Somerset County Cricket Club has started work on building a new pavilion at the County Ground in Taunton. The £3.8million development will replace the old pavilion which had stood in place since 1881.

The cricket club has invested heavily in the ground’s facilities in recent years including building a new conference and events centre. There is a range of event rooms around the stadium available for meetings and conferences, business breakfasts, banquets and dinners. The Long Room is the newest and probably the most prestigious development featuring a full height glass frontage onto a balcony with flexible seating for up to 300 people. There is free wireless internet connection throughout the ground.

The new pavilion at the Somerset County Ground will have a media centre with a rooftop area and restaurant facilities. Work is expected to complete by September 2015.

There is good access to the County Ground from the M5 at junction 25, although parking is limited.

Details:  www.countygroundtaunton.co.uk


No.1 Brunel Square is a new conference and event space which has just opened at Brunel’s SS Great Britain in Bristol. It was formerly the Maritime Heritage Centre which has been transformed into an event space and renamed No 1 Brunel Square. It overlooks Bristol Floating Harbour and is adjacent to Brunel’s SS Great Britain.

No.1 Brunel Square houses a 250-seat lecture theatre and a range of breakout rooms. Event space is also available on board SS Great Britain ranging from the Weather Deck with waterfront views, the Promenade Deck and the First Class Dining Saloon.

Delegates attending meetings at No.1 Brunel Square will be able to explore the SS Great Britain and take tours of the engine rooms and ship’s galley. It is 'the world's first great ocean liner’, launched back in 1843.

Details: www.ssgreatbritain.org


The scheduled opening of Hotel Football, the football themed hotel alongside Manchester's Old Trafford Stadium, which was due to open 8th December, has now been delayed until 2nd March 2015.

Hotel Football has been developed by former Manchester United players Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs. The 133-bedroom, 10-storey hotel features a five-a-side football pitch on the roof.

The delay will allow time to improve the banqueting facilities, increase the event space at the hotel by up to 50% and to allow time to extend the rooftop football pitch.

Details: www.hotelfootball.com


Pentahotel Inverness has just opened with 90 bedrooms. The hotel, previously a Ramada Encore, has been refurbished. The bedrooms are air-conditioned and each is equipped with a 42" flat screen television with premium sports and movie channels, a desk, chair and telephone plus free wi-fi.

Pentahotel Inverness includes a restaurant, a bar and lounge as well as a residents’ fitness room. Guests check-in at the bar.

Pentahotel Inverness is the group’s sixth property in the UK, along with hotels in Birmingham, Derby, Ipswich, Reading and Warrington. It is located in Academy Street in the centre of Inverness, 100 metres from Inverness station.

Details: www.pentahotels.com


Crowne Plaza London Docklands in Royal Victoria Dock is undergoing an extensive revamp of its 210 bedrooms with the works expected to be fully complete in December 2014.

The bedroom interiors are being completely redesigned and renovated and will include the latest in-room technology including multimedia hubs with high-speed internet data ports, large-screen televisions, HDMI points and Bluetooth connectivity allowing guests to connect tablets and laptops to the room - plus small but important additions such as bedside USB charging points negating the need for an international adapter. It is not all about technology; the rooms also include comfortable beds with duvets and extra pillows, blackout curtains and double glazing.

Crowne Plaza London Docklands has a restaurant with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the historic Royal Victoria Dock plus a leisure club and spa with the same views. Eight modern meeting rooms are equipped with ISDN lines and wi-fi, whiteboard, working walls, projection screens and conference stationery. In-house audio-visual equipment includes televisions, DVD, overhead projectors and LCD projectors.

Crowne Plaza London Docklands Hotel is a short walk from the   western entrance of the ExCeL conference centre and is adjacent to Royal Victoria Station on the (DLR) Docklands Light Railway. It is five minutes of London City Airport.

Details: www.ihg.com