Hospitality News

Welcome to OCC Recruitment's Hospitality News, which we will be adding to whenever industry news breaks and interesting developments occur. We want to bring you local, regional and national stories all aimed at keeping you up to date with what's happening where you are. Please contact us if you would like us to include any news worthy items i.e. when new hotels and restaurants open, people get promoted or when new people join you. Please add your comments on any of the news items featured here by visiting our blog.

Minimum Wage: New Rates, New Enforcement Policy

The new National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates apply from today (1 October 2009).

For workers aged 22 and over, the rate has increased from £5.73 to £5.80 an hour. The rate for 18 to 21-year-olds has risen from £4.77 to £4.83 and for 16 and 17-year-olds the rate has increased from £3.53 an hour to £3.57.

The accommodation offset has risen from £4.46 per day to £4.51 from 1 October 2009.

In addition to the rate changes, the Government has accepted the recommendation of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) that the adult rate of the NMW should be extended to 21-year-olds. This will be implemented from October 2010.

The LPC has also recommended that information on employers who have shown a wilful disregard for NMW legislation should be publicly available. The Government has committed itself to developing proposals to achieve this, taking into account the practical issues involved.

The Government will also consider the LPC’s proposal that a minimum wage be introduced for apprentices and will respond in full to this when it sets the LPC’s remit for 2010.

The former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (now the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) has already announced that the NMW Regulations are to be changed so that tips and service charges can no longer be used to make up staff salaries to the minimum legal level.

Sussex Food & Drink Awards

Last year the Sussex Food & Drink Awards attracted over 7,500 votes and this year numerous companies have leant their backing. For further information on how to vote visit www.sussexfoodawards.com

Source: Business Edge Magazine - July 2009

Sussex Hotel wins Hotel of the Year at the Cateys Awards

Congratulations to South Lodge Hotel in Lower Beeding who won "The Hotel of the Year - Group" award at the recent Cateys 2009 Awards. South Lodge Hotel was praised for it’s strong management, bold development, recent doubling of it’s accommodation, it’s new restaurant, “The Pass” and it’s award of a fifth star earlier this year and three rosettes.

Source: Caterer & Hotel Keeper – Cateys Winners 2009

England’s only 5-Star seaside hotel

An article in last month’s Travel Trades Gazette named the Grand Hotel as England’s only 5-star seaside hotel “leading the way in maintaining high standards and competing with it’s overseas counterparts as the only 5-star hotel on the English coastline. Eastbourne Borough Council cabinet member for tourism, cllr. Susan Morris said “ For Eastbourne to be known as the country’s only 5-star hotel is absolutely fantastic news and something we are very proud of”

Source: South East Business Magazine - August 2009

Our Comment - What about The Grand Brighton? - that too has 5 stars!

21 Years of Business Success – Sussex Business Awards 2009

The closing date for entries was August 21st 2009 for the annual awards which will be held at the Grand Hotel, Brighton on November 6th. To enter go online to www.sbawards.org.uk Awards include amongst many, Best New Business of the Year, Sussex Business Person of the Year, Best Employer in Sussex, Best Customer Service in Sussex, Training Award and for the Hospitality Industry, The Award for Leisure and Tourism which is sponsored by Midnight Communications.

Over 650 Sussex Firms respond to business survey

Sussex Enterprise released the results of it’s annual voice of business survey and some of the key findings were that 27% felt that main inhibiter to business growth is the combined effects of the recession, credit crunch and banking crisis and that the Government must take steps to ensure better access to finances (23%) with tax initiatives (e.g. lower taxation, rebates) (20%). In terms of skills, a third of businesses reported that skills shortages had been a major constraint on business growth in the last 12 months and when questioned on crime over half the businesses had been affected by crime in the last 12 months (54%) with vandalism affecting 31% and burglary 15%. Seven out of ten businesses said that the amount of red tape and legislation their company had to deal with has been a major constraint on their business growth in the last 12 months.The full report containing all the results for the Voice of Business Survey 2009 is available to download from www.sussexenterprise.co.uk

Source: Business Edge Magazine -July 2009