HBAA UPDATE IN BRIEF
• STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts has launched a new website, Starwood
Meetings.com as a simple, easy-to-use resource for meeting planners. The site provides comprehensive details for more than 1,000 Starwood properties worldwide including hotel features, maps with points of interest, photos, fl oor plans and on-site meeting services. It allows venues to be compared for facilities and prices.
• NEWBURY Racecourse has launched a new conference and events offer which includes a catering menu aimed to help boost brain power and improve concentration. The venue can host up to 1,000 people and offers extensive conference and exhibition space.
• ALTON Towers Resort is offering a complimentary theme park ticket for every delegate booked on a 24 hour rate before July 20. The deal targets team-building events or those looking for post-conference experiences. This year the park has added to its existing portfolio of over 50 rides with two new attractions, Nemesis Sub-Terra and Ice Age The 4-D Experience.
• THE £1million renovation programme at the Brighton Centre has increased the fl oor space in the entrance, reception and restaurant areas to create a more versatile, less congested space. The Foyer has been extended outwards to provide an 300m2 of event space with fl oor-to-ceiling windows, bringing users closer to the impressive seafront views.
• RADISSON Blu hotels has announced a dedicated meetings and event package developed specifi cally for the pharmaceutical industry. It is available at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel in central London, the Radisson Blu Hotel Manchester Airport, and the Radisson Blu Hotel London Stansted Airport.
• THE Wembley Suite at London's Wembley Stadium has been given a makeover. The self-contained suite has capacity for up to 500 people and access to the stadium for impressive views over the pitch. Other event spaces at the famous stadium include meeting rooms, conference space for up to 1,000 delegates, banquet space for up to 2,000 and receptions for up to 3,250 people.
➔ Raising the bar T
THE multimillion pound Sandman Signature Hotel which opened in Newcastle late last year has now unveiled its new meeting rooms. The 175-bedroom property is
located opposite Newcastle United FC's ground, and is built on the site of the former Scottish and Newcastle Brewery. The two new meeting rooms pay homage to the men who made the brewery famous across the globe. The Porter Room
has room for up to 60 delegates and is named after Colonel J H Porter who invented Newcastle Brown Ale. The Younger Room, which can hold up to 35 people, is named in honour of Sir William McEwan Younger, the first chairman of the brewery. Both rooms have modern AV equipment and wifi internet, and there's a choice of day and 24-hour delegate rates starting from £24.95.
CHELTENHAM VIEWS ADD SUCCESS
PETER DUCKER Executive Director, Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA)
he health and state of the business climate seems to be a more popular topic of
conversation than the weather or who’s doing what with whom in Eastenders. Or at least that’s how it seems to me at the moment. The good news is that most of the signs are mildly encouraging. The bad news is that despite this new confidence, the economy is not growing very fast. I’m no economist, but I’m
guessing that the parlous state of the euro is partly to blame, together with a fear of false dawns, but as more ducks line up in a row surely confidence will follow. I understand people being wary of a good day’s figures – agents and hoteliers have both seen business fluctuating and patchy for so long now – and everyone believes that a peak is followed by a trough. But some fundamental developments are actually very encouraging. To see Chewton Glen acquire
Cliveden House Hotel implies confidence in the luxury sector – and what a dream combination that is! More importantly, I am reliably informed that the prevailing mood at the International Hotel Investment Forum last month was bullish once more. And if the money men are returning to the hotel sector my guess is they know something the rest of us don’t. There are more meetings and
CHELTENHAM Racecourse has launched a daily delegate rate for its rooms with a view. Following a recent report, Nature
That Nurtures, which highlights the benefits of seeing and being in nature, the southwest venue is stressing the 'green' appeal of its event spaces which overlook countryside scenes. The rate of £30 (+VAT) is
available in the venue’s Panoramic and Hattons Grace suites which overlook 300 acres of the race- course area. The rate includes room
hire, three servings of tea, coffee and biscuits and a freshly prepared working lunch. The report forms part of a
growing trend of statistics demon- strating that simply looking at environments dominated by nature ameliorates stress, improves mood and sustains interest. The venue is located only one mile
from Cheltenham town centre and is accessible from the Midlands’ major arterial routes including the M40 and M5, as well as direct train links to London and Bristol.
events happening, numbers attending these events are growing, and budgets, while not necessarily rising, are more stable. That’s the word from the agency sector. Lead times are unbelievably short, but they won’t lengthen until supply becomes an issue. We keep hearing that this will be
a year like no other. As we move deeper in to it every day, any positive figures will help build confidence among agents, hoteliers and, perhaps most important of all, clients. Real meetings and events remain the most effective way to communicate en masse, as the number of messages organisations transmit increases so will their need for venues. So day really does follow night.
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 57
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