15/08/2017
Dalata acquires issued share capital of Hotel La Tour in Birmingham
According to The Caterer, a sale and leaseback has been agreed for the Hotel La Tour in Birmingham by Ireland's largest hotel operator, Dalata Hotel Group. Dalata acquired the entire issued share capital for £31m. The hotel will be operated on a new 35 year fully repairing and insuring lease, with rent of £1.6m p.a.
Stonegate's Bar Salsa! to open in Temple
Pub and Bar magazine has reported that Stonegate Pub Company will be transforming the former Walkabout in Temple into a second Bar Salsa!. The new site is influenced by the original Bar Salsa! situated in Soho and will be completely transformed with a £1m refurbishment project.
Two Darlington pubs receive £300,000 investment
The Morning Advertiser has reported that D&G Pub Company and Star Pubs & Bars have invested £300,000 in two Darlington pubs, in order to better cater for the evolving tastes of drinks and diners. The two pubs are the Wheatsheaf in Yarm Road and the George in Bondgate, and this investment marks the start of a revamp of the entire estate of 25 pubs in the north east. Diane Hutchinson, director of D&G commented: "Our plan is to upgrade our whole estate through modernisation an d renewal and to make our offer more premium throughout. The world is changing, consumers are trading up and it is important our pubs change too. Our next move is to open a premium gin bar, appealing to Millennials."
Chef Pip Lacey and Gordon McIntyre to launch first restaurant
The Caterer reports that chef Pip Lacey and Gordon McIntyre are set to launch their first restaurant, Hicce (pronounced ee-che). Situated in central London, the restaurant will be a "wood-fired dining experience" with 40 covers serving British cuisine with Nordic and Japanese influences.
STR reveals UK Hotels' high performance
As reported by Hotel Owner, STR have released data revealing that UK hotels have seen the highest occupancy, average daily rate (ADR) and RevPAR for the first half of the year on record. By comparison to the first half of last year, there has been a 1.7% uplift in occupancy, a 4.7% increase in ADR up to £89.33 and RevPAR increased by 6.5% to £67.12.
And Finally...
Paul Charity from Propel Info announces a new pub is set to open in Exeter with a magical theme. Exeter-based multi-site operator Novelty Bars will launch the Cauldron Inn on Gandy Street, which is rumoured to have inspired JK Rowling's vision of Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter books. Situated on Cuba Cantina's former site, the concept will launch on the 25th August and draw inspiration from Game of Thrones as well as Harry Potter.