Economic Sense

FOR the fans, golf tournaments obviously make economic sense. The pleasure of watching Lee Westwood float a 90-yard pitch to two inches must be worth whatever we paid to watch it happen, or we wouldn’t keep paying it. This holds true whether we are buying tickets to watch Mr Westwood in the flesh or simply slouching in front of the television.

But what about the towns that host golf tournaments, and the companies that sponsor them? A town will include many people who, for some bizarre reason, are not golf fans. And a corporation, not being human, cannot appreciate the artistry of Rory McIlroy’s backswing.

Corporate sponsors are convinced they get a good deal. Consider Travelers, an insurance company. It sponsors an annual tournament called, cryptically, theĀ Travelers Championship, which starts on June 21st.

āIt’s great for our business,ā says Andy Bessette, the chap at Travelers who, among other things, oversees its sports sponsorship. He cites three benefits. First, āglobal brand exposureā. The tournament is one reason, he says, why the Travelers’ red umbrella is āone of the most recognised icons in the worldā.

Second, says Mr Bessette, the tournament is good for the community. Since 2007 it has had an estimated āeconomic impactā of $135m on the state of Connecticut, where it is held. Third, the tournament raises lots of money for charity.

This last point is clearly true. The Travelers Championship donated $1m to assorted good causes last year. (A large beneficiary is the Hole in the Wall Gang Club, which takes severely disabled children to summer camps.) All PGA tournaments are organised as charities. Between them they haveĀ given more than $1 billion to charity in the past decade and a half.

Mr Bessette’s other two points are hard to prove either way. Do golf tournaments benefit the community? They attract an influx of visitors, who no doubt spend money on hotel rooms, baggy shorts and copies of theĀ Wall Street Journal.

Does that really add up to $135m of economic impact, though? Such estimates are notoriously unreliable. Andrew Zimbalist of Smith College did a survey of the economic literature on big sporting events such as the Olympics. He found thatĀ benefits were hard to pin down.

The new roads and stadiums that cities build before hosting the Olympics can be used long after the athletes have gone home exhausted. However, they must be paid for; plenty of Olympic cities go deep into debt to finance them. A big sporting event may attract lots of free-spending visitors. But some might have come anyway, and some will simply reschedule a planned visit so that it coincides with the Olympics.

Yet a golf tournament is different. It typically requires little new constructionāthe golf course is already there, and no golf tournament attracts Olympic-sized crowds, so it probably does not require new hotels. Also, while some people will no doubt reschedule visits to London to coincide with the Olympics, this seems less likely for Cromwell, Connecticut. It’s a nice place, (named after the Englishman who had King Charles I’s head cut off), but not a must-see destination.

As for the benefits to advertisers, Mr Bessette is probably right. People who buy insurance are quite likely to be middle-aged men. Golf is āthe game that best connects with our audience,ā says Mr Bessette. A big red umbrella floating in a lake by the course (see picture above) gets plenty of exposure on television.Ā Before the tournament, theĀ pros compete to see who can land one closest to the flag onĀ the umbrella.Ā And if you bringĀ your children, they can compete to chip onto a replica of it.

As any golfer knows, life is full of hazards. Pity you can’t insure against an approach shot that hooks into the water.


Priory Bay Hotel, Isle of Wight

Located on the Isle of Wight between the popular east coast villages of Seaview and Bembridge and set within the idyllic and peaceful woodland, Priory Bay is surrounded by spectacular sea views.

Within the 70-acre estate there stands a medley of beautifully restoredbuildings, and leisure facilities that include a six-hole golf course, tennis courts, croquet, private beach, outdoor swimming pool, woodlands and landscaped gardens, giving the hotel an aspirational "beach and country club" quality.

Local Produce

“Food is one of the main reasons to visit Priory Bay” Daily Express

This country retreat that was builtoriginally by medieval monks, Tudor farmers and Georgian gentry, remaining a picture of modern English elegance. Priory Bay also provide an incredible culinary experience. The chefs in the Priory Bay restaurant use the finest seasonal ingredients, whether foraged, farmed or fished they are passionate about local produce.

Ideal Venue for any Occasion

The hotel’s enviable location ” nestled atop a small valley overlooking the sea ” and beautiful scenery makes it ideal for weddings, corporate events, film and advertising shoots, product launches, and VIP hospitality.

As well as the unbridled comfort of the seven principal rooms, nine classicrooms and two family rooms within the main house, Priory Bay Hotel also offers two Tithe Barns (sleeping four adults and two children). Priory Bay also features self-catering houses and cottages that provide further accommodation, housing almost 100 in total.

“You don’t have to get on a plane to find a slice of paradise” London Evening Standard

Conference Facilities

The hotel has accommodation for up to 50 guests and a range of seminar rooms with capacity of 50 - 100 delegates. With various breakout rooms the Priory Bay Hotel can provide a different approach for your corporate event.

Exclusive Use Wedding Venue

Priory Bay hold a licence to hold civil weddings. We also offer exclusive use of the hotel. You and your wedding party can take the whole hotel as your own and we will tailor make a package to suit your requirements.

Select either a civil ceremony with champagne and canapes on the lawn, a spectacular wedding breakfast produced by our award winning kitchen team or just a small private dinner in the unique Regency Island Room.

There are currently no offers for this hotel

Sat Nav postcode: PO33 1YA

FROM EAST COWES CAR FERRY

1) On leaving the ferry terminal follow the signs to Ryde, through Wootton and over the traffic lights at the Fishbourne Car Ferry turning. Then go to 4a

FROM YARMOUTH CAR FERRY

2) Take a left out of the ferry terminal and follow the signs to Newport. At the first main roundabout in Newport take the 3rd exit (A3020 - signposted Ryde). Take the left-hand sliproad off the dual carriageway (signposted Ryde). At the next roundabout take the right-hand exit (signposted Ryde). Stay on this road through Wootton and over the traffic lights at the Fishbourne Car Ferry turning. Then go to 4a.

3) Turn left onto the esplanade, keep left when opposite the Castle Hotel. Follow the road along the seafront and up the hill. At the mini-roundabout, take the first left (signposted Puckpool, Pondwell and Seaview) (B3330). Then go to 4b.

FROM FISHBOURNE CAR FERRY

4) On leaving the ferry terminal turn right. At the first set of traffic lights, take a left (signposted Ryde) (A3054). Then go to 4a

4a) Follow this road for about 2 miles through Binstead. At the top of the hill, going into Ryde, there is a set of traffic lights with a left-hand filter, take the right-hand lane. Take the first left after the lights (signposted 'all through traffic') (B3330 - Argyll Street). Follow this road for just over a mile until you reach a T-junction. Turn right at the T-junction onto the A3055. At the next mini-roundabout take the first left (signposted Puckpool, Pondwell and Seaview) (B3330). Then go to 4b

4b) Stay on this road for 2.6 miles (through Nettlestone), ignore the signposts to Seaview. After Nettlestone, as you come down a hill, the sea will come into view. The road takes a sharp turn to the right. At this point, take a left into the entrance for the Priory Bay Hotel. At this turning there are also two Park Resorts Caravan Park signs. Go down the drive and take the left-hand fork signposted the Priory Bay Hotel.

Outstanding stay in every respect, very attentive and friendly staff, thank you all -


Pentawards

The Pentawards are annual packaging awards, presented every year since 2007. Participants include designers, design agencies, communication agencies, brands, packaging manufacturers and design students.

History

The Pentawards were created by Jean Jacques Evrard and Brigitte Evrard-Lauwereins, both with degrees in design. They created and directed a design agency which joined Carré Noir from 1994 to 1998 and subsequently the Desgrippes Gobé group. At the end of 2006, they left their agency in order to run Pentawards full-time.

The purpose of Pentawards is to promote packaging design art globally. The head office of Pentawards is in Brussels, Belgium.

Registration and voting
Candidates must register on the awards' website and present their creations in detail from the last twelve months by providing standardized visuals. These creations are grouped into categories and presented to the twelve members of the Jury and its President. The jury's vote takes place without the identity of the participants being revealed. The packaging designs are judged in three ways: creativity/innovation – impact/branding/communication – quality of execution. In each category, the five packaging designs receiving the highest scores are "nominated". Participants are then asked to provide a physical sample of their nominated packaging (except for concepts). Upon seeing the packaging, the President of the Jury validates and confirms the nomination and prize level obtained: bronze, silver, gold, platinum or diamond.

Jury
The Jury is composed of thirteen personalities from the world of packaging design including designers or design agency directors and packaging design officials from large commercial brands. The president of the jury is Gérard Caron, founder of the Carré Noir agency and publisher of the Admirable Design. The judging process is supposed to take into account international sensitivities, cultures and markets. Their mandate runs for a maximum of four consecutive years and approximately one third of the jury is renewed every year. To become a member of the jury, candidates must have previously won a Gold, Platinum or Diamond Pentaward.

Awards
Five levels of awards are given: diamond, platinum, gold, silver, bronze. The diamond award is given to the packaging design which, across all categories, received the highest number of points.  The platinum award goes in each of five major categories, to the packaging designs which received the most points in the given category. The gold, silver and bronze awards are given to the best packaging design in each sub-category. The trophies are representations of the Pentawards logo, a circle with a hollow pentagon in the center. They are manufactured with a zinc alloy and after being polished are plated. The "diamond" is a Swarovski crystal. The trophy was designed and engraved by Belgo-American artist Christian Heckscher.

