Course Overview

4

Years

8

Level

New course

Points

AL855

CAO Course Code

Why take this course?

This is an exciting course, which includes a compulsory overseas work placement. You will study the full suite of topics related to managing hospitality at the highest level, including bar, restaurant, front office and food and beverage management.

Tourism is now the largest indigenous employer in Ireland, with 230,000 people employed in the industry (Irish Times, 2016). In addition:

2016 was the best year in history for Irish tourism, over 10 million international tourists visited Ireland, up almost 1.5 million from 2015 (Tourism Ireland, 2017);

The tourism sector supports 143,500 jobs in the accommodation and food sector alone (Department of Tourism, Transport and Sport, 2017);

In 2016, tourism was responsible for overseas earnings of €5.4 billion (Department of Tourism, Transport and Sport, 2017);

In 2019 the UK holiday company Centre Parcs will open a new resort in Ballymahon. The Center Parcs village will be the biggest private tourism development in the history of the State, costing €233 million.

What will I experience?

Business management modules, including HRM, Marketing, Accounting and IT

2 compulsory work placements, with at least one compulsory placement overseas

Students in the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure are eligible to take part in annual international fieldtrips. In the last two years we have visited Italy, Spain, France, China and Dubai. Joining us in 2018? Then you could come on our next trip to Dubai, in January 2019.

Find out more about this course and our facilities by attending one of our regular open evenings where you can meet teaching staff and current students.

Three Irish hotels (Ballyfin, Waterford, Ashford) recently featured in the top 10 hotels in the world in a major international travel publication, Condé Nást, in late 2016, with Ballyfin Demense featuring in first place. These five star hotels, and others national and internationally, such as Dromoland Castle, the Savoy and the Ritz (London), Fitzpatrick’s (New York), employ AIT Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure graduates;

What opportunities might it lead to?

Your specialist knowledge of hospitality management could lead to a career in the resort, hotel and tourism industries. Here are some routes our graduates have pursued:

Assessment Information

We place a lot of emphasis on student support and so we aim to provide a learning environment that is both stimulating and academically challenging, whilst also supporting your learning. You will encounter a range of teaching methods- from lectures, workshops and seminars to hands on practical food and beverage restaurant and kitchen classes. The course is taught by experienced lecturers with a track record of success in many sectors including the hospitality, tourism and culinary industries.

How are you assessed?

We appreciate that different students have different learning styles and so we provide a range of assessment approaches to suit everybody. Here are some of the ways we assess your work:

Minimum Entry Requirements: Minimum O6/H7 grades in the Leaving Certificate examination. One of the six subjects presented must include English. Two of the six subjects must be at a grade of H5 or above. Level 5 QQI: Any QQI-FET level 5 qualification is acceptable but must contain a minimum of 3 distinctions.

Explore Our World & Discover Yours at AIT

Lecturer Testimonial

Dymphna Scanlon, Lecturer in Hospitality Management

"The hospitality industry is a dynamic, ever evolving industry that provides a wealth of employment opportunities around the world. Now is the right time to begin your career in this fantastic industry!"

Student Testimonial

Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure students in Beijing, 2016

"I throughly enjoyed myself on our Beijing fieldtrip. It was great to meet students from other courses and to learn about our industry in another country. I would recommend these trips to all students!"

Student Testimonial

Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure students in Dubai, 2017

"Dubai was an incredible experience for us. It was a place we never thought we would have wanted to visit but now we have a whole new perspective for ourfuture careers! We loved seeing the different culture and learning about the history of Dubai."

Student Testimonial

Anna Pilska, Diploma in Restaurant Management, 2015

"The Diploma in Restaurant Management gave me the best professional preparation and confidence in my work performance. I had many years experience in restaurants before, but that course opened my mind to what I was doing right or wrong."

Course Structure

Year 1

Introduction to Customer Service, Business and Management

Learning and Development for Higher Education

Beverage Studies

Gastronomy

Environment, Health & Safety Management

Language – French / German / Spanish (languages are optional)

Hospitality Costings

Restaurant and Culinary Skills

Computer Applications 1 for Hotel & Leisure

Year 2

Restaurant and Culinary Management

Front Office and Rooms Division Operations

Accounting

Marketing

Language – French / German / Spanish (languages are optional)

Work Placement (can be national or international)

Year 3

Hospitality Event Management

Human Resource Management and Training

Marketing

Accounting

Tourism Management

Language – French / German / Spanish (languages are optional)

Placement (must be international)

Year 4

Strategic Management

Financial Management

Marketing Management

Dissertation

Data Analytics

Tourism Management

Careers & Opportunities

Work Placement

Students take two work placements during this course, in summer of 2nd year and in summer of 3rd year. The first work placement can be taken locally, nationally or internationally and the second placement must be international. The Department provides dedicated support with all work placements, including assisting students in finding opportunities and then making sure they have positive experiences in field. Depending on where you want to go, you may have to contribute to costs for transport/ accommodation at the placement, but this will often be employer funded. We will strive to find paid work placement opportunities for you.

Further Study

Progression to the Master’s Business Studies degree in the Department of Business and Management at AIT;


One of the most influential names in the history of film is one you’ve probably never heard of. His name isn’t on the walk of fame, nor inside your anthology of cinema, but if you’re an architect with a soft spot for German expressionist epics, then you might just be the exception.

Otto Hunte was part of a trio of production designers frequently called upon by director Fritz Lang to bring his scripts to life. His futuristic buildings towering over the city of Metropolisare reflected in some of the architecture we see today; a vertical city layered according to the social standings of the population.

Hunte’s team comprised of two other Germans: Erich Kettelhut and Karl Volbrecht, and it’s Volbrecht’s role of Filmarchitekt in Metropolis that got me interested in this story in the first place. Volbrecht helped bring Hunte’s sketches to life. Sketches of a futuristic city that lives forever on-screen but for only a fleeting moment in the real world.

This fleeting moment is a Hollywood obsession. Enormous sets are constructed in backlots for the perfect shot. These take months, sometimes years to construct. For Lord of the Rings, director Peter Jackson even asked the crew to plant real vegetables on set a year before any filming ever took place. This is the detail directors want, and teams of hundreds or more put their talents to use building villages that exist for only a matter of months. So, if the vegetables should look that good, imagine the details obsessed over architecture and aesthetics.

The Village that lasted how long?

Narrow medieval streets, cute, cobbled roads, a certain je ne sais quoi that the French always seem to have. This is Conques; a quaint village nestled in the south of France. It’s also the set of 2017’s Beauty and the Beast. The set of the Disney re-make and the town that it’s modelled on may be 688 miles apart, but they have a striking similarity.

It’s no accident either. Production designer Sarah Greenwood took a whistle-stop tour around France looking for inspiration from old chateaus and traditional architecture that would help recreate France in the 1740’s. A team of over 60 sculptors and crew worked hard to build the 30-foot high sets over an 18-month period, and it’s sometimes impossible to differentiate the intricate details of ornaments and façades to the real thing.

But the real world of production is no fairytale. It was actually possible to shoot the film in the village, but when producers did the math, they got back to Sarah with a proposition: “It’s going to cost X to go to there, can you make us this village (for less)?”

Pulling inspiration from all the elements that they loved on that trip, Greenwood and the team set to work in the backlot of Shepperton Studios and began the task of bringing the village to life. One of the reasons a tangible village was created was that the Beast, the protagonist, was to be computer generated. Producers were worried too many digital effects would be a little jarring for the viewer, especially as this was the real-life adaptation of the 1992 cartoon original. Only the ‘real’ thing would do.

Artists and construction workers brought the village to life by carving, sculpting and plastering their way around the enormous set. Sketches were made, scrapped and re-drawn over and over again.

Over the course of construction, the team built, among other things, a 12,000 square foot faux marble floor, a 9,600 square foot forest (including real trees and hedges that took 15 weeks to put in place), and a 30,000 square foot village, including a cottage, school, church and village square. All of this was built by a crew of over 1,000 for just 3 months of filming between the months of May and August 2015.

If you can’t build big, build small

When your city is too big or budget too small, just remember you can always fall back on the pioneering techniques of filmmakers in the 1920’s. Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel might have won an Oscar for best production design, but there were no tricks used that we hadn’t seen before. Metropolis might look a little fake today, but it was this particular brand of artificiality that Anderson wanted to re-create.

The artificial feeling of Metropolis comes from the techniques used to construct and then film the set. Fritz Lang worked with his production team creating a mix of full size buildings, scaled miniatures, and an ingenious use of reflections to create the futuristic world.

The Metropolis team employed a technique devised by Eugene Shuftan, that combined miniature models with real people. A mirror, mounted at 45 degrees, reflected the image of the miniature set that was built behind the camera. When the mirror was scratched away it revealed a see-through panel of glass through which the actors (who were behind the mirror) could then be seen. If everything lined up just right, the camera saw the reflection of the miniature set behind it, while also seeing the real actors acting within it.

It was a clever piece of trickery, totally new at the time, and something that’s also seen in the more modern Grand Budapest Hotel. This time though, rather than using mirrors, the miniature was first filmed, and the actors then placed into the miniature set digitally, a technique known as digital compositing.

To the war room!

Sometimes a place that feels so tangibly real, its walls so strong, its occupants so comfortable, may in fact, not exist at all. The West Wing and House of Cards brought us right inside the White House. They brought us along extensive corridors and into plush presidential offices. As a production designer, it’s up to you to make it believable. But you also have the opportunity to change things. After all, cinema is art. So, what if it wasn’t just a picture here or a chair there that you moved? What if you let your imagination run free? What if the script spoke about a room that didn’t actually exist, but could?

In a position he called “the best role I ever played”, ex Hollywood actor turned President Ronald Reagan should have been more familiar with the tricks of the trade. Cinema, after all, was where he had become famous. But it was on his first day in office that, while touring the White House, he asked his aides to bring him to the war room. “What war room?”, they replied. “The one in the Dr. Strangelove movie”, the President answered in a completely serious tone.

