How can government advice over Christmas parties be right when there are such high risks of people testing positive?

Hospitality. What does it mean? How do we all see it? What is certain is that it requires some very specific attributes to go into it successfully.

A new report has come up with figures showing that the hospitality industry is still in dire straits with its revenue down 45% on the comparable period to the end of quarter 3 in 2019.

The pandemic in bringing about the closure of businesses, notably in the hospitality industry, created a new crisis because of the need for businesses to continue to pay their rents. Many could not.

There has been quite a lot of hype over the up-coming budget with certain calculated leaks being made and incurring the wrath of the Speaker of Parliament.

Covid has brought a considerable number of challenges to society over the past twenty one months. Now here comes another – flu will be back.

If you are like me you will still have several platefuls of spaghetti hanging out behind your television set and other gadgets.

When the pandemic hit hospitality so very badly, the Chancellor introduced a reduced rate of 5% on restaurant food and hotel room charges.

Having told you about a new hospitality council yesterday poised to set the world to rights, today it is criticised for not being representative.

Back in the summer the Prime Minister announced that there would be help for the hospitality industry by way of the appointment of a minister to oversee the sector.

With the disastrous consequences of a total lockdown, it has been feared that it would take at least three years for the hospitality industry to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

As we pointed out a week or so ago, no shows at restaurants and pubs are causing substantial losses.

The news that travel to the US is being re-opened from November has been greeted with pleasure.

The restaurant trade has been in something of a turmoil now for quite some time.

The announcement from the Transport Secretary that travel restrictions are to be lifted will no doubt be great news for everyone.

The problem of asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats has reached epic proportions and now we have a row between the British and the French.

Probably in the minds of the general public, restaurants, pubs and hotels make good money because they certainly know how to charge!

Imagine booking into a hotel and when you get there, there are no sheets and pillows cases on your bed. You’d be on the phone to reception like a shot, wouldn’t you?

The government minister for vaccinations Nadhim Zahawi has confirmed that vaccine certificates will be required for entry into nightclubs and other mass indoor venues from the end of September.

Today’s figure is a fraction less than yesterday’s – we have 37011.

Running a restaurant is a fiendish task at the best of times but the higher your intended quality, the more difficult it gets.

Over the past 18 months the market has seen an enormous increase in meals consumed at home, either as a result of take-aways or deliveries.

Day after day, week after week we seem to be reporting that new cases of coronavirus in the UK are on the increase, not at a huge rate, but inexorably and consistently.

Has the British government lost its grip over the handling of covid-19 such that it has decided to allow a free-for-all and we just “hope for the best”?

ONS data is usually somewhat in arrears. This is probably because they prefer to wait for a stream of data rather than just jump on the first information available.

Putting aside the anti-vaxxers and the others who have not yet had jabs, amounting to 25% of the adult population still, you could feel the relief as people gradually got their vaccinations.

It does seem absurd that having lifted restrictions in England huge numbers of people are having to self-isolate because of “pingdemonium”.

The health of our hospitality industry is a matter of interest and I dare say concern to all of us.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been pinged recently by the NHS covid app. This means that they have been in some proximity to someone who has since tested positive.

The Prime Minister, always one for the dramatic, certainly let out a new piece of strategy yesterday which seems to have shocked the country, or at least part of it.

Is the decision of the British government to relax restrictions a selfish act which has little regard for the needs of others or does it herald the way for the rest of the world?

There is no doubt that when coronavirus became a reality everyone became dead scared. And they were right to.

There was a time when no one was very keen on masks; now everyone is worried about whether lifting restrictions is coming too soon. How fickle we are!

One thing is certain – probably Nigel Farage will never give up showing us how asylum seekers continue to arrive.

The government has made it clear that their concern all along has been to “protect the NHS” and in their eyes this objective has now been achieved.

As covid-19 benefits are rolling to an end, the hospitality industry is having a hard time of it with staff having to self-isolate.

The travel companies want it all opened up as quickly as possible while Angela Merkel wants all of Europe to impose quarantine on arrivals from Britain.

As the days now start to get shorter perhaps it is a good moment to reflect a little on the value of alcohol in our society.

Without a doubt covid-19 has blitzed people’s plans to get married on anything other than a minute scale for a considerable time now.