Awards ceremony
Since 2008, the Pentawards have been awarded in a different city each year during a formal ceremony:
 2007 and 2008: (Monaco)
 2009: (Brussels)
 2010: (Shanghai)
 2011: (New York)
 2012: (Paris)
 2013: (Barcelona)
 2014: (Tokyo)
 2015: (London)
 2016: (Shanghai)
 2017: (Barcelona)
 2018: (New York)
 2019: (London)

Diamond Pentaward winners
 2007: Swinckels beer – Design Bridge agency (Netherlands) – Grimaldi Forum (Monaco)
 2008: Piper-Heidsieck Upside Down – BETC design agency / Viktor & Rolf (France/Netherlands) – Grimaldi Forum (Monaco)
 2009: Kleenex slice of summer – Kimberly-Clark|Kimberley-Clark]]) (USA) – Flagey (Brussels)
 2010: Hoyu3210 – ADK agency (company) (Japan) – Shanghai – Expo 2010
 2011: Ramlösa – Nine agency (Sweden)–New York Marriott Marquis (Times Square)
 2012: Coca-Cola Diet Coke – Turner Duckworth agency (USA)- Paris continental Le Grand (Opéra Garnier)
 2013: Absolut Vodka Absolut Unique – Family Business agency (Sweden) – W Hotel Barcelona
 2014: Evian The Drop – Danone Group and Grand Angle Design (France) – Palace Hotel Tokyo
 2015: Beauty Line Marc Jacobs – design by Established NYC (US) – RIBA,  – London

Special Pentawards
The organizers have also awarded honorary prizes to individuals, organizations or brands.
 2008: Herbert M. Meyer (USA) – Lifetime achievement, in Monaco
 2009: Lars Wallentin (Switzerland) – Lifetime achievement, in Brussels
 2009: Karim Rashid (USA) – Exceptional creativity, in Brussels
 2010: JPDA (Japan Packaging Design Association) (Japan) – 50 years of outstanding action, in Shanghai
 2011: Marry Lewis (UK) – Exceptional creativity, in New York
 2011: The Coca-Cola bottle through the years (USA) – Branding consistency and creativity, in New York
 2012: Yoshio Kato (Japan) – Lifetime achievement, in Paris
 2012: The Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin brand (France) – Branding consistency and creativity, in Paris
 2013: The Absolut Vodka brand (Sweden) – Branding consistency and creativity, in Barcelona
 2014: The Milka brand Mondelez – Branding consistency and creativity, in Tokyo
 2015: The Johnnie Walker brand (Diageo) (UK) – Branding consistency and creativity, in London
 2015: Kevin Shaw, founder of Stranger & Stranger (UK) –	Exceptional creativity, in London

Publications
Every two years, the winning entries appear in a reference book published by Taschen and available in French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese.
 2010: The Package Design Book n°1
 2012: The Package Design Book n°2
 2014: The Package Design Book n°3

Exhibitions
Pentawards winner packages have been exhibited in different countries:
 2008: Monaco, Luxepack Show (Grimaldi Forum))
 2009: Shanghai, Luxepack Show (International fair building)
 2009: Paris, Design Pack Gallery
 2010: Shanghai, Luxepack Show (International fair building)
 2010: Paris, Design Pack Gallery
 2010: Monaco, Luxepack Show (Grimaldi Forum)
 2010: Tokyo, JPDA Congress (Tokyo International Forum)
 2011: Paris, Design Pack Gallery
 2012: Düsseldorf, Drupa
 2012: Paris, International Packaging Show

External links
 Official website

References

Category:Award ceremonies


St Pancras station has been beautifully restored and a former hotel turned into loft apartments, transforming surrounding streets

Crossrail will draw Londoners into a new age - which will underline the benefits of living close to a station. In the past, train station locations have been famously avoided as downmarket and grimy, a haven only for dodgy landlords and their even dodgier tenants.

But all that has changed. New planning priorities have put transport hubs at the heart of impressive residential and office communities, strong with architectural presence and lean, cool lines. Living close to your commuting route is now a priority.

Reborn St Pancras has shown that the development of a major terminus and its majestic former hotel into loft apartments can transform an area, making it a sought-after address. King's Cross is another successful remodelled and relaunched venue with its wide concourse and spruced-up streets, while Dalston Junction has become absorbed into an entirely new town centre with its brand new station on the East London line incorporating 500 flats, a library, shops, cafés and a public square, offering a refreshing, new-start atmosphere for its community.

Now, Westminster council has given the green light to the first "over-site", buildings linked to a new Crossrail station, one of eight under construction in central London. The new Bond Street station is part of a 1.3-acre development project bringing homes and 300,000sq ft of mixed-use space above a ticket hall on Hanover Square, in the heart of the West End.

The new Bond Street station will be part of a major development project with property built over the Davies Street exit

The only way is up, baby

Another above-station scheme involving property company Grosvenor is planned for the western exit on Davies Street, Mayfair.

"Sites above other Crossrail stations are being developed to ensure we take full advantage of the regeneration opportunities," says David Allen, Crossrail's finance director, adding that "collaboration agreements" are in place for projects at Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street.

Meanwhile, improvements to the public areas around the new Tottenham Court Road station will transform the scruffy patch bordering Centre Point, whose new owner is examining change of use from commercial to residential space.

"It's brilliantly located," says Mike Hussey of developer Almacantar, which earlier this year paid £120 million for the listed tower. The neighbourhood has already been given a facelift with a new mixed-use scheme called Central St Giles, which has 56 private apartments. Only penthouses remain for sale, priced from £1.8 million. Call EA Shaw on 020 7240 2255.

Mayor Boris Johnson's London Plan envisages much closer integration of public transport and housing by "encouraging patterns and forms of development that reduce the need to travel, especially by car". This applies particularly to key regeneration zones such as King's Cross and amounts to "not just a transport policy but an economic strategy for London".

The aim is to deliver more train and tram lines and open up parts of the capital hitherto closed to homebuyers. Freight yards at Cricklewood are earmarked for regeneration, while Network Rail has ambitious plans for Victoria, Euston, Waterloo and London Bridge, where the awesome Shard of Glass, rising on the station forecourt, is causing big property ripples.

The East London line extension has brought the Tube to Hackney for the first time and connected dislocated pockets of south London such as Crystal Palace. Soon, a new orbital route will stretch from West Croydon to Stratford and from Highbury to Richmond. New flats at Dalston Square, which has direct access to the station, cost from £350,000. Call Barratt on 020 7241 1833.

Crossrail, the new east-west link due in 2017, is the capital's most important transport improvement for 50 years. It will bring 1.5 million more people within 45 minutes' commuting distance of London's key business districts, giving an estimated £42 billion boost to the economy.

Homebuyers are beginning to focus on areas thrown into the spotlight by the new route, including cheaper outer-London locations such as West Drayton. Flats at the Parkwest scheme cost from £179,950 (call 01895 449009), while at High Point Village, a canalside scheme next to Hayes and Harlington station, prices start at £164,950. Call Ballymore on 0800 092 7070.

Developer Berkeley is contributing £100 million to the Crossrail station project at Woolwich and has announced that another 3,700 new homes are to be built over the next decade at its Royal Arsenal riverside estate, where a new DLR station opened recently, making 5,500 homes in total. Apartments at The Warehouse, the latest phase, cost from £169,950. Call 020 8331 7130.

In general, there is no immediate rush to buy, but those who make bold decisions now can expect to benefit over the longer term.

Farringdon in particular is a potential hot spot. Currently one of London's quieter mainline stations, with the arrival of Crossrail it will be one of Britain's busiest, with a sevenfold increase in commuters and 140 trains an hour passing through it. Significantly, it will be the only London station with integrated north-south and east-west routes; the only one allowing passengers to board Crossrail, Thameslink and Tube trains. It will provide direct links to Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and London City airports, as well to Eurostar services at St Pancras and to Brighton.

Boutique apartment schemes are sprouting up either side of the station. At 25-27 Farringdon Road, conversion flats in a Gothic Victorian corner building where banknotes were once printed, are priced from £379,950. On fast-improving Turnmill Street, 13 apartments above street-level offices cost from £690,000. Call Hurford Salvi Carr on 020 7250 1012.

Compelling for bargain-hunting buyers is the price boost from better transport links and the neighbourhood improvements that follow. Transport for London estimates that the uplift in land values along the Jubilee line extension from Southwark to Canary Wharf was £2.8 billion.

A bright future is envisaged for the scruffy patch around Tottenham Court Road and Centre Point

King's Cross is poised to become Europe's largest transport hub. With six Tube lines, three mainline stations and a Eurostar terminal, a projected 25 million people a year will pass through it, which is more than at Heathrow airport.

Over the past four years, residential values in the area have doubled and experts believe there is more price growth to come.

Nearly 2,000 homes and eight million square feet of commercial space are being created at the 67-acre King's Cross station site, a "total environment" with 20 new streets. Early offplan sales abroad are achieving £1,000 a sq ft, according to insiders.

Coming soon are apartments built within the framework of the historic gas holders, which are listed. To register, visit kingscrosscentral.com. Businesses, mostly creative-sector companies, are emigrating from the West End to the area. As in Shoreditch and Clerkenwell, many employees will end up living locally.

Regeneration at Deptford station, London's oldest, is bringing 121 homes designed by architect Richard Rogers. A new station is being built and derelict arches brought back to life as studio spaces for designers and craftworkers, while a new market square will help regenerate the run-down high street. Cathedral Group, the developer, has converted a train carriage into a groovy café and created an outdoor cinema with a new programme starting on July 17. For more information, visit cathedralgroup.com.


Car hire Girona Airport

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Car Rental Girona Airport

Compare prices from several car hire companies in Girona Airport and find the best price for car rental. Our prices always include unlimited mileage and insurance.

Girona Airport info

Car hire Girona Airport

Girona-Costa Brava Airport (GRO) is located approximately 12 km south of the city of Girona to which it takes approx. 20 minutes to run. The city is located in northeastern Spain and the airport offers several car rental companies. There are bus and taxi to Girona and from here you can take a train to Barcelona. To get to the airport, one can follow the well marked roads N-11, toll road A-7 or C-25.

More and more people use Girona-Costa Brava Airport to travel to Barcelona, and in 2008 it was registered about 5.5 million passengers. Budget airline Ryanair and Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium are some of the companies located here. Ryanair offer flights to cities such as Madrid, London, Oslo, Rome and Brussels.

The airport boasts restaurants, money exchange offices, hotels and a large tax-free.

Carhirespain.net

Carhirespain.net compares car hire prices in Spain from local and international suppliers.


