Mayfair-based The Arts Club plunges to £4m loss after wellness venture sours hospitality One of the swankiest private members clubs in central London has bemoaned a “challenging economic backdrop” after it suffered a loss of nearly £4m. Mayfair-based The Arts Club, which was founded in the 1860s by Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope and has been frequented by the likes of Beyoncé, Jessie J and Pippa Middleton, incurred [...]
How Exclusive Collection’s Danny Pecorelli built the top luxury corporate hotel group in the land Life&Style As managing director of Exclusive Collection, Danny Pecorelli oversees one of the country’s most distinctive luxury hotel groups, with a portfolio that spans country house hotels, a gastro pub, destination spas, Michelin-starred dining, golf, cookery schools and some of the most sought-after corporate meeting spaces in the UK. Born into the business his father founded [...]
Turtle Bay: Founder criticises ‘unhelpful’ Reeves’ tax raid after huge loss hospitality Caribbean restaurant and bar chain Turtle Bay has hit out at the “unhelpful” Labour government whose tax “raid” contributed to it slumping into the red. The Bristol-headquartered business, which was set up in 2010 by Ajith Jaya-Wickrema and Stephen Entwistle, cited Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ increase in employers’ National Insurance as a reason for it falling to [...]
Whitbread offloads £89m worth of Premier Inns to Londonmetric January 13, 2026 Hospitality giant Whitbread has offloaded a number of its Premier Inn hotels to property group Londonmetric for £89m as it looks to boost profits. The group sold nine South Eastern hotels to the group, ranging from Southampton Airport to Warwick, as part of its plan to reuse £250m-£300m of property proceeds for growth opportunities, including [...]
Loungers creates 900 jobs as major expansion plans continue January 12, 2026 Cafe-bar and restaurant chain Loungers created more than 900 jobs in the year it quit the London Stock Exchange’s AIM, it has been revealed. The Bristol-headquartered business delisted in February last year after being acquired by Fortress Investment Group for £338m. The Cosy Club and Brightside owner was founded in 2002 by Alex Reilley, David Reid [...]
The Traitors winner Alan Carr on his new approach to drinking January 5, 2026 On Christmas Eve I was on The Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr and Lee Peart’s new podcast Bottom’s Up!, a hilarious series all about friendship and wine, which, as you are reading this ‘Wine Without the Snobbery’ column, may be right up your decanter. Carr clearly has celebrations in mind. “As I approach a milestone [...]
Andy Murray’s luxury hotel returns to profit after losing over £1m January 5, 2026 The five-star hotel owned by Sir Andy Murray returned to profit during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The firm behind Cromlix Hotel, which is located near the two-time Wimbledon champion’s hometown of Dunblane in Scotland, has posted a profit of £193,379 for the year to 31 March, 2025. The profit has been confirmed [...]
Knight Frank appointed for bumper Brighton Palace Pier sale January 2, 2026 Knight Frank has been instructed on the sale of Brighton Palace Pier, two months after the Grade II-listed landmark’s owners revealed their plans to offload the amusement park amid a barrage of economic headwinds. The Brighton Pier Group appointed the property giant to seek a buyer for the coastal attraction, which its operator said in [...]
Uber prices set to soar as ministers introduce VAT crackdown January 2, 2026 Prices on ride hailing apps like Uber are set to soar, after the government ploughed ahead with a promise to apply VAT to online mini cab companies despite warnings from the industry that the move would worsen the cost of living. From Friday, private hire vehicle operators in London will no longer be able to [...]
Britain lost one pub a day in 2025 December 31, 2025 One pub a day closed its doors in 2025 as businesses were forced to battle mounting cost pressures and an increasingly heavy tax burden. Fresh analysis from global tax firm Ryan showed 366 pubs were demolished or converted for other uses in the last 12 months. Since 2020, nearly 2,000 pubs have closed for good, [...]