By the time you’re reading this, England men’s football team will be gearing up for a World Cup quarter final showdown with Norway, and the women’s and men’s Wimbledon singles finals will be taking place in the UK sunshine. (Will Arthur Fery, the young wildcard, be the first Brit since Sir Andy Murray to make it there?) And of course, we have to give a big shout out to the Scotland men’s football team (and the tremendous fans!), who achieved their World Cup dreams, but ultimately had their journey cut short by some tough opponents in Morocco and Brazil.
There’s often a fine line between winning and losing, and sometimes triumphing over, or just standing out from the competition, might come down to the smallest detail.
Small changes you can make to add value to hotel rooms
In a challenging climate for hospitality, hoteliers don’t have to spend a fortune to enhance their guests’ stays. We’re seeing more customers extend the life of higher value items and focus on the smaller changes they can make to add value. When more people are saying hotel rooms all look the same, here are just three quick and easy ways to make sure you’re remembered for being different:
• Offer a sense of place by providing regional treats & refreshments.
• Act on valuable customer information to acknowledge special occasions & celebrations with chocolates or fizz.
• Cater for furry family members with dog-friendly welcome packs complete with ball, chews, and waste bags.
Growing trend of late holiday bookings
The growing trend of holidaymakers booking later and later was highlighted at TTGs recent Agenda 2026 event in association with PwC. In what is mixed news for UK hoteliers, more than a quarter of consumers questioned were planning to wait until July to book their summer holiday, but more positively, demand for staying in the UK for those holidays was up year-on-year.
Celebrate your housekeeping teams
We’re incredibly proud to be sponsoring an award at November’s Hotel Cateys 2026, and what a special category it is too! We’re delighted to be recognising all those hard-working housekeeping teams for the ‘Housekeeping Team of the Year Award’. We’ve talked about small in-room touches to enhance the guest experience, but it’s essential to get the fundamentals of hygiene, room prep, and attention to detail right, or even the most thoughtful added value extras will go unnoticed.
You’ve got until Wednesday 12th August to nominate your own housekeeping superstars and the award is open to housekeeping teams within both independent hotels and hotel groups. Good luck everyone!
How to achieve the perfect hotel bed look
One of the many skills of housekeeping teams is the ability to make a perfect hotel bed with army-like precision. The practice of making hygienic, comfortable beds dates back to battlefields when injured patients were at increased risk of infection if bedsheets were not tightly tucked or the wrong linens were used – hence the term ‘hospital corners’. We offer a wide range of top quality bedding to ensure your guests have the best night’s sleep plus a number of practical solutions to help protect and prolong the life of hotel bedding; from mattress, duvet, and pillow protectors, to bed base wraps.
And finally, congratulations to renowned hoteliers and siblings, Sir Rocco Forte and Olga Polizzi who were presented with an International Outstanding Achievement Award at The Cateys on Tuesday 7th July.
