London & Partners has experienced a major increase in enquiries this summer following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. Between June & September this year, London’s convention bureau received a 41 per cent jump in enquiries compared to the same period last year.
This rise is reflected across all markets, with US enquiries going up to 22 per cent over the period, EMEA enquiries also rising 22 per cent and domestic enquiries jumping up by 83 per cent.
A number of suppliers, including ExCel London, Maybourne Hotel Group and Intercontinental London – The O2, have also experienced an increase in enquiries and some overseas planners have been requesting to settle the cost of their events upfront due to the fall in the value of the pound following the referendum results.
The crowning glory of Emirates Old Trafford’s redevelopment will be completed in the summer of 2017 when a brand new 150-bedroom four star Hilton Garden Inn opens its doors at the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club.
The hotel, which will be operated by LCCC under a franchise arrangement with Hilton Garden Inn, will replace the Old Trafford Lodge which has served the Club so well since its opening in 1999.
There will be five floors with rooms overlooking the world famous cricket pitch which can be converted to hospitality boxes on match days. There will also be a bar, restaurant, fitness centre and a branded coffee shop.
Government-owned Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London is being lined up as a possible venue to rehouse the House of Lords, as parliament faces up to the need for a £3.9bn restoration plan that could take up to six years to complete.
There is concern that if the QEII Centre is used exclusively for the lords, then central London would lose its major purpose-built conference venue. The centre currently contributes £122m annually to the UK economy. But no decision has been made yet.
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.
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.
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.
Hotel Football in Salford offers a number of options for team building exercises. The rooftop football pitch, ‘Heaven’, is popular for activities from 5-a-side to BBQ’s. Earlier this year, a European insulation company held a team building initiative for 100 of its employees. The rooftop pitch was transformed into a hub for a series of miniature Guinness World Record attempts, from dominoes to tiddlywinks, with the day culminating in a penalty shoot-out and dinner.
The hotel works with each organiser to create something different and completely unique to ensure their experience is as memorable as possible.
Novotel Stevenage is located just off of the A1 (M) motorway and within Knebworth Country Park. The hotel has just completed a £3.5 million refurbishment across the whole venue including their 102 bedrooms. All of the rooms are very fresh and modern and have a contemporary feel to them. Likewise, the meeting space has undergone a complete makeover which includes all 6 meetings rooms including the Lytton Suite which is the largest and can fit up to 150 theatre style. As for the public areas, the bar and restaurant leads off from the lobby area and is quite funky with bright splashes of turquoise and greens and there is also a small outside terrace area which can be utilised for al fresco dining.
Barbican centre is a non for profit organisation which relies heavily on the support of the business events team. With the help of our commercial business this helps continue keeping Barbican centre stay alive and open!
Barbican centre is home to the largest conservatory in central London, which is home to over 2000 varieties of Tropical plants including coy carpe and 2 full time gardeners.
Milton Court the most recent addition to the Barbican portfolio is home to the famous Guildhall school of music and Drama, which is homes an auditorium for 608 people. The graduates from this school are Daniel Craig, Ewan McGregor, Orlando Bloom & Hayley Alwell!!!
The Barbican centre has 208 different entrances and fire exits! However 1 very easy and noticeable main entrance on Silk street!
The Centre took over a decade to build and was opened by The Queen in 1982, who declared it ‘one of the modern wonders of the world’ with the building seen as a landmark in terms of its scale, cohesion and ambition.
Due to open any day now, the newly built il Sereno Lago di Como will be an exclusive resort by the shores of the beautiful Lake Como in Northern Italy. Il Sereno is located on a scenic promontory along the lake’s eastern shoreline, offering stunning views over the glistening water, dramatic mountains, and the adjacent village of Torno. It’s also a short six mile drive from the popular city of Como. Il Sereno is located roughly an hour’s drive away from both of Milan’s major airports, Malpensa and Linate. It’s also less than an hour from both Lugano and central Milan.
The property is due to feature spacious bedrooms, (the smallest room is over 650 sq-ft), as well as private terraces, secluded gardens, and a 60-foot infinity pool. The hotel has also promised there will not be a single space on property without a panoramic view of Lake Como.
Due to open any day now, the newly built il Sereno Lago di Como will be an exclusive resort by the shores of the beautiful Lake Como in Northern Italy. Il Sereno is located on a scenic promontory along the lake’s eastern shoreline, offering stunning views over the glistening water, dramatic mountains, and the adjacent village of Torno. It’s also a short six mile drive from the popular city of Como. Il Sereno is located roughly an hour’s drive away from both of Milan’s major airports, Malpensa and Linate. It’s also less than an hour from both Lugano and central Milan.
The property is due to feature spacious bedrooms, (the smallest room is over 650 sq-ft), as well as private terraces, secluded gardens, and a 60-foot infinity pool. The hotel has also promised there will not be a single space on property without a panoramic view of Lake Como.
New hotel due to open on Lake Como
Due to open any day now, the newly built il Sereno Lago di Como will be an exclusive resort by the shores of the beautiful Lake Como in Northern Italy. Il Sereno is located on a scenic promontory along the lake’s eastern shoreline, offering stunning views over the glistening water, dramatic mountains, and the adjacent village of Torno. It’s also a short six mile drive from the popular city of Como. Il Sereno is located roughly an hour’s drive away from both of Milan’s major airports, Malpensa and Linate. It’s also less than an hour from both Lugano and central Milan.
The property is due to feature spacious bedrooms, (the smallest room is over 650 sq-ft), as well as private terraces, secluded gardens, and a 60-foot infinity pool. The hotel has also promised there will not be a single space on property without a panoramic view of Lake Como.