Agoda.com Promo Code & Offers February 2018

Agoda.com claims to provide the customers with the cheapest travel solutions. From the deluxe bungalows to the beautiful rooms in the hotels and luxury resorts, the website provides all the information and the bookings that one might need for their tour.

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With the hotel booking options of more than 40 countries from all across the world, the company happens to be one of the most dependable sources when it comes to booking the international and domestic tours. The company is a part of The Priceline Group which is one of the leaders in the field of online travel and tours from across the world. Apart from their online website, the company also has an online app, which helps in the easier access to the best hotels for the customers. Moreover, time to time it offers great deals on Hotel Room booking at their portal and Cashback discount runs throughout the year, the same can be availed using the Agoda.com Coupons and Promotional codes. Booking options provided by the company is available for all types of Holiday tour, Short Weekend gateway, Long Holiday, 10 Days Holiday, Flight and Hotel booking together and many more.

Book your international hotel or resort and get up to 70% off. The offer...More

Book your international hotel or resort and get up to 70% off. The offer is valid for all International locations such as Srilanka, Maldives, Bali, Japan, Korea, New York, London, Prague, Srilanka, Dubai, Cambodia, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa and many more. No coupon code required. Less

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Book your international hotel or resort and get up to 70% off. The offer is valid for all International locations such as Srilanka, Maldives, Bali, Japan, Korea, New York, London, Prague, Srilanka, Dubai, Cambodia, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa and many more. No coupon code required.

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Agoda.com Promotional Codes & Offers: Best Place To Book A Hotel Online And Search for Cheap Air Fare

The Success Story of Agoda.com

Agoda is the foremost name worldwide as far as travel bookings are concerned. Every time one thinks of buying an air ticket, making a hotel booking or planning a vacation the name of Agoda instantly comes to one’s mind. This company is owned by a subsidiary of The Priceline Group.Agoda has a huge network and has offices in 28 countries. It boasts of a handsome network of 1.5 million hotels worldwide. This company which had initially started its operations in Asia-Pacific now reaches across Europe to the Americas. This company is widely popular for its deals and offers which it notifies to its customers via its mobile app. This has really caught the attention of a lot of people. One of the secretsof the success of Agoda is its policy of perpetual innovation. In keeping with this policy, 35% of the staff is involved in technology at Agoda. Its excellent and huge network of properties, apartments etc are backed by over 15 million real traveler reviews. One cannot ignore a very interesting feature at Agoda which helps other travelers find and explore new experiences in new destinations. Agoda claims that the more a person knows about the company the more he/she (a traveler or prospective employee) is going to like the company. Since Agoda is a part of Priceline Group’s portfolio of the biggest online travel companies in the world it offers Agoda the advantageto explore and experiment new technology and innovative ideas without fear. The huge diverse workforce in the company comprising 3,000+ professionals in 40+ countries is one of the reasons for its fast growth and upward progress. This huge diversity and the confluence of different cultures offer a rich environment for creativity and innovation. In Agoda, employees build and create the company. This is one of the greatest factors for the company’s success. Moreover, there is a huge thrust on experimentation and testing. This gives its engineers the freedom of ownership. At Agoda.com, a vacation is seen as market research and taken seriously. According to experts this strategy at Agoda has reaped huge benefits for it.

Amazing Prices of Rooms, Vacations etc Only At Agoda.com

Agoda guarantees to offer amazing fares, prices and offers on flights, rooms, and vacations. It has its footprint in almost all the top countries of the world. Australia, Japan, USA, UK, Switzerland, India. You name it. You will find Agoda everywhere. It also has a phenomenal presence in the top cities of the world like Bangkok, Las Vegas, New York, Frankfurt, Rome, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Venice, Brussels etc. It is absolutely easy to make a new hotel booking at Agoda and involves only a few steps. One has to put the name of the destination city and give the dates of arrival and departure and click the search. This will show a number of options to choose from. Within 30 minutes of one making the booking one will receive a confirmation email with the booking voucher (PDF file).One can always check his/her existing booking by looking into “Manage my bookings” section in the Agoda website. The cancellation policy is also liberal.One can cancel a booking by signing into “Manage my bookings” on the website. Refunds, if applicable, will immediately be submitted to Agoda’s bank account. From the submission/refund date, banks generally take up to 10 business days to process the refund payment and transfer the funds into a customer’s account. Agoda also allows a customer to make a special request on the Rooms Details page of the booking form.Furthermore, Agoda also offers flexible options if one wants to modify one’s booking. Then there is that excellent customer friendly option called ‘Agoda Self Service’ with the help of which a customer can make a change to his or her booking, send a special request directly to the hotel, resend the hotel voucher to anyone, get a receipt or cancel a booking. One also has the option to call Agoda customer service which operates 24×7. A customer can also seek assistance by sending an email to Agoda. Agoda strives to ensure that every email is answered within 24 hours of receipt. Agoda considers its Gifts Cards program as their best rewards program ever. These Gift Cards are simple, flexible and easy to use. Here one doesn’t have to worry about points expiring. PointsMAX is a unique loyalty program at Agoda through which one can earn benefits when he/she books an accommodation on Agoda.com. Here a customer is given the liberty to choose his or her favorite loyalty program. Agoda’s flight booking service is also very fast, easy and allows one to search and compare hundreds of travel sites at once.Agoda’s mobile App is also very easy to use and offers a host of features.

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Fabulous Festive Films this Christmas

Part of the fabric of the Christmas period is settling down to enjoy some of the finest festive films. But why not do it in luxury this year? London’s Soho Hotel and New York’s Crosby Street Hotel have opulent screening rooms that are quite possibly the best destination for movie-going the way it should be, with a range of fabulous festive films on show this Christmas season. We run through them below.

White Christmas

Saturday 13 December, Sunday 14 December, London

The film that brought us probably the most iconic Christmas song of all time. Discounting Slade, of course. Bing Crosby stars in this classic musical, where a successful song and dance team become romantically involved with a sister act.

The Holiday

Sunday 14 December, London

The Holiday pits Jude Law in the fashionable 90s role of charming but slightly clumsy British rom-com character. It’s thought Hugh Grant wasn’t available for this one. Two women swap homes – between the UK and the US – and fall in love with characters in the other’s country. A heart-warming Christmas romance.

It’s a Wonderful Life

Another Christmas classic. Shot in 1946, businessman George Bailey begins to wish he had never existed. That’s when a fairy comes to show him just how many lives he has changed for the better – and how different they would be were he not to have existed. A great display of the unending cost of ‘being good’.

Miracle on 34th Street

Sunday 21 December, Wednesday 24 December, London

A kindly old chap, who looks rather a lot like Santa Claus, is declared insane when he claims to be the real deal. Amidst the derision, a particular young lawyer decides to plead his case. Another festive film sure to bring a tear to the eye.

And if you’d like to enjoy a luxurious cinema experience, TRULY have your exclusive way in.


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The Premier League could be in line for a major shake-up after five of England's biggest clubs met for secret talks over a breakaway European Super League.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal met with American billionaire Stephen Ross at London's Dorchester hotel on Tuesday to discuss a potential power shift.

Ed Woodward, Manchester United's executive vice-chairman, Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre, Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis and City chief executive Ferran Soriano were all in attendance for the cloak-and-dagger meeting.

The potential departure of five of the country's biggest clubs from the domestic game would mark the biggest carve up in English football since the inception of the Premier League in 1992.

And an invitation-only continental super league - also featuring the likes of Barcelona, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Olympiacos and others - would all but spell the end of the UEFA Champions League.

(Image: Shaun Botterill) (Image: Matthew Peters)

It would not just be a hammer blow to the Premier League but also to UEFA, who already find themselves at loggerheads with the European Club Association.

The ECA are keen for UEFA to revamp the Champions League, with its cabal - led by AC Milan and Bayern Munich - wanting Europe's premier club competition to be more of a closed shop, with guaranteed places for the clubs who have the greatest TV appeal.

That includes the likes of United, Liverpool and Chelsea - as well as Milan, who haven't qualified since 2013. All are struggling in the top flight this term and face a real struggle to qualify for next season's competition.

Ross, a 75-year-old real estate mogul with a net worth of £4.8billion, is the brains behind the operation.

The Miami Dolphins owner has been a key player behind the International Champions Cup series, the pre-season competition which has seen the likes of Real Madrid fly to Australia, United face Barcelona in San Francisco and will take City to China this summer.

(Image: AFP/Getty)

An agreement over a new competition would stop the clubs missing out on the Champions League millions whenever they fail to qualify.

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The Premier League's new TV deal has again reached extraordinary levels - a guaranteed £100million per club for the next three years.

But a breakaway featuring the continent's elite would unquestionably have a negative effect on that, and in turn those clubs left behind.


To find her soul mate in the present, a young woman reaches back to a love story more than a century ago in England in this #1 Best Seller in Time Travel Romance and Magical Realism.

Kat has been too busy fighting the demons of her past to focus on love. But when she meets an intriguing new man, Will, in London her world is turned upside down. She feels she's seen him before, but knows she hasn't. Or has she?

An enigmatic woman named Destiny, saying she has a secret to share, whisks Kat and Will off to midnight parties where champagne flows freely and nothing is what it seems. And then there are those dreams that unfold in an elegant 19th century English castle…

Torn between fear of the unknown and fascination at what might happen between her and Will, Kat must decide: Should she run away, or should she seize this opportunity to change her life and find true love?

Alternating between the reality of day and the mystery of night, Close to Destiny by best-selling author Adria J. Cimino is a time travel romance story of déjà vu and righting past wrongs that will delight fans of authors like Susanna Kearsley and Kristin Hannah.

Interview with the Author

What was your inspiration to write Close to Destiny?I used to stay at a beautiful, mysterious London hotel for business trips. The dim & elegant setting made me think of romance, clandestine parties, family secrets, midnight encounters, dreams. I wove these elements—with a touch of magic and a bit of the paranormal—into this magical realism romance.

