Sir Devonshire Square: A new hotel embodying the City’s spirit Destination City Sir Devonshire Square: A new hotel embodying the City’s spirit Devonshire Square sits at the meeting point of Shoreditch’s creative energy and the City’s commercial core. Just two minutes from Liverpool Street station, Britain’s busiest by footfall, it offers a unique blend of history and modern vibrancy. Its restaurants and bars, including Cinnamon Kitchen, KöD [...]
Budget: ‘Tax on holidays’ slammed by Butlin’s boss hospitality The chief executive of Butlin’s has slammed Rachel Reeves for introducing a ‘tax on holidays’ in her Budget today. Jon Hendry Pickup has argued that “hospitality businesses like Butlin’s remain caught in the crossfire of the Chancellor’s tax and spend ideology”. The chief executive was reacting to the ‘tourism tax’ which has been welcomed by [...]
New Bond Street crowned most expensive retail destination in the world Retail London’s New Bond Street has been crowned the world’s most expensive retail destination for the first time as investor confidence returns to high-end retail. Rents on New Bond Street have risen 22 per cent in the past year, helping it to leapfrog over Milan’s Via Montenapoleone and New York’s iconic Upper Fifth Avenue. Duncan Gillard, head of central London Retail at Cushman & Wakefield, [...]
Brighton Pier up for sale as Reeves’ tax hikes bite November 6, 2025 Brighton Pier Group, which was taken private earlier this year, has placed all its assets on the market as it battles “an extremely challenging trading environment” and the impact of Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes. In its first set of accounts since quitting the London Stock Exchange’s AIM in May, the group said it is “now [...]
Brits plump for premium hotels as budget stays suffer November 3, 2025 The gap between hotel prices has continued to expand as Brits plump for premium travel over budget options, according to new figures. Average room rates of UK luxury hotels rose from £380.30 to £405.18 in August year on year, and from £136.33 to £141.57 for mid market hotels, data from RSM shows. Room rates in [...]
Hotel demand ‘holds strong’ while staff costs eat into profit October 1, 2025 Demand for UK hotels rose in August, although higher staff costs means that hoteliers saw profit drop. Occupancy increased from 81.4 per cent to 82.1 per cent in August year-on-year, and rose slightly from 84.2 per cent to 84.5 per cent in London, according to RSM and Hotstats. But room rates remained flat as consumers [...]
Eden Project: Losses more than double amid job cuts September 25, 2025 Losses at the Eden Project in Cornwall more than doubled as a “major restructuring” led to a large number of jobs being cut. New accounts filed with Companies House show that its pre-tax loss went from £1.5m to £3.5m. The latest figure comes after the Eden Project also posted a pre-tax loss of £868,000 in [...]
Gatwick profit jumps after boost to passenger numbers August 14, 2025 Gatwick airport has reported a double-digit rise in profit in the first half of 2025, driven by a boost to passenger and aircraft traffic volume. Total revenue reached £491.4m in the first half of the year, up 0.7 per cent from 2024. Adjusted revenue – accounting for two “large one-off elements” which occurred last year [...]
Airline hails spike in premium bookings to the UK August 4, 2025 Airline Emirates has recorded a surge in bookings from affluent visitors to the UK, which it claimed is “driving forward economic growth” in the country.
Could a tourist tax ever work in London? July 24, 2025 Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner, but I reckon there are few better tourist destinations. Our city is bursting with history and culture, boasts dozens of plush green spaces and has more Michelin Stars than New York. Should people pay to get in? Ours is one of the top cities on earth to visit, but [...]