News
Olympics organising committee release 120,000 hotel rooms
Thousands of hotel rooms have been released by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, opening up a range of choices for Olympic event planners. Read More
IHG celebrates meetings and events accreditation from MIA
Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) has achieved Aim accreditation as part of its ambition to become the market leader in the meetings and events sector. Read More
 and Hubert Joly (r)_small.jpg)
Carlson and Rezidor establish The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Hotel giants Carlson and The Rezidor Hotel Group have established The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Read More
Deputy Prime Minister lauds Expotel partners for Social Mobility schemes
Hilton, Barcelo and Jurys Inn have been lauded by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg for their social mobility schemes. Read More
QHotels and etc venues scoop VenueVerdict Brand Awards
Two Expotel partners have triumphed at the BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict Awards, determined by nearly 24,000 customer feedback surveys across 350 UK venues. Read More
Expotel wins award for helping young people find employment
Expotel has been recognised by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council for its support of young people in the workplace. Read More
Tenth DoubleTree hotel for Newcastle Airport
Hilton has opened its 10th DoubleTree property at Newcastle International Airport. Read More
Etihad takes largest stake in Air Berlin
Etihad Airways has signed a new deal with Air Berlin to launch flights from Berlin to Abu Dhabi. Read More
Room to grow – UK hotel expansion continues
A new report from the British Hospitality Association (BHA) suggests that the UK hotel industry is continuing to expand. Read More
Hilton to create 1,500 new UK jobs
Hilton is to create around 1,500 jobs as part of an expansion plan in the UK, which will see 20 new hotels being built over the next few years. Read More
Slow going at strike-affected UK airports
Travellers are being warned by UK airports to expect delays of up to 12 hours on arrival during a day of public sector strikes on Wednesday (30th November). Read More
Strand Palace Hotel receives WorldHost recognised Business status
Strand Palace hotel is the first UK property to be awarded WorldHost Recognised Business status. Read More
Acclaim for Venues Event Management's Singapore event
Venues Event Management achieved second place for International Conference of the Year at Conference and Incentive Travel’s inaugural Excellence Awards. Read More
.jpg)
Virgin expands North American routes for Olympics
Virgin Atlantic is planning to launch flights from Vancouver to London in time for the Olympic Games, and is adding capacity on flights to San Francisco. Read More
De Vere offer 3D meetings through Cineworld
De Vere Venues has added three Cineworld cinemas in London to its portfolio of preferred event spaces. Read More
IHG looks to reposition Crowne Plaza brand
Intercontinental Hotels Group is to undertake a global repositioning of its Crowne Plaza brand, with a three-phase “Freshen Up”, “Move Up” and “Shine” programme. Read More
Quick response from Virgin Trains
Could paper train timetables and route maps have seen their day? Read More
High tech suite for Hilton Park Lane
The Penthouse suite on the 26th floor of the London Hilton on Park Lane has undergone a half million pound refurbishment. Read More
.jpg)
Venues Event Management wins huge Santander contract for second year.
Venues Event Management, part of Expotel’s events arm, has won a lucrative deal with Santander UK to produce its Retail Recognition Event for the second consecutive year. Read More
Expotel generates over £10m worth of business for independent hotels
The Expotel Collection has now generated in excess of £10 million worth of business for independent hotels and venues since its inception in 2009. Read More
.jpg)
Thistle crowned AA Hotel Group of the Year
Expotel partner, Thistle Hotel,s have been crowned ‘Hotel Group of the Year Award’ at the prestigious AA Hospitality Awards 2011-2012. Read More
Labour Party Delegates Receive a Warm Welcome from Jurys Inn
Jurys Inn Liverpool has been chosen as the official hotel for the Labour Party Conference, taking place from September 25th to 29th. Read More
Best Western adds Plus and Premier levels to offering
Best Western has restructured its 276 member hotels into three tiers – Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier to better illustrate standards to customers. Read More
Accor consolidates budget brand names for 'ibis'
Accor are scrapping their Etap and All Seasons budget brand trading titles in favour of the better known ibis signature. Read More
Expotel announces business expansion in Glasgow
Expotel has just announced a huge expansion of their Glasgow office to better service Scottish business. Read More
IHG sets sights on growth in Russia
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) plans to open 100 hotels in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) by 2020, the company announced today in Moscow. Read More