Dr. Strangelove was a Stanley Kubrick movie from the 60’s, and that famous war room didn’t exist. It was a perfectly built set that set designer Ken Adam had taken inspiration from Dr. Caligari and Metropolis to put together. Adams was born in Berlin and trained as an architect in London. His iconic set consisted of an enormous round table lit by a large halo of light, a set which Stephen Spielberg called the best ever designed.

“I don’t know what the government facilities are like,” Adam said. “And I certainly didn’t base the war room on them!” His set is flanked by enormous screens showing world maps for the occupants of the room to analyse, and maybe this is one set you can forgive Reagan for mistaking as real.

Today, Hollywood fakery has made its way further than just the war room in the White House. Construction sites in China can now be seen with their perimeters walled off with beautifully fake facades, and many construction sites are printing enormous images that cover buildings under construction (Kensington Palace for example). Plus, for a curious look at what Paris would look like as a surreal two-dimensional film set, there’s no better project than that undertaken by Claire and Max of Melimonde.


The arrival of a new year brings with it buzz about hotly anticipated luxury hotel openings. 2017 is no exception, with amazing new resorts opening their doors from Fiji to London and beyond. Pursuitist presents the 20 most anticipated luxury hotels opening in 2017:

Kokomo Island Resort in Fiji

Kokomo Island Resort is 140 private acres in Fiji. The resort is specifically designed for inter-generational travelers and has plenty of activities. The Great Astrolabe Reef, the fourth largest in the world, is right off the shore of the resort and prime for diving, snorkelling, fishing or kayaking.

Opens: March 31, 2017

Address: Kokomo Island, Fiji

Price: TBD

Curtain Bluff, Antigua

In October, Antigua’s intimate Curtain Bluff will welcome guests after a six-month closure and a $13 million refresh of its entrance, dining spaces, bar, lounge, and reception area. Curtain Bluff is introducing a new beach concierge, who will arrange activities and water sports, fetch drinks, and set up beach chairs and hammocks.

Opens: October 28, 2017

Address: Antigua

Price: TBD

Four Seasons at The Surf Club

After The Surf Club opened in 1930, it quickly cemented itself into the Miami Beach club scene. Next year, the iconic property will be reborn as the Four Seasons at The Surf Club. The 77-room hotel will have three pools on its property, along with 900 feet of white sand beach and a 15,000-square-foot spa center.

Opens: February 1, 2017

Address: 9011 Collins Avenue Surfside, Florida 33154

Price: Starting at $899

Ritz Carlton Langkawi

The Ritz Carlton’s upcoming property in Langkawi, Malaysia, will have 90 guest rooms and 29 villas between rainforest and beaches, allowing guests to experience whichever side of the tranquil nature they prefer. The hotel will have a resident naturalist who will take guests around the property and teach them about geological sites and rainforest flora and fauna.

Opens: June 1, 2017

Address: Langkawi, Malaysia

Price: $1,100 per person per night

Six Senses Bhutan

Six Senses Bhutan will spread across five separate locations, each with a specific theme and different perspective on Bhutan. The minimalist properties will be above Serbithang in the capital of Thimpu, the forest of Bumthang, a farmhouse at Kabijsa in Punakha, a chalet in the valley of Gangtey, and old stone ruins in Taa Dzong in Paro.

Opens: August 2017

Address: Various locations, Bhutan

Price: TBD

Provocateur Berlin

Travelers looking for a sexy, well-designed getaway need look no further than Provocateur Berlin. The upcoming burlesque-themed hotel will have 59 rooms, all decorated in plush, velvety reds. It will also house a sleek cocktail bar and Indochine-inspired restaurant for locals and guests alike.

Opens: March 2017

Address: Brandenburgische Straße 21 10707 Berlin, Germany

Price: From $125

The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa

Scotland’s famed Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa will unveil the results of its makeover in mid-April. The resort, which is owned by Wisconsin-based Kohler Co. and is situated alongside the world’s oldest and, arguably, most iconic golf course, is undergoing a total upgrade of its 144 rooms and suites, plus a spa extension that will add a new lap pool and gym.

Opens: April 2017

Address: St. Andrews, Scotland

Price: From $250

Wilderness Safaris’ Bisate Lodge

The six forest villas of the Bisate Lodge in Rwanda offer guests a luxurious and conservationally-minded way to see the country’s famous gorilla population. The lodge is located on a hill next to Volcanoes National Park, which gives guests views of the Bisoke, Karisimbi and Mikeno Volcanoes from their rooms.

Opens: June 1, 2017

Price: $1,100 per person per night

Rosewood Puebla

Rosewood’s new property, 75 miles southeast of Mexico City, will sit in downtown Puebla, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hotel will spread across several different buildings, collected around an intimate common courtyard. The property will also include a 300-year-old chapel that guests will be able to rent out for weddings.

Opens: First half of 2017

Address: Puebla, Mexico

Price: Starting at $250

The Line DC

A former neoclassical church in DC’s Adams Morgan neighborhood is getting a second life as the 220-room The Line DC hotel. Although the building will retain a lot of its original architectural features (60-foot vaulted ceilings, millwork and brass detailing, and large copper entry doors), there will be lots of modern upgrades—mainly rooftop views and restaurants from Spike Gjerde and Erik Bruner-Yang.

Opens: June 2017

Address: 1770 Euclid Street NW Washington DC 20009

Price: Starting at $268

Aman Shanghai

For their fourth hotel in China, Aman pulled out all the stops. The Aman Shanghai will be “a village of historic dwellings surrounded by a sacred camphor forest” which has been imported from Jiangxi. The hotel imported 10,000 ancient camphor trees with the help of botanists, architects and craftsmen. The result is an oasis just outside of the city that has helped preserve some of China’s most historic plants.

Opens: Fall 2017

Address: Shanghai, China

Price: TBD

Park Hyatt St Kitts

When the Park Hyatt opens on Saint Kitts, it will be the first luxury resort to debut on the island. The 126-room resort will be the ultimate spot for relaxation. The Stone Mill Spa & Sanctuary will offer guests Watsu therapy, daily meditation sessions and a fitness center. After a spa experience, guests can enjoy the resort’s views of the Caribbean and Nevis island.

Opens: Summer 2017

Address: Banana Bay, South East Peninsula, Parish of St. George St. Kitts, Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis

Price: From $380 low season, $900 high season

Four Seasons Resort Bali Jimbaran Bay, Indonesia

The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay got an upgrade in 2016 when the late Indonesian interior designer Jaya Ibrahim refurbished nearly all of the beachfront property’s villas. Roughly half of the villas were also structurally expanded to include more living space, larger bedrooms and plunge pools, and newly landscaped gardens. But resort insiders saved the best for last: The top-shelf Imperial and Royal Villas will reopen in May, revealing their own transformations.

Opens: May 2017

Address: Indonesia

Price: TBD

Hotel de Crillon

All the fanciest debutantes know the Hotel de Crillon for its annual coming-out event, the Crillon Ball. The Parisian hotel, which has hosted a who’s who of the world since 1758, will reopen in 2017 after renovations, with two brand-new suites designed by Karl Lagerfeld.

Opens: 2017

Address: 10 Place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris, France

Price: TBD

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills will spread across 12 floors and offer unobstructed views from its 170 rooms. The hotel will also feature a restaurant from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a rooftop pool and lounge with VIP cabanas and a personal concierge service for each guest.

Opens: June 2017

Address: 9850 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California 90210

Price: Deluxe rooms start at $815, Suites start at $3,000

Miavana Island Sanctuary

Madagascar’s first ultra five-star lodge will open this year—but it will only be accessible via private helicopter. The lodge’s 14 villas will all have direct beach and ocean access, offering visitors up-close interactions with the threatened animals who live on the property’s wildlife sanctuary.

Opens: April 2017

Address: Nosy Anko, Madagascar

Price: $2,500 per person per night

Conrad Bora Bora Nui

The first new luxury resort to debut in Bora Bora in 20 years will open in April 2017. Conrad Bora Bora Nui will be the only resort with two-story overwater bungalows, as if sleeping over the water weren’t decadent enough.

Opening: Fall 2017

Address: Bora Bora

Price: TBD

Hotel Eden

After two years of renovations, the Dorchester Collection (whose other properties include the Plaza Athenee in Paris and the Bel-Air in Los Angeles) is reopening the Hotel Eden. The hotel will contain 98 rooms in a three-story mansion in Rome’s Ludovisi district that dates back to 1889. There will also be an urban spa onsite to guarantee Italian glamour for all guests with signature treatments, a blow dry bar and manicure/pedicure stations.

Opens: April 2017

Address: Via Ludovisi 49, Rome 00187, Italy

Price: From $668 per night

Four Seasons Ten Trinity

When the Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square opens in January, it will be inside of a listed heritage building in the city of London. The hotel will have 100 rooms, along with 41 private residences. Eventually, a private members club will open for guests in the same square.

Opens: January 26, 2017

Address: 10 Trinity Square EC3N 4AJ London, England

Price: Introductory offer starting at $435

The Oberoi, Al Zorah

Oberoi is opening a luxury property just 20 minutes outside of downtown Dubai this year called Al Zorah. The new hotel will feature an on-site spa, 247 acres of protected forests and its own natural beach front. The property will also offer guests a championship golf course, kayaking, dune driving and sky-diving.

Opens: March 2017

Address: Al Ittihad Road PO Box 8010 Ajman, UAE

Price: TBD


Hotels Shannon

An iconic Wagga pub will pour its last beer before Christmas, with the Home Hotel up for sale for a cool $1.75 million. Long regarded as Wagga’s home.

