hotel London. In his early career he gained deluxe international experience in various senior executive roles with Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong and Manila. He then spent a successful period with Rocco Forte hotels as general manager of the Hotel de Russie Rome and general manager of the Brown’s Hotel London. Shortly after the opening of the Grove, the UK’s most luxurious hotel leisure and golf complex, Matthew joined the operation as general manager and until recently developed and operated this 5-Star international hotel destination as one of the world’s most unique and inspirational hotel conference and golf centres. Matthew is a graduate of Cornell University, Westminster College London and the University of Pau in France. He is a member of the Institute of Hospitality and speaks Italian, French and Swedish. He will be reporting directly to CHI Hotels&Resorts CEO&Managing Director Tony Potter and will commence his duties on the 21st of September 2009. The Corinthia Hotel in London is scheduled to open late 2010.
The leading British hotel consortium for quality independent hotels has completed the implementation of its new revenue management strategy to ensure rates remain competitive and occupancy is maximised by efficiently managing online travel channels. Classic British, with a portfolio of 3, 4 and 5 star properties across England, Scotland and Wales, installed a tailored version of RTSuite in its properties to help hoteliers meet the group's rate policy.
Based in Wyndham Hotel Group’s London office, Armitstead is tasked with increasing the company’s EMEA portfolio through further expansion of its Wyndham®, Ramada®, Days Inn® and Super 8® brands through management contracts and franchise agreements. Armitstead is an accomplished global executive with over three decades of experience and has executed development deals in more than 50 countries. He previously served as director and head of hospitality, EMEA, for DTZ Hospitality Group, a London-based real estate and investment banking firm. In that role, he was responsible for the growth and development of the company’s hospitality practice and providing development, brokerage and advisement services to high-profile hospitality clients. He has also served in senior level positions with Cushman and Wakefield, Carlson Companies Inc., Conrad International, Copthorne Hotels and Forte PLC.
Forestdale Hotels has installed RateTiger's online channel management products across 13 of its 18 properties as part of its revenue strategy to maintain rate parity across the internet.
Three partners from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Russell Downs, Barry Gilbertson and Mark Shires, have been appointed by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. ("BBVA") as joint fixed charge receivers over the Foster & Partners designed 336-337 Strand, London WC2R 1HB.
Operating since 1991, Think Apartments is focused on delivering value for money accommodation for all lengths of stays in the heart of London. 2009 sees the opening of 3 new developments, with a further 2 planned for 2010. This will bring the group to 1200+ apartments, making it one of the largest serviced apartment providers in the UK.
According to the latest city review by Christie + Co, using data provided by STR Global, RevPAR across London’s Upscale hotels remained flat during 2008 compared to the previous year, due to a 5% increase in ARR, which was offset by a 3.4 percentage points decline in occupancy. Whilst in 2008 the upscale sector maintained rates at the expense of occupancy, STR Global data for 2009 indicates that this year upscale hoteliers are offering better deals to maintain occupancy. This has translated into an ARR decline of 7.4% for the first five months of 2009. Preliminary figures for the month of June suggest that the downturn has continued, with RevPAR down by 9.7% on the previous year.
Park Plaza Hotels believes that sustainable environmental practices reflect the expectations and desires of its guests, employees, stakeholders and partners in business. Throughout its nearly 40 hotels in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, the company is committed to finding and implementing ways to mitigate its environmental impact through its TREE (Total Responsibility for Everyone’s Environment) and SEASON (Save Energy and Switch Off Now) initiatives. These focus on responsible water and energy usage and waste management.
Over 50 percent of marketers look to social media as a key way to build brand awareness, create conversation, and gain consumer insights. The Ritz London, a long-time leader and innovator in guest relations, is stepping into this dynamic terrain of communication and engagement. The legendary luxury hotel has selected TravelCLICK’s new Social Media Optimization (SMO) service to help grow awareness and community, increase web traffic and search rankings, and deliver more connections with guests worldwide.
1,000-room Park Plaza Westminster Bridge to open despite drop in UK tourism and difficulties for hotel companies. It will be London's biggest ever hotel in a generation, boasting 1,021 guest rooms in a dramatic glass-clad heart-shaped building at the southern end of Westminster Bridge. When the £350m project is finished early next year, opening onto a new landscaped and pedestrianised area beside the former Greater London Council's headquarters it will mark the transformation of the polluted roundabout dominated by one of the capital's most unpopular buildings – a concrete GLC "overspill" office which lay empty and vandalised for more than twenty years.
Hotels in both London and the regions have held up exceptionally well in the global economic downturn with revPAR down by only 11.1%. Recent analysis by Deloitte, the business advisory firm, confirms that drops in London’s revenue per available room (revPAR) continue to decelerate. However, hotels throughout regional UK are suffering to a greater degree when examining half-year results from STR Global
As both passenger numbers and flights fall, what is the effect on airport hotels? Data from STR Global, the leading provider of market information to the world’s hotel industry, shows interesting differences in the performance of the hotel markets at London’s two major airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, during recent months.
CNN's Richard Quest gets a rare look at restoration project under way at London's glamorous Savoy hotel.
The hotel industry is without doubt facing its most challenging period of operation for years. However, despite the turmoil in the financial markets, new developments and investment opportunities are abound.
Did you buy tickets or a travel package for Michael Jackson’s comeback concerts starting next month in London? Now comes the news that the superstar died this afternoon after he stopped breathing and was rushed to UCLA Medical Center from his nearby rented home, officials said. In the biggest concert event of the summer — indeed, one of the biggest travel events — Jackson had 18 summer concerts planned in London through August at the O2 Arena, a hugely anticipated series that was expected to resurrect the star’s career. The shows were to begin July 13.
Due to the success of this year’s International Hotel Technology Forum (IHTF) which took place in Dubai in May, a huge number of delegates have already rebooked to confirm their place at IHTF 2010.
The first Holiday Inn Express at London Heathrow Terminal 5, opening in 2011, will be the largest Holiday Inn Express in Europe under a franchise agreement signed today by IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) and Crimson Hotels Group.
Recession resilience as opposed to recession proof is the buzz term at the World Budget and Economy Hotel Congress taking place in London. The general consensus is that whilst increasingly difficult times are ahead, the budget and economy sector is well placed to ride it out and even expand, as long as clever strategies and strong brand awareness are cultivated. Duncan Berry, COO of Choice Hotels Europe, opened the first session called “Tough Times, Unique Opportunities” with an exploration into what opportunities might exist for the budget sector in such a financially stringent period. Berry cited the generation of new types of client as key for the continued growth of the sector.
As one hotelier once put it to me, the hotel business is simply “people serving people”. So the quality and training of staff, particularly at the luxury end, is absolutely critical. Different hotels have subtly different philosophies in how they recruit. Why should you care about this when you choose a hotel? Because attentive and friendly staff are more likely to leave a positive imprint on your memory than any other aspect of your hotel stay. Here’s a capsule summary of the findings from speaking to some of London’s leading hoteliers about staff recruitment: