Last week I had the pleasure of attending IBTM 2015 in Barcelona as a hosted buyer, together with my colleagues Paula, Amy and Tracy. Attending my first major event it was great to engage with the many nations and venues in the industry all willing to share their experiences and knowledge.
This was an exhibition on a huge scale. A full schedule of meetings and destination presentations to attend, each with valuable information to give, for myself and my client, including company/hotel updates and visions for the upcoming year. Also I got the chance to meet up with some unscheduled appointments when I had a bit of time to spare.
Being hosted by Marriott I also had the chance to have extra one on one time with some of our preferred partners properties in mainland Europe, which again benefited myself and my client’s needs going forwards.
As the evening approached I was invited to a drinks reception provided by my hosted buyer in which I also got to network with other hosted buyers from around the world.
All in all this was a great experience in all aspects with great contacts made, industry updates and saying hello to some old faces.
Further to our article on 16 October, we can confirm that Jurys Inns will increase the number of UK hotels to 36, by adding the following properties to their group:
The Oxford Hotel, Godstow Rd, Wolvercote, Oxford
The Parc Hotel, Park Place, Cardiff
The Middlesbrough Hotel, Fry Street, Middlesbrough
The Hinckley Island Hotel, Watling Street, Hinckley (pictured)
The East Midlands Skyway Hotel, East Midlands Airport
The Inverness Hotel, Millburn Rd, Inverness
The Aberdeen Skyway Hotel, Aberdeen Airport
The Golden Valley Hotel, Cheltenham
The hotels were previously part of The Hotel Collection and the transfer to Jurys Inns will start in November 2015.
The new hotels will undergo a refurbishment programme, estimated to cost £36 million that will include all bedrooms, public areas, bars, restaurants and also meeting and conference rooms. The re-brand will introduce an all-day Costa Coffee Bar.
The Jurys Inn portfolio is part of Amaris Hospitality group which owns 89 hotels in the brands of
Jurys Inn, Mercure, MGallery, DoubleTree by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn.
We’ve got two tickets to see Duran Duran’s ‘Paper Gods on Tour’ concert and overnight at the new Village Hotel Glasgow. Bid in our charity auction for a great night out!
There’s a lot more on website too and more will be added tomorrow, so it’s time to take a look at some of this week’s highlights:
Keep checking as we will be be adding more to the site later in the week and I hope you’re successful with your bidding!
The new and luxurious Meliá Hacienda del Conde is located in a privileged location by the sea in the Northwest of Tenerife, next to the Teno cliffs. The hotel is surrounded by the Buenavista golf course and with imposing views of the Atlantic ocean, the area is considered a protected natural park and is also known for its mild climate all year round.
The resorts boasts of not only spacious and elegant rooms with magnificent views over the ocean but also a YHI Spa offering a variety of beauty, wellbeing and health treatments.
The venue is perfectly integrated with its natural environment and the hotel is 60 km from Tenerife Norte Airport and 69km from Tenerife Sur Airport, all making the hotel a jewel on the coast on the beautiful island of Tenerife.
Dundas Castle, an authentic Scottish Castle that has been transformed into a 5 star exclusive use venue that is truly unique. The castle is located in South Queensferry just a 10 minute drive from Edinburgh Airport.
With completely flexible packages created bespoke for each event and a fantastic range of activities including the new super-car driving experience package the varied and unique space is the perfect venue for any event.
The Memmo Principe Real will open in the Summer of 2016 and will be a member of the Design Hotels group. This boutique hotel, with 41 bedrooms, will also have a terrace for events with a capacity of up to 80 people, a restaurant and a rooftop swimming pool.
The Memmo Group opened the 42-room Memmo Alfama just over two years ago, in Lisbon’s oldest neighbourhood, Alfama and they also have a property in Sagres in the Algarve.
Last year we were purchased by The Trump Organisation and are currently undergoing a £200 million refurbishment which is due for completion on 1st June 2016. Phase one of the project is complete including the fantastic newly renovated Caledonia Ballroom, with a maximum capacity of 240 theatre style as well as two additional rooms, The Ailsa Craig Suite (formally the Sports Bar) and The Old Tom Morris (formally the creche).
Our new Clubhouse reopened on 8th June with an additional two meeting rooms, The Champions Suite and The Tom Watson Suite, which is ideal for smaller groups of up to 80 guests.
The larger and second phase commenced 28th September which involves a full closure of the main hotel in order to refurbish and upgrade all bedrooms in the main building as well as public spaces and food and beverage outlets. Our Championship Golf-course Ailsa, which hosted 4 Open championships will also be closed during this time for substantial improvements. The venue are also adding a new ballroom to the side of the hotel with a capacity to seat 500 guests. This will be complete later in 2016.
