2011 is the year that London becomes the world’s best place to stay February 20, 2011 JUST when it seemed as though London couldn’t fit another slice of luxury into its five star-crammed hotel scene, along comes… well, everything. This has been a huge year for the capital. The completion of the spectacular £200m refurb of the Savoy sparked the buzz of excitement. Since then, Park Lane has seen the rebirth [...]
OUT OF OFFICE: CHELTENHAM IN THE CITY February 16, 2011 ONE of the City’s great hospitality jamborees, the Cheltenham Festival, kicks off in just under a month. It’s centenary year for the festival this time round, but you don’t have to be in Cheltenham – or squashed round a telly in the pub on your lunch break – to enjoy the action. On 15 March, [...]
HEADACHE FOR AVIVA INVESTORS OVER THEIR LIBYAN LANDLORD March 2, 2011 INTERESTING times at 14 Cornhill, the commercial property with a prime location opposite the Bank of England. Its owner has become embroiled in a little local difficulty involving global asset freezing. The Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), the sovereign wealth fund that administers the troubled country’s oil billions, has owned 14 Cornhill since December 2009, when [...]
Lord Myners takes fresh job in the City February 7, 2011 EX-CITY minister Lord Myners this week added a second non-executive role to his portfolio, with his appointment as a partner and chairman of Autonomous Research, the independent research firm. And he is thought to have a third on the way as chairman of billionaire Nicolas Berggruen’s new acquisition vehicle which is seeking to raise around [...]
FINEST FEAST IS BEST WAY TO BLOW BONUS January 18, 2011 A ONCE in a lifetime event raising money for three war veterans’ charities held a glamorous promotional evening last night, with some of the best chefs in the country promising to lay on one of the finest feasts the City has ever seen. The evening, dubbed Square Mile Salute, will be held at the legendary [...]
From banker to barman: the man behind Boujis February 13, 2011 CHUCKLING at Prince Harry falling out of a nightclub just wouldn’t be the same if the club wasn’t a club like Boujis. Its reputation for exclusivity and A-list guests make it the ideal setting for high-class drama. Matt Hermer, the owner and entrepreneur behind the bar, however, is not as starry eyed about the place. [...]
Boston’s calling July 10, 2011 CAPE ANN: SMALL-TOWN BEAUTY MANCHESTER-by-the Sea is a little town about 30 miles north of Boston. It’s got white picket fences, a harbour, a tiny train station, two ice cream shops and an old diner called the Coffee Cup that’s recently been bought by a plucky, Italian-American mother and daughter called Christine and Kathy DeSalvo, [...]
British Land signs “cheesegrater” contract December 22, 2010 British Land and Oxford Properties have signed contracts for a 50:50 joint venture to develop the Leadenhall building. The company, which sidelined the project during the recession, said corporations had expressed interest in the building. Oxford Properties is real-estate arm of Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (Omers) pension fund, Dubbed the ‘Cheesegrater’ because of its [...]
British Land signs “cheesegrater” contract December 22, 2010 British Land and Oxford Properties have signed contracts for a 50:50 joint venture to develop the Leadenhall building. The company, which sidelined the project during the recession, said corporations had expressed interest in the building. Oxford Properties is real-estate arm of Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (Omers) pension fund, Dubbed the ‘Cheesegrater’ because of its [...]
SLAP IN THE FACE January 6, 2011 Cameron excludes City from list of growth industries in keynote speech on economy DAVID Cameron delivered a remarkable snub to the City yesterday, after he excluded it from a list of Britain’s “high growth” industries. In a speech outlining where he expects growth to come from in the coming years, the Prime Minister said that [...]