The decision by Dublin City Council (DCC) to increase commercial rates by 3.3% has been condemned by the hoteliers as outrageous and indefensible in the current economic climate. The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) states that hoteliers in Dublin and across the country are facing into a stark reality over the next 18 months and that the Government must now intervene as a matter of urgency to reverse the move by DCC.
The Federation has long been an advocate of reform of local authority funding and maintains that this needs to be addressed by the Government in the medium term. It states that the hotel sector continues to disproportionately subsidise local authorities and their services.
Mr Ryan states, “Businesses continue to be penalised by an antiquated taxation system of commercial rates that sees local authorities extract taxes relative to the size of premises without any recognition been taken of the viability or profitability of the business operating in the premises. Governments all over the world are urgently introducing measures to assist businesses cope with the present world wide economic recession. The Irish government can not stand bye and allow another organ of the state system - local authorities - continue as if no economic crisis exists.”
Holiday Inn Hasselt
- We have hosted eight visiting teams so far this year rugby season including Ospreys,
- We were very pleased to receive the feedback on our Work Life Balance (WLB) Consultancy. The study revealed that 89% of staff are satisfied with their own work-life balance and 70% of staff report they are satisfaction with their working arrangements. The most popular initiatives were identified as educations schemes (93%), membership/discounts (93%) flexi-time (around rosters) (33%), time off in lieu (29%) and part-time working (20%). The study identified that whilst there are some WLB initiatives that do not suit a hotel environment, such as term-time working, it was encouraging to see that there were a few new considerations we could make, for example career breaks and life balance time, which we will be looking into further over the coming months.
Premier Apartments Nottingham
Premier Apartments Manchester
- In October the World Squash Championships were held at the National Squash Arena here and we had 2 of the top players in the world (2nd & 5th seeds), stay with us for the duration. At one stage they were on course to meet each other, but unfortunately were eliminated at the quarter and semi final stages. Both shall be returning for the British Masters in ‘09.
David Essex returned to stay with us for a week whilst on stage at The Palace theatre and we currently have Mrs Brown’s Boys back in town staying with us again during their shows
Premier Apartments Newcastle
- Beyond the moon – the re-positioning of the charity envelopes has increased our donations massively. We now place the envelope on the bed of each apartment and this has seen a huge increase in the number of envelopes returned!! Which is great news.
Premier Apartments Birmingham
Premier Apartments Bristol
· The fantastic new shopping centre, Cabot Circus opened its doors on 23rd September. The cinema de-lux houses 13 screens, a Directors lounge, restaurants and a stage for live events. The restoration and re-development of the Quakers Friars area of the city centre is now complete with a Brassiere Blanc by Raymond Blanc. Further development has been announced for the surrounding area. A £5 million development to improve the Broad mead shopping area continues. It’s a great time to visit
·
Leopold Hotel,
- During September and October we hosted a number of celebrities that stayed with us whilst playing concerts in
- The comic act Mighty Boosh stayed with us for a week whilst performing at the City Hall.
- We hosted a number of high profile dinners which included the Waterman Group, English Heritage and
Holiday Inn
On 27 September, we had the pleasure to welcome Mr.Thierry ROLAND who is the most famous football TV journalist in
Astoria Hotel
Holiday Inn
Andrea Wallace GM of Days Hotel Parkwest accepting the Wyndham Hotels Quality Award for EMEA 2008 from Belinda Atkins of Wyndham .
WE OFFER THE BEST RATES TO STAY IN GENT AT OUR HOTEL HOLIDAY INN GENT EXPO WHICH YOU CAN BOOK ON LINE AT www.premgroup.com
While here in Ireland we wait for the Irish Government to present a stimulus package for the economy ,Governments around the World have already implemented such packages . The Belgium’s are the latest to come out and show some leadership and introduce a number of initiatives to boost there economy .
With a package of regulations amounting to EUR 842 the Flemish government is trying to support the economy and labour market against the financial crisis. EUR 300 million will go to SMEs as the small entrepreneurs find it increasingly difficult to obtain loans from the banks. A fund will be instituted to assist with subordinated loans granted to growing enterprises and to make it easier for innovative businesses to obtain risk capital. The crisis also threatens to thoroughly increase the number of restructurings and could cause the dismissal of quite a number of older employees. Therefore there will be an increase in the premium for enterprises recruiting workers older than fifty to help them in their search for a new job. These premiums will be increased by a maximum of EUR 500. As far as the ‘insurance to guarantee housing’ is concerned, there was reassuring news. This insurance will help ease the problems experienced by people who have to pay off their homes but have lost their income due to illness or unemployment. The Flemish government will also pump extra money into the economy. ‘In the short term we will spend EUR 45 million extra on noise screening, water control and innovation for enterprises’, Minister-president Peeters announced. ‘We will remain an investment government.’ The government will also try to get rid of the administrative delays for investment projects in order to prevent unnecessary slowdown of the project. A special taskforce will follow up all projects.
