Hotel Owner April 2018 | Page 16

MONTH IN REVIEW

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NEWS ANALYSIS

An Airbnb landlord in Edinburgh has been banned from the site after posting a listing with the words “ please don ’ t book if you are asian ”. In response Airbnb has given Stephen Sheppard a lifetime ban and the advert for the Gilmerton Road flat has been removed . In other news a recent survey revealed hospitality workers believed they deserved a 42.4 % pay rise for the work they do . The workers said they would choose more pay over extra holiday days . Finally a statement made my David O ’ Keefe , digital account director at Fat Media , said that hotels need to invest in their own online presence , or potentially see a fall in profits as they become reliant on OTA ’ s for their bookings .

HOTEL OPENINGS

Meininger to open first Scottish hotel

Meininger Hotels and investor LGIM Real Assets have signed an agreement to open a new hotel in Glasgow .

The hotel will be located on West George Street opposite Queen Street train station and will offer 160 rooms and 590 beds . The opening is scheduled for 2020 .

There will be a variety of room types on offer , from classic double rooms through to private multi-bedrooms and single beds within a dorm style room . Public areas will include a reception , lobby , lounge , breakfast room and bar as well as a guest kitchen and game zone .

Hannes Spanring , CEO of Meininger Hotels , said : “ Great Britain is a very important market for us and as Glasgow is Scotland ’ s largest city , it ’ s the perfect location for another Meininger hotel in the UK . The Glasgow hotel is an excellent addition to our portfolio , due to its prime location in the heart of the city centre .”

Derek Reid , project director for Architects NORR Consultants , said : “ Our design for the building provides an appropriate response to the hotel ’ s strategic location within Glasgow City Centre ’ s conservation area while capturing the exciting dynamic of the Meininger Hotel brand . We look forward to continuing our role on the project right through to its completion and opening .”

HOTEL INVENTORY

Continued growth expected for global hotel inventory

Global hotel inventory has increased by 17.7 % over the last 10 years .

Hotel benchmarking and analytics platform STR said the industry as a whole continues to perform at robust levels and is expected to continue to grow over the coming years

Robin Rossmann , STR ’ s international managing director , said : “ The hotel sector and its rate of return continue to attract real-estate investors — that is evident through the substantial growth in performance metrics and development we have seen over the past decade .”

REGULATION

Ludlow hotel admits civil liability over Legionnaires ’ death

The Feathers Hotel in Ludlow has made an admission of civil liability over the death of 69-year-old Elaine Brown after she contracted Legionnaires ’ disease while staying at the hotel .

The admission was announced by

lawyers from solicitors Irwin Mitchell ’ s specialist public health team who are acting on behalf of Brown ’ s family .

Brown , from Merseyside , died at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital in August 2017 after suffering a stroke as a result of Legionnaires ’ disease , which emerged just days after she stayed at the hotel with her husband Graham .

Public Health England later confirmed that a second guest at the three-AA-star , 40-bedroom property had also contracted the disease but had made a full recovery .

Elaine ’ s family instructed Irwin Mitchell ’ s to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death , and to determine whether more could have been done to protect her , or indeed whether she and her husband should even have been allowed to stay at the hotel following the previous reports of the illness in April .

The legal team at Irwin Mitchell received the admission of liability for the civil claim from the hotel paving the way for a future settlement agreement for Brown ’ s family .

Jatinder Paul , an associate representing the family , said : “ It is over six months since Elaine passed away and her family remain understandably devastated and angry at their avoidable loss .

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“.. ultimately the hotel ’ s decision to take responsibility for its failures cannot turn the time back and Graham has lost his dear wife ”

That ’ s what Jatinder Paul , associate , said over the death of 69-year-old Elaine Brown after she contracted Legionnaires ’ disease while staying at the Feathers Hotel in Ludlow

END : THAT ’ S ALL . YOU ARE NOW UP TO DATE

16 www . hotelowner . co . uk April 2018