Northampton area: reasons to visit

Northamptonshire is one of the UK's top travel destinations, with a great range of things to do and see, plus an abundance of quintessentially beautiful English countryside. from the bustle and vibrant

Situated at the heart of England, Northamptonshire offers visitors easy accessibility as well as a great range of things to do. Road links include the M1, M45, M6, and M40 plus you can get from Northampton itself to London by train in less than an hour.

With plenty of history on offer, the Northamptonshire area gives you the chance to check out some really interesting places, such as Althorp House - built in 1688, the estate is now a major tourist draw, having of course been the Spencer family's home for centuries and now also famous for its literary festival which has grown over the last 9 years into an acclaimed event. And of course the Diana exhibition, devoted to the life and work of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Other major tourist draws for the Northampton area include Silverstone - the world-famous racing circuit and renowned home of British motor racing, plus a great range of museums, parks and buildings of interest.

So whether you’re looking for a bit of culture and history, a chance to see the Northamptonshire countryside, or simply to explore further afield, you will find Daventry hotels and other nearby towns around the county are perfect as a base for your visit whether you’re making your way to the county from other parts of the UK, or jetting in from abroad.

Belfast - Remembering the Titanic

After months of careful planning, the city of Belfast, where the Titanic was built, will mark the sinking of the vessel with a weekend of centenary events. These events will be held throughout the city on the 14th and 15th April.

The weekend of centenary events, exactly 100 years after the luxury cruise liner sank, is proving to be very popular with Titanic enthusiasts.

International and local artists will retell the story of the ship’s tragic demise in a 90 minute show that will include a documentary. This will take place on Saturday 14th April.

Further events will follow on the Sunday with a memorial garden being unveiled close to the Titanic memorial sculpture on the grounds of Belfast City Hall.

The centenary weekend has been a welcome boost to the local economy with hotels seen to be benefiting well. Hotels in the area are already near capacity for that particular weekend, with the centenary weekend still over 4 weeks away.

If you are planning to be part of the centenary weekend, it would be well advised to make plans as soon as possible as hotels such as the Europa, Fitzwilliam, Park Inn and Ramada all close to capacity.

Hotel chain to create jobs with new properties in Edinburgh

Budget hotel chain Travelodge has announced that they plan to open two new hotels in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. The move will see around 50 jobs created and will hopefully inject over £2.5m into the local economy.

The new properties, due to open in the coming months, are currently in the middle of a recruitment drive to fill posts including managers, receptionists, housekeepers, cleaners and bar staff.

The first property scheduled to open will be located on Queen Street. The hotel chain hopes to open hotel’s doors in March, creating job opportunities for 23 people. It is estimated the property will bring around £1.3m per year to the local economy.

The second hotel will be on the famous Princes Street, located above TopShop. Travelodge hope to have this hotel open in May, creating 27 jobs and injecting over £1.5m every year to the Scottish economy.

The opening of two new properties in Edinburgh are all part of Travelodge’s wider plans to grow the chain over the coming years.

Michelle Luxford, human resources director at Travelodge said "We have an aggressive growth plan in place, which includes opening 1,100 hotels by 2025. We are looking for enthusiastic, motivated and committed individuals who want a long term career in hospitality."

Travelodge Chief Executive, Guy Parsons, also added “We are delighted to be opening even more new hotels and creating even more new jobs this year compared to 2011. Despite the ongoing tough economic climate, Travelodge is continuing to open hotels, which is exactly what the British economy needs right now.”

Why visit the historical York?

York is a city with a history that many other cities over the world would be envious of. York is renowned for its exquisite architecture, quaint cobble streets and a wealth of historic attractions of which York Minster being the most prominent.

The city was founded by the Romans in 71 AD, under the name Eboracum and played a major role in the Romans conquest of Britain. Eboracum became the capital of the Roman province of Britannia Inferior. During this time, the Romans built a stone fort covering 50 acres to house 6,000 soldiers. Today, the remains of this fort lie under the foundations of York Minster.