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Hotel concierges at five-star properties have seen it all. It seems that the rock band U2 was stranded at Shannon Airport – just seven miles away. Band leader Bono, who had stayed at the resort previously, wanted to.

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A graduate of Hotel Management at Shannon, Colin spent his formative training years in hotels in London, holding various managerial positions with the Red.

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The Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa is located near the Kerry Airport, making your transit easier and smoother. Ideally located in Killarney town center.

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The award was presented immediately following AIA’s 76th Annual General Meeting that took place at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. Shannon.

After leading from start to finish, the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel opened their 2018 account. Midcourters Gina Crampton and Shannon Francois delivered a precision service to the Steel shooters while the Mystics struggled with their consistency.

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1830-1902), titled Morning – Summit, New Jersey from Hotel, artist signed “Bierstadt”, found a new owner for $42,500. Shannon’s produces an.

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(Shannon Green) My boss gave me a simple – and welcome. Sandwiched in between those early mornings and late nights, I walked back to my hotel room.

Vacation In The Mountains Of Nc The Conservation Fund said Thursday that 1,680 acres of high-elevation ridges and headwaters have been protected in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. The Fund, which is a national group, partnered with the U.S. Forest Service and the. May 6, 2018 – Browse and Book from the Best Vacation Rentals with Prices in North Carolina Mountains:

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Joie de Vivre is a collection of boutique hotels offering unique accommodations that reflect the vibrant neighborhoods that they’re located in. Discover, explore and relax during your unforgettable getaway at our hotels.

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The owners of an award-winning Aiken hotel, The Willcox, have launched a new venture in the hospitality industry. Geoff and Shannon Ellis recently reopened.

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Bright Day

Bright Day is a novel by J. B. Priestley, first published in 1946. One of his better-known works, it combines nostalgia for the northern England that existed before the First World War with an optimism inspired by the conclusion of the Second.

Plot introduction
In 1946, an English screenwriter, Gregory Dawson, goes to a seaside hotel in Cornwall to finish a screenplay. An accidental meeting with two people from his distant past prompts him to explore his memories of his youth in 'Bruddersford' (a fictional town conflating Bradford and Huddersfield) between October 1912 and June 1914.

Plot summary

Chapters 1–6
Gregory Dawson is an English screenwriter in his fifties, who fought in the First World War, and who has spent most of the Second World War in Britain after ten years in Hollywood. He has retreated in the spring of 1946 to the Cornish village of Tralorna to finish the screenplay for a film called The Lady Hits Back. An oldish couple staying at his hotel, the Royal Ocean, seem strangely familiar. They are identified to him as "Lord and Lady Harndean". In the hotel's restaurant Dawson is condescending to the musicians, who attempt to impress him by playing the slow movement of Schubert's B flat trio. The music triggers Dawson's memory, and he realises that the couple are Mr and Mrs Nixey, whom he has not seen since 1914. He approaches and introduces himself.

Back in his hotel room he recalls the Bruddersford of his youth, where he moved after the death of his parents to live with his maternal uncle. Lonely and missing his family, he finds himself charmed by a certain prosperous family he often sees on the tram and at concerts. He obtains a job at Hawes and Company, a wool firm, under the stentorian Joe Ackworth, and on the first day he is surprised to find that he recognises Ackworth's co-worker, Mr Alington, as the head of that happy family.

In December, Mr Alington's daughter Joan stops by at the office, looking for him. She talks to Greg and invites him to a concert at Gladstone Hall. After the concert he is delighted to find himself accepted without question as one of their social circle: the Alington children, Joan, Eva, Bridget, Oliver and David, and their friends Ben Kerry and Jock Barniston.

Ackworth quarrels with the cashier Croxton for sending samples away without his permission. Gregory enjoys Christmas 1912, which includes many visits, and a trip to the pantomime Cinderella; in May 1913, Greg accompanies the Alingtons to the village of Bulsden, on the edge of Broadstone Moor, for a picnic and a game of cricket. He meets the old painter Stanley Mervin. On arriving back home, the Schubert trio is played, but it is interrupted by the first arrival of the Nixeys.

(Dawson's reminiscing is interrupted by the arrival of Elizabeth Earl, the English actress who is to be the star of the movie he is writing. She is injured by his cool reception. On going downstairs to the bar, he talks to the publicist, Jake West, and the movie's European director, George Adony. Adony believes that she is romantically involved with Dawson, and he tries to persuade him she is not.)

In late summer 1913, Nixey takes Dawson out to the Market Grill and the Imperial Music Hall, and asks him about Ackworth and Croxton. Dawson goes on holiday to Silverdale with the Blackshaws, and meets their child Laura. In mid-September, he goes with Oliver and Bridget to a musical evening at the Leatons'. Nixey's monopolisation of a visiting customer, Albert Harfner, leads to a confrontation between him and Ackworth. Dawson guesses that Eleanor Nixey is having an affair with Ben Kerry, who is supposed to be "half-engaged" to Eva Alington. Dorothy Barniston tells Dawson's fortune. Joan demands that he tell her what is going on at the office that is upsetting her father; he quarrels with Ben Kerry at a showbiz party at the Crown.

Chapters 7–12
(Dawson explains to Elizabeth Earl that he is feeling troubled by his past.) He recollects 31 December 1913, the last party at the Alington residence, when the family played charades. The arrival of the Nixeys shortly before midnight ruins the atmosphere, and the New Year has, he feels "an ill-omened beginning."

(The next morning, George Adony brings him breakfast in his room to talk about the script. He has lunch with Elizabeth Earl, who tells him that her agent Leo Blatt is coming this evening. After working for a few hours on the script, Dawson comes down and, during a conversation with Blatt, comes to the decision not to return to Hollywood.)

In the late spring of 1914, Ackworth quarrels with Croxton, and soon afterwards decides to leave the company. In June, the Alingtons go for a picnic at Pikeley Scar, a limestone cliff, in the company of Dawson, Jock Barniston, and the 10-year-old Laura Blackshaw. Jock Barniston is to deliver a letter to Eva from Ben Kerry, and is worried that it may herald a break-up. They meet the artist Stanley Mervin again, and Dawson is chatting with Bridget by a river when they hear a scream. Eva has fallen to her death from the cliff, an event witnessed by Laura. It is ruled to be an accident. The day after the funeral, Mr Alington collapses at work, and a fortnight later the Nixeys call at his house, where they are confronted by Bridget, who blames them for what has happened.

(Dawson again refuses Blatt's offer of work. Elizabeth Earl plans lunch at a certain seaside hotel, but by the time they arrive it is pouring with rain.) Dawson's last meeting with Joan is in early spring 1919, when they bump into each other at Victoria Station. He accompanies her to her flat and helps her carry her luggage up the stairs. She tells him that her mother has moved to Dorset, and Bridget has married an Irishman named Michael Connally. They go out to a revue, and then to a club, but on returning to the flat he makes the mistake of asking about Eva's death, and Joan becomes hysterical. (Elizabeth Earl's manner towards Dawson has cooled suddenly, because she has concluded that he is still besotted with Bridget Alington and not with her, as she had assumed. She tells him she has met David Alington—now Sir David and a famous physicist. Back at the Royal Ocean Hotel, Dawson talks to Malcolm Nixey, who is leaving the next day, and perplexes him by demanding to know what he has "got out of it all", that is, out of the "successful" life he has lived. Later, Eleanor Nixey dumbfounds Dawson by informing him that she was indeed in love with Ben Kerry.)

Having done with reminiscing, Dawson finishes the screenplay, and while chatting with the restaurant trio he hears them mention a fellow musician named Sheila Connally. When he arrives back in London, Elizabeth Earl organises a surprise meeting with Bridget Alington, whom he has not seen for decades. He learns that Joan is dead. Their talk is uninspiring and leaves them both disgruntled.

At a party at Claridges, Dawson encounters Lord Harndean again, who asks him to phone someone called Mrs Childs, who is involved with a film-making youth group. It turns out, to his amazement, that Mrs Childs is in fact Laura Blackshaw. They talk about Bruddersford, and she tells him that she saw Joan push Eva from the cliff. This is the last piece of the puzzle. He agrees to help the youth group, and the book ends with the implication that one part of his life is finally over and that another has begun.

Characters

1946
Gregory Dawson
Brent, the film's producer
George Adony, the European director
Lord and Lady Harndean (= Malcolm and Eleanor Nixey)
Horncastle (ch.1,5) and the Lincings, other guests at the hotel
Zenek, Susan and Cynthia, musicians who play in the restaurant
Elizabeth Earl, the English film-star
Jake West, their publicist
Melfoy, Mertz and Sam Gruman, more film people
Terry Bleck, Elizabeth Earl's first husband, and Ethel Ferryman
Leo Blatt, Elizabeth Earl's agent (ch.8,10)
Sheila Connally, Bridget's daughter
Mrs Childs
Hinchcliff, leader of the youth group

1912–14
Uncle Miles Lofthouse and Aunt Hilda
Alice and Mrs Spellman, their servants (ch.2)
Miss Singletons (ch.2) and Mrs Rankin, acquaintances
Hawes and Company
Joe Ackworth
Bernard, Bertha, and Harold Ellis, other employees
Croxton, a bossy cashier
Old Sam Haley
Malcolm Nixey (nephew of Buckner) and Eleanor Nixey
The Alington family
John Alington and Mrs Alington
Joan (dark), Eva (fair), Bridget (green eyes)
Oliver (Givenchy May 1915) and David
Family friends
Ben Kerry (Somme 1916)
Jock Barniston (Somme 1916)
Dorothy Sawley, a cellist, and Miss Wilson
Fred Knott, a Socialist councillor, and Mrs Knott
The Peckels, Warkwoods, Dunsters, Blackshaws, Lucketts, and Puckrups
Mrs Ackworth, Herbert Leaton, a pianist, and Annie Leaton
Stanley Mervin, and his wife
Albert Harfner and his father Julius, customers of Hawes & Co.
Michael Connally, Bridget's husband

Adaptations
The novel was adapted for radio as part of BBC Radio 4's Classic Serial series and broadcast in two parts on 30 May and 6 June 2010. The cast included Jack Shepherd as Gregory Dawson/Narrator, Liza Sadovy as Elizabeth Earl, Dean Smith as Young Gregory, Sarah Smart as Joan Alington, Sarah Churm as Bridget Alington, Lowri Evans as Eva Alington, Conrad Nelson as Jock/Harfner, Fred Ridgeway as Malcolm Nixey, Janice McKenzie as Eleanor Nixey, David Fleeshman as Mr Alington, Fine Time Fontayne as Mr Ackworth, Seamus O'Neill as Brent/Stanley Mervin and Steve Marsh as Ben Kerry. The production was dramatised by Diana Griffiths and produced/directed by Pauline Harris.

