United Kingdom

A few days after announcing a new lyf hotel in the stands of Chelsea football stadium in London, Ascott is unveiling other projects in Europe. Notably in France, where the world leader in long-stay accommodation will open a Citadines aparthotel in Colmar in 2026. All this, in parallel with a renovation plan that has already...

Announced in 2023 and completed last February with its first hotel at London Heathrow airport, the expansion of B&B HOTELS in the United Kingdom is continuing with five new addresses in Birmingham, Ipswich, Warrington and Derby in England and Inverness in Scotland. This growth has been made possible by the acquisition of a number of establishments from the Pentahotel group, already integrated...

After making its French debut in Cannes at the end of last year, IHG's Staybridge Suites extended-stay brand will be stepping up its expansion in Europe over the next few years. Already present in the United Kingdom, with a presence in London and a number of major British cities including Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Dundee, Liverpool and Newcastle, the brand will...

Hilton is moving up a gear to increase the density of its offering in the luxury and lifestyle segment. In the space of a few weeks since the start of the year, the American group began by concluding a partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World to integrate hundreds of luxury hotels into its distribution system and its...

"I want America and I'm going to get it". A year after announcing its intention to expand in the United States, B&B HOTELS is moving to realise its ambitions with the signing of its first hotel in Orlando. Located close to Universal Studios, the airport and the Orlando Convention Center, this 218-room hotel will be the first of its kind in...

It's rather surprising for one of the world's leading hotel groups, but IHG has not had a presence in one of Northern Europe's major markets, Sweden, for some time. A temporary incongruity, since the British group will be making its comeback at the end of 2024 with the opening of the Voco Stockholm Kista. A top-of-the-range...

The ASLEF union is behind the call for strike action by train drivers. The strike is due to start on 30 January and run until 5 February. At issue: a pay dispute with the government and British rail companies. The latter will be affected in turn during this period...

A certain disappointment was palpable in the discussions between the forty or so French, British and European journalists present at Coquelles on 14 December to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Channel Tunnel. They were all hoping for the announcement of the name of at least one rail operator that would be linking London to the Old Continent in the near future. Whether this...

The people of Edinburgh know how to tease great architects. Like most Britons, in fact, who are known for their imagination in coming up with evocative nicknames for the skyscrapers that have populated the London skyline. For example, the Gherkin, for the 30 St Mary Axe designed by Norman Foster; or the "talkie-walkie" for...

After Nice and Paris CDG airport, you opened a third hotel in France in Aubervilliers last spring. Are you satisfied with their business? Karim Malak - These openings have been a resounding success, and we're getting up to cruising speed very quickly. The hotel market is doing well, so we've made a big...

The High Speed 2 (HS2) project, Britain's second high-speed rail line after the Eurostar to St Pancras, has been a veritable snake in the grass. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak blew the whistle on the project on Wednesday at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, in this major metropolis in the...

Here's a "remake" that British skies could have done without: a wave of sick leave, which is forcing Gatwick airport to cap its operations. The aim is to "avoid last-minute delays and cancellations for passengers". Air traffic control is understaffed, with 30% staff "unavailable for various reasons".

The W Edinburgh has taken its time getting off the ground. Seven years after the announcement of the project - when the lifestyle brand was still managed by the Starwood group, before its takeover by Marriott - and two years behind schedule - Covid being the only hotel in the world to have been built - the...

A black day for travel to and from the UK: British air traffic control is suffering from a technical problem that the authorities are struggling to identify and, above all, to resolve. The result: a series of delays and flight cancellations. "We are currently experiencing a technical problem and have applied traffic restrictions for...

London's events infrastructure is getting a makeover. While ExCel London is due to complete its extension works in October 2024, another MICE venue is set to follow in its footsteps shortly. The Barbican Centre has just received approval from the City of London Corporation to finance the launch of renovation works. This will involve improving the...

We knew that British trains had a bad reputation because of their poor performance in terms of punctuality and regularity. This negative image has just been confirmed by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). On the rail lines managed by Network Rail, 67.8% of trains...

By October 2024, ExCeL London will have completed its transformation. This makeover will see the London convention centre add 25,000 m² to its already comfortable 100,000 m² surface area. This will open up a whole new world of possibilities for event organisers. But they won't necessarily have to wait for the official inauguration to plan their operation...

The voco brand, one of the most dynamic within the IHG group, is not only counting on the conversion of existing hotels, one of the key vectors for its development. Witness its new hotel in the Science Park in Exeter, UK. Expected to open in 2024, it will be the first hotel...

The recent Formula 1 British Grand Prix gave the Hilton Group the opportunity to officially inaugurate its new Hilton Garden Inn, the only establishment located on the Silverstone circuit. The hotel boasts an unrivalled position along the 'Hamilton Straight', renamed in 2020 in honour of the British champion. The hotel groups...

There's all the talk about the environment, the good sustainable resolutions... and then there's the reality of habits in the business world. According to a study carried out by Emburse in the UK - and spotted by BTN Europe - the gap is still far too wide. The specialist in the optimisation of...