International hotel group, Motel One, has revealed its FY22 revenues surged to €639m (£ 561.9m), up €238m (£209m) in 2021, thanks to the addition of eight new hotels to its portfolio. Last year, the Motel One Group revealed its best quarterly result in the company’s history, with 2022 Q3 results showing a revenue increase of nearly 40% from pre-Covid (2019) to €202m (£177m). The group is committed to resuming pre-pandemic levels of performance and occupancy in its hotels – with occupancy stats sitting at 74% in Q4. Alongside the openings of hotels in Germany, Austria, Spain and the Netherlands ..read more

Savills, on behalf of 01 Property Investment Limited, has completed the sale of Bendene Town House, a popular boutique town house hotel in Exeter city centre, has been sold to Hi West off a guide price of £1.1m.  The three storey Grade II Listed property features 21 bedrooms and a rear walled garden terrace, as well as three new garden suites which have recently been converted. Bendene Town House is situated in the centre of Exeter and benefits from excellent connectivity being only a short walk from Exeter St David’s train station, which has a direct line to London Paddington. The proper ..read more

The Dorchester hotel has revealed plans to recreate the decorations used for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 for the upcoming coronation of King Charles in May.  The original decorations for the 1953 coronation were created by British stage set designer Oliver Messel, who also unveiled a luxury suite at The Dorchester during the same year. Messel’s design included dramatic draping across the hotel’s balconies, created to make the hotel’s façade look like the interior of a theatre seen from the stage. The decorations will be unveiled on 20 April 2023 and will last until 19 May. In ..read more

Global property developer Fragrance Group has appointed RBH to manage a further three Accor-branded hotels, which are the first new build developments for Fragrance Group in the UK. The three franchised properties are all scheduled to open in the next six months and include the Municipal Hotel Liverpool, an MGallery collection, together with Mercure Paignton and Ibis Styles Paignton. The Municipal Hotel Liverpool, which is set to be the first MGallery-branded hotel in the Northwest, will be located in the old Municipal Building, which was first opened in 1868. Its exterior was newly renovated ..read more

Feversham Arms Hotel has launched a new penthouse-style poolside suite to add to its recent collection of newly renovated suites. This new addition will bring the total number of resort-inspired, poolside suites to six. Four are on the ground floor, each with a private pool patio, while two are on the upper levels, each with a private stairway leading to the pool terrace. The suite features an additional living area with a functional open fireplace, a walk-in dressing room, and two bathrooms, one of which has a double-ended bath and a separate, walk-in monsoon shower in addition to an ensuite ..read more

New analysis by the Living Wage Foundation shows that the hospitality sector has the highest proportions of low-paid jobs in London compared to other industries, with 52.9% of jobs that fall under ‘Accommodation and food services’ being paid below the London Living Wage, which currently stands at £11.95.  With over 100,000 low paid jobs, this sector accounts for almost a fifth of all low paid jobs in London, despite accounting for 5% of total jobs in the capital.  The new analysis also showed that the issue of low pay seems to disproportionately affect young workers aged between 18-2 ..read more

Can you tell me about the history of the Voco brand and IHG’s idea behind its inception. We launched Voco Hotels in 2018 to further strengthen our brand offering in the upscale segment – a $40bn (£32.7bn) sector that just continues to grow. In particular, Voco was launched to focus on conversions, giving owners the opportunity to quickly plug into IHG’s enterprise to drive returns at speed. What segment and customer is Voco targeted towards? Voco plays in the upscale segment, where we are seeing huge growth. We listened to our owners and heard that they wanted an opportunity to plug into IHG’s ..read more

Sandman Hotel Group, the Canadian hospitality company, has revealed it is set to open its first hotel in Glasgow this Spring. Sandman Signature Glasgow Hotel is the fourth property to join the Sandman Signature portfolio in the UK, as the company continues with its “ambitious growth plans”. The UK and Ireland arm of the business already boasts premium properties in Newcastle, where the business is headquartered, Aberdeen and London Gatwick, along with additional properties in Sheffield (The Quays Hotel) and Dublin (Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links). Sandman Signature Glasgow Hotel is located ..read more

Norton Park Hotel Spa and Manor House has appointed Paul Russell as the new general manager. The new appointment follows investments in the Hampshire countryside property to assist with repositioning the hotel and officially launching the newly refurbished 13-bedroom Manor House. The property is set in 54 acres of parkland and features 175 bedrooms. Russell, who has worked in the hospitality industry for close to three decades, has previously managed various types of resorts across the UK. Most recently, Russell was resort director at Heythrop Park Resort, where he led teams to deliver “except ..read more

Travelodge is writing to 220 local authorities to propose a joint development partnership that can act as a “catalyst to stimulate regeneration and facilitate further growth”. This letter outlines the role that Travelodge has played in supporting these authorities by: Being a key player in their local regeneration and growth programmes; creating jobs and careers within the local community; attracting new visitors to the area and boosting the local economy; providing long term income stream for the local authorities.     The letter also includes a direct call to action on ho ..read more