IN BRIEF
• THE characterful four-star St Ermin’s hotel in London Westminster is proving popular with corporates downgrading from fi ve-star accommodation. The grade II-listed building from the 1880s was the fi rst UK member of Accor’s MGallery collection of boutique hotels and opened for business following a £30million makeover two years ago. It features 330 guest rooms, 15 meeting rooms, free wifi access, and claims to provide fi ve-star service. Lead-in rates start from £199 per night including VAT.
• SACO adds to its service apartment options in Manchester this year with the opening of 63 new units just 200 metres down the road from its current base at Piccadilly Place where its lease soon expires. It has a 15-year lease on the new location at Abacus Court (to be known as SACO House going forward) and the £3.5million conversion from offi ces to apartments is due for completion in June. Facilities will include a 24-hour reception, wifi , gym and a coffee shop.
• STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts plans to open some 30 new Sheraton hotels in the next 12 months. Half of the additions will be in China with others in new openings in India, Saudia Arabia, Tajikistan, Argentina and Brazil.
• BUDGET accommodation group Tune Hotels has expanded into Scotland with the opening of a new Haymarket, Edinburgh property. It follows the success of the Malaysian hotel group's four London properties, though the Scottish property has a different look and feel to others in the group including a specially commissioned Tune Hotel Tartan. Rooms start from £25 a night. "Further Scottish development is defi nitely on the cards as we look to introduce the brand to a number of Scottish cities," says Mark Lankester, Tune Hotels' group CEO.
• DE VERE plans to open three new Village Urban Resorts in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen which will mark the start of a signifi cant expansion plan for the brand. The new hotels will replicate the distinct ‘Black Box’ design of the group’s most successful properties – including Village Farnborough and Village Elstree – and also feature meeting rooms and trademark health clubs.
BTS NEWS
Travelodge's £223m upgrade
Five minutes with... Jennifer Connolly
Director of Sales and Marketing, Scotland Fraser Suites, part of Frasers Hospitality
Jennifer has spent seven years in Fraser Suites Glasgow’s sales team, and was promoted to regional director in 2012 to oversee all sales and marketing activity. She has previously worked for the Scottish Tourist Board and the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.
TRAVELODGE is splashing out £223million on new hotels, a new room concept and a major refurbishment programme. Twelve new properties will
open in the UK – including four in London and locations in Liverpool, Cambridge and Manchester – as well as one each in Madrid and Barcelona. A new room design has been
12 months in the making and features a luxury king-size bed, ‘sleep-inducing colour palette’, new artwork, and an ensuite
bathroom with power shower. All the group's new hotels
will incorporate the new look, while the group’s flagship and most popular city centre hotels will be refurbished. "This enhanced product
offering combined with our new cutting edge revenue management system that offers economy pricing, will ensure we are the smart choice for leisure and business travellers,” says Grant Hearn, Travelodge CEO.
JURYS SPRUCES THINGS UP
What is your most memorable business travel trip and why? Visiting Singapore last year as this was my first time to Asia and to Frasers Hospitality’s head office. It was amazing to catch up with colleagues from our properties around the world and experience such a different culture. I also managed some sightseeing between work commitments and thoroughly enjoyed the local cuisine!
What is your worst business travel experience and why? I’ve not had many bad experiences travelling but I did have one travelling back to Glasgow from Istanbul. It involved a flight via Amsterdam and an overnight stay in the airport with three hours sleep. The flight to Glasgow was so early in the morning that there wasn't anyone else in the airport and I had to get someone from passport control to come out of their office to let me through security and even they said I looked tired!
What is your favourite destination worldwide and why? I love travelling on business to Paris. It’s one of my favourite cities and I get to stay in Fraser Suites’ famous property on the Champs Elysees which oozes classic Parisian style. I love walking around and taking in the atmosphere.
OVER the last two years the 32 hotels in the mid-
market Jurys Inn group have been refurbished as part of a £25million renovation project heralding contemporary new bedrooms and bathroom upgrades. New beds, improved water pressure, better lighting, a larger desk, powerpoints at the bedhead and neutral, earthy tones are some of the elements of the new look.
“It’s quite a different style;
it’s much cleaner and more contemporary,” says Jury’s CEO John Brennan. All 32 hotels will be finished by next year. Last year Jurys launched new meetings packages with service upgrades, a new F&B product and a company-wide central meetings desk. Next year it will extend its London Islington hotel by 157 beds and Edinburgh by 140 rooms.
What three items do you never leave home without when travelling on business? A good book – you never know how long you may be in an airport for; an iPod – music helps me unwind after a days work; and a cardigan – even in the hottest of locations you can get cold!
What single thing could be done to improve your role in business travel? Champagne in economy class too please!
What destination/s would you like to visit visit next and why? I would love to visit Australia. Not only do we have properties there but I have extended family too so I could combine both in one trip.
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 41
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80