HOSPITALITY IN BRIEF


Whitbread unveils green revamp drive Whitbread will be spending


more than £7m this year in a programme designed to boost the environmental performance of its hotels, restaurants and coffee shops. The move will help the group deliver against its targets of a 26 per cent reduction in energy consumption and a 20 per cent reduction in water use by 2020. As part of the scheme, 20,000 low-flow showerheads will be installed at Premier Inn hotels, an initiative calculated to save enough water to fill 88 Olympic swimming pools a year by 2012.


Punch Taverns reports World Cup sales boost Pub group Punch Taverns has


revealed that this summer's World Cup has helped increase like-for-like sales at its managed estate during the 44 weeks ending 26 June 2010. The company said that the good weather in May and June had helped offset losses incurred as a result of inclement conditions in early 2010, while it remains on track to meet expectations for the full year. However, Punch Taverns has warned of "uncertain" conditions that still face the industry, with the government's decision to keep the beer duty escalator despite a proposed increase in VAT.


Former MoD offices to become Liverpool hotel A former Ministry of Defence


office building located in the centre of Liverpool, is set to be transformed into a new 154-bedroom Days Inn hotel. Sanguine Hospitality Management Company will own and operate the new Days Inn Liverpool hotel, which is due to open in February 2011 and is poised to occupy all five floors of the Moor House site.


10


news & jobs at www.leisureopportunities.co.uk Industry calls for 'fairer' alcohol rules


Seven sector associations urge the government to introduce a "level playing field" By Tom Walker


Seven of the UK's largest industry bodies have called on the government for a "fairer" tax and regulatory system to deal with the sale of alcohol. In a speech to the Westmin-


ster Food and Nutrition Forum, British Beer and Pub Associa- tion (BBPA) chief executive Brigid Simmonds highlighted the need for a "level playing field" to be introduced between the sector and retailers. According to the BBPA, 70


per cent of alcohol is sold by supermarkets and is undermin- ing efforts to tackle misuse and anti-social behaviour, while also threatening industry jobs. The British Hospitality


Association; the British Institute of Innkeeping; the Federation


Ricoh Arena in De Vere tie-up


A 71-bedroom hotel at Coventry's Ricoh Arena is set to benefit from a £1m transformation after the stadium secured a tie-up with De Vere Venues. The agreement will see


the revamped hotel adopt the De Vere brand and will be extended to offer additional rooms.It will continue to be operated by the Compass Group. A 5,000sq ft (464.5sq


m) training suite catering for up to 5,000 delegates will also be created. It is anticipated the


partnership will allow the Ricoh sales and manage- ment team to tap into De Vere Venues' £300m annual pipeline, with the hotel revamp due for completion later this year.


The associations have called for more support for the industry


of Licensed Victuallers Associations; Business in Sport and Leisure; Noctis; and the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers have all joined forces with the BBPA. Among proposals submitted


is a review of the Licensing Act, banning the below-cost selling


of alcohol and improved incentives for businesses to boost trading practices. Simmonds said: "We need to


rebalance our system to ensure everyone who sells alcohol is equally responsible and that greater emphasis is placed on the accountability of individuals."


New Hotel Indigo site for London


The new Hotel Indigo Tower Hill boasts two restaurants and a bar By Pete Hayman


Boutique chain Hotel Indigo – owned by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) – has continued its UK expansion plans with the opening of a new London property. Located between Aldgate


and the Tower of London, the 44-bedroom Hotel Indigo Tower Hill occupies a converted office building and is owned by the Thai Square Group.


Read Leisure Opportunities online www.leisureopportunities.com/digital Facilities at the eight-storey


hotel include a bar and two restaurants, with views overlooking Tower Bridge available from the upper floors. It is the second Hotel Indigo to open in the capital. The Hotel Indigo brand


currently operates 34 proper- ties worldwide, with a further 53 planned; four of which will be located in the UK. The first site to open in the capital was in Paddington in January 2009.


© Cybertrek 2010


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