Ashley Walters, 33, actor and rapper with the So Solid Crew has been ordered to pay £1,000 after he aimed a foul-mouthed tirade at staff at the four-star Hilton hotel at the Business Design Centre last May.

Walters was there with his wife for their anniversary when he claimed to have been prevented from re-entering the hotel “because he was black”. A row broke out during which Walters told a female receptionist to “shut the f*** up”, and when she seemed visibly shaken that “You’d better be shivering, you bitch”. He also told the Hilton’s duty manager “Don’t say a word, I’ll knock you out, don’t interfere” and called both Hilton staff members “dickheads”.

Walters, who apologised for causing any problems was ordered to pay both victims £350, and £300 in court costs.

Those travelling to the USA who would rather not have problems with those nice, caring and polite types at USA passport control might want to check they don’t have one of the estimated 3 million non-biometric passports issued in 2006.

These will not be accepted now and those with them will have to get themselves a non-immigrant visa, available at any US embassy or consulate.

To Le Plaza luxury hotel in Brussels, which is independent, four-star, family-run and holds a Belgian Royal Warrant from 2004.

Offered are 190 modern and tastefully furnished bedrooms, all having baths, flat-screen TVs, mini-bars, safes, work stations and free internet access. More than half are Classic category, 30 square metres with queen-sized doubles or twin beds, and 50 are spacious 34 square metre De Luxe rooms which additionally offer early check-in subject to availability and a turn-down service. After that there are 20 Prestige rooms offering 40 square metres of space as well as tea and coffee facilities, 20 suites sized from 48 to 65 square metres and the Presidential Suite of 340 square metres and accommodating six. Continue reading →

o Ten UK hotels that produced total revenue of £48 million in 2015 have been put up for sale by The Hotel Collection. (The Business Desk)

In England they are The Imperial in Torquay, the Old Ship in Brighton, the Billesley Manor in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Redworth Hall in County Durham, the Majestic in Harrogate and the Imperial in Blackpool. In Scotland they are the Stirling Highland in Stirling, and the Aberdeen Altens in Aberdeen, and in Wales the Angel in Cardiff.

o The Grade 11-listed, historic Martins Bank building in Liverpool is to be converted into a 227-bedroom luxury hotel with events space. (TravelGBI)

It has been acquired by hotel and conference centre provider Principal Hayley Group.

o Easy access to Birmingham from most parts of the UK could be making it an unattractive place to build new hotels as visitors can get in and out in a day and don’t need to stay overnight. (The Business Desk)

This is the view of property firm Colliers International, which ranks the city as 17th down a list of 36, and also points out that the leisure market in Brum is not so “well-developed” as other provincial cities and may not be providing an equal draw for visitors.

Colliers Inaugural UK Hotels Market Index top ten cities are, in descending order, Cardiff, Manchester, Leeds, Chester, Liverpool, York, London, Edinburgh, Brighton and Bath.

The 2015 Radio Times Guide To Films, described by film critic Barry Norman as “This is really the only film guide you’ll need” lists 23,000 films. Only around 30 documentaries get the highest accolade of five stars, the oldest being “Berlin – Symphony of a Great City”, Walter Ruttman’s silent 77 minute black and white experimental released in Germany in 1927. Two years later, in 1929, a Russian silent 69 minute black and white experimental was released, Dziga Vertov’s “Man With a Movie Camera” and both films share the quality of looking as fresh and vibrant today as they did nearly 90 years ago, and with both repaying multiple viewings by those treasuring these two essential documents of cinematic possibilities for others to follow. Continue reading →

The three nail bombs triggered by ISIL’s suicide bombers at Brussels airport and a Metro station on March 22 killed 32 innocent people and part-paralysed the Belgian capital in the deadliest terrorist incident in Belgian history.

It’s still quiet there. Booked, before the bombings, to make press visits to two hotels there two weeks afterwards we decided to go anyway, show some solidarity and be as careful as most people moving around Brussels are now being, staying away where possible from crowded places and keeping public transport trips to a minimum. In the event it was actually reassuring to see armed soldiers on street corners and to have our bag searched and body wiped down with a metal detector before being allowed into a shopping centre. And we have to admit to a guilty pride, stupid possibly, in not cancelling anything we’d agreed to do because of sick acts of terrorism. Continue reading →

One hotel user we know has told us of a bad experience received at the four-star Park Grand in Hogarth Road, Earls Court.

Apparently he booked a room there through Booking.com and was told when he arrived that, due to an error, he was being moved to a room in an annexe opposite, but that to compensate for this he could enjoy a free breakfast in the hotel, worth £15.95. He reports that the room he was switched into was “definitely not four-star standard” and was “cramped and dirty with a blocked toilet and sink” He wondered if this was a normal occurrence for guests booking through Booking.com as the Park Grand would be paying them a commission. Continue reading →

There can’t be too many hotel venues in the UK that have their own garden centre and marina just up the road, but the Barton Grange Hotel does.

This is located on the A6 five miles north of Preston, Lancs and just off J32 of the M6. A few miles north of the hotel on the A6 is their large garden centre offering the usual garden centre range, including a huge variety of food items, some from suppliers of the foods the hotel serves in its restaurant. From the nearby marina a range of cruises on the Lancaster Canal from Lancaster Canal Boats can be enjoyed from prices starting at £8 for an hour and for up to 60 passengers. Popular are the evening Barton Grange Fish and Chip cruises, with a stop to pick up the food order at an award-winning local chippy, as well as the Quiz cruises, Entertainment cruises and afternoon Cream Tea cruises. (Web: lcboats.co.uk) Continue reading →

Those looking for a small, three-star, independent boutique hotel in Brussels centre should check out the charmingly quirky Brussels Welcome Hotel, which really does offer a five-star welcome to guests.

This is located in the informal and ancient St Catherine area of Brussels, where the fishing boats used to sail up the canal to unload their catch, and where many of the City’s best seafood restaurants are now based, and is a six-minute walk from the Grand Place For fans of Asian cuisine there is a small area with Asian restaurants a few minutes walk away and the St Catherine Metro, with connections to the European Commission area, Avenue Louise shops, the Atomium and rail stations for Eurostar and Thalys trains is opposite the hotel. Continue reading →