bmi Regional to fly from East Midlands Airport to Frankfurt
East Midlands Airport will fly to central business hub Frankfurt as of 31 October 2011, offering Derby, Leicester, Nottingham region worldwide connectivity via bmi parent company, Lufthansa. Read More
DLR: London City to Stratford International opens
With just one year to the start of the London Olympics the much anticipated DLR link from London City Airport to Stratford International has finally opened. Read More
Virgin carries warnings on inflight movies
Responding to a passenger survey, Virgin Atlantic has introduced 'hazardous to your emotional health' warning signs on films that are potentially the biggest tearjerkers onboard. Read More
British Airways bring an ipad dimension to customer service
British Airways cabin crew is revolutionising customer service in the air using iPads. Read More
Barcelo Hotels search for apprentice chefs
Barcelo Hotels searches for 21 apprentice chefs for the Barcelo Apprentice Chef Academy (BACA) which begins in November. Read More
Anita Lowe heads up event management at Expotel
Anita Lowe, chief executive of Venues Event Management, will be heading up Expotel’s venue-finding and event management services division. Read More
Virgin invests £100m in customer services
Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to invest heavily in new product to improve customer service. Read More
BA to help famine victims of East Africa
British Airways is flying a relief aircraft full of emergency supplies and equipment to victims of the food crisis in East Africa. Read More
Venues Event Management claims lucrative Trader Group contract
Venues Event Management, part of the Expotel Group, has scooped Trader Media Group’s Leadership Conference for the third year running. Read More
Eyes to the skies for 'One Year to Go'
British Airways, the official airline partner of the London 2012 Olympic Games, emblazoned ‘One Year to Go’ onto the belly of an aircraft, to countdown to the start of the Olympic Games. Read More
Mint Hotel Amsterdam lauded by AA two months after opening
The AA has awarded newly-opened Mint Hotel Amsterdam four Stars and one AA Rosette for its signature restaurant City Café just two months after opening. Read More
Expotel helps hotels reduce carbon and save money
Expotel has just announced a landmark partnership with SaveMoneyCutCarbon.com Read More
Lufthansa boosts services to Frankfurt through Gatwick
Lufthansa will boost flights to Frankfurt, one of Europe’s biggest airport hubs, by offering double-daily flights from Gatwick from October 2011. Read More
Macdonald Hotels secures top chef Aiden Byrne and is ‘in talks’ with others chefs
Macdonald Hotels has partnered with top chef Aiden Byrne and has been in talks with a number of other 'top chefs' to run partnership food operations at its 42 UK hotels. Read More
Barceló named as top apprenticeship employer
Barceló UK has been recognised as one of the only hotel groups in the first ever Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list. Read More
Hotel bookings by business travellers rise 15%
Hotel bookings made by business travellers increased by 15% in the first quarter of this year according to figures from the Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC). Read More
Virgin Trains rated top long-distance franchise
Virgin Trains has been rated best long-distance franchise operator for overall satisfaction in the latest Spring 2011 National Passenger Survey. Read More
Etihad Airways and Czech Airlines sign landmark strategic agreement
The flag carriers of the Czech Republic and the United Arab Emirates – Czech Airlines (OK) and Etihad Airways (EY) – have signed a new codeshare agreement. Read More
New CEO for Expotel
Expotel, one of the largest UK travel management companies, today announced the appointment of Ian Sparks as Group Chief Executive, effective 4 July 2011. Read More
Grange Hotels launches London's newest green luxury hotel
Grange Hotels has announced the opening of its newest property, the four-star Grange Tower Bridge hotel. Read More
Future flying offers window on the world
Planes of the future will deliver a travel experience like no other as passengers view the world through a transparent cabin. Read More
.jpg)
'Checkpoint of the future' to reduce body searches
A new generation of security checkpoints at airports will dispense with the need for intrusive body-searching according to Giovanni Bisignani, the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s CEO. Read More
IHG creates hundreds of new jobs with 54 new hotel openings
InterContinental Hotels Group reported another successful period for hotel signings, adding a further 54 hotels to its European pipeline in the year from June 2010 to May 2011. ?? Read More
Heathrow T5C launches with San Diego flight
Heathrow’s T5C has officially opened for business, reducing the number of passengers bussed to their aircraft from the main terminal from around 20% to 5%. Read More
Singapore Airlines to launch budget brand