In Ireland we wait while our leaders are conspicuous by there silence .
Winning the Lotto, marrying a rich partner and coming in to an inheritance all feature prominently in people’s “plans” for retirement, a survey from Hibernian Life and Pensions reveals today.
The study found that despite odds of more than 8,000,000:1 almost 10pc of consumers in Ireland see
winning the lotto, which this Wednesday is estimated to reach E9m, as the most “practical” way to fund their retirement.
And if the lotto fails to deliver, consumers in Ireland are on the look out for a good marriage or a
handsome inheritance to fund their golden years.
Interestingly, more men than women are relying on lotto luck to fund their retirement with 11pc of men compared to only 6pc of females claiming the lotto is their ticket to financial security in retirement. Hibernian’s research shows that lotto fever is most rife in Munster, Ulster and Connacht with 11pc of people in these regions saying the lotto is the most ‘practical’ way to accumulate wealth for retirement. Only 5pc of people in Leinster agree with this approach to retirement planning.
Commenting on this wave of lotto fever, Mark Reilly, pensions expert, said: “Hibernian’s research now reveals that a relatively large number of people, almost 10pc, are taking a high risk gamble when it comes to funding their retirement. Instead of availing of the tax benefits and proven returns from pension investments, they are hoping for a lotto win. Despite the current turmoil in the financial
markets, long-term pension investments are a proven path to financial security whereas a lotto win is a very, very, long-shot. In fact, if winning the lottery is the cornerstone of your retirement plan, you might want to consider a new approach since the odds of scooping the lotto jackpot is 8,145,060 to 1.” For those that do beat the odds and strike it rich by winning the lotto, financial security in retirement is still not guaranteed. UK hospital porter John McGuinness won Stg 10million in the lottery and 11 years later he found himself deep in debt, with no job and waiting on the housing list for somewhere to live. “While many lotto winners handle their new found wealth well, there are many lotto winners who find themselves in rags to riches to rags scenario. They make the mistake of thinking a windfall guarantees the future. All people, no matter how much money they have, should take stock of their financial needs and ensure that what they invest in satisfies these financial needs. So consumers must not forget the importance of getting proper financial advice rather than investing their retirement hopes on the roll of a dice or on their numbers coming up” said Mr Reilly.
inning the Lotto, marrying a rich partner and coming in to an inheritance all feature prominently in people’s “plans” for retirement, a survey from Hibernian Life and Pensions reveals today.The study found that despite odds of more than 8,000,000:1 almost 10pc of consumers in Ireland see winning the lotto, which this Wednesday is estimated to reach E9m, as the most “practical” way to fund their retirement.
And if the lotto fails to deliver, consumers in Ireland are on the look out for a good marriage or a
handsome inheritance to fund their golden years.
Interestingly, more men than women are relying on lotto luck to fund their retirement with 11pc of men compared to only 6pc of females claiming the lotto is their ticket to financial security in retirement. Hibernian’s research shows that lotto fever is most rife in Munster, Ulster and Connacht with 11pc of people in these regions saying the lotto is the most ‘practical’ way to accumulate wealth for retirement. Only 5pc of people in Leinster agree with this approach to retirement planning.
Commenting on this wave of lotto fever, Mark Reilly, pensions expert, said: “Hibernian’s research now reveals that a relatively large number of people, almost 10pc, are taking a high risk gamble when it comes to funding their retirement. Instead of availing of the tax benefits and proven returns from pension investments, they are hoping for a lotto win. Despite the current turmoil in the financial
markets, long-term pension investments are a proven path to financial security whereas a lotto win is a very, very, long-shot. In fact, if winning the lottery is the cornerstone of your retirement plan, you might want to consider a new approach since the odds of scooping the lotto jackpot is 8,145,060 to 1.” For those that do beat the odds and strike it rich by winning the lotto, financial security in retirement is still not guaranteed. UK hospital porter John McGuinness won Stg 10million in the lottery and 11 years later he found himself deep in debt, with no job and waiting on the housing list for somewhere to live. “While many lotto winners handle their new found wealth well, there are many lotto winners who find themselves in rags to riches to rags scenario. They make the mistake of thinking a windfall guarantees the future. All people, no matter how much money they have, should take stock of their financial needs and ensure that what they invest in satisfies these financial needs. So consumers must not forget the importance of getting proper financial advice rather than investing their retirement hopes on the roll of a dice or on their numbers coming up” said Mr Reilly.
A top Irish economist has called on the government to launch a major stimulus package fot the economy here.
Taoiseach Brian Cowan and his Government appear to be ignoring the difficulties facing Irish business . They need to take their heads out of the sand and listen to the advice of Davy Stockbrokers before it is to late .
Rossa White of Davy Stockbrokers says that Irish business and the economy in general are crying out for a fiscal stimulus but the Government is sleep-walking in the opposite direction.
