Month: January 2019

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Spanish chain Riu Hotels plans for £218m London hotel for UK debut

Spanish chain Riu Hotels & Resort is set to open its first UK property in London at a cost of €250m (£218m).

The company has acquired 1 Neathouse Place near Victoria Station and plans to convert the building into a four-star, 350-bedroom hotel as part of its Riu Plaza urban brand, with a prospective opening date of 2020. The building was originally constructed in the 1960s and was fully renovated in 1997. The hotel will retain the structure of the building, with the interior being completely refurbished. The hotel will also have a bar, restaurant, and an open-air terrace.

The company has six Riu Plaza hotels worldwide, as well as two under construction in Spain and New York.

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5 Key facts about the hotels Workham Hotels represent

Workham hotels visited the Trinity offices this week and were keen to share the below the key 5 points about the hotels they represent :

  • Biltmore Hotel Miami (pictured) has the largest swimming pool  in the continental USA.
  • Montcalm Hotels now have over 700 rooms in the Shoreditch and City of London area.
  • The Eight Apartments is the newest offering for 2018-19 and consists of 8 luxury 2 & 3 bedroom apartments in the heart of Shoreditch, London.
  • Ciasa Salares Hotel in the stunning Dolomites and centre of the Super Ski, has won its 2nd Michelin star for Restaurant La Siriola.
  • Garden & Villas Resort, Ischia, Naples is opening a brand new 7500 sq/ft Spa facility for 2019 season and also Ischia’s first Vegan Restaurant. Ischia has also been getting massive publicity from the exposure in the recent HBO series, My Brilliant Friend.
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A record year for Central Hall Westminster sees them set to increase charitable funding

Central Hall Westminster has announced a record turnover for the year of £7.8m, and subsequently promised to increase charitable funding to £1.7m per year. This will represent a 21% rise in donations to charity by 2020.

The central London venue’s 2018 Annual Review reveals that the record turnover has been boosted by a 37% increase in high-profile concerts held in its historic Great Hall. This included the Royal Armouries’ concert to mark the end of the hostilities in the First World War attended by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Other high-profile concerts included UNICEF’s Christmas Carol concert featuring Jessie Ware which raised money for children in Syria, Katie Melua’s London leg of her World Tour, 80s pop band Madness transmitted live from the venue by BBC One and the Raymond Gubbay season of Christmas concerts.

The number of conferences held in 2018 also increased by 31% with clients including Deloitte, Shell, The Guardian and The Jamaican National Bank. Additionally, the flexibility of the venue allowed over six exhibitions to be held throughout the year including the 13th Annual BNC Show for the second year running.

Televised media events in 2018 included Channel Four’s Stand up to Cancer presented by Alan Carr, Maya Jama and Adam Hills, held at Central Hall for the third time in a row and which raised over £24.6m, and James Corden’s The Late Late Show for the second year running.

One of the highest profile events in 2018 was a public address by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, which was streamed live to one billion people worldwide.

As a not-for-profit organisation, surplus revenue is used to maintain the historic Grade II* Listed building and to support charitable causes. In 2018, £450,000 was spent on improvement works including a complete refurbishment and rebranding of its public café. For 2019 and beyond, a budget of £1.1m has been set for a ten-year building maintenance programme.

As a result of the increased revenue, the venue was able to make a contribution of £1.2m to the funds of the Trustees of Central Hall which makes further contributions to the building’s upkeep and to a number of charitable causes including homeless charity, The Passage, and the onsite St. Vincent’s Family project which supports vulnerable local families. Other charitable initiatives for 2018 included raising over £28,000 through public donations to the Toilet Twinning charity which aims to provide clean water and sanitation to poverty-stricken families around the world.

Paul Southern, Managing Director of Central Hall Westminster, comments: “For the past five years we have beat our own record for results, but in the last year it has been phenomenal with the large increase in both concert and conference business. We really took the spotlight on the world stage with the number of internationally acclaimed and high-profile events which took place here. Prime Minister Modi’s address to one billion people around the world had particular resonance with us after Mahatma Gandhi addressed an audience from the very same stage exactly 70 years earlier. This demonstrates how we and the world have progressed to reach huge audiences, while our values remain the same.

“In addition, we have exceeded our five-year plan to increase the number of high-profile concerts which take place within the venue and are delighted that the profits from these and all our other events go to help so many worthy causes,” he added.