Category:1946 British novels
Category:Novels by J. B. Priestley
Category:Novels about writers
Category:Novels set in Cornwall
Category:Novels set in Yorkshire
Category:Heinemann (publisher) books


DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s stock market celebrated the release of some of the kingdom’s top businessmen from detention on Sunday but the after-effects of a purge of the business elite may last for years, deterring private investment.

Billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, head of global investment firm Kingdom Holding 4280.SE, was among at least half a dozen tycoons freed at the weekend after over two months of confinement in Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Their release signaled a massive anti-corruption drive, in which authorities detained over 200 people and said they aimed to seize $100 billion of illicit assets, was drawing to a close. The Ritz-Carlton is to reopen to the public in mid-February.

Shares in Kingdom Holding soared to their 10 percent daily limit on Sunday, adding about $850 million to Prince Alwaleed’s fortune. A plunge of Kingdom shares in the initial days after his detention cost Prince Alwaleed about $2.2 billion on paper.

Fashion retailer Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co 4240.SE jumped 6.8 percent upon the release of some major shareholders.

But troubling questions about the purge have not been answered. Although few people doubt Saudi Arabia would benefit from less corruption, the scale and ferocity of the crackdown alarmed businessmen inside and outside the kingdom.

Details of financial settlements between authorities and detainees have not been disclosed, leaving the public to wonder what the penalties are for large-scale corruption - and what allegations the detainees actually faced.

The first major settlement was that of senior prince Miteb bin Abdullah, once seen as a leading contender to the throne, who was freed after agreeing to pay over $1 billion, according to Saudi officials. That fueled suspicion among foreign diplomats there might be political motives behind the purge.

While the government says eliminating corruption will level the playing field for all investors, some local and foreign businessmen feel risks have risen, as they are not sure if local partners may become targets of another crackdown.

FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal sits for an interview with Reuters in the office of the suite where he has been detained at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 27, 2018, REUTERS/Katie Paul /File Photo

“This was completely unprecedented – not only in Saudi Arabia, but among all Arab monarchies,” said Steffen Hertog, a leading Saudi Arabia scholar at the London School of Economics.

“The appetite for big-ticket corruption among Saudi elites will certainly be a lot lower now. But many also believe, at least for the time being, that life has become less predictable for the private sector, which could make it harder to commit to long-term investment.”

He and others said Saudi authorities appeared keen to end the probe partly because they wanted to prevent it from slowing inflows of foreign investment, which are key to the government’s effort to diversify the economy beyond oil exports.

Reassuring foreign investors will become more important in the second half of 2018, when the government plans to raise as much as $100 billion by selling 5 percent of national oil giant Saudi Aramco in the world’s biggest equity offer.

A Gulf banker who deals with Saudi Arabia said some private businessmen might remain wary of investing large sums of new money for years, although authorities were monitoring fund flows closely to prevent capital flight from the country.

“The impact of the corruption investigation is being discussed as a concern by potential foreign direct investors in Saudi Arabia,” said the banker. “For them, it’s a source of risk.”

LESS HARSH

In some ways, the purge has proved less harsh than feared when it began in November. At that time, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who led the campaign, said 95 percent of detainees were agreeing to financial settlements, while 1 percent were being found innocent and the rest would probably go for trial.

Early last week, the attorney general said merely that “most” detainees had agreed to settlements. Ninety were released after having charges dropped and 95 remained in custody.

While there was speculation in the early days of the purge that whole companies would be seized and there would be mass liquidations of assets to pay the state, these things do not appear to have happened.

Officials said that while Prince Alwaleed and other tycoons had agreed to financial settlements after admitting to unspecified “violations”, they could resume their business much as before.

Prince Alwaleed will keep control of Kingdom Holding and Waleed al-Ibrahim, owner of regional television network MBC, is not giving up a single share in MBC, the officials said.

It is possible that authorities have agreed with some detainees to control their assets behind the scenes.

But some analysts said authorities may have found it harder than anticipated to construct complex, watertight legal cases against detainees - something which may have worked in favor of strong-minded holdouts such as Prince Alwaleed, who has continued to insist publicly that he is completely innocent.

Because of this, there is scepticism among many bankers and analysts over whether the purge will actually net the government $100 billion, which would be enough to pay for this year’s projected budget deficit twice over.

The attorney general said detainees were handing over cash, real estate and other assets in settlements. But partly because of a weak economy, the land market is almost illiquid, making it hard to turn property into cash.


Afternoon tea has been a tradition at the Ritz-Carlton Montreal ever since the hotel opened in 1912. Now, the venerable institution on Sherbrooke Street is holding a kosher-certified high tea alongside its regular service.

The Jewish Community Council of Montreal has given the teas its MK heksher, and all of the food is prepared in the Ritz-Carlton’s glatt kosher kitchen.

In fact, the teas are deemed mehadrin, which is considered the most stringent level of kashrut, says Danielle Medina, who oversees the kosher kitchen.

The kosher tea is offered at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, by reservation. Patrons can choose to sit in the elegantly ornate Palm Court’s main room, or opt for a little privacy in the upper alcove, just outside the storied Oval Room.

Like the regular service, the menu consists of a wide choice of teas, accompanied by dainty sweet and savoury finger foods presented on a three-tiered stand. A flute of sparkling Prosecco may be added, as well.

Patrons enjoy the same solicitous, yet discreet, attention by staff that this five-star establishment is famous for.

The brand-new fine china is made by Wedgwood and its distinctive floral pattern ensures it can never be mixed up with the other crockery, notes Medina.

The dozen varieties of teas are procured from Sloane Fine Tea Merchants, a Toronto-based company headed by Hoda Paripoush, an Indian-born Persian who is a certified tea sommelier.

Will it be the sweetly scented Perfectly Pear tea, Heavenly Cream, with its notes of bergamot, a spicy Masala Chai or a robust Lapsang souchong that’s been smoked over a pinewood fire?

Whatever the choice, Simon Schmidt, the hotel’s assistant food and beverage director, points out that none of them come in bags. He holds up the vacuum pack of loose leaves from Sloane that are portioned into gauze pouches just before they are steeped in individual pots.

An hourglass timer at the table indicates when the tea may be poured.

Everything is made in-house – the pastries, the bread, even the jam.

The most difficult item to replicate in the kosher kitchen was the scones, those fluffy, slightly sweet biscuits that are an English tea staple, Medina says. For guidance, she turned to the “fantastic” London kosher caterer who supplies British Airways.

The kosher kitchen is meat-only, so there is no clotted cream, but the apricot and berry preserves are all that’s needed.

Little round buns are filled with egg, tuna or cucumber. Smoked salmon with a dollop of pareve cream are served on blini canapés.

The bite-size pastries are more French than English: eclairs, chocolate cream puffs, meringue-based macarons, apple pies and tarte au sucre.

That reflects Medina’s background. A Quebecois from Trois-Rivières, Medina began her career as a dietician. Today, the convert to Orthodox Judaism heads her own company, Food With a Conscience (FWC), which consultants to the food service industry on nutrition, food safety and menu development.

Her kosher pastries have become so renowned that Qatar Airways, which serves only halal food in-flight, has become a faithful customer.

READ: GUIDE DOG GIVES INJURED ISRAELI VET HIS INDEPENDENCE

Medina has worked for some years with the Jewish Community Council of Montreal, helping the companies it certifies meet national and international regulations. FWC, in association with two food service providers, supplies the kosher meals to nearly all domestic and international airlines operating out of Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, as well as most Montreal hospitals, except the Jewish General Hospital, which has its own kosher kitchen.

All of the meals are made in the Ritz-Carlton’s small kosher kitchen.

Medina may be credited with saving the hotel’s kosher services. The Ritz-Carlton was closed for five years for renovations. After it reopened in 2012, demand for kosher services fell off, said Schmidt.

(Another downtown landmark, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, did not resume its kosher services when it reopened in 2017, after a yearlong facelift.)

Three years ago, Medina, who did not want to see this luxurious option lost to observant Jews, proposed that FWC rent the kosher kitchen. The Ritz-Carlton agreed, said Schmidt, on the condition that its standards not be compromised.

That agreement has developed into a partnership and FWC is now integrated into the Ritz-Carlton’s operations. In addition to the high tea service, FWC has introduced kosher room service and, very recently, kosher meals served in the hotel’s posh French restaurant, Maison Boulud.

Major events, like weddings, are handled by outside caterers.

While it doesn’t promote it, the Ritz-Carlton can accommodate special occasion high teas. It did so recently for Chai Lifeline, a Jewish charitable organization that supports seriously ill children and their families. Forty mothers were treated to an evening tea, designed just for them, to give them a break from their worries.

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Patricia Medina

Patricia Paz Maria Medina (19 July 1919 – 28 April 2012) was an English-American actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the films Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954) and Mr. Arkadin (1955).

