Hotel Owner September 2018 | Page 16

MONTH IN REVIEW MONTH IN REVIEW www.hotelowner.co.uk CRIME Hoteliers fined almost £5,000 after waste illegally dumped to extend hotel car park Two hoteliers have been told to pay nearly £5,000 after they were found guilty of illegally landfilling waste. David Bradley (57) and Alan Bradley (64), brothers and joint owners of Hardwicke Hall Manor Hotel, near Blackhall in East Durham were fined £3,855 and £971 respectively. Chris Bunting, prosecuting told the court that in September 2016 Environment Agency officers attended the hotel and found part of the car park, which is close to a watercourse, covered in various waste materials. Inquiries revealed that the edge of the car park had suffered from landslip, so the Bradleys had decided to repair the damaged area. It is illegal to dispose of waste by landfilling without an environmental permit and Hardwicke Hall Manor Hotel had no such authorisations. Environmental permits safeguard people and the environment by placing controls on any activity that could pollute air, water or land. During their inspection, Environment Agency officers witnessed a fully laden waste vehicle arrive on site belonging to Alan Waggott Haulage. The waste was seen to be of the same type that they saw on the ground of the hotel. Photographs showed a wide range of waste materials which should never have been deposited in such a mixed state, at such a location where no permit was in place. Traces of bonded asbestos, a hazardous waste, were identified by officers. 1 2 TRAVEL AGENCIES Travel agency insolvencies fall 30% in five years The number of travel agency and tour operators going insolvent has fallen by 30% in the last five years from 47 to 33 per annum, as the “impact of the internet slows”. According to accounting firm Moore Stephens the internet revolution of the last two decades has “thinned out the less financially stable businesses”, leaving those whose business models are “better insulated against the threat of consumers buying DIY holidays”. The group added that despite the fall in annual insolvencies the market for travel agencies is still “challenging and inherently uncertain”. Increased competition and new technology platforms, particularly from the likes of Skyscanner and Airbnb, continue to make it easier for regular holidaymakers to ‘self-organise’ their travel without the need for an agent. BITESIZE ROUNDUP The Ramada Park Hall hotel has closed after the discovery of legionella bacteria in samples taken from the property’s water system. The property has been prohibited from using its hot and cold water systems until a schedule of remedial works has been completed. In other news total revenue per available room (TRevPAR) high a ‘historic’ in August, propelled by a robust year- on-year increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR). Finally real estate investment firm The Reuben Brothers has acquired all of the share capital of the company owning the Curtain Hotel and 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 HOTEL OPENINGS Double-branded IHG development ‘The Lume’ to open this September The Lume, a new 19-storey hotel development featuring Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites, both hotel brands of IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) will officially open this September in Manchester. Owned by M&L Hospitality and managed by Cycas Hospitality, the 328- room dual-branded hotel will be located in Oxford Road, within walking distance of the city centre. Crowne Plaza Manchester - Oxford Road, will occupy the lower 12-storeys, and features 212 guest rooms, a 120- seat restaurant, bar, fully equipped 24-hour gym, club lounge and seven meeting rooms able to cater to over 200 delegates. The extended-stay brand Staybridge Suites, which is making its Manchester debut, is located on the upper seven floors. Offering 116 modern studio and one-bedroom suites. Staybridge Suites guests also have access to a terrace on the 18th floor with panoramic views of Manchester, access to the 24-hour gym, laundry facilities and complimentary hot and cold buffet breakfast in the “Hub” kitchen. The brand also hosts ‘The Social’ three evenings a week, an informal opportunity for guests to mingle and get to know their on-site team over complimentary drinks and nibbles. Members Club in Shoreditch. END: THAT’S ALL. YOU ARE NOW UP TO DATE 16 www.hotelowner.co.uk September 2018