October 2016 - Page 2 of 3

14th October 2016

Why You Should Consider Lisbon For Your Events

I recently visited Lisbon to catch up with what’s new in the area. It was a very interesting and varied trip, organised by the Lisbon Convention Bureau and as well as visiting hotels and unusual venues they held a workshop so that the group could make contact with a variety of suppliers. The area offers great value for money and is easy to get around, with great access from international destinations and beach resorts within half an hour of the city centre.

Hotels

I looked at four hotels: firstly, Quinta da Marinha near Casais, which is a golf resort. The outstanding thing about this property is a building in the grounds, with a terrace overlooking the golf course which can be used for dinners and meetings. The Pousada Lisboa was opened a year ago in is right in the centre of the city and a great location for bars, restaurants and shops. Converted from an old police station this hotel has a central courtyard, beautiful ballroom and one additional meeting room. The Corinithia is a 5* hotel with lots of meeting rooms and outside space which can be privatised and is a great choice for large groups. Tivoli have several hotels in Lisbon and I went to the 5* one located on Avenida da Liberdade which is about to undergo refurbishment. As well as meeting rooms in the hotel, there is a converted palace in the grounds which has been converted into meeting space and they have a sky bar and restaurant with views of the castle and river.

Unusual venues

The Coach Museum (pictured) in the Belem district is a lovely venue for dinner, the gallery can be used for a drinks reception. The Pharmacy and Health Museum in Lisbon is really interested and as well as visiting the museum with a group they have an auditorium and adjoining restaurant with a private room and outside terrace. Torreao Nacsente, located on Commerce Square is a venue for drinks and dinners, the catering comes from the restaurant next door. It worked well for one-to-one meetings, but pillars make it difficult for a conference. The Alvalade stadium, home to Sporting Lisbon, has an auditorium, meeting rooms, boxes and lounges that can be used for meetings as well as hospitality. In the new area of Lisbon, Nations Park, has several hotels and also the Aquarium has an auditorium. A trip to the world heritage site of Sintra takes about 40 minutes from Lisbon and the Central Palace is a restaurant and events venue. As well as two traditional meeting rooms, it has a beautiful roof terrace which can be used privately for drinks, lunches, dinners etc

For more information about any of these venues, or holding your event in Lisbon, contact Katharine Jordan, Trinity’s Lisbon specialist.

13th October 2016

The Ned – In The Heart Of The City Of London

London-based Soho House & Co and New York’s Sydell Group have joined forces to create The Ned: a hotel, club and collection of restaurants in the City of London.

Set in the iconic former Midland Bank building, The Ned was designed by Sir Edwin ‘Ned’ Lutyens in 1924. The heritage building will open in early 2017, hosting nine restaurants, 252 bedrooms channeling 1920s and 1930s design, a range of men’s and women’s grooming services (Cowshed, Cheeky and Neville) and ‘Ned’s Club’, where members have access to a rooftop pool, gym, spa, hamam and late night lounge bar.

Groups & Events

The Ned’s six private hire rooms and two terraces are among the building’s most elegant spaces, with all benefiting from natural light, and a dedicated reception area. Ideal for weddings, events and meetings, the rooms have a capacity of between 10 and 200 people.

Ned’s Club

Ned’s Club, available to members and hotel guests, offers a range of rooms and facilities. Ned’s Club Upstairs includes a rooftop, with spectacular 360-degree views across London, a pool, Canopy Bar & Restaurant, and Princes Street and Poultry Domes, which will host intimate bars.

Dominating the belly of the building is the bank’s original vault, with its twenty tonne, two-metre-wide door, which will house Ned’s Club Downstairs and the Vault Room lounge bar. The vault contains over 3,000 stainless steel safety deposit boxes and inspired the design of Fort Knox in the 1964 film Goldfinger.

Ned’s Club Active has cardio, strength and training equipment, a boxing gym, Pilates, yoga studio and House Ride (spinning). At Ned’s Club Relax, the spa, there is a 20 metre swimming pool, hamam, sauna and steam room.

Bedrooms

Brass and mahogany furniture, chandeliers and richly patterned furnishings decorate The Ned’s 252 bedrooms. Each room channels 1920s and 1930s design, with vintage pieces, hand-knotted Afghan rugs and rainforest showers.

Eating & Drinking

Eight public restaurants in the former Grand Banking Hall serve food that spans the globe, from Britain to Northern Italy, North America to China. The offering includes a Cecconi’s City of London, sister restaurant to the Cecconi’s in Mayfair, Berlin, Istanbul, Miami Beach and West Hollywood. Cecconi’s City of London will serve handmade pasta, pizza, seafood and and Italian inspired dishes.

12th October 2016

Rocco Forte Hotels Set To Open A Second Property In Rome

Rocco Forte Hotels will open a second property in Rome at the end of 2018, following the success of the Hotel de Russie.

The Hotel De La Ville is currently closed, but once open will have 105 rooms which have had a full restructuring and refurbishment reducing its room count down from 192. The hotel will be situated at the top of the Spanish Steps not far from the Hotel De Russie and has been refurbished in collaboration with the Reale group.

Rocco Forte Hotels have recently announced that they intend to double the number of hotels under its brand over the next five years, and although the existing ten hotels collection are largely European based, the group will also be opening a hotel in Jeddah this year, and another in Shanghai in 2018.

