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Citizens of the United Kingdom are facing unprecedented hardship due to rising inflation and energy prices, resulting in living standards being at their lowest since records began. The Office of National Statistics, the government’s statistician, said the Consumer Prices Index rose 6.2% in the 12 months leading up to February 2022, up from 5.5% in the 12 months to January 2022.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility added “public finances have emerged from the pandemic in better shape than expected. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will push inflation to a 40-year high of almost 9%, and living standards are set for a historic fall over the next 12 months.”

Rishi Sunak, the U.K.’s chancellor of the exchequer, confirmed in his spring budget statement that value-added/sales tax charged to the hotel industry will return to its pre-COVID-19 rate of 20% in April from its temporary reduced rate of 12.5%. Such a move will hinder the industry’s recovery, according to hotel and hospitality industry membership group UKHospitality’s CEO Kate Nicholls.

“This is a real setback for thousands of U.K. hospitality businesses still suffering the devastating effects of COVID and facing a tidal wave of rising costs. For many businesses, the removal of the lifeline of a lower rate of VAT might prove fatal. For a heavily disproportionately taxed sector, a return to 20% dashes the hopes that many businesses could begin to recoup some of the losses of the last two years,” she said.

Tourists in Venice are being armed with water pistols to help fend off aggressive seagulls seeking to liberate their lunches, according to Forbes. Paolo Lorenzoni, general manager of luxury hotel Gritti Hotel, requested the water pistols be colored orange, a hue he said is repugnant to this genus of birds, so much so that just the sight of an orange pistol on a table is enough to deter the hungry thieves.

The city’s hotel membership organization, the Association of Venetian Hoteliers, or in Italian Associazione Veneziana Albergatori, said the seagull problem has been a menace for half a decade, but that now is the time to take direct action. The newspaper added the city’s Monaco & Grand Hotel also is ready take up arms, or at least water pistols. In 2017, the city voted to ban new takeaway restaurants from opening in the city and selling such foodstuffs as kebab and pizza by the slice.

In the latest weekly performance metrics for the U.S. hotel industry, average daily rate and revenue per available room surpassed 2019 levels, according to data from STR, CoStar Group’s hospitality analytics firm.

For the week ending March 19, ADR came in at $151.63, a 13.6% increase over the comparable week in 2019. RevPAR was $101.44, a 9.5% increase over 2019. Occupancy for the week was 66.9%, down from 69.4% in 2019.

In Canada, for the same week, hotel occupancy was 56.6%, a decrease of 3.7% from 2019, and RevPAR was 85.95 Canadian dollars ($68.34). ADR was $151.79 Canadian dollars, an increase of 4.5% over 2019.

H.I.G. Capital has provided mezzanine financing of 76 million pounds sterling ($100 million) to London-based Shiva Hotels, which has a portfolio of four London properties, including three in Central London — The Guardsman Buckingham Gate, Middle Eight Covent Garden and one at Heathrow Airport.

The move is borne out of optimism for London’s recovery, according to executives. Riccardo Dallolio, managing director and head of London-based H.I.G. Europe Realty, said, “London’s 5-star sector will emerge as a winner coming out of the pandemic and that our flexible investing approach across the capital structure has allowed H.I.G. to become a partner of choice for property companies and developers.”

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