Singapore Airlines is due to launch a new no-frills long-haul airline next year, targeting markets in India, China and Australasia. Read More
European business travel booms
The hotel industry has made one of the sharpest post-recession recoveries in the history of the industry, according to a senior boss at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). Read More
Clear for now, but volcanic ash to return
The volcanic ash cloud has cleared from the UK and now disrupts European airspace, but forecasters predict its return to Britain later this week. Read More
Icelandic Volcano causes flight disruption across northern England
Thousands of passengers face UK flight cancellations because of drifting ash from an Icelandic volcanic eruption. Read More
Eighth AA Rosette for Barcelo Chef
The restaurant at the Barceló Oxford Hotel has been awarded its first prestigious AA Rosette, bringing talented Head Chef, Brian Kerr, up to a grand total of eight. Read More
Red Carnation property named top hotel
The award-winning five-star Egerton House Hotel, Knightsbridge, a Red Carnation property, has been named London’s top hotel by the public. Read More
BA strike: Airline takes 'brave steps'
British Airways and the Unite union have reached an agreement to settle their long-running pay and perks dispute. Read More
QHotels offers unprecedented bandwidth
QHotels has invested £1.7m in upgrading its IT facilities, and now claims to be the only hotel group in the UK to offer a 90mbps internet bandwidth for conferences. Read More
Jurys Inn Gateshead Quays welcomes living roof
The highly anticipated Jurys Inn NewcastleGateshead Quays will be home to the first green roof of its size in Gateshead. Read More
Latin America gets a step closer thanks to British Airways/Iberia merger
British Airways and Iberia are placing their flight codes on each other’s flights so that BA’s customers can fly to Latin America and Iberia’s can travel to the Middle East. Read More
Expotel wins £6.5m deal with Scottish Water
Expotel has scooped a £6.5 million contract with Scottish Water for the provision of business travel services including negotiating rates for conference facilities. Read More
Sofitel London Heathrow voted best EU airport hotel
The Sofitel hotel at London Heathrow has been named the best airport hotel in Europe in the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2011. Read More
Jurys Inn hat-trick at Scottish Hotel Awards 2011
Jurys Inn has scooped a raft of awards at this year’s Scottish Hotel Awards 2011 with a hat-trick for Jurys Inn Glasgow. Read More
DeVere Chef scoops top international Copper Skillet prize
Jamian Lewis, head chef with De Vere Venues, has become the first British professional chef to win the much-coveted international final of the IACC Copper Skillet Awards. Read More
DeVere hotel claims 11 awards at key hotel and catering event
A DeVere hotel in Bournemouth has scooped 11 awards at the 55th Hotel and Catering Show, held at the Bournemouth International Centre. Read More
Park Plaza County Hall Sleeps Easier
As part of the SleepSmart initiative, guests of London’s Park Plaza County Hall have helped the hotel raise nearly £3000 for local charities and projects. Read More
Expotel launches online hotel auction site
Expotel has launched an online auction site that invites buyers to bid for Hotel rooms, Conference space and Leisure packages from as little as a £1. Read More
British Airways sets new Guinness World Record
There was some funny business high above the UK on Saturday 12 March, with 180 people joining the Smile High Club for Comic Relief. Read More
Expotel’s CEO Ian Burnley ranked second in travel industry ‘Power 50’
Ian Burnley, CEO Expotel, has been ranked second in a ‘Power 50’ index of the industry’s 50 most influential people for 2011. Read More
Venues Event Management crowned best agency for third year running
Venues Event Management, recently acquired by Expotel, has been crowned Best Event Management agency at the M&IT awards for the third year running. Read More
De Vere Venues chef wins prestigious gold medal
De Vere Venues chef, Jamain Lewis, has just been crowned gold medal winner of the prestigious UK International Association of Conference Centres Copper Skillet Award. Read More
Best Western Castle Green scoops customer care award
A belief that excellent customer service is truly at the heart of any good hotel has seen Best Western Castle Green Hotel win a coveted Best Customer Care award. Read More
Rezidor to open second Missoni hotel in Kuwait
The Rezidor Hotel Group will open their second Missoni hotel on 1 March in Kuwait. Read More
Acquisition swells Akkeron Group
Akkeron Hotels Group has completed the acquisition of ten hotels from Butterfly Hotels and Crowne Hotels. It takes the number of hotels in the Group to 36. Read More
Sofitel London St James wins Condé Nast Traveller award
Readers of Conde Nast Traveller magazine have voted So SPA by Sofitel, at Sofitel London St James, the UK’s leading hotel spa. Read More
Rudding Park scoops Tripadvisor top hotel award
