Brexit and Covid leave London’s Savoy hotel shaken, stirred – and short staffed
Britain’s top hotels are suffering from bartender shortages, with many leaving the industry or moving to new projectsFor those in the business, the role of head bartender at the Savoy’s American bar in...
View ArticleNo washing up, no decisions to make – no wonder all-inclusive holidays are...
Sometimes, Airbnbs and ‘living like a local’ are just too much effort. Bring on the curry, pizza and meatballs buffetPoets are always going on about natural wonders – daffodils, trees, unpopular clouds...
View ArticleDavid Byrne obituary
My father, David Byrne, who has died aged 78, was a restaurateur and hotelier who pioneered Bloomsday – the annual celebration of the life of James Joyce – as an epicurean festival. David was a man...
View ArticleUnhappy campers: Pontin’s rated among the worst holiday parks in the UK
Survey reveals that smaller, family-run resorts triumph over the biggest names such as Pontin’s and Butlin’sA new ranking of British holiday parks has placed mainstay Pontin’s last out of 19...
View Article‘We provide whatever is asked for’: a night at the country’s top hotels, 1988
If you need a pair of rubber gloves at the Ritz they will ask you, pink or yellow?Observer reporters tried a night in ‘five top London hotels’ – the Ritz, Savoy, Claridge’s, the Dorchester and the...
View ArticleWant to visit the moon but don’t have a spaceship? Dubai to the rescue!
Developers are planning a giant $5bn replica of the Earth’s closest neighbour, offering tourists ‘low-gravity’ moonwalks, lunar-rover taxis and … er … a wellness spaName: The moon.Age: Yet to be born....
View ArticleAirbnb in Liverpool for Eurovision in May? That’ll be £17,600 a night
Even a ‘budget triple room’ could set guests back nearly £3,000 as accommodation sells out way ahead of next year’s contestHundreds of Liverpool hotels have sold out after the city was announced as the...
View ArticleThe billion-pound battle over Claridge’s hotel from Belfast to Qatar
Credit Suisse set to become latest entity dragged into dispute between former friendsAs the Covid-19 pandemic ripped through London in spring 2020, the revolving doors at Claridge’s stopped turning and...
View ArticleRitz-Carlton launches minimum £5,000-a-week luxury yacht cruises
Holidays aboard Evrima aim to ape life on a billionaire’s superyacht with dedicated PAs, restaurant, humidor and nightclubA version of the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain will take to the seas on Saturday...
View ArticlePremier Inn took £226 from me even though there was no booking
It says there is nothing it can do and a ‘refund’ takes five to 10 working daysI’m trying to get my money back from Premier Inn. The hotel chain has taken £226 even though I have no reservation to show...
View ArticleThrough a Highlands Narnia to a great pub: the Taybank, Dunkeld
An appetite-inducing seven-mile hike through the woods of the Atholl Estates returns you to the village of Dunkeld, and its renowned, musical localOne of Perthshire’s most photogenic villages, Dunkeld...
View ArticleBritannia named worst UK hotel chain for tenth year in a row
Which? survey places the group firmly at the bottom, with ‘dire, drab and smelly’ rooms, while Premier Inn retains top spot in spite of price risesBritannia has been named as one of the UK’s worst...
View ArticlePeter de Savary obituary
Entrepreneur, yachtsman and hotel owner who once owned both Land’s End and John o’Groats, and took a British challenger to the America’s CupPeter de Savary, who has died aged 78, liked to describe...
View ArticleA glamorous and gilded New Year’s Eve to you: how UK’s wealthy can usher in 2023
From a Bond-themed party on a superyacht hotel to a £7,585 Gleneagles stay, money seems to be no objectFrom a James Bond-themed ball on a superyacht, to a champagne and jazz party up London’s Shard...
View ArticleRail strikes ‘cost UK hospitality sector £1.5bn in December alone’
Industry bodies say figure worse than predicted and expect ‘huge’ losses of businesses and jobs in 2023The rail strikes have cost bars, pubs, restaurants and hotels in the UK at least £1.5bn in...
View ArticleInside the Hilton Park Lane – a photo essay
A look behind the scenes at one of London’s most celebrated hotelsHosting more than 200,000 guests a year, the Hilton hotel on Park Lane is one of London’s landmarks. It was here in 1967 that the...
View Article10 of the best ways to find bargain places to stay in the UK
From priories to Wetherspoon’s, Oxford colleges to seaside cottages, we share ideas for low-cost breaks around the countryMalmaison, the boutique chain with hotels in 16 UK cities, is offering a winter...
View Article10 of the best secret retreats in the Canary Islands
Volcanic views, tasty tapas and terrific value … Enjoy some winter sunshine on Tenerife, Lanzarote and other CanariesPalm trees rustle in the breeze, charred volcanic vineyards stretch out to stark...
View Article‘At first, it’s fun’: could a night in Sydney’s ‘mushroom’ tower make me...
The Commercial Travellers’ Association Club has been transformed into a retro hotel, complete with a soundscape that encourages lucid dreaming. Kate Hennessy checks inGet our weekend culture and...
View ArticleHead for the hygge: the UK’s best Scandi-style escapes
Get away from the stress and strain of everyday life at one of these stylish boltholesWith the Norman stronghold of Bamburgh Castle looming impressively over Northumberland’s spectacular coast, this is...
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