It will no doubt come as a great relief to my tenants and lessees throughout the country to learn that the rent moratorium has now been extended by a further nine months to March 2022.

The big question will be is this government policy the tip of the iceberg or is this going to be the full extent of the requirement?

The Prime Minister’s announcement that the lockdown will continue for another four weeks has thrown the hospitality industry into confusion and disarray.

The pressure had just built too much. Now the PM has said that a cautious approach will be required to lifting restrictions.

There are now so many different rules and regulations in relation to coronavirus and differing levels of information that people are beginning to lose track, that is if they have not already done so.

The question has been raging on now for months as to whether there should be a UK vaccination passport or certificate and it is very clear that there is mixed feeling over this.

A few days ago we told you how the hospitality industry reckons it is short of 188000 workers at the moment.

You could be forgiven for thinking that the catering trade does not know where it is going. You would probably be right!

Do you remember the covid passport? This was the document which was never going to be introduced according to government thinking at the time.

As was to be expected there was a bulge in sales as pubs reopened. New data showed that on average the increase on pre-covid periods was some 25%.

What a bit of luck people are allowed to change their minds! From saying some months ago that the government had no intention of providing any form of covid passport, now they have.

It is all very well people saying that we are making steps back to normal, but do they mean “new normal”?

It sounded simple, albeit somewhat limited, but a list of green countries where we could travel with minimal tests and no quarantine seemed like a good start to re-opening international travel.

The thought that pubs can run out of beer in Britain is nothing less than quite shocking. Britain – that Mecca for fine ales – as well as importing some rather dicey ones.

One could be forgiven for thinking that the British government is having a “bit of a larf” over the travel traffic light system and, in particular the green list of countries.

I know we have a lot to say about the hospitality industry but there is no doubt that this sector of the economy has been left holding the heavy end of the coffin.

It does seem to be extraordinary that people can book a table at a restaurant or pub and then just not bother to turn without cancelling it.

A new study has shown that this year the number of workers in the hospitality sector in the UK from the EU has dropped to 39.4% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to 43.4% in the first quarter of 2019.

Professor Van-Tam has now become a well known expert when it comes to coronavirus and he featured in the particularly long Downing Street briefing yesterday.

So now there is an even better reason to have a vaccination than before. Not only do you protect yourself but a study shows that the risk of transmission of covid-19 to others is significantly reduced.

The idea that the government is doing a trial event with no social distancing or face masks must be the most exciting post-lockdown event we have seen.

It seems like it has been a long winter with being stuck inside in the lockdown.

As the days go by we see complaint after complaint about the effects of the virus on our society – as if it was someone’s fault.

There is something about British Summer Time, the longer days and the relaxation of lockdown rules which turns one’s mind to pubs and restaurants.

The way discussions are moving forward around the world for a covid passport are beginning to get very interesting.

A new report by CGA and AlixPartners tells us that we now have 7592 fewer licensed premises in Britain than we had before the covid-19 pandemic.

There is no doubt about it that living through the pandemic has never been short of surprises, some good and some not so good.

The hospitality industry has had a big knock and thousands of employees have lost their jobs. Indeed thousands of licensed businesses have closed down for good.

The anticipated extension of the rental moratorium has arrived. For commercial tenants, the moratorium has been extended to the end of June.

Who would be in the hospitality industry today with all the pressures and problems?

Although there is still a bit of a chill in the air the general weather is gradually getting warmer – but it needs to to enable al fresco dining and drinking to work!

Today’s announcement that Cyprus will allow British in quarantine free from 1^st May if they have had both of their vaccinations has thrown the whole holiday situation up into the air.

Although welcome in themselves, the chancellor’s measures in yesterday’s budget are not seen as sufficient to rescue the hospitality industry.

Today’s budget has been the most extraordinary of my professional career and that has been going on for a few years!

It is ironical that it has taken a pandemic to bring forward the revolution of the use of personal data. When we think of this, normally our minds turn to identification, bank accounts, in fact just about anything but now your food preferences?

It is exciting – the road map suggests dates when in particular the hospitality industry can re-open – pubs, restaurants, hotels, even night clubs are all now in the running to get going again.

