hoteLs


Right policies needed to remove the barriers


ufi ibrahim is chief executive officer of British Hospitality Association


uCL to roll out Lazy Cow brand Tom waLkeR


Urban and Country Leisure (UCL) is to invest more than £20m over the next three years in rolling out Te Lazy Cow boutique hotel brand. Te announcement follows


W


ith one hand, the govern- ment is encouraging the tourism industry to grow, yet on the other it has intro-


duced policies which will hold it back. China, for example, is a massive potential


source of visitors for the UK. For a Chinese family wanting to visit Europe, a Schengen Visa can be acquired for ease of entry into the majority of European countries – yet, as the UK is not part of the Schengen Agreement, and a separate visa is required the UK. Worse still, a separate holiday visa is required for each member of the family, including children, and they each have to obtain a biometric visa making the cost for entry to the UK is considerably higher than one for a Schengen country. In 2009, the European Tour Operators


Association claimed that over 58,000 Chinese visitors were discouraged from vis- iting the UK because of these regulations. It is anomalies like this that are holding back the growth of tourism to the UK and the cre- ation of new jobs. There are other government policies


which are impacting the industry. For example, almost every country in the EU has a lower rate of VAT for hotel accommo- dation (and many for meals) than the UK – in France it is 5.5 per cent. Te UK suf- fers from the second highest rate in the EU (only Denmark, at 25 per cent, is higher). Tis puts us at a huge competitive disad- vantage to our closest competitors. Furthermore, with migration, the govern-


ment has decided that only graduate level migrants can be accepted – thus effectively barring all the highly skilled chefs that the ethnic restaurant sector so badly needs to maintain standards and to remain a valued attraction for overseas visitors. In he BHA’s report published in October,


we said that the hospitality industry could create 236,000 new jobs by 2015 if the right framework is put in place by government. Unfortunately, policies can make or break any objective. With the help of the indus- try, we will continue to lobby government to ensure that obstacles to growth are removed, so that we can create those 236,00 jobs.


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a strategic review of the UCL estate, which currently oper- ates fourteen country pub/ restaurants across the UK. UCL is now actively seeking


sites in major cities and mar- ket towns for the brand. Te first Lazy Cow hotel and res- taurant opened in November 2010 in Warwick. UCL is owned by hospitality entrepre-


Te first 16-bedroom Lazy Cow opened in Warwick in November 2010


neur Ross Sanders, who said the portfolio of boutique hotels will target upmarket visitors looking for destination weekend breaks. “We hope to establish a chain of small, inti-


mate, stylish boutique hotels that have a strong accent on quality accommodation, stylish


interiors with exceptional food and drink offerings,” he said. “It’s a natural progression and extension of


our existing UCL blueprint and plans, which we have successfully rolled out over the last two years across our estate with our quality pub restaurants.”


Blumenthal opens first London restaurant Tom waLkeR


Celebrated chef Heston Blumenthal has opened his first London restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. Te Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group signed a deal with Blumenthal’s Te Fat Duck Group


last year. Te two have worked with designer Adam Tihany to create the 140-cover restau- rant, called Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Blumenthal said: “Working in partnership


with a hotel group is a natural step and one which offers an exciting opportunity.”


2010 global hotel sales exceed US$24bn peTe hayman


Property transactions that involved hotel real estate totalled US$24.3bn (£15.1bn) in 2010, according to Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ Hotel Investment Outlook. The research found that


the Americas region saw the most significant increase, driven by real estate invest- ment trusts (REITs) and the acquisition of Extended Stay Hotels. Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) reported a 110 per cent increase in vol- umes, while Asia Pacific’s performance was “more mod- erated” due in part to fewer distressed sales. Arthur de Haast, global chief executive


officer for Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, said: “Te rebound of operating fundamentals is a


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


Real estate investment trusts drove sales growth in the Americas region


motivating tonic for both buyers and sellers. We expect volumes to rachet up another 15-25 per cent in 2011, reaching US$28-30bn (£17.4- 18.6bn) globally.”


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2011


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