Today’s news in brief – 29/1/24
Percor Capital, owners of Hotel Indigo and Staybridge Suites Dundee, are embarking on a £1m refurbishment of their IHG dual-branded site in Dundee’s city centre. The renovation will introduce a new hotel bar, Eighteen Twenty-Two, paying homage to the building’s history as Dundee’s oldest linen mill. The bar will feature a variety of wines, beers, and spirits, with a focus on local Dundee brands, along with a Whisky library. The lobby will be revamped to include co-working spaces, city centre parking, and a new reception area. The refurbishment is scheduled to begin in early February, with the bar and reception expected to open by Easter.
The University of Gloucester has partnered with renowned hotel brands, including Red Carnation Hotels, The Dorchester, JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, and PPHE Hotel Group, to offer the first-ever degree-level apprenticeship in hospitality management. The program aims to address the industry-wide skills shortage and provides learners with valuable management skills and real-world experience working in top London hotels while simultaneously pursuing an honours degree in Applied Hospitality Management. The launch event welcomed the first intake of 16 apprentices at Park Plaza, County Hall in London.
Manorview, a hospitality company, announced a record profit share of £273,560 to be distributed among 471 team members through its Heartcount profit share scheme. The scheme qualifies employees with over 12 months of service for a share of 10% of Manorview’s net profits, calculated based on hours worked rather than job title or salary. The company celebrated the occasion with an all-expenses-paid party for its team at The Arches in Glasgow. Manorview’s managing director emphasised fairness in profit sharing, ensuring that every employee, regardless of role, receives an equal share if they have worked the same hours.
Whitbread inaugurated its first Premier Inn outside Dublin in Cork City Centre, Ireland, today (29 January). The 187-bedroom hotel at Morrison’s Quay overlooks the River Lee, marking Whitbread’s sixth Irish location with over 1,000 trading bedrooms. The expansion aims to address the undersupply of budget hotel rooms in Ireland. With plans for further growth, Whitbread identifies Killarney, Limerick, and Galway as potential locations for future Premier Inn establishments, calling the Cork opening a “springboard” for national expansion, reflecting positive trading figures and responding to demand in regional towns and cities. Over 40 team members have been recruited for the new location.
