Breakfast Briefing - Quote of the Week, Tweet of the Week, Video of the Week and more

Quote of the Week

"I’d like to say I flew like an eagle, but I was probably closer to the ostrich."Michael Edwards aka Eddie the Eagle on his time as Britain's first Olympic ski jumper. A new film comes out soon and tells his story of when he finished last in both the 70m and 90m jumps at the Canada Olympics 28 years ago.Find out more here

Tweet of the Week

Astronaut Tim Peake shares amazing timelapse footage of Northern Lights from space.The footage of the aurora was shot from the International Space Station where Major Peake is staying until he ends his mission in June.Click here or the image to view the tweet.

Video of the Week

First ever underwater bedroom on Airbnb

In April the aquarium is hosting guests in its shark tank, home to 35 sharks. The submerged tank is ten meters deeps with a 360-degree wall.The transparent bedroom is suspended at the centre of the tank and the night include a behind-the-scenes tour and meal.To view the full video click the image or here.

Appointment of the Week

Jane Pendlebury is appointed the new HOSPA Chief Executive with immediate effect, succeeding Carl Weldon. HOSPA is the Hospitality Professionals Association for Finance, Revenue Management, Marketing and IT.Commenting on the appointment, HOSPA Chairman Chris Upton said: “Jane Pendlebury was the unanimous choice of the HOSPA Board – she is a natural successor to Carl Weldon. Not only has she excelled as head of HOSPA’s Membership and Events services, she has also proved to be an excellent ambassador for the Association, supporting Carl at key meetings both in the UK and overseas. She is well-known in the hospitality industry and brings with her a wealth of management experience and knowledge."

Global News from eHotelier

• Best Western signs master franchise with Sorrel Hospitality to expand in India
• AccorHotels fast-tracks female leaders in Australia
• Booking.com set to launch instantly bookable hotels in Cuba
• Cornell offers tool to assist with scheduling food prep
• TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice awards ranks world’s top destinations
• Westin Sleep Well menu offers foods that promote sound slumber

Business News This Week

Starwood accepts revised £9.5bn Marriott bid

• Starwood Hotels & Resorts have now accepted a renewed bid of £9.5bn from Marriott International, allowing its proposed merger to go ahead.
• The group had accepted a rival bid of £9.2bn from a Chinese-led consortium of investors last year which disrupted Marriott's plans to take over the company.
• Starwood shareholders will own approximately 34% of the combined company’s common stock after completion of the merger, which is expected to be completed by mid-2016.

January breaks UK's international visits record

• The number of international visits to the UK were up 6% compared with the same month last year, breaking a record for the month.
• According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, which also showed more than 2.5 million visits were made in January 2016 with visitors spending £1.28bn.
• Patricia Yates, director at VisitBritain, said: “These record-breaking figures highlight the increasing year-round importance of inbound tourism to the UK economy:
• “Tourism remains one of our fastest growing export industries but also one of the most globally competitive which is why we continue to showcase, through our international marketing campaigns, just why Britain should top people’s list as a must-go now destination.”
• Last year set a record for inbound tourism to Britain with 35.8 million visits, 4% up on 2014. Comparing growth over the last five years shows that there were six million more visits in 2015 than 2010, an increase of 20%.

For more information on EP please contact Ben Butler