It seems as if it might fall into several genres?It's contemporary literary fiction / women's fiction, yet includes magical realism and a touch of paranormal romance. Readers say it reminds them of the time travel romance The Time Traveler's Wife and novels by Sarah Addison Allen. I included mystical romance to transport the reader to another place… and to question our notions of reality. And in general, I aim to write fiction that is fast-paced, with surprising plot twists.

What message do you hope readers take with them?The book deals with facing (or refusal to face) mistakes of the past, healing old wounds and starting over. And for any of us who has ever wondered, "Do I have a soulmate? Will I ever find my soulmate?" this story addresses that in a unique way. Another important theme is (big surprise) destiny. How much control do we have over our own destiny?

What are your favorite genres to read?I enjoy a wide variety, but my favorites are literary fiction & women's fiction with strong female protagonists. And I like a little twist of paranormal romance.

Product description

Product Description

To find her soul mate in the present, a young woman reaches back to a love story more than a century ago in England in this #1 Best Seller in Time Travel Romance and Magical Realism.

Kat has been too busy fighting the demons of her past to focus on love. But when she meets an intriguing new man, Will, in London her world is turned upside down. She feels she's seen him before, but knows she hasn't. Or has she?

An enigmatic woman named Destiny, saying she has a secret to share, whisks Kat and Will off to midnight parties where champagne flows freely and nothing is what it seems. And then there are those dreams that unfold in an elegant 19th century English castle…

Torn between fear of the unknown and fascination at what might happen between her and Will, Kat must decide: Should she run away, or should she seize this opportunity to change her life and find true love?

Alternating between the reality of day and the mystery of night, Close to Destiny by best-selling author Adria J. Cimino is a time travel romance story of déjà vu and righting past wrongs that will delight fans of authors like Susanna Kearsley and Kristin Hannah.

Interview with the Author

What was your inspiration to write Close to Destiny?I used to stay at a beautiful, mysterious London hotel for business trips. The dim & elegant setting made me think of romance, clandestine parties, family secrets, midnight encounters, dreams. I wove these elements—with a touch of magic and a bit of the paranormal—into this magical realism romance.

It seems as if it might fall into several genres?It's contemporary literary fiction / women's fiction, yet includes magical realism and a touch of paranormal romance. Readers say it reminds them of the time travel romance The Time Traveler's Wife and novels by Sarah Addison Allen. I included mystical romance to transport the reader to another place… and to question our notions of reality. And in general, I aim to write fiction that is fast-paced, with surprising plot twists.

What message do you hope readers take with them?The book deals with facing (or refusal to face) mistakes of the past, healing old wounds and starting over. And for any of us who has ever wondered, "Do I have a soulmate? Will I ever find my soulmate?" this story addresses that in a unique way. Another important theme is (big surprise) destiny. How much control do we have over our own destiny?

What are your favorite genres to read?I enjoy a wide variety, but my favorites are literary fiction & women's fiction with strong female protagonists. And I like a little twist of paranormal romance.

About the Author

Adria J. Cimino is the author of the Amazon best-selling novel Paris, Rue des Martyrs, as well as A Perfumer's Secret, Close to Destiny, and The Creepshow. She also co-founded boutique publishing house Velvet Morning Press. Prior to jumping into the publishing world full time, she spent more than a decade as a journalist at news organizations including The AP and Bloomberg News.

Adria writes about her real-life adventures at AdriaJCimino.com and on Twitter @Adria_in_Paris. She lives in Paris with her husband Didier, daughter Phedre and son Orphee. When she isn't writing, you can find Adria at her neighborhood cafe watching the world go by.

Top customer reviews

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Past and present time, reality and spirituality, Close to Destiny is also a mind journey between London and New York. The characters, the pace of the story, the paranormal elements: everything makes sense, and in the end, its conclusion will surprise you… Nicely done, a great read!

Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon.com

Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars
53 reviews

Julie Gardner

5.0 out of 5 starsMagical Realism Rules

6 March 2016 - Published on Amazon.com

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

In Close to Destiny, Adria Cimino takes us on a twisted tale of love and suspense that has you rooting for hero Kat even as you question her sanity. Is she imagining these late-night parties full of champagne and romance? Why does evidence that any of the other guests exist disappear in the daylight? Who is Will and why does he come and go just when Kat needs him most?

Throughout this story, I truly cared about Kat. I worried about her safety, her heart, her health. She's on a journey to heal not only her own damaged heart but two other hearts torn apart by tragedy. As Cimino weaves between the present and a dark mystery from the past, we hold our breath waiting for the answer.

The surrounding cast of characters is strong, complex, challenging.Adria Cimino's prose is compelling. I highly recommend.

This story was very disjointed. I kept wanting more depth from the characters. Instead, they felt like paper cutouts with a sprinkling of emotion. The mysticism was so cloudy by the end of the story I was left saying, "What was that all about?"

Past and present time, reality and spirituality, Close to Destiny is also a mind journey between London and New York. The characters, the pace of the story, the paranormal elements: everything makes sense, and in the end, its conclusion will surprise you… Nicely done, a great read!


Henry Paget, 5th Marquess of Anglesey

Henry Cyril Paget, 5th Marquess of Anglesey (16 June 1875 – 14 March 1905), styled Lord Paget until 1880 and Earl of Uxbridge between 1880 and 1898, and nicknamed "Toppy", was a British peer who was notable during his short life for squandering his inheritance on a lavish social life and accumulating massive debts. Regarded as the "black sheep" of the family, he was dubbed "the dancing marquess" for his habit of performing "sinuous, sexy, snake-like dances" and for his Butterfly Dancing, taken from Loie Fuller, where a voluminous robe of transparent white silk would be waved like wings.

Vicary Gibbs, writing in The Complete Peerage in 1910, commented that he "seems only to have existed for the purpose of giving a melancholy and unneeded illustration of the truth that a man with the finest prospects, may, by the wildest folly and extravagance, as Sir Thomas Browne says, 'foully miscarry in the advantage of humanity, play away an uniterable life, and have lived in vain.'"

Family background
Paget was the eldest son of the 4th Marquess by his father's second wife, Blanche Mary Boyd. However, rumours persisted that his biological father was the French actor Benoît-Constant Coquelin, a rumour that gained some currency when, according to some sources, after the death of his mother in 1877, when he was two years old, Paget reportedly was raised by Coquelin's sister-in-law in Paris until he was eight. That story seems to have been a confusion of facts. The sister-in-law, née Edith Marion Boyd, was the fourth marquess's aunt, one of his mother's sisters, and she did not wed Coquelin's brother Gustave until 1891. His stepmother from 1880 was an American, Mary "Minna" Livingston King, the widow of the Hon. Henry Wodehouse.

He attended Eton College, later receiving private tuition, and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. On 20 January 1898 he married his cousin Lilian Florence Maud Chetwynd (1876–1962). Upon the death of his father on 13 October 1898, he inherited his title and the family estates with about 30,000 acres (120 km²) in Staffordshire, Dorset, Anglesey and Derbyshire, providing an annual income of £110,000 (equivalent to £ per year in ).

Lifestyle

Paget swiftly acquired a reputation for a lavish and spendthrift manner of living. He used his money to buy jewellery and furs, and to throw extravagant parties and flamboyant theatrical performances. He renamed the family's country seat Plas Newydd as "Anglesey Castle" and converted the chapel there into a 150-seat theatre, named the Gaiety Theatre. Here he took the lead role, opulently costumed, in productions ranging from pantomime and comedy to performances of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband and Shakespeare's Henry V. Early performances from around 1899 were mostly variety performances of song and dance numbers, sketches and tableaux vivants in front of an invited audience of notable local people. In 1901, the Gaiety Theatre was refurbished and fitted out with electric stage lighting and re-opened as a public entertainment venue.

For three years Paget took his theatre company on tour around Britain and Europe. His wife disapproved of his lifestyle and obtained a decree nisi of divorce on 7 November 1900; the marriage was later annulled due to nonconsummation, according to Lady Anglesey's grandson by her second marriage, the historian Christopher Simon Sykes. The breakdown of his marriage effectively gave Paget more freedom to enjoy his self-indulgent lifestyle. By this stage he had already begun to mortgage his estates to raise money.

Theft
On 10 September 1901, Paget's French valet Julian Gault took the opportunity of his employer's absence at the theatre to steal jewellery to the value of £50,000. At the time, Paget was living in the Walsingham House Hotel in London. Gault, who was later arrested at Dover, testified in court that he had been instructed to steal the jewels by a French woman of his acquaintance called Mathilde (who had taken the jewels to France and was never found). Although Gault's testimony was believed to be true, he pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey on 22 October and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment.

Sexuality
Paget's outrageous and flamboyant lifestyle, his taste for cross-dressing, and the breakdown of his marriage, have led many to assume that he was gay. Writing in 1970, the homosexual reformer H. Montgomery Hyde characterised him as "[t]he most notorious aristocratic homosexual at this period". One journalist wrote, “I am driven to the conclusion from much that I have seen that there are men who ought to have been born women, and women who ought to have been born men … Bearing the form of a man, he yet had all the tastes, something even of the appearance, of not only a woman, but, if the phrase be permissible, a very effeminate woman.”  There is no evidence for or against his having had any lovers of either sex: performance historian Viv Gardner believes rather that he was "a classic narcissist: the only person he could love and make love to was himself, because, for whatever reason, he was 'unlovable'". The deliberate destruction by his family of those of his papers that might have settled this matter has left any assessment speculative. However, according to Christopher Sykes, he did not have sexual relations with his wife, who initially left him after just six weeks. Sykes has reported: "The closest the marriage ever came to consummation was that he would make her pose naked covered top to bottom in jewels and she had to sleep wearing the jewels."

Financial trouble and death
By 1904, despite his inheritance and income, Paget had accumulated debts of £544,000 (£ in ) and on 11 June was declared bankrupt. His lavish wardrobe, particularly his dressing gowns from Charvet, and jewels were sold to pay creditors, the jewels alone realising £80,000.

In 1905, Paget died in Monte Carlo following a long illness, with his ex-wife by his side, and his remains were returned to St Edwen's Church, Llanedwen, for burial. The Times reported that despite all that was known of him, he remained much liked by the people of Bangor, who were sorry to hear of his death. Lilian, Marchioness of Anglesey, married, in 1909, John Francis Grey Gilliat, a banker, by whom she had three children.

