‘Celebrate Service Week’ was rolled out across the globe at nearly 3,000 IHG hotels as part of a worldwide celebration of the great services delivered by over 330,000 employees. The dedicated week has been created to recognise each hotel employee for their hard work and continued levels of superior service in what has been a challenging time for the hospitality industry.

Between 25th-30th July, staff at the Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham were pampered with a lavish 3 course lunch served by the senior management team. The afternoon concluded with team building activities and games, and thanked all the staff for providing fantastic service throughout the year. Management also finished the week by organising a staff day out to a local restaurant and an evening ten pin bowling. With the management team all getting involved, individual team members received small gestures such as thank you gifts from managers, including a £100 cash bonus awarded to the Employee of the Year.

Magda Mateja, Reception Manager, commented “The week was really successful, and all of the staff really enjoyed the team building activities. The biggest impact came from just recognising staff for their efforts; this really made a difference to them.”

Ian Dick, General Manager, said “Our employees are at the heart of all our guest experiences. We are passionate about the great experiences we deliver, and equally passionate about appreciating the hard work that goes into making this hotel a success. A big thank you to you all!”

 

People spend so much time planning meetings and sitting in meetings, that businesses often forget how to close the deal properly. Organisations that can turn meeting time into profitable results are by far the most successful. Take these five meeting management secrets to ensure your next meeting in Cheltenham is a real success.

Choose the Right Venue
Your choice of venue is probably one the most important factors to consider when arranging a meeting or conference. Choose a central location for your conference venue in Cheltenham - there is nothing worse than getting lost before an important meeting. Remember, your delegates need to be able to find the venue easily too. Our researchers have found the Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham Town Centre is an ideal venue in a central location, with conference parking space nearby. If you are meeting over lunch choose somewhere that won’t be too crowded or noisy. Although there is an array of good restaurants in Cheltenham, always rely on multiple sources to recommend a good place to entertain. Our researchers also found that business people are progressively opting for hotels in Cheltenham as a place to meet. Non-residents can often use a relaxing hotel bar and coffee lounge area, which is still a professional and ambient place to meet to ensure a successful meeting. Furthermore, such a meeting place makes it a cost effective business choice.

Manage Your Meeting Budget
In tight times is it even more important to ensure your meeting includes everything you need and nothing you don’t. For bigger seminars and conferences, many venues in Cheltenham will charge extra for all the little things that really make a difference. Choose a venue that can offer an all inclusive day delegate rate as this will include your room hire, tea/coffee, lunch and equipment to really showcase your event on a budget. Our researchers found the following site Meeting Rooms in Cheltenham offered the most competitive meeting venue in Cheltenham with all the added-value extras included for your next meeting. This ensures you can deliver the ‘wow’ factor to all your delegates without having to present a huge bill to your boss - double brownie points!

Preparation is Key
Whether you’re planning a large seminar or just meeting over lunch, for every minute of your meeting there should be 2 minutes spent planning. Preparation is key to ensure you get the business results you want. If you’re planning a business lunch, always phone the venue ahead of schedule and confirm the booking and any requests you may have. To really close the deal, research your client beforehand as much as possible and plan your sales approach before lunch, there’ll be nothing worse than taking a vegetarian to a steak house! Many successful organisations use central hotel venues for conference rooms and important business meetings as they always offer a dedicated meetings organiser. Many hotels with meeting rooms in Cheltenham will offer an events co-ordinator free of charge that will greatly alleviate all the planning stress.

Boost Your Attendance
The best way to ensure successful results after your meeting is to present to as many people as possible. Early bird discounts can be a great way to boost attendance to your next event in Cheltenham. Send reminders to your delegates as we’re all busy professionals. Sending a simple, non-intrusive reminder is a great way to catch your invitee’s attention. Promoting your meeting’s value is key. Value is driving all decisions these days: in order to get people to attend, they need to have a clear idea of how it will benefit them. Reach out through multiple channels such as Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn-these days there are many more ways to market your event than the tried-and-true email invitations and websites. Offer a special deal and consider implementing a new special price or some other incentive (e.g. half-price registration for a guest) to entice invitees.