He says the US, Spain and Australia have all cut key taxes to give their economies a jump-start and bolster enterprise but the Irish Government has actually raised taxes that depress business activity.
‘A tax rebate, similar to the US model from the second quarter of 2008, would work. Why not send a cheque for E1 billion in the post to households in time for Christmas. This would work out at about E500 per worker. We are confident that the government would get this and more back in VAT, excise duties and income tax through increased consumer spending.’
He says that he is not sure that the Taoiseach fully appreciates the perilous state of the economy and that Ireland could be facing a recession the likes of which we have not seen before in recent history.
‘We are not sure that there is full appreciation yet of the stark outlook facing the Irish economy. Our recent forecasts suggested that the economy may contract by 3.5pc in volume next year following a 2pc decline in 2008. That is at the severe end of historic recession experience globally and has not happened in Ireland in the period for which reliable statistics are available. Such an outlook demands hard decisions from government at a time when the burden falls more heavily on fiscal rather than monetary policy,’ he said.
He said that the banking system is still close to paralysis with businesses finding the lines of credit they need to survive and pay their wage bills increasingly hard to find.
‘It is crucial that viable businesses and households that do not have stretched balance sheets get ready access to credit. As we have stated many times in this column, credit contractions are highly pro-cyclical, i.e. they reinforce economic downturns,’ he said. Worryingly, he added that there are signs that the banks simply don’t have the liquid cash to cope with the loan losses that are coming. ‘Without replenishment, that implies restricted new credit availability for business investment and household purchases: the worst-case scenario for the economy. The economy will not simply re-emerge from this recession in a reasonable timeframe if funds are not available, because we know that cash flow is drying up progressively,’ the report said. The Budget was marginally deflationary on paper, based on official estimates. In other words, it took a little cash (0.2pc of GDP) out of the economy. But its shape was poor: the burden fell more on the over-borrowed taxpayer than on cost-cutting in public services, Mr White said. He called for tax cuts. ‘We have lost sight of the successful strategy. What we have learned in Ireland over the past 20 years is that tax cuts work. Cutting corporation, income and capital gains tax helped to generate huge growth in employment,’ he said.
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Press Release - The best way to relax when travelling? Cuddle up and watch a movie!
When it comes to chilling out, research shows in-room entertainment is the most relaxing activity to undertake in a hotel room, with 71% of guests rating it higher than a restaurant meal or a luxurious bubble bath. Not only is switching on the TV considered the best way to unwind– but it is also deemed to be the biggest away-from-home indulgence, with 34% of those surveyed saying watching a movie in bed in a hotel is the thing we most enjoy as we can’t or don’t do it at home. When watching movies, there is no better place than the comfort of our hotel beds. We are a nation of snugglers, with 38% of respondents choosing to curl up under the duvet. More than a quarter of respondents climb on top of the bed to enjoy our viewing – and 14% of us enjoy eating our way through the film. These findings come from a report recently commissioned by Filmbank - the leading distributor of Hollywood movies to the hotel industry - and Opinions takes a look at the hotel room habits of business and leisure travellers (1). 45% of guests are technology “snobs” – with the quality of the TV and entertainment system having a direct link to our impression of the hotel room, third only after the quality of the bed linen and the bathroom goodies. And 37% of techno-savvy respondents say access to the latest programming and in-room entertainment are key drivers when booking a hotel in the first place! In fact, 35% of leisure travellers said that they would like to watch the very latest cinema releases in their hotel room. However, 79% of leisure hotel guests don’t realise that many hotels provide “early window” movies (i.e. movies screened after their cinema release but before they are released on DVD or on pay-TV). After the cinema a hotel is the next place to see blockbusters like the Dark Knight or Quantum of Solace. The research has also revealed that although we are a nation of movie lovers with 90% of us watch movies in everyday life, the way we watch movies is changing. A third of us now expect our hotel-room movie watching experience to emulate our at home one – with guests expecting to be able to stop and start movies. Luckily, many hotels now offer dip-in TV, so movies can be paused, rewound and picked up again as and when it’s wanted – often from the comfort of the hotel room bed. (1) Research carried out by Filmbank Distribution Limited and Opinion Matters in October 2008. Sample size - 2920. |
I have just arrived back from the Wyndham Hotel Groups International Franchisees’ and Owners’ Conference 2008 .
I am delighted to report that Days Hotel Park West was awarded an overall ‘Wyndham Worldwide Quality Award’. Competition in this category was certainly tough and came from Days Inns & Hotels located throughout the regions of
I have no doubt that you will join me in congratulating GM Andrea Wallace & her team on this great success!
The conference was held in one of our properties ,the Ramada Plaza Antwerp .where I was blown away by the professionalism of all the staff in this hotel .The event was a huge success and I am very proud to be associated with this property .Caroline Lahou ,the General Manager ,and her team worked very hard to ensure that all delegates were well looked after and succeeded in raising the bar for whatever hotel is hosting this event in 2009 .