12th October 2016

Visit From Lancaster London

Lancaster London came to see us recently. The hotel is located in the heart of the British capital, with views over Hyde Park and just a short stroll away from Paddington Station, home of the 15-minutes’ Heathrow Express service. Here are four key facts about the hotel:

It has two award-winning restaurants, Island Grill and Nipa Thai.

By January 2017 this property will have brand new bedrooms, featuring a blend of mid-century and contemporary design. These will be followed in earlyAutumn 2017 by a new lobby and façade, thus completing the £75 million transition to Royal Lancaster London, a striking return to the hotel’s roots intime for its 50th anniversary.

Lancaster London has two state-of-the-art ballrooms as well as a collection of smaller meeting spaces, complemented by an award-winning banqueting and events’ team. The Westbourne Suite was inaugurated last year after a £3 million investment

Do you know that this property has beehives on the roof, and that homemade honey is an essential ingredient in many of the hotel dishes?

11th October 2016

Cherkely Court Has Been Transformed Into The Beaverbrook, Surrey

Cherkley Court which was Lord Beaverbrook’s home near Box Hill in Surrey is in the process of being transformed into a luxury hotel. The first 11 bedrooms, a restaurant and cookery school have recently opened. The Golf Club and course, which was designed by Tom Watson, will be open later this month. An additional 18 bedrooms, a bar, restaurant and screening room will open in the main Grade-II-listed French chateaux-style mansion next year. This will be followed by six more bedrooms in buildings in the grounds, spa, with indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Lord Beaverbrook bought the property in 1911 and was influenced in his purchase of this property by his friend Rudyard Kipling, as well as by the proximity of the house to London, making it within easy reach of Westminster and the City. He used it principally to entertain and Asquith, Kipling, Harold Macmillan and Winston Churchill were regular guests. During World War II the house was an important centre for Lord Beaverbrook’s activities as Minister for Aircraft Production and a key member of Churchill’s War Cabinet.

10th October 2016

Visit From Lord’S Cricket Ground

Nick Kenton, who is the head of sale’s at Lord’s Crickets Ground meeting and event space came in to see us this week. Here are 5 key facts about them:

• The J.P. Morgan Media Centre won the Stirling Award for architecture when it was built in 1999. It will re-open in May 2017 following extensive refurbishment.

• Lord’s Cricket Ground houses the world’s oldest sporting museum and includes the Ashes Urn, the most famous symbol in cricket.

• The Victorian Grade II* listed Lord’s Pavilion was built in 1889 as the Clubhouse for Marylebone Cricket Club and includes 4 venue spaces available to hire for events.

• A new stand called the Warner Stand is currently being built and will open for events from June 2017.

• The catering was brought ‘in-house’ in 2005 to give more control over the quality of the food and drink and to provide the highest level of customer service.

7th October 2016

Visit From Ceme Conference Centre

CEME Conference Centre came in to see us this week. Here are 5 key facts about them:

1. CEME Conference Centre is a Gold accredited purpose-built, ultra-modern events and conference venue.

2. Offers innovative, stylish, flexible and highly competitive solutions for all event and meetings requirements from a high-tech 120 seat auditorium to flexible meeting and conference rooms and exhibition space for up to 600 delegates.

3. Supported by an experienced events team dedicated to the highest standards of quality and service at very competitive prices, CEME Conference Centre is Accredited in Meetings’ at the highest Gold Standard with the Meetings Industry Association – the only venue in Essex or East London to achieve Gold and is a ‘World Host’ venue for the delivery of exceptional customer service and members of ‘Conference Centres of Excellence’.

4 Member of ‘Inclusive London’ for the provision of mobility access and DDA compliance with level access throughout the site.

5 CEME is a ‘not for profit’, regeneration charity offering exceptional value and are signed up to Fair Pricing Policy.

6th October 2016

Visit From Hic Yorkshire

HIC Yorkshire came in to visit us this week. Here are 5 key facts:

• Central location within the UK with easy road, air (Leeds Bradford Airport) and rail links in partnership with Virgin Trains including organiser and delegate discounts

• Town centre location with a wide range of accommodation options offering over 2000 bedrooms within walking distance and a multitude of restaurants and bars for after hours networking.

• Flexible venue space: 2000 seat auditorium, 1000 seat Edwardian Theatre, plenty of breakout space and 13500m2 of space – use as much or as little as you need

• Conference rooms come complete with AV package and technicians as standard

• If you are looking at event dates in 2016 or early 2017 – we’ve some great deals available on selected dates

5th October 2016

Birmingham Conference &Amp; Event Centre Opening Soon

Birmingham Conference & Event Centre opening soon

The Birmingham Conference and Event Centre (BCEC) is due to open later this year in Autumn. The centre will have over 2000 square metres of event space which will include 20 meeting rooms plus 6 banqueting suites. Across the 20 meeting rooms the capacity will be 1,450 delegates whilst the banqueting suites will range in size too and fit between 30 – 750 guests.

The centre is located in central Birmingham on Hill Street and will have all required AV and catering requirements on-site.

4th October 2016

First Five-Star Hotel Opens In Minsk

Belarusian capital Minsk has unveiled its first five-star hotel with the 217-room Minsk Marriott Hotel by Marriott International. The luxury property includes 25 suites, as well as its own Mediterranean-inspired restaurant with a private dining area for ten people. The hotel has also brought an additional 940m² of meeting and event space to the city, which includes 8 breakout rooms and a grand ballroom capable of catering for a maximum of 600 delegates.