Now that the Prime Minister has outlined the road map out of covid-19 restrictions, the debate has again turned to the issue of vaccination passports which we have mentioned a number of times now.

The timing of today’s announcements means that we shall not really have a full picture of where the country is going until later this evening.

It is only a few days ago when we raised the question of vaccination passports, who might need them and when. Since then the issue has come up a number of times and passports are going to be needed and the UK runs the risk of being left behind if it does not get on board.

If there is one habit which the pandemic and associated lockdowns has changed, it is “eating in”. That is basically because there has been no option while restaurants and pubs have been closed.

Things are really hotting up now with coronavirus what with variations and mutations. Where would we be if there were no vaccinations taking place?

There is no doubt about it but the travel industry has every reason to feel glum at the moment and this is not going to change any time soon.

There is something really strange about the British attitude to eating fish – as a nation we just do not appear to make the best use of one of our greatest natural resources.

We have talked about rollercoasters on a number of occasions now as we things see-saw up and down. Of course rollercoasters are supposed to be fun but unfortunately the range of goods and bads we have seen over the past nine months have been far from fun.

It is a real blow for some hoteliers and other hospitality operators but although there were insurance claims for business interruption, insurance companies fell over themselves to avoid making payouts, claiming that the cover did not extend to such exceptional circumstances or that the wording did not cover the present situation etc.

The announcement today that Debenhams has been sold comes as no surprise as we knew it was insolvent. However, the rub is that the name and website has been bought, but not the bricks and mortar in the various high street shops up and down the country. This is not the first name to go this way and certainly will not be the last.

There has been a general call for a Minister of Hospitality for a number of months, encouraged particularly by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has caused enormous damage to the hospitality sector and is set to wreak yet further havoc before it is all over.

Now we have got a week into 2021, life has settled down and holidays and so forth are over, subject of course to the interesting diversion carrying on in Washington DC. How will that play out?

Today has recorded a record number of new cases in the UK since the start of the pandemic at 60,916. Deaths are recorded at 830.

Today has been a busy day. The first batch of news concerns Brexit and the watershed that the Brexit deal with the EU has passed through the Commons.

Now the new lockdown has started in England hospitality businesses find themselves with quite mixed feelings about the future and what to do.

Whether or not you are in favour of another lockdown, what is certain is that our hospitality industry really is taking a beating with this terrible virus. After the chancellor of the exchequer introduced his remarkable scheme of eat out to help out, sadly there is now a school of thought propagating the view that this was a false economy

On the eve of what we all expect to be an increase in restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19, perhaps it would be of interest to see a few statistics.

If you are thinking of buying a hotel, it may be time to think again, or maybe not!

A week ago we commented on whether the time had come to start to let inevitable failures fail. It is a hard decision to make but with life changing so very dramatically, it certainly is inevitable that some businesses will not recover in the way that we knew them.

A very widely “leaked” statement was made by the Prime Minister at noon today aiming to set out new restrictions being brought in to combat Covid-19.

It is almost like comparing the haves to the have nots. Now virtually the whole of the north of England is being subjected to new restrictions, that is except for Blackpool and so far no one has explained why Blackpool is being given preferential treatment!

Just about everyone who stays at a hotel at any time knows about Booking.com. As online travel agents, OTAs, go, it is probably just about the best known. Their site is comprehensive and they include loads of photographs of proposed destinations and provide a fairly good amount of information about venues to enable people to make their selections.

News has now emerged that 40 of the hotels are to be reopened under a new banner – the phoenix rises. The properties will now come under management by Bespoke Hotels under a five year agreement.

The chancellor’s eat out to help out scheme is now closed. Considering the novelty of the idea when it was announced, it does appear to have been an incredible success with some restaurants saying they have never had a busier August than this one. The scheme has cost a great deal of money with well over 64 million meals being sold.

The chancellor’s eat out to help out scheme has one further day to run after today, next Monday which is a bank holiday. Although there have been calls for the chancellor to extend his scheme this has not been done and it would be surprising if it were given that the ball is being picked up by others.

If there is one thing which has moved forward apace during the coronavirus pandemic it is the development of technology to make the hospitality business more “Covid-19 friendly”. People using restaurants and hotels are already beginning to see these developments in operation but perhaps they are not aware of the extent of where things are moving to.

