THE REVIEW
R O O M
IN BRIEF Hilton goes soft
The Hilton hotel group plans ‘major expansion’ of its Curio and Tapestry soft brand collections in the year ahead, with both conversions and new signings. Additions to the Curio Collection include the Reykjavik Konsulat Hotel, the Porter Portland and two hotels in Paris. Tapestry Collection additions include The Graham Hotel Washington DC and Rose Hotel Chicago.
Royal growth plans
Nigerian Royal, Queen Catherine Ajike, has detailed ambitious plans for a new hotel group with a five-star property in every country in the world by 2026. The first eight Ugwunwa Ajike Hotels are due to open in August this year and include a property in Aberdeen.
R E P O R T
Virgin confirms first European hotel THE VIRGIN Hotels Group will open its first European property in Edinburgh. Sir Richard Branson has revealed plans to ‘re-envision’ the Scottish capital’s India Buildings on Victoria Street, converting it to a 225-room hotel scheduled to open in 2020. The property will feature multiple dining and drinking outlets – including the brand’s flagship Commons Club – as well as numerous meeting spaces. “Edinburgh is such an iconic city and we’re thrilled to be able to say it will be the home of the first Virgin Hotel in the UK and across Europe,” says Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group. Hotels in Nashville, Dallas, Washington DC, New Orleans, New York and Silicon Valley are also in the pipeline, and the group is also exploring opportunities in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, Seattle and London.
Female-friendly
Capita Travel and Events is teaming up with Maiden Voyage to showcase hotels that are certified female friendly based on various safety and comfort criteria. The TMC says that, as companies become increasingly aware of their duty of care obligations, it will help travel managers make more informed choices when selecting accommodation.
Go Native
Aparthotel operator Go Native will open three flagship properties this year under its new Native branding. Opening this spring is Empire Warehouse in London, followed by a Glasgow property this summer.
'BOLD NEW DESIGNS' UNVEILED FOR CROWNE PLAZA HOTELS INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels Group has unveiled new designs for Crowne Plaza Hotels that will feature in its European properties. The Plaza WorkSpace concept is an area modelled on a public square where guests can switch between work and downtime. Co-working spaces will also feature 'huddle' spots and built-in touch screens alongside food and drink options. Guestrooms have been
designed to support work, downtime and sleep with noise reduction materials and enhanced lighting settings. Informal meeting areas including The Forum, Spanish Steps and The Studio will also be transformed for events and co-working. The new designs will be rolled out later this year at Crowne Plaza London Heathrow, Paris Republique and Hamburg City Alster.
I T M U P D AT E Scott Davies Chief Executive, ITM
Among all the possible reasons for wanting to work in travel, I’m guessing none of them were because it was perceived to be well-paid. ITM has recently published its 2018 Salary Survey, which explored pay levels amongst UK travel buyers. This is a warmly anticipated piece of research for our buyers, who are curious to see how packages compare. The survey is also a valuable benchmarking tool for organisations looking to pitch reward levels when recruiting. This year the survey confirmed the three primary influences upon buyers’ salaries are qualifications, industry experience and the employer’s market sector. 79% of our respondents said they benefit from an annual bonus scheme and, of these, it will surprise no one that 70% reported that cost reduction was the leading KPI to achieve it. However, we were encouraged to see 57% of those eligible for a bonus were KPI’d on traveller satisfaction. I can imagine some buyers taking the survey with them to their annual performance reviews as evidence of a deserved pay rise, unless the survey reveals them to be doing rather well versus their peer group.
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