York Minister is one of the most famous landmarks not just in York but the whole of the UK. It is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in northern Europe and has had an eventful history having been repaired several times and rebuilt due to damage during various conflicts, wars and battles. The minster is the seat for the Archbishop of York, which is a very prestigious position in the Church of England; it’s the second highest office in the Church of England. Tours of the minster are available.

There is so much to do in York; you could be busy for weeks. After visiting York Minster, why not visit one of York’s many museums. The Jorvik Viking Centre is an award winning experience which transports visitors back 1000 years to a Viking settlement.

The National Railway Museum has some of the finest collection of trains in the world. Although there is 300 years of history awaiting you, not all the trains are old as you will see when you step on the futuristic Japanese Bullet Train. The best thing about the museum is its free admission.

York Castle Museum is another fantastic museum in York. In it you will find a whole Victorian street recreated taking you back to what it was like in Victorian times in York. If you have time, you can also visit the special exhibition of York Castle Prison where you can find out about the most notorious inmate: the legendary highwayman Dick Turpin.

If you plan a visit to York, You will not be left disappointed. York has a many places to stay on offer. Whether you are looking for luxury hotels in York or just a cozy bed & breakfast you can be sure of a warm welcome and great hospitality.

Sales for Glasgow rooms on the up

New figures show that visitors are willing to spend more than £50 a night. The number of people staying in hotel accommodation has improved also.

City Operators have figures which show that occupancy rates were up in July and that guests were spending an average of £53.62 on a room each night during their stay in the city, up almost £5 more than the same period last year.

85.5% of all available rooms in the city of Glasgow throughout the month of July were booked, seeing a rise of 2.1% on the occupancy rate for July last year. Although the average spend has risen, budget hotels have managed to perform well.

Glasgow has always been a popular place for city visits and the city attracts a lot of shoppers who stay overnight or for the weekend. Another reason for the improved performance in Glasgow hotels could be attributed to more business guests visiting the city with conference demands on the up in Glasgow too.

Brad Pitt Movie to Boost Glasgow Hotels

A massive film is set to be filmed in Glasgow this summer which could be worth millions to the local economy.

Glasgow will be turned into a massive movie set when filming of “zombie” movie World War Z starring Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt starts sometime in August . Filming will take place in locations such as George Square and Cochrane Street and will be produced by Pitt’s own production company, Plan B. The movie brings with it, about 1,200 crew and production staff in what will be Scotland’s biggest ever film shoot.

Glasgow City Council believe that the city could benefit by up to as much as £2 million with hotels in and around the area likely to see a increase in business to accommodate cast and crew.

UK seaside towns on the up?

Interesting report just posted on the BBC News site, saying that the British seaside resort is undergoing a renewed era of commercial success. Read all about it here.

To be honest this news report comes as no surprise to us here at the blog. Having been a regular visitor to such places as Blackpool, Scarborough, Whitby, Filey, Brighton, Lytham St Annes, and Ayr over the years, I'd have to say that for me the UK seaside resort has always been a cool option for a holiday. The diversity of these towns, their facilities and the warm welcome they offer has always been a dwar for tourists, so it's great to see that greater numbers of people are now discovering the joys of a UK seaside holiday. It might in part be down to people wanting to spend less money on the travel part of the holiday, or it might just be down to the fact that UK seaside towns are getting the appreciation they fully deserve.

One of my favourite seaside destinations is Brighton - easily accessible from Gatwick airport and by road from London, Brighton is of course a must-see destination for anyone who grew up watching Quadrophenia, even if you don't own a Vespa scooter! It's an easy-going, laid back kind of a town with something to offer any holidaymaker - Brighton has lots of shopping, piers that are not only fun to visit but also architectural classics, and it also has a growing music scene, in part due to its being a university town as well as a seaside one. The old image of seaside towns being sleepy and culturally overlooked is well and truly blown apart by Brighton. There's so much going on that its seaside status is just one of its benefits rather than being its main focus.

So check in at a hotel in Brighton and see what's happening there - you'll love the place!