Breakfast Briefing
Quote of the Week
"Never try to change your image and get down with the kids"
Hollande's Social Media disaster
“During a public relations trip to an online fashion company in the Paris suburbs, Hollande's media team broadcast the event in real time on the streaming app Periscope. However, his staffers failed to disable the app's live comments option, which prominently displays viewers' comments across the screen. Thousands of French viewers seized the opportunity to post their unadulterated opinions on Hollande as the real-time broadcast unfolded.Insults and ridicule filled the screen immediately, mocking everything from the president's socks to his sex life. Many users gleefully pointed out how incompetent his staffers were for not disabling the commenting feed. Others generally derided the president and his policies.”This led Alan Johnson MP to say on BBC’s This Week "Never try to change your image and get down with the kids"Click here for more informationFundraiser of the Week
London’s ExCeL was filled by over 550 guests who came together to celebrate and support the work of The Springboard Charity. The Big Event at Hotelympia, in partnership with Fresh Montgomery, was a huge success as the hospitality industry gathered to support the vital work of Springboard, raising £70,000. This Big Event followed the Hotelympia 10K Run on Sunday 28th February, where 270 runners staved off the cold and ran in support of Springboard.Graphic of the Week
Le Cordon Bleu, the leading Global Network of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institutes, celebrates the success of its Le Cordon Bleu alumnae in the world of gastronomy for International Women’s Day.Ever since the institute opened in Paris in 1895, following the initiative of young journalist Marthe Distel, the philosophy of Le Cordon Bleu is to reach the highest level of excellence, whilst perpetuating traditions and leading culinary innovation for each generation around the globe. The success of Le Cordon Bleu students is a guarantee of the curriculum’s quality taught in its establishments.With more than 120 years experience in the field of education, Le Cordon Bleu has seen exceptional talents evolve following their training programme, from Julia Child to Mary Berry, from Peggy Porschen to Paula Moulton, from Janice Wong to Pooja Dhingra …Click here to see the unique profilesGaffe of the Week
Japanese 2020 Olympic stadium designers forgot about Olympic flame
The designers of the new National Stadium apparently forgot to include a cauldron for the Olympic flame.
And they cannot just stick it anywhere: The interior is largely lined with wood.Officials are blaming a “lack of communications” between the government and other parties, but say they will fix the problem.For more information click here
Global News from eHotelier
Rezidor buys prizeotel to get into the economy segment
Europe hotel industry passes U.S. in growth for the first time since 2010
Industry Icons: A new eHotelier feature
Small hotels get more direct bookings: research
Eight Vīb hotels set to open this yearBookings.com launches Passion SearchBusiness News this Week
More international tourists visiting English regions than ever before, and spending more
- In the first nine months of 2015 visits to English regions outside London were up 7% on the same period in 2014 with 11.7 million visits, setting a new record.
- Spending by international visitors across the regions was up 4% to £5.8 billion compared to the same period in 2014.
- Figures released this month by VisitBritain also show that July to September 2015 was a record breaker for a quarter three period, with 4.7m visits to the English regions, an 8% increase on the same period in 2014 and beating the previous record set in 2006.
- The number of international visitors travelling to the North showed especially strong growth in the first nine months of 2015 with visits to the North East up 23% compared to the same period in 2014, and up 12% in the North West.
London forecast to achieve Europe's highest hotel occupancies in 2016
- According to a new report from PwC, London is expected to maintain the highest hotel occupancy rates among 19 leading European cities during 2016.
- With an expected rate of 82.9% the capital is likely to be among Dubai and Edinburgh in achieving over 80% occupancy this year. In 2015 London achieved 81.2% and next year it is predicted to reach 83.5%.
- For average daily rates, London is predicted to be in fourth place for European cities with £156.81, up from £150.76 last year.