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2026 Programme
09:40 – 10:25 Market Insights

Beyond the Horizon

A sharp, data-driven deep dive into the financial and economic currents shaping the UK hotel industry. The panel will unpack raw macroeconomic data, tying CPI changes and debt finance realities directly to RevPAR, ADR, and disposable guest spend.

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Dave North
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10:25 – 11:10 Operations

Frontline Fortitude

Hotel operators are caught in a pincer movement: skyrocketing supply chain and labour costs on one side, guests demanding flawless value on the other. This panel digs into asset management, smart cost-control, and building operational agility across diverse portfolios.

Julie White
Julie WhiteAccor
David Anderson
David AndersonAimbridge EMEA
David Hart
David HartRBH Hospitality
11:30 – 12:15 Leadership

The Modern Anchor

Managing a modern hospitality workforce demands a shift from old-school hierarchy to empathetic, visionary leadership. These industry standard-bearers explore how to inspire loyalty across multi-generational teams, foster open communication, and maintain personal mental resilience.

Christian Masters
Christian Mastersart'otel Hoxton
Caroline Gregory
Caroline GregoryThe Lovat Hotel
Simon Numphud
Simon NumphudAA Media Services
12:15 – 13:00 Events Market

The New Roar of MICE

The MICE sector looks radically different than it did a few years ago. From hyper-personalised retreats to tech-heavy hybrid conventions, this session uncovers what today's corporate planners actually want from a venue — and how to maximise yield per square foot.

Shonali Devereaux
Shonali DevereauxMIA
Varun Shetty
Varun ShettyThe Belfry Resort
14:00 – 14:45 Development

Blueprint for Growth

Despite tight credit markets, the appetite for strategic hotel development remains fierce. Brands and asset managers discuss the shift toward conversions, brand repositioning, and adaptive reuse over ground-up builds.

Tim Davis
Tim DavisPACE Dimensions
Gavin Taylor
Gavin TaylorClermont Hotels
Paul Blackmore
Paul BlackmoreHilton
David JM Orr
David JM OrrResident Hotels
14:45 – 15:30 Technology

Beyond the Buzzwords

AI is already driving revenue and plugging labour gaps. This panel cuts through the jargon to showcase how automated guest messaging, contactless check-ins, and predictive analytics can save thousands of labour hours.

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15:55 – 16:40 People & Culture

People First

Recruitment is tough, but retention is where the real battle is won or lost. Industry leaders share actionable advice on mental health initiatives, flexible working models, and defined career progression pathways.

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Suzanne SpeakRadisson Group
16:40 – 17:05 Crisis Management

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Home > Latest News > Brands > Village Hotel Club unveils plans to ‘diversify’ UK model
Village Hotel Club unveils plans to ‘diversify’ UK model
Jeff Moore 17/05/19 Picture is free for editorial use Village Hotel Club ‘checked in’ its new star-studded line-up of ambassadors:  Sir Mo Farah, Baroness Karren Brady and GBBO’s Candice Brown.   Today, at an event celebrating its new Village Green community campaign, Village Hotel Club united its ambassadors for the first time. Each ambassador announced a brand-new programme of activities that they’ve co-created to help the local communities in which the hotels operate.    Sir Mo surprised a group of local school children taking part in a fitness class hosted by the Village Gym Community team, whilst Baroness Karren Brady kicked off the group’s new series of business advice seminars, sharing her tips and tricks with local entrepreneurs. In charge of refreshments, Candice launched Village Hotel’s Hospitality Heroes initiative, partnering with local college students to serve up her new Afternoon Tea, available this summer.   With 80% of the group’s revenue coming from locals rather than tourists, the enlisting of its new ambassadors reflects the group’s robust strategy to weather Brexit uncertainty by investing, buoying and supporting local communities instead of overseas guests.   Sir Mo Farah:   Today Sir Mo, Britain’s most successful ever track athlete, met with local school children at Village Hotel Bristol and also launched his new MOTION fitness class to gym-goers, as part of his new role as Fitness Ambassador for Village Hotel Club. Sir Mo is calling for greater access to fitness facilities for local communities and is working with the hotel group to do this.   Karren Brady:   Formidable business woman Baroness Karren Brady CBE has joined forces with Village Hotel Club. Announced as their new Local Business Ambassador, Karren launched “VWorks” – Village’s work space that supports and promotes the needs of local businesses by offering places for local people to work, connect and network. Karren kicked off the group’s new series of business seminars at the event in Bristol.    Candice Brown   Great British Bake-Off winner Candice Brown is joining forces with Village Hotel Club and has been announced as their new Food & Drink Ambassador. Today, she launched their new ‘Hospitality Heroes’ initiative – the group’s new commitment to offer skills, employment and mentoring to local students in catering and hospitality. Candice worked with students from South Gloucester college to treat lucky guests to a first-taste of ‘Candice’s Afternoon Tea’, which will roll out in Village Hotel Clubs across the UK this summer.   Joe Root, England Cricket Captain and Village Hotel Club supporter also attended the day.

Village Hotel Club unveils plans to ‘diversify’ UK model

In this episode we speak to Nico Tréguer, co-founder of Roberts and Treguer and The Culpeper Family. Nico spoke about founding the group alongside his longtime friend Gareth, having had a vision for bringing more nature spaces to cities, the planned extension of The Buxton in Spitalfields, and how the site’s storytelling engages guests and the local community, how the Culpeper Family’s core sustainability ethos helped it secure its B-Corp status and why hospitality has a responsibility to educate and innovate when it comes to sustainability.

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Hotel brand Village Hotel Club has launched a new campaign, which has been named Village Green, to “reflect and promote” the local communities it works in.

On 20 May, to celebrate the opening of its 30th UK hotel in Bristol, the brand announced three new celebrity ambassadors and a roll-out of the campaign across all 30 UK hotels.

The ambassadors – Mo Farah, baroness Karren Brady CBE and Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown – each announced a brand-new programme of activities that they’ve co-created with the hotel group to help the communities they operate in “thrive”, specifically through a series of fitness, business and food and drink initiatives.

Gary Davis, executive chairman of Village Hotel Club, said: “Village Green was launched to demonstrate the unique way in which Village Hotel Club has diversified to face competition within the hotel industry, as well as the challenges posed by Brexit and its associated uncertainty.

“We created Village Green because Village Hotels genuinely offers much more than a hotel room. In fact, 80% of our revenue comes from local business and social community. This is because we act as the local pub for many communities.

He added: “We support and promote fitness and offer access to affordable state of the art gym facilities in areas that are out of town or otherwise may not have these. And we bring in local businesses and give them a place to connect, network and run their businesses in an affordable way, outside of the big cities.”

Village Green is part of Village Hotel Club’s long-term expansion plans, and it recently announced a £500m investment into opening an additional 20 hotels in the UK by 2025, with the next hotels set to open in: Basingstoke, Eastleigh, Cambridge, Reading, Milton Keynes and Slough.

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