Choice Hotels International has announced plans to enter the African market in early 2026 after signing three franchised properties in Kenya and securing a wider development agreement for at least 15 further sites across sub-Saharan and southern Africa by 2030. The Kenyan portfolio will include an Ascend Collection hotel in the Maasai Mara National Reserve […]

Focus Hotels has announced the appointment of Noel McMeel as the executive head chef at Bedford Hotel Belfast. McMeel has had a distinguished career having cooked for royalty, presidents, celebrities and diplomats. Among his many career highlights is his role in designing the G8 Summit menu that showcased Ireland’s finest local ingredients to world leaders. […]

PPHE Hotel Group has refinanced its loan with Aareal Bank for Park Plaza London Riverbank, extending the facility’s maturity from June 2026 to June 2030. The agreement replaces the group’s existing 2016 loan and maintains secured, non-recourse financing against the hotel. Under the revised terms, the £95.8m facility will continue to carry an all-in fixed […]

The Highfield in Driffield, East Yorkshire, has been brought to market for £2.25m, with the Grade II listed hotel and events venue offered for sale after 10 years under its current owners. The Victorian property includes 12 bedrooms, several dining and bar areas, and landscaped grounds.  It sits within seven acres featuring lawned gardens, woodland, […]

The Pig Hotels has appointed hospitality operator Ashley Ely as hotel director at The Pig near Bath, marking his return to a senior management role after a short career break. Ely was previously general manager at The Newt in Somerset, where he served from 2023 to 2025.  His earlier roles include general manager positions at […]

The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences has completed an £80k reinvestment to replant and update its 329-square-metre living wall in central London, nearly 20 years after the feature was first installed. The work was carried out with Daniel Bell Vertical Garden, a specialist in vertical planting systems, and forms part of the hotel’s wider environmental and […]

Patina Hotels and Resorts has launched a digital platform to support the brand’s international growth, following recent openings in the Maldives and Japan.  The website is designed to help guests explore properties and plan stays through a mix of editorial content, cultural programming and destination information. The platform brings together updates from across the brand, […]

The Hoxton has opened its first Irish hotel in Dublin after completing a major restoration of the former Central Hotel, creating a 129-room property in the city’s Creative Quarter. The hotel, on Exchequer Street, brings a mix of dining, bars and public spaces, including an open-house lobby built around archaeological finds uncovered during renovation. These […]

Online travel agencies (OTAs) have become travellers’ primary starting point for researching accommodation, according to new data from SiteMinder’s Changing Traveller Report 2026. Some 26% of respondents globally said they would begin their search with an OTA, up from 18% the prior year, while the share starting with a search engine fell to 21% down from […]

Firmdale Hotels has appointed Charlotte Crampton Smith as general manager of Number Sixteen Hotel in South Kensington. Crampton Smith first joined the group in 2011 as an intern at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York before progressing through a series of front-of-house and management roles across seven Firmdale properties.  Her experience includes positions as […]