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The BHA Has High Expectations Of The New Mayor of London and Assembly Members

Aspire Executive Lounges, Swissport's global airport hospitality brand, has joined the British Institute of Hospitality, the world’s leading and award-winning membership body for hospitality professionals. Aspire Executive Lounges becomes the first business partner from the airport lounge hospitality sector to join the Institute of Hospitality. Aspire Executive Lounges, the fast-growing Swiss brand in the airport hospitality business, has joined the British Institute of Hospitality (IoH), the world’s leading membership body for professionals working and studying in the hospitality leisure and tourism industry. Aspire Executive Lounges is the first business from the airport lounge sector to become a member of IoH. The collaboration will foster an exchange of expertise and insights: IoH will benefit from Aspire's expertise in airport hospitality, while Aspire, by sharing its wealth of experience with IoH members, can extend its professional network to the hotel and catering sectors and hospitality management schools. “Our vision for Aspire Executive Lounges is clear and simple: We want to deliver a guest experience that is similar to what our guests are used to from their preferred hotels, meeting the needs and exceeding the expectations of today’s travelers,” says David Collyer, Global Vice President of Executive Lounges at Swissport International AG. “We strive to deliver an unparalleled experience and set a benchmark that transcends our industry, redefining excellence across the hospitality sector. The Institute of Hospitality is a great network to exchange insights and experiences, and to learn from others in the hospitality sector, which will help us bring our vision to life.” Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality: “Our aspiration at the Institute of Hospitality has been to develop and grow our membership, the number of countries we operate in, and the number of hospitality sectors represented within our organization. With that in mind, it is a natural partnership for us to welcome Aspire into our family, and to learn from their teams, who serve travelers with passion and dedication. As two organizations with similar values, we look forward to collaborating in promoting high levels of excellence within our profession.” With over 30 years of experience, Aspire Executive Lounges is Europe’s largest brand in the airport lounges sector. In 2023, Swissport welcomed more than five million customers worldwide at over 69 lounges in 20 countries. The airport hospitality brand recently opened new lounges at Toronto City Airport in Canada, and Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland. Aspire Executive Lounges recently created a new lounge concept in partnership with the airline alliance oneworld. The first oneworld branded lounge was launched at Incheon Airport in Seoul, Korea, in December 2023. Aspire Executive Lounges is owned by Swissport International AG, the global leader in aviation services, serving airlines at 286 airports in 44 countries across 6 continents
Written by Amy

Ufi Ibrahim, CEO of The British Hospitality Association (BHA) – which represents over 40,000 hospitality establishments in the UK, said: “The BHA has high expectations of the new Mayor of London and Assembly members.

“London is the world’s most-visited capital city, generating over £36 billion in tourism revenue and £14bn Gross Value Added by the Hospitality industry. Our businesses employ one in ten Londoners. However, international rivalry is  intense and we cannot take our competitiveness for granted.

“It’s not just our pubs, restaurants, hotels, serviced apartments, events, food service, clubs and attractions who have high expectations of the new Mayor. It’s also the retailers, services, manufacturers, transport and construction industries whose success is interlinked with ours. The Hospitality industry’s success is integral to that of London.

“We want the Mayor to champion our ongoing industry/GLA programmes on food, jobs, apprenticeships and skills. We also want the Mayor’s urgent attention on a number of outstanding decisions including – protecting visitors and Londoners by ensuring the enforcement of fire and safety regulations for online home rental companies.”

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Amy