Hotel Openings

🌮 Bella Italia, part of The Big Table Group, is expanding with a new outpost in Bristol's Aspects Leisure Park, a former Frankie & Benny's site. This marks the chain's fourth location in Bristol, joining others on Baldwin Street, Cribbs Causeway, and Filton. Bella Italia operates around 70 sites in the UK and has been experiencing high demand and sales surpassing peers, as reported by MCA. Despite lower sales volume, Bella Italia boasts higher profit margins than Frankie & Benny’s.

🍩 Lena Lu Donuts opens in the UK at Primark stores in Lakeside on October 14, 2023, and Watford on October 21, 2023. The Australian brand, known for customizable donuts, bagels, and shakes, enters the market after success in Riyadh, KSA. A third UK store is set to open in November, with more planned for 2025. Gamechangers Investments manages the UK launch, expecting synergy with Primark's clientele. Customers can create donut masterpieces or select grab-and-go options like Cookies & Cream and Biscoff Crunch.

🍣 Hieu Bui, founder of Kêu, is set to open a new restaurant on Borough High Street, joining the brand's existing locations in The City, Shoreditch, and Soho. Inspired by ancient Saigon, the venue will offer a menu with hand-pulled egg noodles, hủ tiếu rice vermicelli from Saigon, rice bowls, bahn mi sandwiches, and daily specials. The two-level space features traditional designs and a long table for up to 12 diners. Bui aims to spread the love for Vietnamese cuisine in London's food scene.

🍽 Café Boulud, headed by Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud, has opened in Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, marking its first presence in the Middle East. The 150-seat restaurant, designed by Rockwell Group, offers French cuisine with signature dishes like Lavender-Glazed Duck Breast and Potato-Wrapped Sea Bass. Executive Chef Nicolas Lemoyne, trained by Boulud and Paul Bocuse, upholds the high culinary standards. Open for breakfast (6-11am), lunch (12-4pm), and dinner (6-11pm), the café can be accessed from the hotel lobby or outside. Reservations: +966 11 2115500.

🍔 It’s Bagels, co-created by Dan Martensen and Jack Ponting, has opened its third location, this time in London's West End. After starting at the Caravan Roastery in Camden, the brand expanded to Primrose Hill in September last year and added a second site in Notting Hill during the summer. The new Soho cafe features 15 seats and a menu of fresh bagels and cream cheese 'schmears,' along with smoked fish and deli salads. GRT Architects designed the Soho location to blend New York City style with London's local aesthetic.

🏡 Pan Pacific London, a Forbes five-star hotel, unveils 42 newly renovated suites with a rich tapestry of textures and botanical motifs. Singapore-based FDAT designed the suites to enhance residential ambiance and reflect Singaporean heritage, with bespoke pieces and two distinct styles. Notable features include striking views, dressing tables, ergonomic desks, marble bathrooms, and ample walk-in wardrobes. Three new introductory packages—"Perfectly Suited" for family, business, or celebrations—are tailored to guest preferences, including the Devonshire Suite's workspace and fitness equipment, Bishopsgate family suite's 100+ square meters of play space, and the Walbrook Suite's butler service and Champagne. Guests also have access to the SENSORY Wellbeing Floor, evening turndown service, complimentary pressing, mini bar, and Dyson amenities. For restful sleep, a customisable bed, yoga, meditation, and expert-recommended refreshments are provided.

🍕 Piccolino, owned by Individual Restaurant Group, is set to open an Italian restaurant in Chichester on South Street, located at a 6,000 sq ft site previously hosting Three Joes. The restaurant will feature 110 indoor seats, 16 outdoor, and chic interiors such as a marble-topped bar and brass ceiling inlays. The menu includes Roman carbonara and 25-layer lasagne. CEO Andrew Garton aims to introduce Piccolino's finest Italian cuisine to Sussex with a launch date of 5 November.

🎲 Spiegelworld debuted its multi-concept project at 3535 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, on Sept. 7, featuring DiscoShow, Diner Ross, 99 Prince, and Glitterloft. The venue offers a dinner-and-show experience with a 500-person-capacity disco, a 161-seat restaurant, and bars, drawing inspiration from New York's 1970s disco scene. Drinks and dishes receive modern updates with fresh ingredients, reinventing nostalgic classics like Appletinis and French onion soup mac & cheese.

🍻 Polygon Public House opens its second gastropub, The Ox, on 14th October in Clapham, London, after acquiring and refurbishing the former The Saxon. The Ox features a 4,815 sq. ft space with a main bar, 30-cover mezzanine restaurant, and a 55-capacity private events space named The Playroom. Head Chef Darren Everts focuses on seasonal British ingredients, with produce sourced from family farms in Melrose. Highlights include aged Scottish Luing beef and a Japanese double patty smash burger. The company also plans to open The Florence in Islington in 2025.

🏦 Young & Co.’s Brewery P.L.C. to open Teller’s Arms pub in Farnham, Surrey, this October. The former bank, transformed into a 168-capacity venue, includes nine boutique bedrooms and an all-day dining space. Head Chef Ryan Patterson to offer seasonal British cuisine. The Harrison agency-designed space features a roof terrace, set to receive a retractable roof by spring 2025. CEO Simon Dodd highlights the blend of history and modernity in the pub, situated an hour from London by train. Contact: [email protected], 01252 951118.