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100th Hotel Indigo opens in Berlin

InterContinental Hotels Group has opened its 100th Hotel Indigo property globally, Hotel Indigo Berlin East Side Gallery and the brand is set to double its portfolio over the next three to five years. 

The Hotel Indigo brand was established in 2004 and now has a presence more than 15 countries with nearly 100 hotels in the pipeline. Together with IHG’s luxury boutique brand, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, IHG’s boutique portfolio makes up almost 170 hotels globally.

In the coming years, Hotel Indigo is set to debut in more than ten new countries, including the UAE, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam, as well as expanding in markets where Hotel Indigo has a significant foothold already, including the US and UK.

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The Hoxton Hotel Update

Trinity recently had a visit from The Hoxton Hotel, they shared the below key facts with us;

  • The Apartment is The Hoxton’s Unique Meeting Space in each of the hotels. It’s made up of 6/7 individual meeting rooms and a central pantry kitchen. During the day it’s available to raid for all snacking needs and by night flips into a bar for events or private dining. 
  • The Hoxton Southwark opens this summer ans is the latest addition to the London Hoxton family, featuring 192 bedrooms across 5 categories the property will feature an impressive rooftop restaurant and bar, with Hoxton Apartment event space and a Mezzanine drinks space. 
  • Ennismore Sessions House is a Grade II listed building in Clerkenwell, which is both Hoxton Head office and also an innovative meetings and events space to amplify any occasion. Built in 1780 it was once one of the busiest courthouses in England and it was here that Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist was caught on Clerkenwell green and taken to the magistrate in 1837 for the skill full pickpocket work of his friend, the Artful Dodger. Today the Old Judge’s rooms are beautiful boardroom meeting spaces and the doomed lobby area an dreamy reception space.
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AccorHotels set for two new Mercure Hotels in Yorkshire

AccorHotels has signed two new Mercure hotels in Yorkshire with five set to open in the county by the first quarter of next year.

The 59-bedroom Mercure Leeds Centre, which is already open, and the 98-bedroom Mercure Tankersley Manor, due to open next year.

The 49-bedroom MGallery York and 114-bedroom Mercure Kenwood Hall are undergoing extensive renovations and the Ibis Budget Sheffield is under construction, with all three set to open this year.

AccorHotels has more than 4,600 hotels, resorts and residences across 100 different countries.

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VisitBritain’s flagship business event MeetGB returns in 2019

VisitBritain has announced its flagship business event MeetGB will return this year to show 120 international buyers why the UK is the destination of choice for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.

MeetGB will welcome 80 suppliers from venues, hotels and local attractions across the UK to do business with global buyers from France, Germany and North America at the De Vere Beaumont Estate in Windsor from Thursday 11 to Friday 12 April 2019.

The programme will see the buyers and suppliers engage in one-to-one business meetings, networking events and workshops.

VisitBritain chief executive Sally Balcombe said: “We are proud to bring MeetGB to Windsor in 2019 after the success of our inaugural event in 2018.

“MeetGB has been designed with global buyers in mind to demonstrate the breadth and quality of the UK’s meetings and events industry, highlighting VisitBritain’s commitment to growing the business events sector.

“MeetGB gives UK suppliers a platform to promote their products on an international scale, creating valuable business connections that will ultimately drive more international MICE events across the country.”

Ahead of the business programme, buyers will be introduced to some of the best of the UK’s conference and events offering as they take part in three days of educational visits across the country.

MeetGB is hosted by VisitBritain in partnership with VisitEngland, Visit Wales, VisitScotland and Tourism Northern Ireland.

VisitBritain promotes business events worldwide under the Events are GREAT brand, part of the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign.

The brand drives awareness of Britain’s destinations and products, highlighting its history of research, innovation and high-quality infrastructure, positioning it as a leading destination for business events.

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New Hire joins CHS team in Preparation of Record 10th Anniversary Show

Michelle Rennoldson joins CHS Group UK as buyer relationship manager with a remit to make the 10th Anniversary Conference and Hospitality Show the best yet.

A regular attendee from the inaugural event in 2000 to CHS18, Michelle has seen the Conference and Hospitality Show grow and build to the record-breaking national show in 2018, that has put Leeds firmly on the conference map.

Delighted at being the latest addition to the CHS team Michelle said: “I started with CHS as a project manager to cover a single event, which grew into another one and then they asked me to come on board permanently.