The recent discussions over the choice of re-opening the schools or keeping pubs and restaurants open seem to show that perhaps we are beginning to lose our marbles. Both of these issues are of extreme importance in relation to the future handling of the pandemic but to say that a decision should be taken to have one or the other can only be an emotive one and the author of the suggestion could not have considered all the points involved.

It is perhaps a little known fact that there are areas which belong to Britain which are clear of coronavirus. You cannot tell this from looking at Johns Hopkins as their table brackets the “Channel Islands” as one territory but in fact the Bailiwick of Guernsey is Covid-19 free and life has gone back to normal, even down to kissing and hugging!

It is an old adage that there is no such thing as a free lunch but now for the first time ever there is such a thing as a half price lunch! This is the remarkable “eat out to help out” initiative announced a month ago by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and today, 3^rd August is the first day on which it applies.

Yes, I have been to London, but on this occasion not to see the Queen but in fact to attend a four day court case in the High Court. This trip has been illuminating, frighteningly so given the different ways in which the Covid-19 is having an effect.

When the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced his mini-statement a week ago, generally public opinion seemed to be almost wholly in favour. We were being offered £10 a head to eat out on certain days in August and a reduction in VAT for the hospitality industry for six months to January – all to give the industry a well-needed shot in the arm for its very survival.

I suppose we might have guessed that sooner or later we would be facing the question of whether you feel safe going out again or not. The answers to this question will be as numerous as the number of people asked but as we learn more about Covid-19 we can see how different groups of people come into being with their own particular and no doubt valid point of view.

It is now a week since bars and restaurants opened and gradually it becomes a little clearer what operators are thinking about the prospects for the future.

Optimistic operators are talking about two years before they get back to former levels while many others are talking about three years

Today’s announcement from the Chancellor of the Exchequer has been eagerly awaited; many different organisations have made representations as to the sort of help they would like to see to get the economy back up and running again and now they have the result.

If you have had Covid-19 then you are not going to be worried about getting it again – almost certainly as you will consider yourself to be protected by antibodies. This is not proven but certainly the expectation because people who have had it have got better. You may still transfer it to others if you pick it up from a hard surface.

By the end of the coming week, we shall have seen major new relaxations of the social-distancing requirements. Pubs and hotels are re-opening and we shall see a further week of unlimited shopping. The following week travel opens up again and we hear talk of the quarantine measures being relaxed for certain low-risk countries.

There can hardly be a soul in the land who will not be pleased with some parts at least of the Prime Minister’s announcements in Parliament today, even if it is just “I can go and have a hair cut”! Additional measures such as two households at a time getting together indoors will also enable friends to meet again and for reciprocal dinner parties to get started again.

We can be forgiven for becoming more and more confused and less and less certain about what we are and are not allowed to do as the days go by.

This bill is due to have its committee stage in the House of Lords today, 16^th June. It is understood that there will be some debate and if amendments are made it will have to go back to the House of Commons. Otherwise it can be expected to move forward to Royal Assent pretty quickly.

Those who think that the lockdown was merely a temporary blip with everything going back to normal after it is over are in for a shock. Indeed they should already be braced for an enormous change.

The new law heralds the most significant change in our insolvency regime for a number of years and could be particularly welcome following the effects of the pandemic on our economy.

As an island nation, one of our greatest resources is, or should I say, should be our fishing industry. There are very few countries in the world with no land borders – indeed even the UK is not one because there is a land border with Ireland. However, in principle we enjoy one of the largest coastal borders relative to our size, and certainly within Europe.

If the present slight drop in deaths continues, no doubt many will give sighs of relief. Of course what is needed as much is a drop in the number of new cases. As we have come to realise over recent days a drop in hospital deaths does not necessarily mean the virus is in recession. The government advisers keep saying that this is the beginning of the drop but it is certainly taking its time.

Millions of barrels of beer are expected to be lost, as mentioned yesterday in my blog. But since then pictures of barrels with waste beer stacked up are enough to make you shudder. But are they real?

The UK hospitality industry lives permanently on the edge. It has always been highly competitive and making a profit is by no means guaranteed. With the compulsory closure of hotels, pubs and restaurants, the country should be prepared for a very different view of the industry when the lockdown is over.