Samantha Dunion, the general manager of the Hotel Indigo venues in Coventry and Stratford-upon-Avon, has been appointed vice chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Hotel and Venue Network. Dunion has 35 years of hospitality experience, having held senior positions across the UK before taking the role with the regional hotels association. Story Stream More on […]

Optimism among hospitality leaders has dropped to 35% over the next 12 months, according to a survey by NIQ and Zonal. The figure represents a fall of two percentage points since May and a 16 percentage point drop since the start of 2026. Confidence in the hospitality sector as a whole stands at 21%. Rising […]

Placemaking has moved from an aspiration to a commercial discipline. In mixed-use developments, urban regeneration schemes and destination-led assets, the question is not whether a scheme looks attractive, but whether it provides reason to arrive, linger, spend, return and recommend. That shift matters for hotels as the operational heart of a place. Hotels can generate […]

Rachael Henley, general manager of The Fife Arms, is to leave the property in October after nearly six years with the business. Henley joined the hotel in 2020 as hotel manager before progressing to general manager in 2022. Prior to this, she held several senior leadership roles including food and beverage manager at properties such […]

HIT Scotland has launched a new executive programme aimed at helping senior hospitality leaders rethink how customer and employee experiences are designed and delivered across their businesses. Called Lead by Design, the programme is part of HIT Scotland’s 2026 Executive and Leadership Programme and is aimed at C-suite executives, business owners, board members and senior […]

Maybourne, the luxury hotel group behind Claridge’s, The Connaught, The Berkeley and The Emory in London, has shifted its sales focus towards the US, UK and Europe as it deals with lower bookings from Middle Eastern guests, according to the Financial Times (FT). The group’s chief executive Marc Socker told the FT that Maybourne had […]

Burley Manor House in Hampshire has been brought to market with a guide price of £8.5m. The 41-bedroom country house hotel sits within six acres of landscaped grounds in the village of Burley, located in the New Forest National Park. The Grade II-listed Victorian property features a banqueting suite, staff accommodation, a heated outdoor swimming […]

The Pig at Harlyn Bay has appointed Dan Thompson as hotel director, succeeding Lukas André, who has led the property for more than six years. Thompson joins the hotel from the luxury Devon four-star Thurlstone Hotel, where he served as general manager from 2024, after almost a decade working for Mullion Cove Hotel in Cornwall […]

Zedwell Hotels operator Criterion Capital has announced the appointment of Vaqas Farooq as chief executive officer and Steve Silvester as chief financial officer, as the group is expanding its development pipeline across the UK, Portugal and Abu Dhabi. The business, which manages more than £6bn in assets, has also promoted Thomas Rowland to director of […]

Attend almost any hospitality technology conference at the moment and you will hear a familiar promise: artificial intelligence will finally tie everything together. It’s an attractive idea. New connectors allow AI to access information from property management systems, building controls, utility meters and finance platforms. Emerging standards such as Model Context Protocol (MCP) are making […]