The title passed to his cousin Charles Henry Alexander Paget, who destroyed all the papers of the 5th Marquess and converted the Gaiety Theatre back into a chapel. It was at least in part owing to the debts left by the 5th Marquess that the family's principal English estate at Beaudesert, Staffordshire, had to be broken up and sold in the 1930s.

References

Sources

Category:1875 births
Category:1905 deaths
Category:Royal Welch Fusiliers officers
Category:People educated at Eton College
Henry
Category:British theatre managers and producers
Category:Male-to-female cross-dressers
Category:Welsh male dancers
Category:British male dancers
Category:19th-century British dancers
Category:Marquesses of Anglesey


Welcome to Crowne Plaza London - Ealing

Crowne Plaza London Ealing is a stylish, modern hotel located in West London with excellent transport links making it an ideal base for both business and leisure travellers to the country’s vibrant capital city.The 131 tastefully decorated bedrooms offer generous accommodation and some have views of the impressive arch of Wembley Stadium, which is next to Wembley Arena and the Wembley Designer Outlet. The hotel is also close to Park Royal and Chiswick business parks and only four tube stops from Westfield Shopping Centre at Shepherds Bush. Access to Hanger Lane tube station on the Central Line is directly opposite the hotel and takes you to Central London (Oxford Circus) in approximately 20 minutes and directly through to Stratford in approximately 45 minutes.

By road from Heathrow Airport we are approximately 40 minutes and you’ll find us on Hanger Lane Gyratory System where the A40 meets the A406, which in turn link to the major routes of the M25, M1, M40 and M4. To the south you'll found Kew Gardens and Twickenham is only approximately 25 minutes away. We have 81 car parking spaces and charges apply.

Our west 5 brasserie & bar are located on the lower ground floor and offer popular menu choices, with the bar showing all the live action on Sky Sports.Our 7 conference and event rooms, including an executive boardroom, located on the ground floor, or lower ground floor have a capacity of up to 85 theatre style or 60 for a private lunch or dinner.

Airport

London Heathrow (LHR)

- Distance from hotel: 12.5 MI/ 20.12 KM West l

- Take the M4 eastbound towards Hammersmith and Central London.
Follow the A4 towards the A406 North and South Circular.
At the Hanger Lande Gyratory take the first exit left, towards the A40 and you will see the hotel on your left.

To book more than 9 rooms for one stay or request a quote, please use our Easy Meetings tool or call 1-800-MEETING (in United States, Mexico and Canada).

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Hotel Highlights

Take time out to shop in style with the Shopping Package at Crowne Plaza London-Ealing. Our VIP Pass to Westfield shopping centre, 4 miles away, features discounts at a variety of stores, with offers changing monthly. Book the package with your reservation today.

Quick Information

Check In: 2:00 PM

Check Out: 12:00 PM

Minimum Check-In Age: 18

Late Check Out Available

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Internet Access

Wired Internet Available in Rooms and suites.

Standard wired Internet service is free for all IHG® Rewards Club members

Wireless Internet Available in Rooms, suites, Business Center and Public Areas.

Standard Wireless Internet service is free for all IHG® Rewards Club members

High Speed Internet Service is Free for all the guests.

Parking

Car Parking Available

Self Parking Fee: 12.50 GBP

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IHG Green Engage

This is an IHG® Green Engage Hotel.

You can be assured that when you stay at an IHG Green Engage Hotel, you are participating in an advanced, world-wide sustainability effort. We understand that it is important for you to have an active role in protecting our environment and that's why we've made it easier for you to choose a hotel that matches your sustainable values.

What is Green Engage?

Green Engage is IHG's innovative sustainability effort based on an advanced online tool which measures the day-to-day environmental impact of participating IHG hotels. This online system monitors energy, water and waste usage of individual hotels while providing recommended actions to improve the property's energy conservation and carbon footprint score. IHG created Green Engage to ensure that our hotels are designed, built and run for optimal sustainability. We encourage you to participate as an environmentally responsible traveler by staying at an IHG Green Engage hotel

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When you choose a Green Engage hotel, you can help our hotels reduce energy by up to 25% per year. We have over 656,000 rooms in over 4,400 hotels in 100 countries and territories around the world. From smart design and carefully selected lighting to bio-friendly cleaning materials, we really can make a substantial difference as one of the world's largest hotel companies. Thanks for joining us in this effort.

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Guest Reviews

Each review and rating that we receive is verified to ensure that we only display information provided by guests who have actually stayed in the hotel.

Crowne Plaza Ealing

Good hotel, below average service

Did not get what I booked in terms of room type and supplies for two people

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Souless but efficient

ByIan48

March 29, 2015

Hotel lacks atmosphere but evering thing works. Restaurant service is a little slow.

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Hotel not as it was

Bybeanieboo

March 26, 2015

We have stayed here many times over the last 15 years. This time was a let down we upgraded to a feature club room but room not that clean bathroom door grubby, normally face clothes in bathroom but none to be found, bedroom furniture in need of being replaced, We couldn't even have a packet of biscuits to take up to our room when we came back late on the Sunday night, staff at front desk couldn't find any?


The Write Stuff is an occasional series about songwriters.

Ryan Tedder loves the frozen food aisle. Standing in a grocery store surrounded by ice cream is where he's experienced some of his favorite moments as a songwriter. "When I see the person next to me doing that thing where they're looking at the ingredients on the back of the box and they don't realize that they're kind of dancing and singing out loud and they're singing my song? That, to me, is my absolute favorite moment," he tells EW.

Despite being the frontman for OneRepublic and starring on NBC's Songland, much of the world still doesn't know Tedder's full resume. Outside of his band's music — their next album, Human, is due later this year — Tedder is one of the most successful songwriters today. If you're driving in your car humming to "Sucker" by the Jonas Brothers, you love his work. If you sing along any time "Burn" by Ellie Goulding comes on, you love his work. And the list goes on. Tedder has written for (and with) Maroon 5, Beyoncé, Adele, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez, Ed Sheeran, Demi Lovato, and many more.

"My very first memory of any song is [the Beach Boys'] 'Sloop John B,' and that's the memory of me discovering, 'Oh my god I love whatever this is,'" Tedder says. "And then right around that same time Stevie Wonder's 'I Just Called to Say I Love You' was the first song I learned on piano." Tedder would go on to play classical piano for 10 years. Growing up as an only child in Oklahoma, he recognized the advantages of being raised in what he calls "not the most boring state on earth." "I was a kid with headphones on. Music was my soundtrack to everything all the time," he says. "I'd change the music depending on the mood or the location of where I was at. I was always kind of making soundtracks to my life and if I wasn't listening to music, I was reading."

Around age 15, those two obsessions collided when he learned the name of songwriter Diane Warren. "I discovered that most recording artists didn't write their own songs," he says. "That's like finding out Santa Claus isn't real. And then I said, 'Well who did write it?' Once I discovered that there were these songwriters that were writing all these songs, I became obsessed."

But Tedder's obsessions weren't all about music. He also had his sights set on a different segment of Hollywood: He wanted to be an actor. He started doing musical theater in high school and went into college unsure of which path he'd ultimately follow. "I applied for internships to probably five record labels and five film studios. I said, 'Okay God, you tell me. Do I do music or do I do film? And whichever one gives me the internship, that's my answer.' And I ended up at Dreamworks Publishing in the songwriting department of Dreamworks Records."

By the time he turned 20, it was clear he'd made the right call when Tedder won a record deal after performing an original song titled "The Look" on TRL. It was a surprise to pretty much everyone who knew him. He hadn't even told his family that he'd been writing songs for the last four years. "I'm the kind of guy, if I know I'm going to go to the beach five months from now, I'm going to hit the gym now," Tedder says. "I'm going to get as shredded as possible so when I do hit the beach, I am in good shape. Music was the same way for me. I don't want to cook food for somebody until I've nailed the recipe, it's very simple. And that more or less was my approach."

Though TRL was the launching point of Tedder's career, but his big moment as a songwriter wouldn't come until 2007 with Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love." EW asked Tedder to reveal the story behind that song and a handful of his other hits.

"Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis

"I was a brand new writer on the scene, and I was working with Jesse McCartney on his album. He told me, 'I want this album to have a Prince vibe.' I sat down at my keyboard and I thought Prince and then I thought of "dearly beloved" and some of the beginnings of Prince's songs. I started playing those chords on the organ, mocked it together. I had a melody in five seconds, I had the opening line. I ran to the studio, played it for Jesse, we finished the lyric together, and then Jesse's A&R told me, 'I don't think this song's a hit, it's not going to make Jesse's album.' I remember telling my wife, 'If this song isn't a hit, I need to pick a new industry.' I sent it to Clive Davis and Simon Cowell, and they wanted it for Leona. It had been years since a British artist had had a hit in the U.S. I remember the day I got the call that it hit No. 1. Simon told me, 'This is going to cross the pond.' That was my first number one. And it was me doing my best to write a Prince record — what Prince would do for Sinéad O'Connor in 2007, that's what I was swinging for."

"Halo" by Beyoncé

"I was on tour with OneRepublic and I blew out my achilles heel, which sent me into surgery and then flew me home to L.A. I couldn't work, couldn't do anything and it got old really quick. Beyoncé had called me a month before. She wanted me to write her a song like [OneRepublic's] 'Come Home.' I was like, 'I'll write you a song, but let me do whatever comes naturally.' I had not written a song in probably two months at this point, I called my friend Evan Bogart and said, 'I got three hours by myself today, I'm going crazy, can you come over, let's write for Beyoncé.' I turned on my keyboard, and the very first thing that came out sounded like a bunch of angels singing, and that's the intro of 'Halo.' It was total luck that the particular keyboard patch that came on sounded like angels. I was like, 'If you're looking at an angel, you can see their halo. What if you're staring at the person you love and you can see their halo?' That entire song was written in under three hours. I did this piano solo in the bridge and Beyoncé ended up, instead of doing the lyrics that were in the bridge, she just sang my piano melody, which is insanity because it was not an easy one to do."

