Industry News London & South East Premier Construction Premier Hospitality

BHA Response To Queen’s Speech

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

The Bills laid out in Parliament  by Her Majesty, The Queen set out the Government’s legislative programme for the next year and will have implications for the hospitality and tourism industry.

Ms Ufi Ibrahim, CEO of the British Hospitality Association responded: “There are three issues which most matter to this industry:

The Digital Economy Bill seeks to provide universal right to high speed broadband connection.

This is particularly important for rural and coastal businesses currently struggling with poor internet connections and speeds. The BHA fully supports the emphasis on making broadband a utility service which is essential to modern hospitality and tourism operations, as well as generating positive guest experiences. We look forward to supporting concrete plans to achieve full coverage.

“BHA will be scrutinising the Government’s forthcoming Digital Strategy in terms of how it will ensure a Fair Digital Marketplace for consumers booking travel online. The Government must not miss this opportunity to take action on restrictive rate parity clauses imposed by online travel agency agreements (OTAs), as well as ensuring ‘sharing economy’ accommodation providers comply with existing regulations including fire and food safety for guests.

The Local Growth and Jobs Bill signals the opportunity for councils to use business rates revenues to support tourism development and promotion.

BHA believes this is an essential requirement since the demise of regional development agencies.  Local Hospitality and tourism business leaders want to play an active part in Local Enterprise Partnerships to ensure that revenues are channeled in the most effective way to deliver local jobs and economic growth underpinned by the tourist industry and we will be exploring ways in which this can more easily occur.

Proposed Sugar Tax on soft drinks

“The BHA will carefully review the forthcoming Government consultation and legislation concerning the proposals for a sugar levy on soft drinks. Ensuring good nutrition and tackling obesity requires a comprehensive approach, and understanding how a sugar levy could form part of an overall strategy will be a key question for BHA member experts. The BHA’s Nutrition Group will publish an Industry Guide to Nutrition this summer to aid Chefs in their menu and dish designs in order that they can serve healthier food.  As well as covering food preparation and cooking techniques, the guide will also look at the marketing and communication of healthier options on the menu.”

About the author

Amy