Early life
Medina was the daughter of Ramón Medina Nebot, a Spanish lawyer and opera singer from the Canary Islands, and an English mother. Patricia had two sisters, Piti (Pepita) and Gloria. Born in Liverpool, she and her sisters grew up at a mansion in Stanmore. Medina began acting as a teenager in the late 1930s and worked her way up to leading roles in the mid-1940s, when she left London for Hollywood.

Career
In 1950's Fortunes of Captain Blood, she teamed with British actor, Louis Hayward. She and Hayward subsequently appeared together in 1951's The Lady and the Bandit, Lady in the Iron Mask and Captain Pirate from 1952.

Darkly beautiful, Medina was often typecast in period melodramas such as The Black Knight. Two of her more notable films were William Witney's Stranger at My Door and Orson Welles' Mr. Arkadin, based on episodes of the radio series The Adventures of Harry Lime, itself derived from The Third Man film.

Although prolific during the early 1950s, her film career faded away by the end of the decade. In 1958, she performed in four episodes as Margarita Cortazar on Walt Disney's ABC series, Zorro. In 1958, she also appeared as "The Lady" Diana Coulter in Richard Boone's CBS western series, Have Gun, Will Travel. She was then cast in an episode of Darren McGavin's NBC western series, Riverboat. In 1960, she was cast as different characters in two episodes ("Fair Game" and "The Earl of Durango") of the ABC western series, The Rebel. Medina also made television appearances on Perry Mason ("The Case of the Lucky Loser", 27 September 1958); Bonanza ("The Spanish Grant", 6 February 1960), Thriller ("The Premature Burial", 1961), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ("See the Monkey Dance", 9 November 1964) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E ("The Foxes and Hounds Affair", 8 October 1965). Medina guest starred as Ruthanne Harper in "Incident of the Boomerang" in 1961 and Ilona Calvin in "Incident at Jacob's Well" in 1959, on Rawhide. also appeared in The Amos burke (Gene Barry) TV episode Don Pablo 1967.

In 1968, she returned to the big screen in The Killing of Sister George, Robert Aldrich's adaptation of the lesbian-themed drama of the same name.

Medina and her husband, American actor Joseph Cotten, toured together in several plays and on Broadway in the murder mystery Calculated Risk.

Autobiography
In 1998, she published an autobiography, Laid Back in Hollywood.

Personal
Medina married British actor Richard Greene, 24 December 1941, in St. James's Church, Spanish Place, London; they divorced in 1951. Medina married Joseph Cotten on 20 October 1960, in Beverly Hills at the home of David O. Selznick and Jennifer Jones.
No children were born from either marriage.

Death
Medina died at age 92 on 28 April 2012, from natural causes at the Barlow Respiratory Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Her remains are buried at Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia,  beside the remains of Joseph Cotten.

Complete filmography

 Dinner at the Ritz (1937) - (uncredited)
 Mr. Satan (1938) - A Girl
 Simply Terrific (1938) - Heather Carfax
 Double or Quits (1938) - Caroline
 This Man Is News (1938) - Waitress in teashop (uncredited)
 Crook's Tour (1941) - Hotel Receptionist (uncredited)
 The Day Will Dawn (1942) - Ingrid
 The First of the Few (1942) - Venetian Girl (uncredited)
 They Met in the Dark (1943) - Mary - Manicurist
 Hotel Reserve (1944) - Odette Roux
 Don't Take It to Heart (1944) - Mary
 Kiss the Bride Goodbye (1945) - Joan Dodd
 Waltz Time (1945) - Cenci Prohaska
 The Secret Heart (1946) - Kay Burns; first American role
 The Beginning or the End (1947) - Mrs. Wyatt (uncredited)
 Moss Rose (1947) - Audrey Ashton
 The Foxes of Harrow (1947) - Desiree
 The Three Musketeers (1948) - Kitty
 The Fighting O'Flynn (1949, opposite then husband, Richard Greene) - Fancy Free
 Children of Chance (1949) - Agostina
 Francis (1950) - Maureen Gelder
 Fortunes of Captain Blood (1950) - Isabelita Sotomayor
 Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950) - Nicole Dupre
 The Jackpot (1950) - Hildegarde Jonet / Hilda Jones
 Valentino (1951) - Lila Reyes
 The Lady and the Bandit (1951) - Joyce Greene
 The Magic Carpet (1951) - Lida
 Aladdin and His Lamp (1952) - Princess Jasmine
 Lady in the Iron Mask (1952) - Princess Anne / Princess Louise
 Captain Pirate (1952) - Dona Isabella
 Desperate Search (1952) - Nora Stead
 Botany Bay (1952) - Sally Munroe
 Siren of Bagdad (1953) - Princess Zendi
 Sangaree (1953) - Martha Darby
 Plunder of the Sun (1953) - Anna Luz
 Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954) - Jeanette
 Drums of Tahiti (1954) - Wanda Spence
 The Black Knight (1954) - Linet
 Pirates of Tripoli (1955) - Princess Karjan
 Mr. Arkadin (1955) - Mily
 Duel on the Mississippi (1955) - Lili Scarlet
 The Red Cloak (1955) - Laura Lanfranchi
 Uranium Boom (1956) - Jean Williams
 Stranger at My Door (1956) - Peg Jarret
 The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956) - Sarita
 Miami Exposé (1956) - Lila Hodges
 The Buckskin Lady (1957) - Angela Medley
 Battle of the V-1 (1958) - Zofia
 Count Your Blessings (1959) - Albertine
 Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961) - Queen / Witch / Gypsy Matilda
 The Killing of Sister George (1968) - Betty Thaxter
 Latitude Zero (1969) - Lucretia
 Keene (1969)
 Timber Tramps (1975) - Miami Lills
 El llanto de los pobres (1978) - (final film role)

Selected television roles
 Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers (1956)
 The Californians in episode "Lola Montez" (NBC-TV, 1958) - Lola Montez
Perry Mason in “The Case of the Lucky Loser” (1958) - Harriet Belfour
 Rawhide (CBS-TV, 1960)
 Bonanza (1960) - Isabella Maria Ynez Y Castra De La Cuesta / Rosita Morales in the episode The Spanish Grant
 Thriller (NBC-TV, 1961; 2 episodes) - Victorine Lafourcade / Nadja
 Have Gun - Will Travel (1957-1963) - Diana Coulter / Sabina - Greedy Wife
 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964) - Wife
 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1965) - Lucia Belmont
 Branded (NBC-TV, 1966) - Dr. Karen L. Miller

References

External links

 Photograph

Category:1919 births
Category:2012 deaths
Category:Actresses from Liverpool
Category:English film actresses
Category:English stage actresses
Category:English television actresses
Category:English people of Spanish descent
Category:English expatriates in the United States
Category:English people of Canarian descent
Category:Disease-related deaths in California
Category:20th-century English actresses
Category:Actresses from Los Angeles
Category:Burials in Virginia


Passion on a Plate

Sagewood Café is an Artisan-style café in Pietermaritzburg where harmony, service and a passion for quality food come together through locally sourced seasonal and fresh produce, and a highly skilled chef - Gregg Oosthuizen.

The café is situated within Blackwood’s Home of Gardening and Touchwood Interiors, forming a Lifestyle Centre that incorporates food, nature and design.

The deck and veranda along the Dorpspruit River offer a tranquil setting for families and friends to enjoy a break from the daily bustle of ‘Maritzburg life. There is a safe and well maintained children’s playground in full view of the dining area so that the whole family get to relax and enjoy their surroundings and meals.

The café was launched by Gregg, and Con and Sue Malherbe in May 2015.

Sagewood Cafe subscribes to a simple and sustainable lifestyle of real food in which everything we serve is made from scratch, always using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients.

We avoid preservatives, artificial sweeteners and colourants wherever possible, instead using real butter, farm-fresh dairy, free-range eggs and chicken, the highest quality meat and seafood, artisan cheeses and home-grown fruits and vegetables. Even our flour is grown, harvested and milled by traditional stone-ground methods right here in the Midlands.

From our daily Bakers Table, Wood Fired Pizza oven, Specials Board and menu, you can expect to find a sensory experience second to none.

CAKES TO ORDER

If you’re looking for a beautiful cake to suit any occasion, Sagewood Café offers a number of cake options, which can all customized to your unique requirements.

Who's Cooking?

Chef Gregg Oosthuizen

Gregg's love affair with food started in 1994 when he had the privilege of working for famous chef, Anton Mossiman, in Knightsbridge, London. After this, he began a 3-Year Apprenticeship at the Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg.

Gregg was voted the Top Junior Chef in SA for three years running and was placed 2nd in the 1997 World Junior Chef Challenge. These accomplishments gave him the opportunity to return overseas to work for Marco Pierre White in London, considered to be one of the best chefs of all time. Gregg has also had the privilege and experience of being a ‘preferred caterer’ to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Barloworld, Ernst & Young and a number of other profiled people and companies over the years.

Gregg’s passion has ultimately led him back to the KZN Midlands where his heart belongs. Here, together with business partners, Con and Sue Malherbe, Gregg has a fresh new canvas to splash with love, honesty, passion and creativity - Sagewood Café. Food for the heart and soul.

Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of music, passion and prose.
An Artisanal High Tea will be served in harmony with Lara's performance.
Bring your own Wine / Champagne. No Corkage charged.
Don't miss this one!


The Amati Exhibition

The exhibition showcases a selection of exceptional antique and contemporary instruments and bows for sale.

The Amati Exhibition is an invaluable networking event for the stringed instrument community that is not to be missed. Twenty exhibitors from the UK, US, Europe and Japan display a selection of exceptional antique and contemporary instruments and bows which visitors to the exhibition are encouraged to try. If you are looking to purchase an instrument or bow, this is a unique opportunity to meet many of the world’s leading dealerships and contemporary makers, all within the beautiful surroundings of the Langham’s Grand Ballroom.

