Industry News, March 2011

More than half of organisers have witnessed an increase in attendance at meetings and events so far this year, according to the latest Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Business Barometer. MPI surveyed a select group of senior level meeting planners from its global membership and found that 55 per cent had experienced increased attendance at their events compared to the previous year. In addition, 68 per cent said that current trading conditions were favourable and 80 per cent predicted conditions to continue to improve, although Europeans reported slightly less favourable conditions than Americans. Other key trends include a gradual recovery in spending per meeting, with 39 per cent reporting a rise compared with the same period a year ago.

Confex Group portfolio director Jonny Sullens has asked international exhibitors to give Confex one more chance following its move to ExCeL next year. He said that past exhibitors who had been disappointed with the show would “find it a completely different proposition.” “It’s about return on investment, we understand that and it is down to us to prove it,” he said. “We know we still need more domestic buyers that place international business and we’re working on that. Next year we may partner Visit Britain or a hotel group for the hosted buyer programme.” Sullens said he was expecting visitor figures to this year’s show, which took place 1-3 March at Earl’s Court, would be down. “We actively discouraged students from attending, limiting it to 250, who could only come on the Student Day,” he said. “The exhibitors have fed back to me that there’s less time wasters on the show floor this year and that’s important. We were disappointed with attendance at the Association Day, but we know what we need to do to make it better.”
He added that exhibitors ‘would be mad’ to not do Confex in 2012 – the year of the Olympic Games. “We’ll be getting a lot of attention,” he said.

London still offers value for money according to two agencies, despite an average hotel room rate hike of 8 per cent. TRI Consulting’s European Chain Hotels Market Review for May 2010 recorded a 7.8 per cent rise in average room rates to €164.74 (£134). Revenue per available room (revpar) grew from May 2009 by 7.6 per cent to €140.83 (£115). Average room occupancy for the month remained static at 85.7 per cent in May 2009 compared with 85.5 per cent in May 2010. Gerry Manser, director of events at destination and event management company Travel Places, believed the increases were a correction for the low rates offered in 2008-09. “Hotels have had two years of chaff with no wheat, so now they are trying to claw back some of their investment,” he said. “To get the return on investment there needed to be a substantial increase year on year and London is a hot destination at the moment, not just for the commercial and corporate sectors but for associations as well.”

OXO2 is a fabulous new events space on the second floor of the iconic Oxo Tower on London’s Southbank. This light and spacious venue offers limitless creative opportunities for events as well as stunning views over the river and the London skyline. This amazing venue is only available for 18 months and is ideal for parties, conferences, product launches, fashion shows and photo shoots. Fabulous party packages are available for both Summer and Christmas, with catering by Create, and the venue is also available for dry hire events with an open catering policy. Capacities are 100 – 180 Dinner, 100 – 500 Reception/Buffet or
60 – 100 Conference.

Wrexham and Shropshire railways has closed, cutting off a direct route from London to The Telford International Centre
 

Akkeron Hotels Group has aquired 10 hotels from Butterfly and Crowne Hotels, the hotels were acquired from administrators and were trading under Best Western, Ramada and Holiday Inn Express brands 

A London entrepreneur plans to open 26 disused tube stations and tunnels, some as conference spaces

 
De Vere venues has added three new venues, The Studio Birmingham and Manchester and Searcys Commonwealth Club in London

 
Chelsea FC has made Marco’s (the Marco Pierre White Restaurant located within the CFC complex) available for meetings and events. It can hold up to 60 for meetings and 150 for receptions

 
15th century Scottish castle, Ackergill Tower, has opened additional conference space following a stables conversion

 
Guoman Hotels’ The Grosvenor at London Victoria is to receive £18m worth of investment including a complete restyle of all bedrooms, public areas, restaurants and bars

During the past 12 months the Thistle Hotel Birmingham has undergone an extensive refurbishment including bedrooms public areas and restaurant bringing a modern and contemporary feel to the hotel

The first stand alone bistro, Bistro du Vin, opens in the East Side of London at the beginning of April. Reflecting the local influence of Smithfield’s market, the bistro will have a Butcher’s room showcasing the finest meats and taking centre stage will be a large open kitchen so diners can be part of the theatre. Two private dining rooms, one for 8 people and the other for 14 people will offer a secret hideaway for meetings over lunch or dinner.