Close the Deal
Don’t let your meeting finish without closing the deal you need. Watch body language and look out for buying signals during your presentation. This will help you better understand how to approach the close with your delegates. Ask for feedback about your presentation and ensure you cover any questions or knowledge gaps the delegates may have, so you can rest assured they have left with a full understanding of your presentation. Request commitment from your delegates before they leave the meeting room. This can be by using simple phrases throughout your meeting such as “Does that sound good to you?” or “What do you think about that?” The more positive their mindset the more likely you are to get the business results you want.

There are many actions that can make meeting in Cheltenham successful. They require careful management before, during, and after the meeting. If you neglect any one of these meeting management opportunities, your appointment will not bear the fruit you desire and the results will not reflect the time invested in organising your meeting.

In order to support local businesses to make positive changes, Vision 21 has secured funding for two Environment Business Advisors to work within Cheltenham and Gloucester for a period of six months.The advisors are available to visit businesses and make suggestions on how to green up and save money. They will be visiting various businesses from pubs and restaurants to estate agents and opticians. An energy audit will be carried out and they can look at bills to try and save money. At no point is there a cost for this service. The project runs until mid September.

With Cheltenham Business Pride demonstrating the council’s commitment to local businesses,  the Environmental Champions project is also great way for local companies to get involved with the ‘green agenda’.

For those of you whose wedding bill in Cheltenham is becoming increasingly large, fear not as our researchers have found some winning ways to ensure your big day doesn’t leave you in debt for the rest of your life.

Guest List
Think carefully about how many people you wish to invite. Initially the guest list can reach hundreds of people so it’s a good idea to trim this down. Choose a wedding venue in Cheltenham that has a function room maximum capacity that suits your budget, so you don’t have to offend anyone by not inviting them! A good idea is to choose a budget hotel in Cheltenham which normally caters up to 100 - 200 people maximum.

Invitations
Some hotels in Cheltenham can help with the cost of invitations. The Holiday Inn Express brand offers a fantastic customised online invitation tool via a personalised website. You can create your own Wedding Venue Event page which highlights times, itineraries, menus and RSVP options online. Electronically, you can invite all your guests and manage the guest list without spending a penny.

Photography
There’s no need to go overboard with photographers. Many wedding venues in Cheltenham will be happy to snapshot your day and capture the beautifully arranged venue as long as they can use the photos for marketing.

Reception
Choose a budget hotel in Cheltenham to entertain your guests. Although a church hall can be cheaper, a cheap hotel will still provide a wedding function room with a liquor license that you don’t have to fork out for.

Other Wedding Ideas
Many hotels in Cheltenham have prearranged supplier discounts in place so speak to the venue about who they would recommend. A reputable wedding venue in Cheltenham should be able to point you in the direction of good value for money extras such as DJs, flower arrangers and wedding cake suppliers.

Catering
Don’t believe that a cheap hotel in Cheltenham won’t produce great food. Many wedding venues in Cheltenham do not offer an onsite restaurant, and so food has to be brought in by qualified catering companies. This means you are probably getting 5* food in a 3* venue. Speak to your wedding venue contact about negotiating the menu as they will often liaise with the chef on your behalf and negotiate an even better deal.

Honeymoon
When holding your wedding in Cheltenham, it pays to use a well known budget brand hotel. For example, the Holiday Inn Express in Cheltenham offers a Priority Club Reward programme which means you can earn reward points for your booking. These points can be redeemed for free night stays at any of their hotels globally, airmiles or even shopping vouchers - saving you even more on your romantic getaway.

Accommodation
Lastly, by using a cheap hotel in Cheltenham you can rest assured your guests will have a comfortable place to stay after a day of celebration. Remember, you will be in a perfect position to negotiate a good B&B deal with the wedding venue that will put a special rate in place for your guests. Some budget hotels in Cheltenham will even offer a complimentary room for the Bride and Groom.

All in all, we have discovered that by choosing the right wedding venue in Cheltenham, the happiest day of your life doesn’t have to be the most expensive.

Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham has been awarded the Business Pride ‘Business Excellence’ award 2010. The award was for the hotel’s social contribution to the community and involvement in local activities.

The certificate was awarded in recognition of the hotel’s recent contribution of Easter Eggs to Amberley Ridge School, a local school for children with learning difficulties. The presentation also recognised the hotel’s contribution to the Cheltenham business community by bringing businesses together and hosting free networking events.

