Blogs

Hoteliers have been warned of ‘self-combusting’ tea towels after a recent spate of fires in hotels, pubs and restaurants.

Commercial insurer, NFU Mutual, claim the self-combusting tea towel phenomenon occurs when the remains of oil and fat combine with stain remover thus contaminating fabrics made of natural fibres and causing the towel to self-combust.

The reaction is believed to be even more likely when combined with heat such as that from tumble drying.

Darren Seward, hospitality specialist at NFU, said: “Although tea towels may appear clean once washed, they may still have the remains of cooking oils and fats or chemicals on them that are invisible to the eye.

“If they are then put into a tumble dryer, the combination of heat, cooking fats and oxygenating chemicals from stain removing detergent products can create a chemical reaction and cause the towel to self-heat, smoulder and eventually catch fire.”

Details: Published: 15 December 2016; Hits: 3612

The average hotel room rates in major UK cities have fallen by up to 20% during the third quarter of 2016 compared with the same period last year – according to a report by Hotel Reservations Service (HRS).

Cardiff experienced the largest fall of 20%, followed by a 17% fall in Edinburgh, a 16% drop in Bristol and an 8% drop in Birmingham. In the north-west Manchester saw room rates fall by 10% whilst Liverpool’s rate dropped by 15% during the quarter.

It is no great surprise to discover that London is still the most expensive city in which to stay in the UK with an average night’s stay at £153, but even its rate dropped by 14% compared with the same period last year.

It is the opposite story in mainland Europe with the majority of key cities seeing a steady rate rise in Q3 2016 against the same period in 2015.

The fall in prices is expected to make the UK a more attractive and cost effective destination for both business and leisure travellers.

Details: Published: 06 December 2016; Hits: 3577

A survey using a laser to map out a 3D image could be used to help reconstruct the fire-hit Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter.

Royal Clarence Hotel, thought to be Britain's oldest hotel, was destroyed last month after a fire ripped through the building.

However, construction consultants Excitech made a laser survey two years ago which could be used to make a model of the facade of the hotel for architects to work on.

The full size 3D scan of the Royal Clarence Hotel was taken by sheer coincidence. It was used as part of a short presentation about Cathedral Green, the hotel’s location.

Hotel owners, Andrew Brownsword Hotels, have pledged to rebuild the hotel.

Details: Published: 29 November 2016; Hits: 3570

House-keeping ladies from Strand Palace Hotel in London have raised over £6,000 for charities this year, including donations to Guide Dogs for the Blind, City Farm and Great Ormond Street Hospital, by collecting throwaway items.

Among their money-raising efforts, the house-keeping staff have collected used bars of soap, biscuit wrappers and coins left behind in guestrooms, as well as taking part in Race for Life for Cancer Research.

Used bars of soap left behind after a guest has checked out of the 800-bedroom Strand Palace Hotel have been stored and then delivered to Clean Conscience. To date, more than 6,000 bars have been donated, which are then reformed and shipped out to a number of countries in need of hygiene help.

Biscuit wrappers, 19,487 of them, were retrieved from in-room bins, cleaned of crumbs and saved to exchange for money in the McVitie’s Biscuit Wrapper Recycling Programme.

Foreign coins have been collected and stored in coffee jars, then taken on a regular basis to the Forex world money exchange. So far, 22 different currencies have been collected and exchanged including Peruvian sol, Czech koruna and Mexican peso. To date, these discarded coins have raised £47.12 after exchange.

Strand Palace Hotel House-keepers, Carment Browne and Angela Chaabane, have no intention of stopping now. “We really enjoy it, especially the feeling that we are making a difference to people with less than we have,” said Carment. Meanwhile Angela commented: “It’s just stuff that normally gets thrown away that we can collect and raise money from. It’s a little bit of extra work but we actually enjoy doing it.”

Strand Palace Hotel General Manager, David MacRae, is proud of his house-keepers’ determination. “I was very impressed when they came up with these initiatives and the ideas just keep coming. They recently took part in Race for Life for Cancer Research and there are plans for a London “dash” around the Monopoly board very soon which will involve all of the hotel’s staff.

Details: https://www.strandpalacehotel.co.uk/

Details: Published: 05 December 2016; Hits: 3813

Travelodge has just published its list of the most bizarre requests that some of its 18 million customers have asked whilst staying in one of its 523 UK hotels during the last 12 months.

The Travelodge hotel teams receive thousands of strange requests every year and the oddities range from:

Can you get me a Unicorn to carry my wedding proposal and engagement ring to my girlfriend?
Can you get a white stallion horse to take me to my wedding ceremony?
Where can I find a good Liverpool tart?
What kind of cheddar cheese is the Cheddar Gorge made from?
Can you move my room to the roof so I can sleep under the stars?
Do I need a passport to go to Scotland?
What time do the Dinosaurs come out at the Jurassic Coast?
Can you give me directions to Peter Rabbit’s burrow?
Can you arrange for me to be woken up by the sound of bagpipes?

For the full list of requests - Details: https://www.travelodge.co.uk/press-centre/press-releases/Travelodges-annual-bizarre-requests-2016