Good news for The Red Carnation Properties – “41” was recently voted the Top Hotel in the UK by TripAdvisor in their 2011 Travellers’ Choice Awards and The Milestone was the only English Hotel to score 100% for service in ‘The Best Places To Stay in the World’ in the Condé Nast Traveller’s Gold List 2011

CCT Venues shines out in Clean City Awards. Organised by the City of London Corporation, this awards scheme encourages good practice in waste management across the Square Mile. One of just 10 top-performing sites in its category, CCT Venues secured a prestigious Platinum Award. Presented by the Lord Mayor of the City of London during a ceremony at the Mansion House, the new award recognises CCT Venues strongly improving track-record. The company won a Gold Award in 2009 and a Merit Award in 2008. Chosen from over 1650 sites across the City of London that range from small shops to large multinational companies, the winners represent best practice in waste minimisation, reuse and recycling initiatives. Awards are based on site visits by inspectors and documentary evidence submitted by the entrants. In addition, the in-depth Platinum Award Application Form probes issues such as staff communications and the reduction of smoking-related litter. Facilities Manager, Marika Dekker says: “Everyone at CCT Venues should be very proud. This is a BIG step up from last year’s Gold Award and two steps up from our Merit Award in 2008. Next year we’re aiming for the ultimate prize – the Chairman’s Cup!”

Developer Brayford Hotels has officially unveiled the designs for the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, which is currently being built on Brayford Wharf North in Lincoln and plans to welcome guests towards the end of 2011. In the meantime, the developers are keen to share their vision for what will be the region’s premier upscale, full-service hotel establishment. The new DoubleTree by Hilton Lincoln has been envisioned by developers to become an outstanding social gathering place for the community. Highlighted by a scenic rooftop bar and contemporary restaurant, which visitors will be able to access via a panoramic glass lift, the stylish hotel also will offer more than 500m² of flexible, contemporary meeting and events space including a ballroom with a capacity of up to 300 guests, theatre style. Of the 115 modern and well-appointed guest rooms at the DoubleTree by Hilton Lincoln, 17 have been designed as spacious studio suites, each with a balcony and views of either the Brayford Pool or the Lincoln Cathedral.

A leading Newcastle hotel badly damaged by fire is entering the final stages of a £3.5m investment with the creation of around 100 jobs. The former Imperial Hotel in Jesmond has now become The Holiday Inn and is coming to the end of a two year refurbishment to turn it into a state-of-the-art, modern hotel. The 116 bedroom site, which is operated by the Cairn Hotel Group, now includes a stylish bar and Fratello’s, a 75 cover Italian restaurant.

Liverpool’s landmark Arena and Convention Centre is to benefit from the addition of a new 8,100m² exhibition and events complex open for business in September 2014.  Costing £40m, the new venue will consist of 8,100m2 of space which will be sub-dividable into three interlinked pillar-free exhibition halls, each 2,700m² in size. The development; with its progressive technology, production equipment and individually adjustable ceiling heights, will ensure that Liverpool continues to increase its momentum as one of Europe’s leading destinations for large-scale conferences, standing concerts, sporting events and exhibitions. The extension to the existing ACC Liverpool (comprising Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre) will also see the development of an on-site upscale 200-bedroom hotel.  The new facilities will be connected with a sky bridge directly in to ACC Liverpool making it the only interconnected arena, convention centre and exhibition facility in Europe. 

A stylish four-star, 83 bedroom hotel in the heart of Paddington in London has opened under the Mercure hotel brand. The new Mercure London Paddington Hotel opened on 18th March, offering guests a comfortable base in the heart of the capital. London Paddington is the 44th hotel to join the Mercure UK network, following a franchise agreement with London Town Hotels. The refurbishment has included a full revamp of the reception, bar, restaurant and other public areas.

Leading Cheshire hotel, conference, events and wedding venue, Peckforton Castle has joined forces with the De Vere Academy of Hospitality in Wychwood Park, Crewe to offer local 16-24 year olds not in education, employment or training the chance to work in the hotel and catering industry by offering work placements in Customer Service and Professional Cookery. The Academy, a joint venture between De Vere and The National Apprenticeship Service, is the first of its kind in the UK – a unique training initiative for any young person with aspirations for a career in hospitality. The Wychwood Park Academy opened its doors to the first group of apprentices in September 2010 with support from Cheshire East Council’s Economic Recovery Task Group. Thanks to huge success, January saw the third intake of young apprentices begin their exclusive training.