Jason Hiley, General Manager, and Kimberley Hatherall, Sales & Marketing Manager, were presented the award by the new Mayor, Chancellor Anne Regan at Cheltenham Town Hall. “To be to be recognised out of 19,000 businesses in Cheltenham with this award is remarkable,” says Jason Hiley, General Manager, “…it means that our efforts have been appreciated and have made a real difference. We plan to continue supporting the local region and business community with even more activities this year.”

For more information about this Cheltenham hotel’s recent contributions and activities in the community, please visit www.hiexcheltenham.com

The good news is that the latest unemployment figures show Gloucestershire is doing better than the national average. Figures from Jobcentre Plus show the unemployment rate for the South West has decreased by 2.8 percent compared with a national decrease of 2.2 percent (Dec 09 - Jan 10). However, the bad news is the number of young people out of work in South Gloucestershire has gone up from 2.9 to 4.5 percent since the recession took hold. Currently, 4.3 percent of 16 to 18-year-olds are not in work, education or training in the district. With this is mind, it is now even more important to help the next generation of business people integrate into our local industries.

The Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham has volunteered to support the young people of Gloucestershire looking to develop in the hospitality industry. Recent activities include work placement schemes that develop the pupils of Cheltenham’s National Star College. The alliance has generated work placement programmes spanning over 5 weeks for students who may not have access to the same work experience opportunities because of their capabilities. The 5 week programme integrates students into all areas of the business, from kitchen duties to sales and marketing.

A new initiative called ‘Graduate Challenge’ has been launched by the University of Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire First, designed to nurture local talent and keep it within the county. The programme has been funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to sustain employment growth amongst young people since the recession. The programme offers recent Higher Education graduates living in Gloucestershire who are either out of work, or working fewer than 16 hours a week, the opportunity to apply for one of 150 work placements in the county. This hotel in Cheltenham is proud to support the county’s own local graduates by providing paid work placements for a year to budding hospitality students. “One year experience in our industry is so valuable for any candidate,” says Kimberley Hatherall Sales & Marketing Manager Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham, “…in such a competitive job market young people are too often turned away by employers. Actually they have valid, passionate and fresh ideas to bring to any business - such talent needs to be sustained within the local business community.” The Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham is keen to support the Graduate Challenge within Gloucestershire during 2010.

Gloucestershire Business United, the new initiative to stimulate local business activity, was celebrated at the Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham who hosted the launch of the scheme. Key speakers during the event highlighted different ways local businesses could grow by working together. A significant note was made to the importance of employing locally to stimulate the regional economy, of which the Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham is extremely proud to contribute to.

The children at Amberley Ridge School received special treatment this Easter, when the Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham and local charity Well Child donated over 50 Easter eggs and chocolate goodies to the school. 

The hotel also provided a real life ‘Fluffy Chicken’ to deliver the chocolate treats.

Well Child, a regional charity supporting sick children and their families, were pleased to be part of the initiative.

“The children thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was great to see them so excited, especially when Charlie the Chicken delivered all the chocolates,” says Jason Hiley, General Manager. “We believe it is important to work closely with the community, not just supporting local businesses but our neighbours too.”

Amberley Ridge School hosted the day, and ensured classes of all ages received a visit from Charlie the Chicken.

The donation was for the children who might have otherwise been excluded from the Easter celebrations and as a thank you for the dedicated work of the teachers at the school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham Town Centre is currently celebrating its 2 year anniversary, marking its entrance to the Cheltenham market as one of the largest branded hotels in the area. Cheltenham Gold Cup Week marks the anniversary for this hotel’s opening, when the hotel opened its doors on the first race day of the event 2008.

The hotel boasts 132 bedrooms, and has grown its business and leisure customer base immensely since opening. The brand has brought many global companies to Cheltenham and has certainly boosted the amount of business travellers to Cheltenham, who would have previously stayed at Holiday Inn properties in Gloucester.

The award-winning hotel is developing its hallmarks to commence its 3^rd year in Cheltenham. The brand is reinventing breakfast for Cheltenham visitors by introducing a free hot breakfast offer for all guests. Jason Hiley, General Manager says, “We are proud to be one of the first in the region to rollout the free hot breakfast option for our guests. No other hotel in the area, including Travelodge and Premier Inn, is able to offer travellers the same start to the day. Our competitor hotels in Cheltenham will continue to charge their guests for a hot breakfast.”

