Timothy Taylor Brewers based in Keighley in West Yorkshire have acquired the Devonshire Hotel in Grassington situated in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The new owners plan to close the hotel to undertake essential refurbishment work and the Devonshire Hotel is expected to reopen in early 2016.

Details: www.grassington.uk.com


The Grand Hotel Brighton has recently refurbished two of its 13 meeting spaces.

The rooms - George 3rd (pictured) and George 2nd - are both located on the ground floor and both will accommodate up to 12 delegates boardroom style. Both rooms feature state-of-the-art audio visual equipment including an integral 55 inch HD display television plus new Crestron Air Media Technology, a sophisticated audio visual gateway, which enables customers to seamlessly, present, play, collaborate and share content wirelessly.

George 3rd and George 2nd can be booked for company dinners, client entertainment and special occasion dining.

The Grand Brighton is a well-known, 201-bedroom luxury hotel situated on Brighton’s famous seafront. Designed and built in 1864, the hotel is a 10 minute walk away from the city’s main rail station, with regular services in to London Victoria and Gatwick Airport.

Details:  www.grandbrighton.co.uk


Aubrey Park Hotel in St Albans is planning a £2million investment in new conference rooms which are expected to open in spring 2016. Aubrey Park Hotel, which has only recently completed a £3million refurbishment, has also been granted four-star status by the AA.

The new meeting facilities will enable Aubrey Park Hotel to host meetings for up to 250 delegates in future. The investment will also see a complete refurbishment of the existing meeting facilities including the Garden Room plus the addition of a new gym.

Aubrey Park Hotel is a Grade II-listed, independent country hotel adjacent to the remains of an Iron Age Hill Fort, which the hotel plan to open up to the public.

Aubrey Park Hotel is located between St Albans and Hemel Hempstead, three miles from the M1, five miles from Hemel Hempstead station and nine miles from Luton Airport.

Details: www.aubreypark.co.uk


Earlier this summer the Mercure Exeter Southgate hotel completed a £2 million refurbishment project, transforming the interior of the central Exeter hotel. The refurbishment has included all 156 bedrooms plus the reception, the Gate House restaurant, bar, lounge and terrace.

The redesign of the hotel has been inspired by the famous Exeter Book, an Anglo-Saxon collection of old English poetry written around 970AD and now housed in Exeter Cathedral, the hotel’s near neighbour. Items such as a Domesday map, for example, have been re-created in the hotel lobby area.

Bedrooms in the Mercure Exeter Southgate include classic rooms, privilege rooms, suites and interconnecting rooms. All have wi-fi access, a flat-screen television and a four-star standard bathroom.

The Gate House Restaurant serves contemporary British cuisine and is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Nine flexible meeting rooms include the latest multimedia presentation and communications facilities. The largest room, the Seymour Suite, will accommodate up to 150 delegates theatre style.

Leisure facilities include a gym, sauna and a 15m indoor swimming pool.

Mercure Exeter Southgate is located in the heart of Exeter just over a mile from Exeter St Davids Station.

Details: www.mercure.com

The Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, London closes this week for six weeks as it undergoes the next phase of its £12million renovation and rebranding project.

New static and digital signage systems are being installed in the Queen Elizabeth II Centre. The front canopy of the building on Broad Sanctuary overlooking Westminster Abbey is also being fully renovated.

The work is due for completion in early September.

Details: www.qeiicentre.london