Drayton Manor Theme Park is opening a brand new 150 bedroom Hotel at Drayton Manor Park in Staffordshire in early August. The Hotel is actually on the Drayton Manor Theme Park site and a fantastic facility for conferences but also team building, banqueting & meetings up to 400 delegates with additional elements such as the out of the box option of holding a team build in the Park or Zoo or a bespoke drinks reception on the lake, or a presentation in the unique self contained 4D cinema!

International

Conrad Algarve, Quinta do Lago, in the south of Portugal will open on the 5th of July 2011, and this is the 2nd property in Portugal. The hotel will have 164 luxury and contemporary rooms, a 300 sqm panoramic view ballroom, 6 meeting rooms equipped with state-of-art technology, outside catering areas for up to 300 people in gardens, terraces and pool area. 6 restaurants & bars, 3 shops, golf courses, 1000 sqm spa, tennis courts and fitness centre. The Conrad Algarve will be located at Quinta do Lago, one of the world’s favourite luxury destinations, with its 2,000 acres of idyllic landscape, which are an integral part of the Ria Formosa Natural Park.

One of the newest hotel brands of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR), the Autograph Collection, is coming to Europe with the addition of four new hotels in Spain, the company announced at the International Hotel Investment Forum.  Last year in the United States, Marriott launched the Autograph Collection, a portfolio of distinct, independent hotels and resorts representing upper-upscale and luxury properties with distinctive personalities.

The first four Autograph Collection hotels in Europe are:

• AC Santo Mauro, Madrid, Spain

• AC Palacio del Retiro, Madrid, Spain

• AC Palacio de Santa Paula, Granada, Spain

• AC Baqueira Hotel & Spa, Baqueira, Spain

By May 2011, these four hotels will join the company’s Autograph Collection due to their rich history and unique style as part of a recently announced joint venture with AC Hotels and its portfolio of 9,100 hotel rooms in Europe. The joint venture also includes the launch of a new brand, AC Hotels by Marriott, which will initially be comprised of up to 86 rebranded AC Hotels in Spain, Italy and Portugal, plus the four hotels joining the Autograph Collection. With the addition of these Autograph Collection properties, the AC Hotels by Marriott portfolio, and a strong pipeline in Europe, Marriott is over a quarter of the way to doubling the number of rooms open or signed in Europe by 2015, a goal announced last year.

In the South of France, the Palais Des Congres in Antibes is undergoing renovation. Work started at the end of 2010 and will be completed by 2012. More than £46m is being spent, which will create a 6,500m2 purpose built event space for up to 500 delegates

 
The Palacongressi Di Rimini will open this year, although the exact date is still to be confirmed. The venue will be able to accommodate up to 9,300 delegates in 42 rooms. Its amphitheatre will seat 1,600 while the main conference hall will seat up to 4,700.

 
The Harpa-Rejkjavik Conference and Concert Centre in Iceland will open on 4th May. The venue will have 4 main conference rooms for up to 1,600 delegates.

 
Construction of a new congress centre is under way in Alicante. The venue will offer auditorium seating for 2,421 people.

 
The launch of Madrid’s International Convention Centre, CICCM has been put back to 2013.

A Convention Centre is being planned in Goa, India. The venue will have the capacity to seat 2,000.

 
Andermatt Swiss Alps is to open six hotels in Lucerne and central Switzerland; these will total 844 rooms over the 4 & 5 star sector. The first hotel is set to open in 2013.

 
The St Regis Bangkok will open in Thailand’s capital next month. It includes 176 rooms, 51 suites, 53 residences and uninterrupted city views. Other facilities include 8 meeting rooms, 5 restaurants and bars, the first Elemis Spa in Thailand and an outdoor infinity pool bar.

The Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre has been officially launched with a gala event welcoming more than 1,000 event industry professionals – including a number of UK buyers. Located right in the centre of the city, the Congress Centre and the adjacent Radission Blu Waterfront Hotel now offer one of Scandinavia’s largest facilities for meetings and events. The venue boasts 14,000 sqm of floor space and can accommodate up to 3,000 in an auditorium and 2,000 for a banqueting event.