Photo Gallery

October 2016

October 2015

March 2015

October 2014

March 2014

October 2013

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We would like to keep you informed about The Amati Exhibition and other events by adding your details to our emailer list. By submitting this form you are indicating your consent to receive communication from us by email unless you have indicated an objection to receiving such communication by ticking the box.

Visitors

We welcome everybody who has an interest with string instruments and bows - makers, dealers, collectors, investors, students, musicians and those people who simply enjoy classical music.

Visitors can enter on both days completely free of charge.

For Musicians

You will be able to try a diverse selection of instruments and bows to suit every level and every budget. You can also discuss your individual needs with many leading dealerships and contemporary makers.

This is a rare exhibition in that you will be able to speak directly with people that you would most definitely not have gathered in the same room at any other time. The Amati Exhibition has been put together for exactly this reason: to bring a highly sociable and enjoyable event to the industry where everybody with a similar interest can meet and share their knowledge and experiences.

"Last night @RobyLakatos was mind blowingly amazing. His music filled me with energy and love for life! #violinhero"

Tamsin Waley-Cohen, violinist

"The Amati Exhibition was a fantastic occasion full of classy people and a huge amount of seriously stunning instruments."

Michael Petrov, Cellist

"London sale week is such a sociable week and rather than people meeting behind closed doors I wanted to give people an opportunity to showcase their instruments and bows in a beautiful setting. I am delighted with the success and interest and would like to thank all exhibitors who have made this possible."

Sarah Buchanan, Amati Director

For Students

We invite and encourage schools to join us at the exhibition. This is an exclusive possibility for students both to display their work alongside some of the greatest makers, but also to meet and discuss a similar interest with people from the industry. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere and make the most of speaking to established makers.

"It was a really good opportunity to have the best quality instruments in your hands and to have the time to get a closer look as well as to really examine the instruments. It was an exceptional experience to listen to the Strad Archinto cello. Even as a student I felt really welcome to look at the instruments."

Kira Hasche, Newark School Student

"I really enjoyed handling some of the most famous instruments like the Archinto cello. We were treated like everybody else which is not always the case when you are a student. It was a great experience to meet so many nice people in one place. Thanks to Amati!"

Robert Stepp, Newark School Student

How to get to The Exhibition at The Langham Hotel

Being situated in the heart of London it could not be easier to reach The Langham Hotel.

HeathrowExpress train is 15 minutes to Paddingtonand then 5 stops via Bakerloo Line to Oxford Circus

GatwickExpress train will take 15 minutes to Victoriaand then 2 stops via Victoria Line to Oxford Circus

StansteadExpress train will take 45 minutes to Liverpool Streetand then 10 minutes via Central Line to Oxford Circus

Confirmed October Exhibitors

More exhibitors to be added in the coming weeks.

Register Your Interest

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We would like to keep you informed about The Amati Exhibition and other events by adding your details to our emailer list. By submitting this form you are indicating your consent to receive communication from us by email unless you have indicated an objection to receiving such communication by ticking the box.

Information for Exhibitors

The Langham’s Grand Ballroom provides an elegant and highly convenient central London space to display your instruments, bows and string accessories. Our event attracts musicians, investors, collectors and those with an appreciation for classcal music from around the world. The Amati Exhibition is organised by people that have years of experience in the stringed industry and who understand beautiful instruments and bows need to be shown off.

We are pleased to have built up a regular list of exhibitors who come from the UK, US, Europe and Japan. We hope they remain and new exhibitors become part of the exhibition as it continues to grow from strength to strength.

The Langham is one of London’s most beautiful and exclusive hotels and as we discovered last March continuously offer exceptional client care to our exhibitors, visitors and us. We arrange accommodation deals for our exhibitors meaning you can congenially be on site and have access to all the hotel facilities. You may wish to meet your own client’s in their infamous cocktail bar or eat in the superb Roux at the Landau restaurant.

"There are not many arenas in which prominent dealers and stringed instrument specialists can come together in one place in the same way that, say, instrument makers might. You might think that due to "competition" they may be a bit nervous, or not get along. But I found the experience quite the opposite, and apart from making new acquaintances and meeting old friends, I enjoyed seeing how other people worked and what they had to offer. Everyone in this business loves violins, and the opportunity to see a few more - and some extremely fine ones - is never a hardship!"

Register Your Interest

Please complete the boxes to register your interest in attending the exhibition.

Name

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How would you describe yourself - please tick one box.

Musician

Trade

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We would like to keep you informed about The Amati Exhibition and other events by adding your details to our emailer list. By submitting this form you are indicating your consent to receive communication from us by email unless you have indicated an objection to receiving such communication by ticking the box.


Mary Welsh, Hemingway's fourth wife.

Hemingway during World War II.

Ernest Hemingway Biography> World War II In the spring of 1944 Hemingway finally decided to go to Europe to report the war, heading first to London where he wrote articles about the RAF and about the war's effects on England. While there he was injured in a car crash, suffering a serious concussion and a gash to his head which required over 50 stitches. Martha visited him in the hospital and minimized his injuries, castigating him for being involved in a drunken auto wreck. Hemingway really was seriously hurt and Martha's cavalier reaction triggered the beginning of the end of their marriage. While in London Hemingway met Mary Welsh, the antithesis of Martha. Mary was caring, adoring, and complimentary while Martha couldn't care less, had lost any admiration for her man and was often insulting to him. For Hemingway it was an easy choice between the two and like in other wars, Hemingway fell in love with a new woman. Hemingway and Mary openly conducted their courtship in London and then in France after the allied invasion at Normandy and the subsequent liberation of Paris. For all intents and purposes Hemingway's third marriage was over and his fourth and final marriage to Mary had begun. Hemingway wrote, "Funny how it should take one war to start a woman in your damn heart and another to finish her. Bad luck." ~~~ In late August of 1944 Hemingway and his band of irregular soldiers entered Paris. Hemingway was always fond of saying he was the first to enter Paris en route to its liberation, but the story is a stretch. He did liberate his favorite bar and hotel though. He set up camp in The Ritz Hotel and spent the next week or so drinking, carousing and celebrating his return to the city that meant so much to him as a young man. Next, Hemingway traveled to the north of France to join his friend General Buck Lanham as the allied forces (the 22nd Infantry Regiment in particular) pushed toward Germany. Hemingway spent a month with Lanham, long enough to watch American forces cross over into Germany. The fighting was some of the bloodiest of the war and was obliquely recorded by Hemingway in Across the River and into the Trees. Hemingway returned to America in March of 1946 with plans to write a great novel of the war, but it never materialized. The only book length work he would produce about the war was Across the River and Into the Trees. It tells the bitter-sweet story of Richard Cantwell, a former brigadier general who has been demoted to colonel after a disastrous battle which had been blamed on him. The aging Cantwell, with his heart problem that threatened to kill him at any moment, falls in love with the young Italian countess Renata. They carry out a love affair and through their conversations and monologues we learn the source of Cantwell's bitterness...an inept military that fails to appreciate his talents and in fact sends him orders that are impossible to fulfill, in effect guaranteeing his failure and disgrace, an ex-wife (based on Martha Gellhorn) that uses her relationship with Cantwell to gain access to the military brass for information important to her journalism career and a general distaste for the modern world. Banking on Hemingway's reputation, Scribners ran an initial printing of 75,000 copies of Across the River and Into the Trees in September of 1950 after it had already appeared in Cosmopolitan magazine in the February-June issues of the same year. Generally slammed by the critics as sentimental, boorish and a thin disguise of Hemingway's own relationship with a young Italian woman named Adriana Ivancich, the novel actually contains some of Hemingway's finest writing, especially in the opening chapters. The critics were expecting something on the scale of For Whom The Bell Tolls and were disappointed by the short novel and its narrow scope. Next> The Last Days


Violinists can't tell new violins from old, study shows

In this photo taken in 2008 and released by Nippon Music Foundation, "Lady Blunt," a 1721 Stradivarius violin, is shown in Tokyo. The Japanese music foundation has sold a renowned Stradivarius violin for US$16 million at a London auction to raise money for tsunami disaster relief.(Photo: S. Yokoyama, Nippon Music Foundation via AP)

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this story contained a photo of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concertmaster Margaret Batjer from LACO's recent "Strad Fest LA" event. The photo was replaced to be clear that neither Batjer, LACO nor Strad Fest LA were associated with this report.

Old Italian violins are deemed the king of all violins. A Stradivarius can rake in millions at auction, and players have long noted the superior tonal qualities of violins from the 1700s compared to newer violins.

Many researchers have tried to explain the supposed superiority of the old Italian violins, testing everything from the old wood to the ingredients in the varnish used on the violins. A new study published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, by acoustic scientist Claudia Fritz and violin maker and researcher Joseph Curtin, shows that there really may not be a distinguishable difference in old vs. new violins.

"When you see a fantastic violinist confused and unable to tell the difference between a Strad and a newer instrument, it really makes an impression," Curtin said.

The researchers asked 10 world-renowned soloists to choose a violin to hypothetically replace their own from a batch of six new and six old Italian violins, five of which were Stradivarius models. In the blind study, the violinist wore dark goggles and tested the instruments in 75-minute sessions, one in a rehearsal room and a 300-seat concert hall outside of Paris. Six of the 10 soloists chose new violins as their preference, and when comparing playing qualities of their favorite new violin and favorite old violin, they rated the new violin higher on average.

Most of the violinists in the study went in with the notion that old is better than new, according to Giora Schmidt, a solo violinist who played old Italian instruments like Stradivarius for most of his career.

"I was expecting my first choice to be old," Schmidt said. "It's almost inherent for professional violinists to believe they need an old Italian to be successful."

Schmidt, who has played violin since he was 4 years old and currently plays an instrument made in 2000, said he was surprised when his top three choices were all new instruments.