The Expotel Collection’s Rudding Park hotel has been crowned ‘Number One Hotel in the UK’ at the TripAdvisor® Travellers’ Choice Awards 2011. Read More
Government could scrap hotel ratings system
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) could scrap the UK's star-ratings system for hotels in favour of consumer-led reviews next month. Read More
Expotel Collection's Oval is rebranded Kia Oval
Surrey County Cricket Club has announced that The Oval, will be renamed the Kia Oval as the car manufacturer takes over sponsorship. Read More
Mercure hotels expands portfolio with Focus Hotels
Mercure Hotels has signed a franchise agreement with Focus Hotels, adding ten hotels to its UK network in the first quarter of 2011. Read More
Hilton arrives in historic Krakow
Hilton Worldwide announces the opening of its first Hilton Garden Inn in the historic city of Krakow, Poland. Read More
Rezidor announces two new hotels in the UK
The Rezidor Hotel Group has announced two new hotels in the United Kingdom: the Radisson Blu Hotel, Newcastle and the Park Inn Bournemouth. Read More
Bristol Airport to receive spacious new hotel
Bristol Airport has received planning permission for a new 251-room hotel. Read More
Red Carnation Hotels scoops three VisitLondon awards
Red Carnation Hotels has won three VisitLondon awards including top spot for Best Small Hotel. Read More
Flight backlog clearing as Heathrow opens second runway
Freezing weather across the UK continues to cause major problems on roads, railways and at airports. Read More
Severe weather disrupts travel services across UK
Heavy snow and ice continues to wreak travel havoc across the UK, stranding hundreds of passengers. Read More
Rezidor announces two new hotels in the UK
The Rezidor Hotel Group has announced two new hotels in the United Kingdom: the 170 room Radisson Blu Hotel, Newcastle and the 172 room Park Inn Bournemouth. Read More
Thistle scoops Catey Housekeeper of the Year
Thistle Marble Arch wins Housekeeper of the Year at this year’s Catey’s awards. Read More
Christmas stockings at 35,000ft!
Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class passengers departing Christmas Eve will receive a stocking full of goodies thanks to the airline elves. Read More
.jpg)
Park Plaza County Hall scoops Best Employer award
Park Plaza County Hall has been named Best Employer at the Springboard Awards Read More
City Inn rebrands as Mint Hotel
City Inn is celebrating the launch of luxurious new properties by rebranding as Mint Hotel. Read More
Expotel acquires major Venues Event Management business
Expotel has acquired Venues Event Management – catapulting the HBA into the top five conference and events agencies in the UK. Read More
Best Western scores Gold at the MIMA awards
Best Western beat off stiff competition to score the Meetings Industry Marketing Awards’ Gold prize. Read More
IHG to provide 3,000 new jobs
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) will create over 3,000 new UK jobs when it opens 37 hotels over the next few years. Read More
Virgin triumphs at the British Travel Awards
The Virgin brand won huge recognition at the British Travel awards, held last night. Read More
It's a knockout
Park Plaza, sponsors of WBA Heavyweight boxing champion David Haye, has launched “The Knockout” cocktail in honour of his next bout. Read More
Second Indigo hotel opens with a sparkle
IHG has expanded its boutique Indigo brand in the UK with the launch of Hotel Indigo London. Read More
Rezidor expands its presence in the Emirates
The Rezidor Hotel Group will bolster its Dubai presence with a new property, the Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Downtown. Read More
Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Awarded Carbon Trust Standard
Millennium & Copthorne Hotels has just been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for reducing its carbon emissions by over 2%. Read More
Red Carnation scoops top prize at the AA Hospitality awards
Red Carnation's Chesterfield Mayfair hotel has been awarded an Inspectors’ Choice Award at the 18th annual AA Hospitality Awards. Read More
.jpg)
QHotels selected for Solheim bid
QHotel’s Forest Pines Hotel and Golf Resort has been selected by UK Sport as the UK’s bidding venue to host the 2015 Solheim Cup. Read More
Lime Venue Campaigns to save Christmas
Lime Venue Portfolio, part of the Expotel Collection, has joined the campaign to put Christmas parties back on the agenda. Read More
IHG gains competitive edge
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced that it is to open 18 new hotels across Europe. Read More
Expotel software helps clients utilise internal meeting space
Expotel has launched an internal meeting room management system which enables clients to make best use of their own meeting space before booking external rooms. Read More
Lime Venue Portfolio engages venues with London 2012 experts
The Lime Venue Portfolio – an Expotel Collection partner – is now primed to take advantage of Olympic Games opportunities in the MICE market. Read More
Macdonald’s makeover former department store