"Rumour Has It" by Adele

"I was on tour in Scotland blasting 19 and listening to 'Hometown Glory' on repeat. I called my manager, I said, 'Track down this Adele chick, I gotta work with her.' She was like, 'Who?' [Laughs] What I didn't know is, at the same time, Adele was trying to reach out to me because 'Halo' was her favorite song like ever. Fast forward four, five months and it's the Grammys. She's staying at the London Hotel [in Los Angeles], so am I. I'm walking into the lobby late one night, I hit the elevator button right as it's closing on somebody, it opens and it's Adele standing in the elevator holding 19 balloons because her label had given her 19 balloons for 19. We made a deal right there. I was like, 'I'm gonna be in London in three weeks, cool, let's get together.'

So first session we wrote 'Turning Tables' and then we got together three weeks later in the U.S. and she had written 'Rolling in the Deep' and 'Someone Like You' and said, 'What do you want to do today?' I said, 'I just don't want to do a ballad.' She's like, 'Alright let's do something that moves.' I started stomping and playing the guitar riff. It felt bluesy, and I was referencing Muddy Waters and Radiohead and all these weird references and came up with the melody. But it came from a conversation: She walked into the studio and was so pissed off, saying, 'I'm so mad, all my friends are spreading rumors — rumor has it Adele did this, rumor has it Adele's sleeping with this guy....'"

Image zoom Christopher Polk/Getty Images

"Welcome to New York," by Taylor Swift

"I thought we were going to walk in and start something from scratch because that's what I was used to. Then she calls me and says, 'Is it cool if I already have an idea?' I said, 'Sure.' She said, 'I have this song, I'm obsessed with New York and I just moved there, I want to write an ode to New York because no one's done it in a long time.' And then she sent me a voice memo. She's like, 'I want it to sound like the 1980s.' So the next day I brought in a Juno-106, which is a very 1980s keyboard, and I literally programmed that entire song right in front of her. It was very much on the fly, and that song was done in about three hours. And I did the rest of the production I think later that week. I was in Switzerland on a tour bus, and I did four versions of 'Welcome to New York,' one of which I liked personally more, but the thing about artists is they become very obsessed with the demo. She was in love with the demo so no matter how hard I fought, she brought it back to the demo, so really what you hear is what I did on the first day. And then the fine folks at Illumination played the entire song as the opening for Secret Life of Pets and that was the jewel on the crown because my kids obviously loved that movie."


"Was that reported or was it kept, as so often seems to be the case, kept within the family?" he asked.

Allan said that the emails constitute an "unverified partial account from a source who has a particular angle."

"There is, as I understand it, a partial set of information obtained by a hostile litigant who’s seeking to overturn the very changes to restrict access to data that you, as a committee, and others would want to see happen," Allan continued.

When reached for comment, a Facebook spokesperson told WIRED, "The engineers who had flagged these initial concerns subsequently looked into this further and found no evidence of specific Russian activity." Facebook later supplied WIRED with redacted versions of the emails themselves. "Ok, things are not as bad as they seemed," reads one email. "There was a series of unfortunate coincidences that made me think of the worst." The email goes on to say that the activity was actually coming from Pinterest's servers and was successfully pinging Facebook's API just six million times daily, not three billion times. Facebook wouldn't elaborate on the cause of the confusion.1

The swirling drama in the UK is just the latest crisis to emerge for Facebook over the last few weeks. In case you were too busy gnawing on leftover turkey to keep up, here’s what you need to know.

What is Six4Three?

Years ago, Six4Three developed an app called Pikinis, which allowed Facebook users to find other users’ bathing suit photos. It hinged on a feature of Facebook’s API that gave app developers access to their users’ data, as well as the data of their users’ friends. This feature is also what enabled a Cambridge University researcher named Aleksandr Kogan to collect the of data of tens of millions of Facebook users without their knowledge and sell it to the political firm Cambridge Analytica, which went on to work for President Trump’s 2016 campaign. The story of Cambridge Analytica’s wanton data scraping, and Facebook’s failure to stop it, sparked international outrage when it hit the front pages of The New York Times and The Guardian/Observer in March. The news also cast Six4Three’s years-old case in a new light.

The Six4Three lawsuit stems from Facebook’s decision in 2014 to cut off developer access to friend data. According to a source familiar with the case, Six4Three alleges that in 2012, long before Facebook changed its API, the company was desperate to boost its mobile advertising business. So, the suit alleges, Facebook began requiring developers to buy mobile ads in order to gain access to certain types of user data, including friend data. But two years later, in 2014, when Facebook announced changes to its API, it began cutting off access to friend data altogether. (Apps that were already using this data got extended access until April of 2015.) Six4Three’s Pikinis app was among the apps that shut down in 2015 due to the API changes. The suit argues that Facebook essentially defrauded developers by luring them to the platform with the promise of data, and then cutting them off from that data in 2014.

Facebook, for its part, argues that these changes were well within their rights and were made to protect user privacy. But the documents Kramer gave to Collins are reportedly what Six4Three uses to argue its more nefarious claims and offer evidence that Facebook was trading data access for advertising.

So, how did Collins get these sealed documents?

A representative for Collins told WIRED he had no further comment on the matter, and Kramer did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment. But in a court filing in San Mateo Superior Court on Monday, Kramer’s lawyers wrote that while traveling on a business trip to London last week, Kramer received several notices to his hotel from the DCMS committee, demanding the documents. In one instance, the committee sent the serjeant-at-arms to the hotel to personally serve Kramer with an order to produce the documents. But because of the California court’s decision, Kramer’s lawyers repeatedly advised him not to comply. Kramer’s lawyers say it’s unclear how British lawmakers knew where Kramer was staying, though the filing notes that Kramer had previously shared his location with Observer journalist Carole Cadwalladr. It was also Cadwalladr, the filing says, who first suggested “rais[ing] Six4Three’s case with Damian Collins” earlier in the year. Cadwalladr didn’t respond to WIRED’s request for comment.


Philip MacDonald

Philip MacDonald (5 November 1900 – 10 December 1980) was a British writer of fiction and screenplays, best known for thrillers.

Life and work
MacDonald was born in London, the son of author Ronald MacDonald and actress Constance Robertson, and grandson of the fiction writer and Christian minister George MacDonald. During World War I he served with the British cavalry in Mesopotamia, later trained horses for the army, and was a show jumper. He also raised Great Danes. After marrying the writer F. Ruth Howard, he moved to Hollywood in 1931. He was one of the most popular mystery writers of the 1930s, and between 1931 and 1963 wrote many screenplays along with a few radio and television scripts.

His detective novels, particularly those featuring his series detective
Anthony Gethryn, are primarily "whodunits" with the occasional locked room mystery.  His novel X v. Rex (1933), aka The Mystery of The Dead Police, is an early example of what has become known as a serial killer novel (before the term "serial killer" was coined), in which an insane murderer is killing police officers one after the other.  Perhaps his best-known novel is The List of Adrian Messenger.

His work in screenwriting included not only screenplays based on his own works (such as The Mystery of Mr. X in 1934, Who Killed John Savage? in 1937, based on The Rynox Mystery, and many others) but also original stories and screenplays for series characters such as Charlie Chan (Charlie Chan in London, 1934, and Charlie Chan in Paris, 1935) and Mr. Moto (Mysterious Mr. Moto in 1938, Mr. Moto's Last Warning and Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation in 1939).
He did not receive any screen credit for his work in adapting Bride of Frankenstein.  He adapted a story written by Agatha Christie for the movie Love From A Stranger (1947).  MacDonald and Michael Hogan adapted the novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, from which Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison created the screenplay for Rebecca, the 1940 film.  Sherwood and Harrison were nominated for an Academy Award.

MacDonald's 1927 novel Patrol was issued as one of the first twenty Penguin Books in 1935.  He won the annual Edgar Award for Best Short Story twice, in 1953 for "Something to Hide" and in 1956 for "Dream No More". He also wrote television scripts for Alfred Hitchcock Presents ("Malice Domestic", 1957) and Perry Mason ("The Case of the Terrified Typist", 1958).

As "W.J. Stuart", MacDonald wrote the novelisation of the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet. He also dabbled in science fiction under his own name, writing four SF short stories over a span of decades. Two of them are frequently issued in anthologies ("Our Feathered Friends", 1931, and "Private – Keep Out!", 1949).

MacDonald died in Woodland Hills, California.

Bibliography of works by Philip MacDonald

Some sources list The Singing Scorpion as a title by MacDonald; in fact, this novel was written by a different writer, Allan Colt MacDonald.
The Rasp (1924). Serialised in American newspapers
Queen's Mate (1926)
Patrol (a.k.a. The Lost Patrol) (1927)
The White Crow (1928)
Likeness of Exe (1929)
The Noose (1930). Serialised, Manchester Evening News (1930)
The Link (1930)
Rynox (1930) (a.k.a. The Rynox Murder Mystery, The Rynox Mystery, The Rynox Murder)
The Choice (a.k.a. The Polferry Mystery and The Polferry Riddle) (1931)
The Crime Conductor (1931)
Murder Gone Mad (1931)
The Wraith (1931)
The Maze (a.k.a. Persons Unknown) (1932)
Rope to Spare (1932)
Death on My Left (1933)
R.I.P. (a.k.a. Menace) (1933)
Glitter (1934)
The Nursemaid Who Disappeared (a.k.a. Warrant for X) (1938)
The Dark Wheel (a.k.a. Sweet and Deadly) with A. Boyd Correll (1948)
Something to Hide (a.k.a. Fingers of Fear) (1952)
The Man out of the Rain (1955)
Guest in the House (a.k.a. No Time for Terror) (1955)
The List of Adrian Messenger (1959). Serialised in American newspapers as Murder Seed
Death & Chicanery (1962)

As Oliver Fleming
Ambrotox and Limping Dick (1920), with Ronald MacDonald
The Spandau Quid (1923), with Ronald MacDonald