"At the end of the day, many of us would sit around and try to figure out whether an instrument we played was old or new," said Schmidt. "What felt new to me may have felt old to someone else. The choice was really about personal connection with an instrument."

While the researchers found similar results in a study two years ago, they faced criticism that having the violinists practice in a hotel room, with a shorter trial time, could have affected the results. The current study is the first in a set of three papers that will examine each instrument's projection in the hall, and the listeners' preference in instruments.

"It's an exciting time to be a violin maker," Curtin said. "You used to hear that violins could never reach the level of an old Italian, but this second study confirms it's really about violin quality."

Antonio Stradivarius made violins from the late 1600s to early 1700s. The violins are so valuable that when a $5 million Stradivarius went missing from the Milwaukee Orchestra in January 2014, the orchestra put up a $100,000 reward for its return.

While the study confirms that research into modern violins continues to create products on the same level as some of the old, David Bonsey, a violin maker, and instrument appraisal expert not associated with the study, says for a violinist the Stradivarius is almost a religious experience.

"Every artist seeks to communicate the love of the instrument to the audience," Bonsey said. "New instruments might be able to do it, but watching an artist play a 1700 violin that has a piece of the previous players' souls, can't be measured or quantified."


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Like many members of the global super rich, Monaco-based financier Evgeny Denisenko faces an investing challenge.

Four years ago, he came into a multimillion-dollar windfall when he sold an equity stake to a large Russian pharmaceutical firm. But in an era when central banks are keeping economies on life support with cheap-money policies and negative-yielding bonds, the traditional assets that used to preserve family fortunes are scarcer and less effective. That means the real value of many a nest egg is dwindling, leaving Denisenko to face the challenge of ensuring that future generations of his family are as rich as he is.

The solution, says the 29-year-old Russian, lies in a risky market for lending money to ventures and businesses viewed as too niche or outlandish by banks. “If you get the right deal, it’s one of the best asset classes at the moment,” Denisenko says.

Denisenko Source: Apolis

Direct loans to far-flung oil exploration projects, luxury real estate projects, private equity-backed businesses, and cash-intensive tech startups can pay yields more than twice as big as the junk-bond market. That’s lured the likes of the Denisenko family and other members of the global elite such as former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt Jr. Stockholm-based Proventus Capital, which spun off from the family office of Swedish financier Robert Weil, is investing on behalf of wealthy clients, as well as institutional investors, in the market. More commonly, family offices are investing in the private credit market through funds. The Pritzker family, which owns the Hyatt hotel chain, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust have also put money into funds that invest in private distressed debt, tax filings show. Spokesmen for McCourt and the Gates Foundation Trust declined to comment. Requests for comment from the Pritzker family weren’t immediately returned.

Private credit has boomed globally as banks, under pressure from regulators since the global financial crisis to reduce risk, have pulled back from lending to smaller, potentially more vulnerable companies. The private credit market has expanded to $787.4 billion, from just $42.4 billion in 2000, according to London-based research firm Preqin.

Family offices—mini-investment firms set up by the super rich to manage their personal wealth—have poured more and more cash into direct lending, Preqin says.

Surging Interest Family offices are increasingly investing in private debt Source: Preqin

Denisenko’s family office, known as Apolis, aims to deploy about $50 million per year around the world to companies from sectors such as outsourcing, oil, and real estate. As of October, 393 family offices were active in private debt, up from 129 in 2015, according to Preqin. This year, Axial Networks Inc., which operates an online forum to bring together lenders and borrowers, estimates that family offices on its platform will sign as many as 275 private credit deals in 2019, roughly a 15% annual increase.

The trend is likely to continue, according to findings from the Alternative Credit Council, which represents private credit asset managers globally. Its survey of firms managing $400 billion in private credit assets reported that half expect family offices to keep adding more money to private debt strategies over the next three years.

Tight Competition

There isn’t one playbook for investing in this market. “We like investing in places that are niche-y and capital short,” says Alan Snyder, founder and managing partner of Shinnecock Partners, a Los Angeles-based multifamily office. Shinnecock provides loans of $5 million to $25 million and focuses on such strategies as short-term bridge real estate lending, distressed municipal bonds, and lending against art assets. The art lending fund it set up about 30 months ago has made deals totaling $17 million and is getting more calls from people willing to lock up their artwork in storage as collateral for debt, Snyder says.

In addition to the tempting yields, the entrepreneurial flavor of lending directly to ventures in search of the rewards that come with bigger risks can also add to the appeal for families that became rich running their own businesses. “Appetite is strongest in asset-backed transactions or areas that are close to the family’s existing investments or operations,” says Robert Crowter-Jones, head of private capital at Saranac Partners, a London-based advisory firm for rich individuals and families.

But as the strategy’s popularity with billionaires has grown, competition for private loan deals has ignited. Family offices can move more quickly to sign new business than can bigger institutional peers such as pension funds, says Mark Sotir, president of Equity Group Investments, which manages Chicago billionaire Sam Zell’s money. EGI has loaned money to moving company Sirva Worldwide, oil and natural gas company Penn Virginia, and energy company Par Pacific Holdings, according to its website. “Debt is a tool in the toolbox, and we’re going to use it more in the future for sure,” Sotir says.

As the race to bag deals before rivals can get them intensifies, investors are also swallowing bigger risks when deploying their money, according to Snyder.

So-called middle-market lending, which involves loans of $50 million or larger, is overcrowded. More competition has also started eroding the yields that made direct lending appealing in the first place.

Michael Dean, of family office Bluelaurel, has felt the crush of competition firsthand. Avamore Capital, a property-focused lending company that Bluelaurel backs, initially produced double-digit returns four years ago. Surging interest in private credit has since halved those returns, Dean says. Still, he expects to maintain as much as 80% of his family’s assets in private real estate credit for now. “If the right opportunities arise, we’ll probably do some deployment back into direct real estate,” he says.

Dean Source: Avamore Capital

There are also liquidity risks. The underlying loans in private debt aren’t widely traded, which means they’re likely to be hard to sell in a crisis when markets turn volatile. In short, investors could find themselves looking on helplessly as their assets become worthless during a crash. Moreover, when investing in a closed-end fund with an asset manager, the capital is locked in with virtually no opportunity to withdraw until the asset matures.

This story appears in the Family Offices special report from Bloomberg Markets. Cover art: Rebecca Mock for Bloomberg Markets

“There’s a real reason the returns are as high as they are,” says Christian Armbruester, the founder of London-based Blu Family Office, who manages an open-end fund that contains more than 3,000 private loans worldwide. “If a borrower defaults, walks away, and the markets freeze up, you’re holding an asset you can’t move.”

But any concerns about deteriorating credit quality, tougher competition, or an impending downturn are failing to dent the popularity of private debt among investors in search of the yields it can pay. Debt will remain a big part of family office portfolios as they expand their footprint in private markets for the foreseeable future, according to Axial Chief Executive Officer Peter Lehrman.

“It’s really the next leg of progress by family offices in terms of their sophistication as direct investors in private markets,” Lehrman says. “I’m not surprised they started off investing in equity. And the fact that they’re increasingly putting capital to work and looking for opportunities in credit is a function of their sophistication.”

Butler is a private credit reporter at Bloomberg News in New York. Stupples is a wealth reporter and Aragao is a private credit reporter at Bloomberg News in London.

( Updates with chart after the 6th paragraph. )


Luxury Spa Hotels in London

Spa is a place that helps you indulge in some much-needed 'self' time, to switch off and relax, recharge, reflect, detox and beautify. Modern day spas cater to a range of health-promoting experiences. The healing powers of touch therapy have been expounded on since ancient times. Spas and touch therapies are thus intrinsically connected.

The nurturing touch of a skilled therapist's hands on one's body has benefits that go beyond the realm of the physical. Let’s now take a look at London’s top luxury Spa Hotels.

1. Akasha Spa

This magnificent Spa is an unexpected oasis of pampering that lets you leave the madness of the city behind. An attractive centrepiece is a gorgeously lit 18-metre pool flanked by a sauna, hammam and Jacuzzi. It’s also home to the capital’s only dedicated Watsu pool, where one can opt for a 50-minute session ($182) that encompasses hydrotherapy, meditation and Shiatsu massage. A day in Akasha’s serene surroundings is enough to revive even the most stress-frazzled, world-weary of Londoners.

2. Aman Spa

Located below the Connaught Hotel, The spa features what must be London’s nicest swimming pool, black tiled and complete with waterfall. A half-hour treatment costs around $106.

3. The Berkeley Spa

Nestled on top of the five star Knightsbridge hotel, it has the best rooftop pool in London. It offers Bamford Body Signature Treatment ($228), which is 85 minutes of rubbing bliss, including some hot stone action, a bit of reflexology and a smattering of other different techniques which couldn’t be differentiated but will make one feel very nice.

4. Chuan Spa

Known for a perfect post-work pampering, tucked discreetly next to the grand Langham Hotel, Chuan Spa is considered as an urban oasis. The philosophy of the spa is based on traditional Chinese medicine and the whole experience, from the décor and ambience to the treatments themselves, is meant to rebalance and recharge you. A treatment at Chuan Spa is an indulgent treat (the Nurturing Ritual costs a heft $198 off peak and $237 peak) but the delight of being able to bliss out in a central London location is such a well-needed novelty that it's most definitely worth the occasional splurge.

5. The Dorchester Spa

6. ESPA Life at Corinthia

7. MayFair Spa

8. The Spa at Brown's Hotel

9. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental

10. Ushvani

After a hard day’s work, after a real hectic day – everyone deserves a break without disruption. That’s when one should visit a Spa to rejuvenate one’s inner senses; this actually makes you feel energetic & keeps the tempo on.


