Exclusive: Mayors can use tourist tax to ramp up borrowing, Burnham tells business Hospitality Andy Burnham has looked to justify his new uncapped “tourist tax” to business chiefs by claiming it will allow mayors to ramp up borrowing, City AM understands. In various meetings at Labour’s Business Day, top business groups were told by ministers the so-called overnight stay levy will let mayors take on more debt and use [...]
Premier Inn’s German expansion not a mistake, Whitbread tells activist investor Hospitality Premier Inn owner Whitbread has been forced to defend its expansion into Germany after the activist investor seeking to gain a board seat cast significant doubt over the move. The FTSE 100 hospitality giant, which also owned Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, first expanded into Germany in 2014 and now operates 75 Premier Inn hotels in [...]
This New York hotel is the antidote to Manhattan’s chaos Life&Style New York hotel The Langham brings understated luxury and a sense of calm to the city famously designed as a playground There’s nothing subtle about Midtown Manhattan. This is the epicentre of the New York we all know from the movies, even if you’ve never set foot in the US. There are honking cabs, street [...]
Claridge’s swings to £10m loss as luxury hotel warns on ‘adverse impact’ of tax hikes September 11, 2026 Claridge’s has suffered a loss of just under £10m as the iconic London business warned government tax hikes were taking their toll. The five-star Mayfair hotel, which opened its doors in 1898 before expanding via a five storey ‘mega basement’ in 2021, recorded a loss after tax of £9.7m for 2025, reversing a £2m profit [...]
Park Plaza owner ‘not distracted’ after sale talks fail August 27, 2026 Hotel owner PPHE Group has said it is “not distracted from our core focus” after its takeover by a rival hotel operator fell apart, despite the company reporting slowing revenue growth in the last quarter. The FTSE 250 firm’s board had backed a sale to Israeli-based Fattal Hotel Group but opposition from a major shareholder [...]
Holiday Inn owner suffers Middle East slowdown as Iran war hits tourism August 11, 2026 The owner of Holiday Inn has suffered a slump in revenue at its Middle Eastern business as the Iran war knocked the region’s tourist economy. Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) said its revenue per available room in the Middle East slipped by 19 per cent in the three months to June. This followed a two per [...]
Five-star Mayfair hotel hit with HMRC winding-up petition August 11, 2026 A five-star Mayfair hotel has been hit with a winding-up petition by the UK tax authority, just months after the sudden departure of its managing director. The Stafford London, a 107-room luxury hotel, was served the petition by HMRC after a filing was made to the High Court, City AM can reveal. A winding-up petition [...]
Hélène Darroze à la carte is the ultimate lunchtime luxury July 30, 2026 When it comes to fine dining, who says we shouldn’t have a choice, writes Carys Sharkey There is a continual grumble in fine dining, a tedious debate that flares up every now and again when a critic complains about a sore arse from sitting through a tasting menu. I love tasting menus. I should get [...]
Hilton, Butlins left fuming over business rates snub July 24, 2026 Hilton and Butlins have been left fuming after being snubbed by Andy Burnham’s pledge to slash business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues. The two hospitality giants said that hotels and resorts have been unfairly ignored by successive government interventions to cut the business rates bills of hospitality firms. Stephen Cassidy, senior vice president [...]
Francis Hotel Bath: Old-world glamour meets new-school cool July 21, 2026 We braved the heatwave and the crowds to take a long weekend in Bath, a city that’s balances its ancient history with a tourist industry precision-engineered to meet the needs of the modern traveller – not least the newly renovated Francis Hotel Bath. As someone who lived in Scotland for more than a decade, it’s [...]