As Anthony Lawless
Harbour (1931)
Moonfisher (1931)

As Martin Porlock
Mystery at Friar's Pardon (1931)
Mystery in Kensington Gore (1932) (a.k.a. Escape)
X v. Rex (1933) (a.k.a. The Mystery of Mr. X and Mystery of the Dead Police)  (Later republished as Mystery of the Dead Police by Philip MacDonald as Pocket Books #70, 1940)

As W. J. Stuart
Forbidden Planet (1956, novelization of film)

As Warren Stuart
The Sword and the Net (1941)

Film scripts by Macdonald

1934 - Charlie Chan in London
19?? - Charlie Chan in Paris
1932 - Hotel Splendide. Written with Ralph Smart
1933 - Star Reporter
1934 - The Mystery of Mr X
1935 - The Last Outpost
1936 - Yours for the Asking. Written with Eve Green and Harlan Ware, directed by Alexander Hall
1938 - Mysterious Mr Moto, directed by Norman Foster
1939 - Mr Moto's Last Warning, directed by Norman Foster
1939 - Blind Alley, directed by Charles Vidor
1939 - Mr Moto Takes a Vacation, written with Norman Foster, directed by Norman Foster
1942 - Nightmare
1945 - The Body Snatcher, written with Carlos Keith, directed by Robert Wise
1947 - Love from a Stranger, directed by Richard Whorf
1948 - The Dark Past, written with Michael Blankfort and Albert Duffy, directed by Rudolph Mate

Films based on works by MacDonald
1929 - Lost Patrol (the novel Patrol), directed by Walter Summers
1932 - The Rasp, directed by Michael Powell
1932 - Rynox, directed by Michael Powell
1934 - The Lost Patrol (the novel Patrol), directed by John Ford
1934 - The Mystery of Mr. X (the novel X v. Rex), directed by Edgar Selwyn
1934 - Menace, originally to be titled Deep Night (the novel of the same name), directed by Ralph Murphy
1936 - The Princess Comes Across, directed by William K Howard
1937 - Who Killed John Savage? (the novel Rynox), directed by Maurice Elvey
1939 - A Gentleman's Gentleman (the play), directed by  Roy William Neill
1939 - The Nursemaid Who Disappeared (the novel Warrant for X), directed by Arthur B. Woods
1940 - Hangman's Noose (the novel Rope to Spare), directed by Léon Mathot
1942 - Nightmare, directed by Tim Whelan
1942 - Whispering Ghosts, directed by Alfred Werker
1943 - Sahara, directed by Zoltan Korda
1944 - Action in Arabia, directed by Leonard Mingus
1945 - Dangerous Intruder, directed by Vernon Keays
1951 - Circle of Danger, directed by Jacques Tourneur
1952 - The Hour of 13 (the novel X v. Rex), directed by Harold French
1956 - 23 Paces to Baker Street (the novel Warrant for X), directed by Henry Hathaway
1963 - The List of Adrian Messenger, directed by John Huston

References

External links

Category:1900 births
Category:1980 deaths
Category:English crime fiction writers
Category:English thriller writers
Category:English people of Scottish descent
Category:Edgar Award winners
Category:20th-century English novelists


Former Leighton Holdings chief Wal King said he had become ostracised within the construction company to the point of being “somewhat of a lame duck" CEO when the company is alleged to have paid a $42 million bribe to win a major project in Iraq.

“In my whole period at Leighton I absolutely and completely refused to be involved in anything tainted by corruption," Mr King said, adding that he had tried to avoid working in counties where bribery and corruption were rife.

According to a handwritten note dated November 2010 and obtained by Fairfax Media, Mr Stewart, who was acting CEO, recorded being told by Leighton executive David Savage that Mr King had approved the doubling of a fee with a subcontractor so as to hide a kickback to Iraqi officials.

Asked about the note, Mr King responded by querying why, if it was an accurate account of the conversation, did Mr Stewart fail to raise it with him personally. Just one week after the note was written, Mr Stewart and Mr King worked side-by-side in the Middle East, he said.

“If he had raised it there would have been alarm bells everywhere. If he had told me I would have gone straight to the board. He had every opportunity to go to the chairman and the board and he didn’t," Mr King said.

He said at the time there were “warring factions" inside Leighton. Once Mr Stewart had been selected to succeed Mr King as the next CEO in August 2010, Mr King had become ostracised within the company that he had run for 23 years.

“I had little influence due to Stewart wanting to seize power and myself wanting to step backwards," he said. “I was somewhat of a lame duck."

Related Quotes

Company Profile

Flown to construction sites in a helicopter

Mr King agreed to speak about the affair after The Australian Financial Review approached him to explain why as Leighton CEO he had flown to construction sites in a helicopter paid for by Leighton and piloted by his son.

It has also emerged that the construction company had paid for gardening and handymen services at Mr King’s Sydney harbourside home in Woolwich. It is further understood that questions were raised inside Leighton as to the appropriateness of some items purchased on Mr King’s corporate credit card, including alcohol from a bottleshop near Woolwich.

Mr King confirmed that he used the services of Bankstown Helicopters to fly in and out of construction sites and that the pilot for those visits was his son Alex King who was an employee senior helicopter instructor. He said he had personally paid in excess of $150,000 so that his son could obtain a helicopter licence and that Leighton only used his son’s services once he was fully qualified to a senior level.

“We went to construction jobs, to mines in the Hunter Valley and showed things the company was doing to overseas guests, including people from ACS," Mr King said, referring to the Spanish construction company that control’s Leighton’s majority shareholder Hochtief.

He said Leighton paid Bankstown Helicopters at standard rates and it was not the only helicopter company that Leighton used.

Regarding the company’s payment of gardening and handymen services at his home, Mr King said this was part of his salary package and that other senior Leighton executives also received home gardening services. The cost was included in the non-monetary benefits disclosed in the company’s remuneration report, he said.

In his final years at Leighton, Mr King was regularly one of Australia’s highest paid executives with a $12.5 million salary package in 2009 and a $14.7 million package in 2010.

Items purchased from bottleshops

Asked why Leighton paid for gardening at the homes of senior executives, Mr King said the policy had been in place before he joined the company in 1967.

He said any items purchased from bottleshops using his corporate American Express credit card would have been for company purposes.

“I can’t remember buying things from the bottleshop, but if I did it could have gone to the offices where we did a lot of entertaining or could have been a BYO restaurant or at my house where I entertained people," he said.

Mr King, who is at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, said he was willing to make his salary records available for inspection after he returned to Australia.

A spokeswoman for Leighton Holdings declined to answer questions regarding the use of Mr King’s credit card.

The company has issued a statement saying it takes the accusations against it seriously and that it is co-operating with an investigation by the Australian Federal Police.

The company has also said it has taken key steps to strengthen corporate governance and risk management. Chairman Bob Humphris has also written to shareholders and complained that media reports had been “inaccurate, biased and unbalanced".

Earlier this month, Fairfax Media revealed Mr King reimbursed Leighton for items paid for with his corporate credit card after he finished as CEO, including accommodation at Madrid’s Hotel Villa Magna at $887 a night, two nights at the London Hotel in Manhattan for $1626 and a $780 bill at Sydney restaurant Rockpool.

King has reimbursed company

At the time he was being paid $6 million over three years to work as a consultant for Leighton. He had agreed to reimburse the money on the basis that none of these items had been pre-approved.

Mr King confirmed he had reimbursed the company but said the total figure was $32,000 rather than $40,000 as initially reported.

The bulk of the expenses were incurred on a trip to Madrid to meet with ACS and had been related to his work at Leighton.

But after being challenged by then chairman David Mortimer for not having obtained prior approval for the expenses, Mr King said he decided simply to repay the money rather than argue about whether they were appropriate.

Fairfax Media’s revelations against Leighton Holdings triggered a 14 per cent fall in the company’s shares. Leighton shares are still 11 per cent lower.

In addition to the allegation of paying the bribe in Iraq, there are allegations the company attempted to bribe Malaysian officials for a dam project, that the company covered up a whistleblower’s allegations of internal fraud in a ship building project and that a group of senior executives set up a company to compete with Leighton using the company’s own resources.

Three former Leighton executives alleged to have been implicated in the scandal, David Savage, David Stewart and Russell Waugh, have all stepped down from their current roles.


Staff Heroes Blog - Month: October 2017

Waking up and smelling the coffee is a daily routine for baristas all over the world. But what skills do you need to provide the nation’s coffee drinkers with their favourite cup, whether it’s a flat white, cappuccino, or skinny decaf soya mocha with no chocolate sprinkes (please no)? We’ve got it from the experts that these are the 7 most important ingredients to being a great barista.

Be cheerful and friendly – As a barista, you are often the face of the café, restaurant, or bar. So be bubbly, polite, and a face your customers, desperate for their caffeine fix, are happy to see at 7am.

It’s all in the espresso – The foundation of any great coffee is the espresso. First you will have to dial-in. This means getting your grind right – not too fine, not too coarse – perfecting your recipe (amount of coffee/duration of pour), then tasting your brew. Just right?

Milk foaming – One of the most in-demand skills in the industry is foaming. If you can get your milk right, you’ll be able to pick up barista jobs all over the world. Remember, introduce air at the start, then texturize to leave yourself with lovely, bouncy milk.

Clean equipment and area – Keeping a clean, hygienic area is paramount to having a great coffee bar. If you have a dirty area with stale coffee getting in your equipment, it’s going to affect the taste of your cup; it also leaves a poor impression of the general cleanliness of the establishment. Big no no!

Latte art – The poster boy of the coffee industry: latte art. Latte art takes time to perfect, but it all stems from your milk foaming skills. If you haven’t perfected your milk foaming, you can wave latte art goodbye. Once you have your milk down, watch your colleagues and videos on Youtube to perfect your technique, then practice, practice, practice.

Great communication Skills – Running a coffee bar can be a stressful endeavour. Communication is key to keeping everything running smoothly. You need to be able to tell staff what table coffee is going to, if you need extra supplies, which cup is decaf or soya milk, you get the gist. You need to communicate all this information effectively 100% of the time.