Hilton London Bankside introduces new healthy meetings concept

This month sees the launch of a brand new wellness meetings concept at vibrant design hotel Hilton London Bankside. Gone are the plates of pastries and mundane activities, Hilton London Bankside are shaking things up with healthier menu options, outdoor exercise classes and a meeting schedule aimed at reducing stress and increasing general wellbeing. .

On average, full-time workers spend more than one-third of their day, five days per week in the workplace. Studies have shown that a healthy working environment increases work productivity, reduces work absenteeism, lowers health care costs and increases the likelihood of employees taking up new challenges. With this in mind Hilton London Bankside have created a wellness package designed for meetings which prioritises mental and physical wellbeing.
One of the key ways to stay healthy is of course eating a balanced and nutritious diet. Too often during meetings and conferences this is overlooked in exchange for heavy carbohydrates, rich dishes and calorific desserts. Combined with the fact that groups remain seated for the majority of the day, employees can often feel fatigued and unmotivated. At Hilton London Bankside Chef Paul Bates has created a brain boosting lunch and healthy snack menu aimed at increasing energy, maintaining healthy weight and improving the immune system. To kick the day off with a refreshing start, snacks on arrival include granola bars, lemon and kiwi spritzers and to keep attention levels high the mid-morning break consists of raw vegetables with mint yogurt and apple, banana and soy shakes. Cucumber water, packed with vitamins and minerals to keep blood pressure down, is available throughout the day.
The brain boosting lunch menu, which can be personalised depending on the groups’ taste, is a light and flavoursome affair with options such as steamed white fish with olive oil and lemon dressing or mackerel ceviche with green beans, almonds and chilli. Both rich in Omega 3, fish is the perfect choice to improve memory and increase brain cells. Those with a sweet tooth won’t miss out when opting for the wellness menu which includes a dark chocolate torte, known for its anti-oxidant properties and soy milk raspberry mouse.
When booking the wellness package employees will have full use of the state of the art gym and swimming pool, perfect for those wanting to start or finish their day with a workout. Regular exercise helps the brain to improve thinking skills, battle stress as well as keeping energy levels high throughout the day. For companies looking for group activities, to improve camaraderie within the team, the wellness package offers personalised training sessions with StreetGym®, which focuses on empowering people through outdoor fitness. Speaking about the class Founder of StreetGym® John Allison says “It's not about who is the fastest or the fittest, it's about interacting with your urban environment like you've never done before. It's a fantastic way to get an invigorating whole body workout in a one hour session, a chance to share the experience with colleagues, have lots of fun and visit new places off the beaten track. You'll also come away with new training tips to use anywhere and anytime.” During the unique training hour guests will climb, crawl, run and push around the buzzing Bankside area, making for an exhilarating alfresco experience that will challenge the group.
The facilities at Hilton London Bankside are second to none with 11 flexible meeting spaces, a ballroom that caters to 700 guests, state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and a dedicated team to assist with planning, delivery, ensuring a smooth and successful event.


FOLLOW YEASIR SIR

Thursday, 16 May 2013

20. Quiz on Articles

BBC | British Council

ARTICLES
For each of the six questions choose the one correct answer
1. All the sentences below use ‘the’, which one is correct?
a. Can you pass the sugar please?
b. The crime is a problem in many big cities.
c. The apples are good for you.
d. I love the skiing.
2. Which of the following does not need 'the'?
a. He's sailing up the Nile for his holidays.
b. My favourite Sea is the Mediterranean.
c. Have you ever been to the Bahamas?
d. I'd love to visit the America.
3. He’s ________ man who lives next door.
a. a
b. the
c. –
d. an
4. “I’ve been looking for ________ work for a long time”
a. the
b. –
c. a
d. an
5. Here are some Famous London Places. Which one does NOT use
‘the’
a. The Bank of England
b. The British Museum
c. The Ritz (Hotel)
d. The London Zoo
6. Which of the following sentences is incorrect because it needs the
article ‘the’ before the place?
a. He’s gone to bed.
b. I’m still at school.
c. He’s in prison.
d. Stop jumping on bed!
BBC | British Council
www.teachingenglish.org.uk
ARTICLES answers
1.
a. Correct. Here the sugar is something in particular, i.e. the sugar on
the table.
b. Wrong. This means crime in general.
c. Wrong. This means apples in general.
d. Wrong. This means skiing in general.
2.
a. Wrong. We need 'the' with names of rivers and canals.
b. Wrong. We need 'the' with names of seas and oceans.
c. Wrong. We need 'the' with plural countries.
d. Correct. With continents we do not use 'the'.
3.
a. Wrong.
b. Correct. ‘He’s the man who lives next door’ is correct. We know which
man because of the extra information.
c. Wrong.
d. Wrong.
4.
a. Wrong. ‘The work’ is not correct (unless it is understood which work it
is exactly by the speaker and listener.
b. Correct. ‘Work’ is uncountable and we do not know which work
exactly.
c. Wrong. ‘A work’ is not correct. ‘Work’ is uncountable.
d. Wrong. ‘An work’ is not correct. ‘Work’ begins with ‘w’, not a vowel
5.
a. Wrong. Places with of usually take ‘the’.
b. Wrong. Museums and galleries usually take ‘the’.
c. Wrong. Hotels & pubs usually take ‘the’.
d. Correct. If the first word is a place it usually does not take ‘the’.
6.
a. Wrong. No article is necessary with bed when we mean to sleep.
b. Wrong. No article is necessary with school when we mean to study.
c. Wrong. No article is necessary with prison when we mean for
punishment.
d. Correct. We need “the” because jumping is not the main purpose of
beds.


There are signs of green shoots in Canterbury's quake-hit tourism industry with smaller operators starting new businesses in and around Christchurch.

However, the sector's leaders say it is still a struggle for tourism businesses wanting to resettle in the central city, with frustration about the lack of progress on the convention centre precinct to be located northwest of Cathedral Square.

The smaller businesses setting up outside the city centre are also taking risks, given uncertainty around visitor numbers in the aftermath of the quakes.

Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism chief executive Tim Hunter said tour operators often had to adapt their products to suit the post-earthquake environment. However, many visitors did want to see what was happening in the central city rebuild.

There were challenges, particularly given the amount of demolition or repair needed. These properties included the BNZ and Post Office buildings at the south end of the square and the Government Life and Camelot buildings to the north.

"In terms of setting up new tourism businesses the central city is still really difficult."

Demolition had been halted on a couple of sites and there was also a lot of dust in the centre of the city, Hunter said.

"Without those sites clear it's really hard for investors to see there's a normalising environment they can go into. It appears there are years of work to do in there before they can run a normal business."

On the positive side there are attractions.

The reopened Thomas's Hotel on Hereford, offering 44 rooms, added much-welcome accommodation with other such endeavours around the city, Hunter said.

Another innovative accommodation provider is SiloStay at Little River on the road to Akaroa. There are nine accommodation units, including one made out of grain silo materials.

The accommodation has an "eco-friendly" slant, said marketing manager Chrissy Wright-Stow, who is working with her father-in-law, the property's owner Stuart Wright-Stow.

While the quakes had impacted the Christchurch tourism sector, Little River was sufficiently far away to market the silo accommodation to both international and domestic visitors, with bookings open for a March 1 launch.

Hassle-free Tours owner Mark Gilbert said the company had recently brought another open-top double-decker bus over from London to add to an existing fleet of three Routemaster double-deckers. The latest bus, built in 1988, was fitted with an all-weather television so passengers could see a vision of how Christchurch's city centre would one day look.

Total investment in the four double-decker buses had been about $600,000, Gilbert said.

Nicole Wiedemann has started a new "eco walks" business, using the Christchurch gondola as a start point then guiding walkers over Banks Peninsula and down to Lyttelton.

She said she provided German and English translations during the Bridle Path-based venture, which had been running about a month and was designed to bring tourists back into Christchurch.

"People from overseas basically just arrive in Christchurch and then drive off to other places. They really miss the beauty of this area."

Maja Moritz, originally from Germany, is the owner of the recently opened Sumner-based Aoturoa Photo Art Gallery.

Separately she planned to host tourists on half-day customised "photo tours" to learn the art of photography.

The Tourism Industry Association's Canterbury hotels sector chairman and general manager of The George hotel, Bruce Garrett, said it was exciting from a hotelier's perspective to see new tourism products being offered

"It helps bring people into the region so that's fantastic. Our members are certainly pretty happy with business levels over December and January."

Room occupancy was about 80 per cent to 90 per cent, similar to levels over the 2012-13 summer.


Hazel Soan

Hazel Soan is a British artist working out of studios in London and Cape Town and on location throughout the world.

She paints in watercolour and oil and is known particularly for her direct wet-into-wet watercolour approach and her use of rich pigment and strong contrasts of light and shade. Shape, interval and tone are her predominant subject matter. Figures, African wildlife and action are the main source of reference.

Her work is represented in private and public collections worldwide, including the National Portrait Gallery, the Lister Institute, the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the Ritz, other London and International Hotels, the British Embassy in Ankara and the EU Delegation in Windhoek.
Hazel has held numerous solo exhibitions, mainly in London and the UK, but also in Venezuela, Namibia and Zimbabwe. She has participated in mixed exhibitions, including Royal Academy, Barbican Centre, Midland Open, Mall Galleries, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

Hazel is a natural and talented communicator. She became popular for her television role as an Art Expert on Channel 4’s Watercolour Challenge and her own series, Anglia TV’s Splash of Colour.

Her passion for painting is shared through books, DVD film, workshops, lectures and painting holidays, demonstrating the vibrant immediacy of the watercolour medium and the properties of watercolour pigments. She is the author of more than 15 books and contributes articles regularly to The Artist magazine and other art titles.

External links
 Official website
 AllSoanUp - A Collection of Hazel Soan's Art

References

Category:Living people
Category:British painters
Category:British watercolourists
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)