Miscellaneous

🏨 Holiday Inn Express and Ibis Styles Burton Upon Trent joined Burton Albion FC as bronze partners. Holiday Inn Express has operated since 1997, and Ibis Styles marks its first anniversary. Both hotels are managed by HCM Midlands under IHG and Accor franchises. Alan Northern, the general manager, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership. HCM Midlands also runs hotels in Swindon, Cardiff, and Wimbledon. Ibis Styles caters to long-stay guests with in-room kitchens.

🛠 Recoire, a luxury furniture manufacturer, offers bespoke pieces for residential and commercial use. Harriet Nicholls utilized their expertise for a Suffolk farmhouse design. The Library Arm Chair, upholstered in 7 meters of Susan Deliss fabric, and a custom ottoman feature prominently in the space. Recoire employs 12 skilled artisans, combining traditional and modern techniques, operating from their London warehouse. With over 25 years in the industry, they tailor furniture to client needs with precision and quality.

📅 October 16, 2025, Milan, Italy: EFCEM will meet at HostMilano, focusing on global foodservice equipment industry challenges. This follows a successful meeting in London, June 17-18, 2025. FEA aims to strengthen ties with international partners like NAFEM (USA) and NAFES (Australia/New Zealand) amidst rising costs and skill shortages. FEA CEO John Cunningham emphasizes collaboration, noting Europe as a crucial trading partner. FEA members will also exhibit at HostMilano. Contact: john.cunningham@fea.org.uk.

🍽 Maximize oil life by flagging early oil disposal. Reduce waste and costs through preventive maintenance, enhancing fryer up-time and reducing repair expenses. Advanced analytics address customer complaints by ensuring compliance with oil standards. Enterprise-wide benchmarking compares oil use and fryer maintenance across locations, helping identify top and bottom performers. Powerhouse Dynamics’ IoT platform connects over 50,000 pieces of equipment in 15,000+ locations, providing insights and control for consistent operations. Contact Jay Fiske for more information.

💰 Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) partners with The Wolseley Hospitality Group, allowing GHA Discovery programme members to earn and redeem rewards at nine London restaurants. The Wolseley's portfolio includes The Wolseley on Piccadilly, The Wolseley City, and others. GHA Discovery covers over 850 hotels in 100 countries and uses Discovery Dollars (D$), equivalent to USD 1 or 74p. This collaboration expands the program's value, enhancing dining experiences by integrating iconic destinations.

✈️ Sabre renews its long-term partnership with oneworld, a leading global airline alliance, using PRISM, a cloud-based corporate travel data platform. Over 30 airlines and alliances utilize this solution to manage corporate sales. Sabre emphasizes PRISM's role in advancing personalized, data-driven airline retailing. Darren Rickey highlights PRISM's unique capability in leveraging real-time intelligence and predictive analytics. This renewal reinforces Sabre’s influence in global travel markets.

📈 Aug 21, 2025 - Corporate travelers face high costs and frustration due to fragmented airline content across outdated booking systems. Airlines are distributing fares over four or more channels, creating mismatched pricing and service gaps. Legacy agencies tied to GDS models struggle with the rapid shift to direct sales and NDC, while modern agencies like TravelPerk leverage tech-driven solutions, increasing efficiency and widening the gap. The industry faces a critical need for innovation to meet traveler expectations.

🍱 Del Taco is expanding its partnership with ezCater to boost its catering business across nearly 250 locations, with a phased rollout through 2026. This strategy targets workplaces nationwide as a key marketing channel, leveraging ezCater’s platform. According to ezCater data, 70% of employees who try a restaurant at work order again personally. Del Taco aims to introduce its flavors to more workplaces, utilizing tools like ezOrdering and ezDispatch for efficient operations.