“I look after the Independent Venue Roadshow and hosted buyers programme. I’m currently recruiting judges for our 5th anniversary CHS Awards and relationship building with contacts, agents, PA’s and venues and inviting them along to our events.

“I’m so pleased to be working with CHS, I’ve known them and worked alongside them for a long time and they’ve always been such a great company to work with. They never sit still and are constantly looking to improve what they do and pushing for the next big thing. It’s wonderful to join the team at this exciting time, having seen CHS grow and build into a national show in Leeds over the last nine years.”

Michelle began her career 12 years ago as hotel sales coordinator where she gained lots of experience and her first taste of working in events.

Following an introduction at the inaugural Conference and Hospitality Show at the Royal Armouries in 2010, she joined the team of a brand-new casino in Leeds city centre, as front of house and reception, having fallen in love its events space, private dining, and private cinema. Following two-years of learning the trade, Michelle became senior events manager, in charge of everything from enquiry to operations.

Michelle then spent six years at the National Railway Museum, initially with Compass, and then Science Museum before combining her freelance work with a new position of buyer relationship manager for CHS Group UK.

“It’s interesting seeing how it works from this side. My previous experience has been as a venue, and a delegate and I’m now building a very different relationship with contacts from my venue background. It’s a different conversation as you are asking people to give their time and that’s almost as hard as talking sales and bottom line, that’s challenging but I really like that element of it and it really helps to have knowledge and an understanding of that other side I can be passionate about this as I believe it to be quality time invested well, I couldn’t promote it if I didn’t believe it.”

It’s an exciting time to join the organisation as it planning to mark two important milestones – the Conference and Hospitality Show will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2019 and it will also be the CHS Awards fifth birthday. Michelle comments: “We’re very excited about the it’s the 10th anniversary, it will be focussed on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going. We’ll be celebrating with everyone who has been on this journey with us, so expect big and exciting things ahead.”

CHS19 will return to the First Direct Arena, Leeds for another Rockstar event on Tuesday 30th April 2019 and promises to be bigger and better than ever with lots of exciting keynote speakers, industry experts and quality buyers in attendance. Expect another great event, with plenty of opportunities to see what will be trending in the events and hospitality industry in 2019.

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Venue Lab opens Dock X London

Dock X London Venue Labs brand-new standalone, multi-use venue located in the heart of Canada Water just a five-minute tube ride from London Bridge via the Jubilee Line

With its high 7 meter ceilings and natural daylight, Dock X London offers an accessible creative blank canvas of over 3.000 sqm. The industrial space is ideal for exhibitions, conferences, brand activation’s, awards dinners and parties for up to 1500 attendees.

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New data reveals £1.9bn spend generated by academic conferences

Richard Smith of RJS Associates and Tony Rogers Conference & Event Service have released new research into the university and academic conference market.

Among the key findings are that academic conferences generated £1.9bn of in-destination spend during 2017, as well as an estimated 15 million delegate days.

The new report, entitled ‘University and Academic Conference Market Trends’, represents the first in a series of reports examining the developments, changes and trends in different types of conference and meeting venue over the past decade. 

It is based on the huge volumes of data that have been collected in this period via the annual ‘UK Conference and Meetings Survey’ (UKCAMS) research. It is designed to complement the national UKCAMS data by providing an in-depth analysis of different venue types on a sector by sector basis.

This report provides a more detailed focus on universities. It looks at the supply of such venues and their different characteristics, as well as the size, value and performance of the academic venue sector by different sub-categories of venue.

The report also contains a number of insights from university conference sales representatives, summarising their current market experiences, and reflecting on changes experienced over recent years.

Some other key findings from the research include:

 The annual average number of conferences has fluctuated since 2009. Academic venues experienced an increase in 2010 and 2011 but fell back in 2013 and 2014.  They have witnessed some growth in the last couple of years.

This trend appears to have been driven by business from the corporate sector which has also fluctuated since 2009 but has shown an increase from 2013.

Levels of overnight conference business have also increased from 2013 – reaching a peak in 2017.

Tony Rogers commented: “Academic venues, principally universities, have a long history of staging meetings and training events, but it is really only in the past two to three decades that serious investment has taken place to provide facilities for, and the marketing of, dedicated meeting and conference spaces for hire by external organisations.”

Authors Richard Smith and Tony Rogers also undertake the annual UKCAMS research. Copies of the report are available priced £250 + VAT. Visit http://www.ukcams.org.uk to order.