This Cheltenham Hotel has also invested a further £14,000 in redesigning its lavish 24 hour bar and relaxing coffee lounge for residents, just in time for Race Week visitors. The bar area features ambient lighting, relaxing sofas, plasma TV screen with Sky Sports, a wider selection of draught beers and wines and a handful of live music events open to the public – visit www.hiexcheltenham.com for more information.

To celebrate its birthday, the hotel is offering 5,000 Priority Club Reward points for meeting bookers which can be redeemed for a free night stay at any IHG hotel worldwide as part of the industry’s largest loyalty reward programme.

These enhancements are just a few in a series of system wide brand innovations from Holiday Inn Express designed to create meaningful upgrades to the stay experience for guests.  Together, all of these initiatives create a comfortable and smart environment for Holiday Inn Express guests while traveling for business or leisure. For more information about the hotel and its birthday offers please visit www.hiexcheltenham.com or call Kimberley Hatherall 01242 548200.

 

 

 

 

Despite a time when food options for weary travellers are being downsized, all Holiday Inn Express properties across the country are planning to provide guests with a superior, more balanced breakfast thanks to the introduction of the brand’s new Express Start® Breakfast Bar, with the Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham being one of the first in the Gloucestershire region. The signature hot breakfast bar rollout began in early January with more than 20 properties per week receiving installation.  All 240 hotels will be complete by March 31, 2010, representing the fastest food and beverage implementation in the hospitality industry. 

Despite hectic schedules and tighter travel budgets, business travellers have declared breakfast a must when it comes to starting the day off right. According to a survey conducted on behalf of Holiday Inn Express, an astounding 70 percent of business travellers would rather conduct business during a sit-down breakfast as opposed to cocktails over dinner. 

As part of the value for money offering, the Express Start® Breakfast Bar now offers guests new hot items like bacon, sausage and eggs on a rotating basis. In addition, it has kept its existing guest favorites like its signature hot pastries and lighter continental selection. And in keeping with the brand’s desire to meet the taste and nutritional preferences for all guests, the breakfast bar will continue to offer fresh fruit, assorted yogurts, cereals, breakfast breads and a variety of coffee and herbal tea options. 

Jason Hiley, General Manager of the Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham Town Centre Hotel says, “We are proud to be one of the first in the region to rollout the free hot breakfast option for our guests. No other hotel in the area, including Travelodge and Premier Inn, is able to offer travelers the same start to the day. Our competitor hotels in Cheltenham will continue to charge their guests for a hot breakfast.”

This Cheltenham hotel aims to launch its hot breakfast offering by the beginning of March 2010, before the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The hotel also offers free breakfast for meeting room bookers. Cheltenham locals and businesses will be invited to a free breakfast event to mark the rollout. For more information about the forthcoming Free Breakfast Launch Event visit www.hiexcheltenham.com or call Kimberley Hatherall 01242 548200.

The Express Start® Breakfast Bar is just one in a series of system wide brand innovations from Holiday Inn Express designed to create meaningful upgrades to the stay experience.  Further improvements to this Cheltenham hotel include a redesign of the 24 hour bar and coffee lounge area to enhance the overall food and beverage experience. Together, all of these initiatives create a comfortable and smart environment for Holiday Inn Express guests while traveling for business or leisure.

 

Holiday Inn Express, Cheltenham’s newest hotel, has announced the availability for office space hire on their premises. From as little as £50.00 per day, the hotel can offer small firms and local business people fully serviced office space and professional corporate facilities.

 

Jason Hiley, General Manager, says “During these difficult economic times, many people are struggling to find office space to suit their budget, and some even have to close their offices and work from home. This is an ideal low-cost solution for professional business people who can benefit from our flexible temporary hire arrangements.”

 

The centrally located hotel in Cheltenham is able to provide a 110 sq ft ground floor room with natural daylight and modern decor. Daily rates include tea and coffee making facilities, LCD plasma screens, full servicing, and 24 hour access. Additionally, the hotel can also offer high speed fibre optic WIFI, direct dial telephone, secretarial services and town centre parking at a small charge. The hotel also boasts a relaxing coffee lounge and bar for informal appointments and breaks, as well as a breakfast service each day ideal for early morning meetings.

 

For more information and to book temporary office space please contact Kimberley Hatherall 01242 548200 or visit Meeting Rooms in Cheltenham