Rank tipped to sell off Hard Rock Café chain… For more hospitality stories, see what the weekend papers say
Rank tipped to sell off Hard Rock Café chain
Sunday Herald, 27 October
Travelodge to build 5,000 rooms in two years
Travelodge is to step up its expansion drive following its takeover by Tussauds owner Dubai International Capital. The hotel operator, with sites in Britain, Ireland and Spain, had set a target to build more than 2,000 rooms this year and 3,000 next. - Scotland on Sunday, 27 August
Call for Scottish pubs to serve more food to curb violence
Tom Wood, a former deputy chief constable who advises the Scottish executive on alcohol, has called on pubs to serve more food to prevent drink-fuelled violence. He believes serving chips and burgers could reduce the number of assaults after closing time. Fast-food outlets are often a flashpoint for violence as people queue for takeaway meals after a night of heavy drinking. - Sunday Times (Scottish edition only), 27 October
Hilton heiress launches a new hotel brand
Nicky Hilton, an heiress to the Hilton hotel fortune and sister of the celebrity socialite Paris, is set to follow in the family tradition by launching her own luxury hotel brand, Nicky O. The American has teamed up with Chicago-based Falor, a privately owned developer, for the project. - The Independent, 27 August.
Remaining Great Southern hotel offered again to failed bidders
The Dublin Airport Authority will invite those who failed with their bids for the Great Southern hotel in Rosslare to improve their offers this week before putting it on the open market. Bids of up to â¬4m (£2.7m) are believed to have been lodged with the authority, roughly half the level being sought. It is understood that the airport manager might now accept about â¬5m (£3.4m) for the 100-bed hotel. - Sunday Times (Irish edition only), 27 October
Boom forecast in London hotel building
Statistics published today by Visit London, the capital's official tourism organisation, suggest that the city is seeing a similar level of new hotel development to that of the boom years of the late 1990s. According to Visit London's Hotel Development Monitor, some 20,000 new bedrooms will be added by 2012, lifting the total stock to about 120,000 by the time that the Olympic flame is lit. - The Times,28 August
Ultimate Leisure to expand into London
Newcastle-based bars and clubs group Ultimate Leisure is to open its first bar in London in its 10-year history. The new bar - opening at Bishopsgate in the heart of the City - will mark a step-change for the group as it plans to roll-out up to 10 bars a year under its new Prohibition brand. - Daily Telegraph, 28 August
Fitness clubs losing popularity
British fitness clubs have lost 53,500 members over the past year due to the impact of rising interest rates and falling consumer confidence, according to Deloitte's HealthClubBenchmark survey. - The Times, 28 August
By Bob Gledhill
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