27/08/2025 10:18:00
Sunday Hotel, the premium brand from operator OYO, is plotting to double its portfolio by the end of 2026, writes Boutique Hotelier. The brand, which debuted in the UK with the Lansbury Heritage Hotel in Canary Wharf last year, is bidding to expand its number of managed hotels from 20 to 50, having recently added six new properties, including Holland House in Cardiff, Walton Hall Hotel & Spa in Warwick and Boxhill Burford Bridge hotel in Dorking.
If the London mayor was given more influence over licensing to bring it closer to New York's system, it could boost the sector by £2bn a year, new research has predicted. The new analysis published (Friday 22 August) by City Hall revealed the current licensing system in the UK is often seen by venues as inconsistent, lacking transparency, and overly weighted toward objections. It said that changes to licensing of the restaurant hospitality industry, could help to support businesses and extend opening hours, increasing spending and creating more businesses across the capital, reports Morning Advertiser.
More than £6.5m has been invested in Slug & Lettuce brand over the past 18 months, from its owner Stonegate Group, reports Pub & Bar. The investment, which includes 12 completed refurbishments and four more planned before the end of the financial year, is part of a strategic programme to evolve the brand's look and feel. The refurbishment programme coincides with Slug & Lettuce's 40th anniversary this year.
Hospitality has been 'hardest hit by regressive tax hikes', accounting for half of job losses since October Budget, according to one trade body. Analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) by UKHospitality (UKH) has revealed hospitality has accounted for 53% of all job losses in the UK since the autumn budget last year. It means 89,000 of the 164,641 job losses in the UK since October 2024 have been within the hospitality sector, reports Morning Advertiser. The scale of job losses is three times worse than estimated by the Office for Budget Responsibility, which predicted 50,000 job losses as a direct result of changes to employer NICs, the trade body said.
Travelodge Group has described its half-year or H1 results, ending 30 June 2025, as a "solid first-half performance given the challenging market backdrop", advises The Caterer. The budget hotel brand reported revenue of £471.3m down from £486.7m year-on-year, reflecting softer demand, particularly in London. Group EBITDA stood at £47.3m for the first six months of the year, down from £82.1m in H1 2024. The group pointed to profits impacted by around £20m of inflationary cost increases, as well as approximately £9m due to the annualisation of the 2024 and 2025 increases in the National Living Wage of 10% and 7% respectively, alongside National Insurance Contributions coming into effect from April 2025.
St Pancras London, an Autograph Collection hotel, has undergone an extensive, eight-figure refurbishment of its 245 rooms and suites, following the property's rebrand earlier this year. The former St Pancras Renaissance hotel rebranded as part of Marriott's Autograph Collection on 3 June 2025, joining a global portfolio of over 300 independent hotels. First opened in 1873 as the Midland Grand Hotel and designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, the Grade I-listed landmark is considered to be a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture, reports Boutique Hotelier.
CAMRA unveils shortlist for Pub of The Year 2025 competition, reports Morning Advertiser.