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1. Australian conglomerate EVT acquires Pro-invest Hotels
EVT Limited has agreed to acquire Pro-invest Group’s hotel-management division, Pro-invest Hotels, which operates approximately 3,200 rooms in 15 hotels. EVT is conducting the deal via a new division, EVT Connect Hospitality, which is EVT’s entry into the world of third-party hotel management. Both firms are located in Sydney, writes CoStar News Hotels’ Terence Baker.
Pro-invest will retain its operating capacity in and management of its Vista Hospitality Group hotels portfolio, which comprises 10 hotels. EVT owns hotels under brands such as Atura Hotels, Lylo, QT Hotels and Rydges Hotels & Resorts.
2. High Court grants injunction on UK asylum hotel
The Royal Courts of Justice in London granted an interim injunction against hotel owner Somani Hotels from using its 79-room Bell Hotel Epping in Epping, Essex — just outside of London — to house asylum seekers. According to the BBC, the decision might see “councils across England … poised to take legal action to remove asylum seekers from hotels in their areas.”
According to the ruling, which takes effect Sept. 12, “Somani must not use, or permit the use of the hotel for accommodating asylum seekers unless planning permission is granted for this purpose. The injunction also contains a declaration that the use of the Bell Hotel for asylum seekers is not a permitted use of the hotel for planning purposes.”
“This is not the end of the matter. Having obtained an interim provision, the next stage is for the council to return to the court and seek a permanent injunction,” said Chris Whitbread, leader of Epping Forest District Council, the local authority that contains the Bell Hotel. “Home Office policy ignores the issues and concerns of local residents that the council represents. Today we have made a step towards redressing the imbalance and showing that local people do have some say, whatever the Home Office thinks.”
3. Two-thirds of UK hospitality operating below 85% capacity
Findings from three major United Kingdom hotel organizations — UKHospitality, British Institute of Innkeeping British Beer & Pub Association and Hospitality Ulster — suggest that 69% of British hotels and hospitality businesses are operating below 85% of their capacities and 73% of them have less than six months of cash reserves, despite a strong summer of trading amid a good run of sunny weather.
The organizations' report states that 84,000 jobs in the hospitality sector have been lost since the U.K. government’s last budget in Oct. 2024 and that to rectify the situation it must implement a decrease in value-added taxes, an amendment to changes to employer national insurance contributions and lower business rates. Changes in the last budget imposed a further cost of £3.4 billion ($4.6 billion) to U.K. hotels.
4. Airfare increases see UK inflation near 4% in 17-month high
In July, U.K. inflation reached a 17-month high of 3.8%, up from 3.6% in June, according to the Office for National Statistics. Hotel and restaurant prices increased 3.4% in the period, up from 2.6% in July 2024. The principal reason for the increase came from cost increases in airfares due to more trips taken during the annual school break.
The BBC reports that the Bank of England forecasts U.K. inflation to peak at 4% in September.
5. Transportation chaos expected for Monday Bank Holiday in UK
U.K. traffic association RAC estimates Brits will take approximately 17.6 million driving trips on Aug. 25, Bank Holiday Monday, a national holiday. RAC said that the southeast and southwest U.K. will be the areas most heavily affected. The Telegraph reports that train travelers will fare no better, with Network Rail undertaking 261 repair and maintenance projects across the country and strike action to affect certain lines.
“With this bank holiday being the last opportunity to enjoy a long weekend before Christmas, our study shows a real eagerness to get out and about with nearly 18 million drivers planning getaway trips,” said RAC’s Nick Mullender.
On the same weekend in 2024, 19.2 million U.K residents traveled by car, the RAC added, with 2025 expected tally being “the second highest since 2020 when 18.4 million drivers said they planned to get away as lockdown restrictions were lifted.”