The Macdonald Group has transformed a former John Lewis Caley’s department store into a luxury boutique hotel. Read More
Customers vote Expotel their Agent of the Year
Expotel has scooped the Agent of the Year award at the Hotel Booking Agency Awards, held 8th September, seeing off competition from BSI and Conference Care. Read More
Park Inn provides accommodation solution in Aberdeen
The Rezidor Hotel Group has just opened its 101st Park Inn hotel and the 27th Park Inn in the UK – the 185-room Park Inn Aberdeen. Read More
Expotel to provide complete travel solution
Expotel is to provide full travel management solutions to its hotel and conference booking service, including air, ferry, rail, serviced accommodation and ancillary travel management. Read More
Mayor Selects Expotel Collection Venue As Olympics Media Centre
One Great George Street has been chosen to house the London Media Centre for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by the Mayor of London. Read More
Legacy Hotel hosts PoW memorial guests
The Legacy Falcon Hotel in Stratford played host to 80 veterans this weekend, after they commemorated the 65th anniversary. Read More
Lib Dems choose Jury's Inn as party conference accommodation
Jurys Inn is benefiting from Government spending cuts as the Lib Dems choose the chain’s Liverpool hotel as their official party conference accommodation headquarters. Read More
Grass-roots thinking
Crowne Plaza has laid fresh 'grass carpets' in a number of their hotel meeting rooms in order to pep up long, tedious meetings and promote creativity among delegates. Read More
TV campaign gives Best Western hotels a sales boost
Best Western hotels' year-on-year sales have increased by 30 per cent, and booking enquiries by 70 per cent, following the group's first ever TV campaign. Read More
Ditch the red carpet – QHotels is going green!
QHotels has reduced its year-on-year energy consumption by 61 per cent. Read More
Expotel’s first Independents Showcase ‘a resounding success’
Expotel’s Independents Showcase event, which united the Expotel Collection and Expotel booking teams, has been hailed a success. Read More
Expotel’s first Independents Showcase ‘a resounding success’
Expotel’s Independents Showcase event, which united the Expotel Collection and Expotel booking teams, has been hailed a success. Read More
Barceló UK named Accommodation Provider of the Year 2010
The UK arm of the Spanish hotel group has been named Accommodation Provider of the Year at the 2010 Coach Tourism Awards. Read More
Classic British Hotels adds 11 hotels to its portfolio
Classic British Hotels has announced the addition of 11 new hotels to its portfolio of independent hotels in excellent destinations across the UK this year. Read More
Jurys Inn Bradford opens
Jurys Inn has opened its 23rd UK hotel in Bradford. The £20 million, city-centre hotel has 198 bedrooms and three dedicated meeting room. Read More
IHG expands Hotel Indigo into Continental Europe
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a franchise agreement to open a Hotel Indigo in Madrid – the first Hotel Indigo signing in Continental Europe. Read More
The Grosvenor announces design overhaul
London's Grosvenor, the latest addition to the Guoman collection, is to benefit from an £18 million investment by the group, giving the Victoria-based hotel an elegant new look. Read More
De Vere Venues announces further expansion
De Vere Venues, the UK leader in training, meeting and conference venues, has announced two major contract wins, with the Ricoh Arena and Tesco training centre in Ponsbourne Park joining the group's portfolio. Read More
IHG expands Hotel Indigo in the UK with second hotel in London
IHG grows its boutique hotel portfolio with today’s opening of the Hotel Indigo London Tower Hill. Read More
Jurys Inn wins 23 green awards
Jurys Inn has just received the final of 23 gold awards – for its new hotel in Aberdeen – from the Green Tourism Business Scheme. Read More
Radisson Blu is officially the largest hotel chain in Europe
The Rezidor Group’s Radisson Blu hotel chain is now the largest in Europe, following its merger with Radisson Edwardian hotels. Read More
Macdonald enlists award-winning designer for new Windsor hotel
Macdonald Hotels & Resorts has appointed award-winning interior designer Amanda Rosa to transform its newest addition, Macdonald Windsor Hotel. Read More
Millennium & Copthorne launch loft concept hotel in Singapore
Studio M, a loft concept hotel and the newest hotel brand by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels has officially opened in Singapore. Read More
Wimbledon chooses Expotel for 17th year
The All England Club – the association behind the Wimbledon Championships – has reappointed Expotel to handle its accommodation and travel needs for the 17th year. Read More
If you would like your hotel or venue to be featured on DialExpotel, please email us at: Editor@expotel.com
If you have hotel or venue related news or press releases, please email us at: news@expotel.com
Enter the DialExpotel magazine competition here
Professionals can subscribe to DialExpotel Magazine for free click here to apply
