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1. Travelodge Opens 600th Hotel at Oval Cricket Ground
Travelodge United Kingdom opened its 600th hotel: the 95-room Travelodge London Oval Cricket Ground, reports Insider Media. The hotel firm’s CEO Jo Boydell and former England cricket captain Alec Stewart were among those who attended the opening.
The Oval Cricket Ground, in South London, less than half a mile south of the River Thames, is home to Surrey Cricket Club and also is one of the eight cricket grounds in which the England national cricket team plays. Travelodge has a handful of hotels in Spain, but the majority are in the U.K. and Ireland.
2. UK's Wet Weather Adds to Hotel Food-Cost Woes
The wet weather that has fallen over much of the U.K. over much of 2024 likely will affect harvests and raise prices for staple products, such as wheat, barley and oats, according to analysis from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit. This is expected to add more costs to hoteliers and other businesses in which food and beverage dominate.
ECIU analysts said the harvest yield could be down by as much as 4 million tonnes (4.4 million tons) compared to 2023 and by more than 5 million tonnes compared with the average of between 2015 and 2023.
3. Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr Prove Huge Success for Dubai Hotels
Occupancy and average daily rate for hotels in Dubai made notable increases during Ramadan from March 11 to April 9 and Eid al-Fitr, which started April 10 with celebrations during the following days, according to data from CoStar.
During Ramadan, Dubai saw occupancy on March 29 reach 78.9%. Average daily rate on March 30 reached 901.25 Emirati dirhams ($245.38). That weekend coincided with the Easter holiday weekend. During Eid al-Fitr, ADR was its highest on April 11 at 891.48 dirhams, while occupancy hit 92.9% on April 12.
Kostas Nikolaidis, senior account executive of Middle East and Africa at CoStar’s hotel analytics division STR, said the performance boost was also evident in other Middle Eastern countries.
“Most countries in the region announced extended public and private sector holidays, which led to tourism demand dispersion throughout the week of Eid and drove consistent performance over a longer time period,” he said.
4. Southport’s Garrick Theatre To Transform Into 109-Room Hotel
A theater in Southport, Lancashire, Englan —, advertised when it opened as the most beautiful theater in Europe — will be transformed into a 109-room hotel. Because it is a Grade II-listed building, there will be restrictions on what can be altered, but the plans include a bar, restaurant and pool, according to Place North West.
The site fell on hard times in recent years, and its last reinvention was as a bingo hall that closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In its heyday, the theater hosted such stars as Laurel and Hardy, George Formby and Julie Andrews.
Sefton Council said the building is an important landmark for Southport for generations, according to the article. Architect George Tonge designed the building in an art deco style.
5. Unite Here To Hold May 1 Rallies Across US, Canada
Members of hospitality labor union Unite Here will hold rallies May 1 in 18 U.S. and Canadian cities as it begins contract negotiations with Marriott International, Hilton and Hyatt Hotels Corp., Reuters reports.
The negotiations will cover 40,000 employees, and the workers are seeking significant pay raises, the news agency reports. Unite Here International Union President Gwen Mills said there have been “a series of staffing and service cuts that have led to both painful working conditions for the workers and reduced services for the guests.”
Michael D’Angelo, head of labor relations for the Americas at Hyatt, said the firm looked forward "to negotiating fair contracts with Unite Here locals across the country that have expiring collective bargaining agreements this year.”