Good news from the Cabinet Office.

A wide consultation website is up, called the Red Tape Challenge.

Every few weeks they are publishing the regulations affecting one specific sector or industry. At the same time they are publishing the general regulations that cut across all sectors such as equality and employment.

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When I was writing a few months ago about London making the most of the Royal Wedding I could scarcely imagine the creative boom that the whole affair would bring on.

I receive newsletters from my favorite retail outlets each and every single day with some clever little pun and some not-really-relevant-but-close products. Little pillows, the Union Jack on absolutely everything and crazy ideas about parties and events.

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Any sector will have some issues close to its heart and will feel robbed of attention when the state doesn’t seem to listen. Everything cannot be perfect all of the time, that’s true.

Working a lot with hotels we are always a bit surprised by the sharp differences in how hoteliers and their trade associations put their case forward in different countries.

Take Greece for example. (more…)

I know, sometimes it gets too confusing.

Here’s a nice little video by Farelogix which explains that whole story pretty well and in simple terms.

The creator obviously has a vested interest in the market so keep an open mind.

I will refrain from commenting on the story for now. Suffice it to say we have been going round and round discussing this for quite some time to no avail.

(Hat tip: tnooz)

Here are two separate e-cards for the festive season which we handled for two separate clients.

Shall we play spot the difference? (more…)

I bet you heard the news. Prince William is to wed Kate Middleton. The happy couple announced their engagement today with a wedding being planned for next year.

Make not mistake. London will make the most of the wedding. I just saw a lovely representative from Visit London on BBC London news (so sorry I didn’t get her name) saying how from past experience they know that London’s tourism will receive a huge boost. (read their blog entry)

The organisation estimates that the economic benefit to London could be between £30m and £50m from domestic and international visitors to the capital.

Apparently, thirty years ago, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana brought an additional 600,000 visitors to the capital and with the popularity of Prince William and Kate this figure could increase significantly. (read the full Press Release)

Regardless of your politics, a wedding of this magnitude offers an amazing opportunity for the city’s tourism. Professionals from around the world will be able to see a real time campaign unfolding and take some valuable lessons.

(Photo by Niquinho)

It feels like ages since I last updated but I hope you will forgive me. Work has been a bit overwhelming lately.

End of the summer season is a busy time for us. Final policy and performance reports are prepared for our clients in the hospitality sector. Seasonal hotels need this reporting system in order to analyse and balance the season’s performance. It’s a great time for us as well as we get to show in one concise document our activities. From these reports we are able to sit down and discuss the next steps and preparation work that we will need to do with the hotel for the next year. And the next year starts now!

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Visit Greece just launched a new campaign website my Greece - which encourages visitors to add their videos and images.

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Love it or hate it, it is an indisputable fact that TripAdvisor gave travellers the opportunity to give meaningful feedback to hoteliers and a heads – up to other travellers. Naturally it also gave an opportunity for unhelpful rants and… allegedly unethical tactics, like writing bad reviews for your competitors.

Enter over 400 hotels and their threat of legal action against TripAdvisor. A Bournemouth-based reputation management firm, KwikChex, is canvassing support for a case. I initially didn’t want to write anything about this story because I tend to agree with techdirt on this one. Nevertheless the story throws up an interesting debate regarding the balance that hoteliers need to find with TripAdvisor.

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Take a look at this brilliant video, done for LG’s Play the Impossible campaign.

I love the way they play around with the landmark. Not to mention the way they use a movement reminiscent of the numerous photographs out there playing with perspective (sun between your fingers anyone?).

The two youngsters are soooo right as Londoners having a bit of fun and I especially like the shy visitor that one of them teases.

Would love to see more of this.

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Found it: Guardian Viral Video Chart: London’s turning