Be a fountain of knowledge – Customers want to know the story of their coffee. As a barista you need to be able to answer all their questions. So, you’ll have to know where the coffee beans are from, whether they’re single or mixed origin, what the tasting notes are, and how much your coffee retails at. You can, obviously, never know too much, but these are a good start.

We want to give a massive congratulations to our superstar Hero of the Month. Canada native Troy has been on our platform for over a year, and his hard-work is being rewarded with a Hero of the Month award and a £25 gift voucher from Amazon. Well done Troy and keep up the good work!

Our Hero of the Month feature profiles a hero on our platform that has worked especially hard or who has maintained an exceedingly high level of performance in their roles.

Name: Troy

Hometown: Mississauga, Canada

Joined Staff Heroes: 29/09/2016

Length of time in London: 2 years

First job: “Hmmm… that was a while ago now. I think my first job was working with a company called Talkington Bates. If I remember rightly it was as a member of a team of catering staff, but the one place that I would say is my favourite is Wembley Stadium. I just finished a shift there today.”

Favourite thing about Staff Heroes: “I think the favourite thing about the platform, I would say is the professionalism. When speaking with you guys on the phone, I think you’re always all very professional.”

Dream job: “Ha, that’s a tough one. As I continue in my career I want to keep getting experience at different venues and places through Staff Heroes. My dream job would probably be to one day have my own restaurant. Yea, so my dream job is to open and run my own place.”

Working in hospitality can be fast-paced, relentless, and endlessly rewarding. We take a look at 4 best things the industry has to offer its London-based workforce this Autumn season

London in Autumn

We’ve officially broken up with summer after dragging out the last dark days of our fling. But don’t fret, Autumn has arrived in style, and with it there is bountiful opportunity to enjoy this great city. Of course, working in hospitality in London can be taxing, but London can be incredibly giving throughout October.

In particular, the green – browny yellow – spaces around the city are glorious this time of year. So, whether it’s Hyde Park, Hampstead Heath or Hackney Marshes, dig out your puffa and scarf, take a tour, and embrace mother nature at her finest.

Last week there were four, yes four, London bars featuring in the World’s 50 Best Bars. And with the London Restaurant Festival running through the entirety of October, there is no shortage of places to eat or drink this month.

So, you see, the drop in temperature shouldn’t be met with scorn. There are plenty of reasons to be happy about cooler days and evenings: allergy season is over, fewer tourists, more mulled cider, and the scorching heat on the Central Line – thing of the past (and distant future). Anyway, you get the drift. Autumn = good.

The people

Somehow, Londoners seem to have gained a reputation for being rude. In my opinion, this is an unfair charge, especially when dealing with people that work in hospitality. It is literally our job to be nice to people, which makes meeting new people and building social networks a daily joy.

With people working in Restaurants, hotels, bars, and cafés a fairly outgoing bunch, hospitality work lends itself very well to an active social life. Sure, the demands of your employer can be high but the rewards are great. While “work hard, play hard” might be cliché, it’s very apt for many working in the hospitality sector.

If your housemates are too tired for Friday night drinks, you can bet your bottom dollar you can find a few colleagues to enjoy a post-work spritzer with. As many people have friendships from previous jobs, expect the opportunity to meet all sorts of new people through your work colleagues, the weird and the wonderful. Hospitality work attracts great personalities.

Being a Londoner

Identifying as a Londoner happens over time for some and immediately for others. Once you’re there, though, it’s fantastic.

Knowing to avoid Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus are paramount to being a Londoner. As is nudging people that don’t stand far enough to the right on escalators, and if you’re ever able to correct another so-called “Londoner” on the best underground line to take to their location, you’ll never forget that level of elation.

Best of all, it means you know all the best places to go this Autumn season. Industry knowledge that Breddos Taqueria is opening a new location in Soho this month, Trafalgar Street St. James hotel has reopened its doors, and London officially boasts four of the world’s top ten bars (am I repeating myself?) is key to staying ahead of the curve in your social circles. Oh the joys.

Fantastic work locations

London’s hospitality scene boasts some of the most iconic venues in the world. Imagine walking through Mayfair on a blustery autumnal day as you head to work at the Dorchester, or cycling around St. James’s Park before your shift at The Ritz – these are treasures that you’ll never bore of. For much of London’s hospitality staff that’s a perk of the job.

Equally, the thought of navigating the Alleyways of Spitalfields or the backstreets of Brixton on a night after working at the latest pop-up bar, restaurant, or boutique hotel reassures you that what you’re doing is awesome.

With the emergence of the gig-economy, companies such as Staff Heroes enable you to work at different locations at your convenience. So, for example, you could be busing tables at The Dorchester on Wednesday night, drawing a rosetta on Joe Smith’s flat white on Thursday morning, and shaking cocktails at one of London’s four bar’s that made the world top 10 list (have I mentioned that already?) on Friday night. Don’t believe me? Take a look current available jobs here


Events & Hotels Near London

Every Thistle Hotel is close to a wide variety of must-see attractions and activities. You can soak up some culture, take in the sights, learn some history or do some shopping, all just around the corner from your home away from home. See major landmarks like Big Ben and the British Museum or if you want to find something a bit more niche to do, just ask and we can give you local insider tips.

Events & Hotels Near Oxford Street

Oxford Street is one of the most famous streets in the world and the most visited in Europe, making it a must see for every visitor to England’s capital. There are more than 300 retailers on this 1.2 mile (1.9 kilometres) stretch of road between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road Station, from the coolest designer outlets to the biggest flagship department stores.

Whilst you’re sure to find what you’re looking for and then some on Oxford Street, it’s well worth wandering down some of its adjoining roads for more shopping gems as well as bars and restaurants galore for a bit of well-earned sustenance.

Most shops stay open till late so you’ll have plenty of time to splurge or grab a bargain at whatever time suits you. Even though it’s the unrivalled shopping that brings most people to Oxford Street, it’s the atmosphere that keeps them coming back.

Dotted along the street you’re sure to find talented street artists and musicians to keep you entertained as you explore. With incredible architecture, window displays all-year-round and breathtaking lights in the festive months, whatever time you decide to visit the best street in the world, you’re sure to have an enjoyable time.

Bring your good walking shoes for this mile-long street of shopping featuring over 300 stores from Selfridges to Primark.

Oxford Street is one of the most famous streets in the world and the most visited in Europe, making it a must see for every visitor to England’s capital. There are more than 300 retailers on this 1.2 mile (1.9 kilometres) stretch of road between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road Station, from the coolest designer outlets to the biggest flagship department stores.

Whilst you’re sure to find what you’re looking for and then some on Oxford Street, it’s well worth wandering down some of its adjoining roads for more shopping gems as well as bars and restaurants galore for a bit of well-earned sustenance.

Most shops stay open till late so you’ll have plenty of time to splurge or grab a bargain at whatever time suits you. Even though it’s the unrivalled shopping that brings most people to Oxford Street, it’s the atmosphere that keeps them coming back.

Dotted along the street you’re sure to find talented street artists and musicians to keep you entertained as you explore. With incredible architecture, window displays all-year-round and breathtaking lights in the festive months, whatever time you decide to visit the best street in the world, you’re sure to have an enjoyable time.

Hotels Near Oxford Street

Thistle Holborn, The Kingsley

Relax and unwind in this unique Midtown hotel, only minutes from Covent Garden.

7 minute walk to Oxford Street

Right from its beautiful Edwardian exterior to the stunning split-level restaurant; every element of this 4-star boutique hotel makes for a truly enjoyable stay. Just a 7 minute walk from Oxford Street, you can shop ‘til you drop just round the corner from your hotel on one of the world’s most famous shopping destinations. As well as Oxford Street, the Kingsley is also just a short stroll from the bustle of Covent Garden and Soho, so you won’t be short of places to check out.

When you’re not relaxing in your lovely en-suite room, you can enjoy a drink in the stylish bar and lounge or indulge in a tasty meal at the Kingsley Two restaurant which offers a modern European menu.

Thistle Trafalgar Square

Live it up smack bang in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden and Westmins

17 minute walk to Oxford Street

Whether you’re visiting London for business, pleasure or both, Thistle Trafalgar Square has the room, location and quality to suit you. Situated unbelievably close to the city’s best bits, such as Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Soho, you won’t be short of things to do day or night. It’s just a 17 minute walk to the world-class shopping location that is Oxford Street and is also right in the middle of the West End’s famous theatre district.

Unwind in your beautiful en-suite room, enjoy a drink in the lounge or have a delicious meal in the Squares Restaurant and Bar where you can sit out on the atmospheric terrace.

Thistle Hyde Park

Get cosy in this elegant hotel overlooking Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

21 minute walk to Oxford Street

Refined and peaceful, yet still extremely close to all the city’s action, the Thistle Hyde Park hotel is a place where Victorian elegance is coupled with an incredible location. The beautiful building overlooks the leafy Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens whilst rooms are spacious and feature chandeliers and charming period furnishings.

There are 54 high-ceilinged, en-suite rooms, as well as 3 private event spaces and the lovely Whites Restaurant for a sophisticated meal or drink. It’s just a 21 minute stroll to Oxford Street, so you can indulge in some retail therapy before coming back to unwind in style.

Things To Do Near Oxford Street

Hyde Park

Hyde Park is London’s most famous green space, filled with stunning monuments and an array of wildlife. It’s a beautiful place to wander through any time of year, but if you’re there in the summer then you need to take a boat out on the famous Serpentine Lake, and in winter the Winter Wonderland fair is unmissable.

The British Museum

Explore more than 2 million years of human history and culture at the British Museum, one of the biggest and best museums in the world. You’ll be able to see famous objects such as the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures and Egyptian mummies, as well as visit newer exhibitions and go to contemporary events.

Soho

Be a part of the true heart of London in Soho, where you’ll find an intriguing mix of restaurants, galleries, shops and bars on every corner. It’s the perfect place to get close to the multi-faceted British culture and is destined to be fun, be it a cultural day or dazzling night.

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