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HOTELS


The Importance of reputation management


UFI IBRAHIM is chief executive officer of the British Hospitality Association


Olympic Park hotel for Stratford


Starboard Hotels has made the first commercial deal with Lend Lease and London & Continental Railways (LCR) at Te International Quarter in Stratford City, which will result in the development of a new hotel complex. Starboard Atlantic Hotels,


“T


he restaurant secrets all din- ers should know” scream the headlines. An author has written a new book


about the food industry. Te latest in a long line of scandals to hit the hospitality industry, this so called ‘real life expose’ is everywhere – in the press, online, tweeted and re-tweeted, the list is endless. Coupled with the horsemeat scandal which caused mayhem for hotels and restaurants across the land with its daily revelations and headlines like “we’ve been eating horse for months” and “horsemeat scandal breathtak- ing” have become far too familiar for those of us in the hospitality industry. While there’s absolutely no doubt that the


health of our customers and the integrity of our member hotels and restaurants remains the number one priority, explosive headlines and ‘insider secrets’ do little for the credi- bility of our industry. For every restaurant or hotel bar keeping a “blacklist for rude customers” and “deliberately adding extra items to the bill”(we’re not aware of any!) there are a hundred more working hard to go the extra mile; to offer great value and make all the difference between an average and outstanding experience. With the proliferation of social media,


every mouthful being tweeted about, every experience being ranked and rated, the importance of reputation management in our industry cannot be overestimated. We’re not talking about manipulation, we’re talk- ing about communication – using authentic conversations to successfully market online (and offline) reputation. BHA partner TrustYou, a firm specialis-


ing in online reputation management, has some useful tips for positive reputation management: • Proactively encourage feedback. More reviews equates to better reputation


• Be strategic. Distribute reviews. Find out which review sites matter most to you


• Get vocal and respond to feedback • Beef up your social platforms. Are you con- necting with guests on social platforms?


For more information on TrustYou, visit www.trustyou.com


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a joint venture between Starboard Hotels and Union Hanover Securities, is to build a 275,000sq ſt (25,548sq m) hotel. It will feature up to 500 bedrooms comprising the design-led Urban Villa extended stay hotel and an upmarket internationally branded hotel. Te complex, which is scheduled to open in


Stratford City, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Stratford International station.


Te complex, overlooking the 2012 Athletes Village, will open in 2016


2016, will overlook the former 2012 Athletes’ Village, now known as East Village. It is also directly adjacent to Westfield


Kristy Lansdown, Lend Lease’s proj- ect director, said: “The new commercial hub is set to capitalise on the world-class infrastructure which was put in place for the London 2012 Olympics and is one of the best connected places in London.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=n6i1c


England’s ‘oldest purpose-built hotel’ up for sale


The Grade II-listed Red Lion Hotel in Salisbury, Wiltshire – claimed to be the oldest purpose-built hotel in England – has been put up for sale. The historic coaching inn dates back to the 13th century and has been brought to the


market by property adviser Christie + Co at an asking price of just under £3m. Te town centre hotel has 51 individually-


designed guestrooms, restaurant, bar, and five conference and banqueting rooms with capac- ities up to 120. Details: http://lei.sr?a=E6u1e


Menzies Hotels Group goes on the market


Menzies Hotels Group is looking for a new owner after its parent company Cordial Hotels entered administration. A price close to £100m


has been put on the 15-hotel chain, which has locations across Britain. Christie + Co is handling


the sale, which includes properties ranging from 18 to 212 bedroom locations. Six of the hotels are oper-


ated through leasehold, while the rest operate through free- hold. KPMG took control of Cordial Hotels in May aſter the company defaulted on a £165m loan. In July 2011, underwent a management buyout when its previous parent company – Piccadilly Hotels – also went into administration.


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital Te Menzies Stratford upon Avon Hotel is available as part of the bid Any potential buyer would receive the entire


hotel chain although offers will be consid- ered for individual hotels or groups of hotels. Details: http://lei.sr?a=m7z3c


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2013


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