News Summary
News Summary
H
LL Humberts Leisure
News summary:
27/11/09
Confidence returns to the hotel market
Despite a terrible year for hoteliers, there is now room for cautious optimism, delegates were told at the 2009 Annual Hotel Conference, hosted in Manchester by law firm Halliwells. Keynote speaker Surinder Arora, chairman of Arora Hotels, agreed that the hotel climate was improving and added that he was relieved that the "good old days" of excessive lending were now over. Good news was also reported to delegates on how hotels had capitalised on the growth in domestic tourism. Managing director of Visit Manchester, Paul Simpson, said that the staycation had provided a good opportunity for the industry to showcase its properties to a new audience over the next couple of years. "The challenge for hoteliers is to seek new routes to their markets, either by using their tourist boards, maximizing local events, or through websites", Simpson said. The hotel property market is also showing signs of recovery, according to Chris Moore, head of hotels at agent Colliers Robert Barry." We’ve finally got some good news, with demand being focused on prime property" he said. Looking towards the next three months, 61% of the 107 UK chain hotel general managers surveyed by TRI Hospitality Consulting said they were either optimistic or very optimistic about their hotel’s trading performance.
Source: Caterer and Hotelkeeper, 20 November 2009
New ibis hotels open in Northern Ireland
Two new ibis properties have been unveiled in Belfast, Northern Ireland, after Accor – the company which owns the brand – secured a franchise agreement with hotel group Andras House. The ibis Belfast City Centre and ibis Queens Quarter hotels – the first to launch under the ibis brand in Northern Ireland – are the result of a £12m investment by Accor and increases its UK portfolio of ibis properties to 54. ibis Belfast City Centre, which is situated on Castle Street near the city’s main shopping district and the Titanic Quarter, boasts 124 bedrooms, a café and a bar, while ibis Queens Quarter – near Queen’s University – has 50 bedrooms.
Source: Leisure Opportunities, 23 November 2009
Blackpool proposals put on public display
Local residents and businesses in Blackpool have been invited to comment on the multi-million pound Talbot Gateway scheme after plans were put on public display. Muse Developments, the developer behind £220m regeneration plans, signed a deal with Blackpool Council in March to transform the 10-hectare (24.7-acre) site around the town’s North railway station and Talbot Road. New hotels, cafes, restaurants and shops have been earmarked for the site in order to complement a major new office and business space development, as well as a new pedestrianised square and a supermarket.
Source: Leisure Opportunities, 23 November 2009
Recession’s effect on tourism "worse than expected"
The annual Global Trends Report (GTR) for tourism shows that the international tourism industry has been hit hard by the recession. The report, published yesterday (9 November) at the World Travel Market in London, UK, shows that the industry has performed far worse during the past 12 months than initially expected. Global arrivals are now anticipated to decline by 8 per cent during 2009 from already low levels in 2008, while hotels will finish the year 16 per cent short of the occupation levels seen the year before. Overall air sales globally are down 14 per cent from 2008 levels, building further pressure on an already troubled industry. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that overall losses suffered by airlines will exceed US$11bn during 2009.
Source: Leisure Opportunities, 11/11/09
Donington operator enters administration
Donington Ventures Leisure Limited (DVLL), the operator and leaseholder of Donington Park motor racing venue near Kegworth, Leicestershire, has gone into administration. The circuit was recently stripped of the right to stage the British Formula One Grand Prix in 2010 after the company failed in a bid to raise £135m to fund a major revamp in preparation for the event. Construction work has already started on the scheme, which is set to include rebuilding the paddock and pit complex to allow for a three-mile extension of the race track, designed by Formula One circuit architect, Hermann Tilke.
Source: Leisure Opportunities, 19/11/09
£400m Lord’s proposals unveiled
Plans have been unveiled for a major £400m redevelopment of Lord’s cricket ground in St John’s Wood, London, which are designed to reaffirm the venue’s reputation as the home of cricket. The development proposals have been drawn up by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron – the firm behind the Beijing National Stadium, China, which was used for the 2008 Olympic Games. According to The Times newspaper, the vision of Lord’s project will see the venue’s seating capacity increase from 24,493 to 36,990, as well as a new underground facility to house a new cricket academy boasting 16 long lanes and ten pitches to simulate overseas playing conditions. The proposed underground part of the scheme would also feature permanent food and drink outlets, a sports injury clinic, a gym, a swimming pool, squash courts and a spa, while access will be provided from a museum located on St John’s Wood Road to house a theatre and a cinema.
Source:
Leisure Opportunities, 19/11/09
£3.7m to safeguard historic Margate coaster
The future of one of Britain’s oldest surviving rollercoaster, a scenic railway ride in Margate, Kent, has been safeguarded after the Dreamland Trust was handed a £3.7m grant. Funding has been made available for the preservation of the Grade II-listed ride by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of the Sea Change scheme, which aims to invigorate English seaside towns. The grant will be used to restore the rollercoaster, which was built in 1920, as well as helping to fund the creation of the world’s first amusement park exclusively comprising historic rides. Plans for the £12m attraction have been drawn up by the Dreamland Trust, which will include the restoration of the Grade II*-listed Dreamland Cinema and the installation of an exhibition space to outline the project.
Source:
Leisure Opportunities, 19/11/09
Travelodge announces 10 new hotels
Budget hotel chain Travelodge has announced it has completed the exchange of 10 new hotels across the UK in a £47m deal, which will add a further 857 rooms to its estate. The company, which is owned by Dubai International Capital, is set to open new properties in Ipswich, Suffolk; Llanelli; South Wales and Manchester Piccadilly, as well as Newbury and two Edinburgh sites. Travelodge will also open its first hotels in High Wycombe; London Ealing; Newcastle-under-Lyme and Wadebridge, Cornwall; as part of the deal.
Source:
Leisure Opportunities, 19/11/09
Devon attraction wins planning battle
Crealy Great Adventure Park, near Exeter, Devon, has won its bid to prevent the local authority taking enforcement action against it in a planning row over the construction of two rides. The park has successfully appealed against an East Devon District Council (EDDC) decision to refuse Lawful Development Certificates for a rollercoaster and a swinging pirate ship ride, constructed in 2000 and 2002 respectively. RPS Planning and Development, which appealed the refusals on the park’s behalf, argued the council could not take enforcement action against the rides as they are operational developments and have been in place for four years. The council, which had previously advised the park that no planning consent was required to build the rides, refused the applications on the grounds that the rides were just a use of land and had not operated for 10 years.
Source:
Leisure Opportunities, 19/11/09