Covid19
Interview with David Weston
Our Publishing Director, Dominic Johnson caught up with David Weston from the B&B Association.
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Covid19
#2 Interview with David Weston, B&B Association:: The Long Haul
… open to accommodate key workers, all such businesses had been closed for many weeks. During this time, the initial focus of the B&B Association was on helping them to understand the financial help that they could access, while lobbying the government for gaps in that support. Industry association chairman David Weston says in recent weeks the focus has moved to planning for reopening, giving people the guidelines and helping them with risk assessment.
David Weston, B&B Association
Now that the first weekend of opening in England has past, how have B&Bs coped? David says he has yet …
Covid19
View from the B&B Association, An interview with David Weston
The B&B Association has unsurprisingly been busier than it has ever been over the past couple of months, according to chairman David Weston, who tells Luxury BnB:
“Our members are so keen for information, support and guidance particularly translating bits of government support for them and also lobbying to fill in the gaps.”
The key issue the association has been addressing is the predominantly financial help that has been made available for businesses and explaining things like the lockdown and its limitations, but also what government help has been available, and explaining it to members.
Initially there wasn’t …
Luxury BnB News
Fife Council Accused of U-turn on Short-Term Let Licences at 11th Hour
Fife Council has been accused of U-turning on short-term let licensing advice just weeks before the national application deadline, leaving businesses scrambling to get the information together at the last minute.
David Weston, chairman of both the Scottish and UK B&B Associations, said the problem revolves around confusing, poorly worded legislation.
“We’ve been told by B&B owners that back in May 2022, they were told in writing from Fife Council that they didn’t need to apply for a short term let licence because they use Class 7 – a planning status, which includes hotels, hostels …
Luxury BnB News
B&B sector issues final plea to First Minister over short-term lets licensing
… small, independent B&Bs in Scotland.
The SB&BA also argues that the scheme will do nothing to address the government’s concerns about housing affordability, as it will not prevent people from using their homes as short-term lets.
In a letter to the First Minister, SB&BA chairman David Weston said: “The introduction of short-term let licensing will be catastrophic for Scotland’s tourism industry and those who depend on it.
“Hosts, local shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and many more Scottish businesses will all suffer if a significant number of B&Bs and small holiday let businesses …
February 2023
2023 The year ahead - Go with the flow
… large crowds. If people are travelling from afar the chances are they will want to treat themselves to a stay for the night in a comfortable, friendly high-end property like yours.
Securing guests
The opportunities for attracting guests attending festivals are immense, according to the B&B Association. Chairman David Weston says one recommended way of drawing the crowds is by contacting the event venue themselves and asking if they have a list of accommodation nearby, or whether they have links to them. He also suggests you can ask whether they have a page on their website and, if …
February 2023
Scottish hospitality wins six-month tourism tax reprieve
The Scottish government has granted a six-month pause on the introduction of the local visitor levy, widely known as the tourism tax, leaving hospitality businesses the chance to capitalise on bookings before the penalty is imposed in June this year.
The decision follows lobbying from representative hospitality bodies including the Bed & Breakfast Association (BBA) and UKHospitality. BBA chairman David Weston says, “At the end of December they agreed on a six-month pause before introducing the licensing scheme.”
He says that despite intensive lobbying by his association and other trade bodies, raising a great many concerns about it and …
December 2022
B&B Association business facility discount reports success
The Purchasing Group was launched in April offering registered member discounts across the cost of a range of business services as concerns grew about rising costs to B&B owners following the pandemic and particularly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine this year.
Association chairman David Weston says the initiative, which provides registered members with discounts from a wide range of suppliers, came about after a growing number of crises that continued to hit the industry in the aftermath of the pandemic, just when hospitality owners were expecting business to return to normal.
He says that with soaring energy costs …
December 2022
A guide to TV licences for hospitality businesses. Do i need a TV Licence?
… has a TV in a guest bedroom, bar, restaurant or other similar area that shows television programmes or film content in a public place to have an MPLC licence as well as a TV Licence, similar to the requirement for a PRS/PPL TV Licence for music and sound recordings.
David Weston, chairman of the B&B Association (BBA) says that unfortunately this is a complex issue. He replies:
MPLC do indeed seem to have the law on their side (they are using similar legal justifications to those of PRS and PPL), but the copyright law in the UK is …
Luxury BnB News
Edinburgh braces itself for a tax on overnight stays
… time,” he says. “We will also need to bear in mind that we have businesses are trying to move towards recovery, and conversely, are in the midst of a very difficult financial situation with inflation, energy costs, and consumer confidence.”
The Bed & Breakfast Association was also vocal in lobbying the Scottish government against imposing a new tax. Association chairman David Weston says, “We are opposed in principle to any new tourist taxes on top of the existing taxes on our sector such as VAT, APD, alcohol taxes, which are already amongst the highest in Europe.”
Imposing a tax in say
December 2021
Understanding Online Travel Agencies (OTA)
… considered list will focus your efforts and build up your knowledge and relationship with a few rather than many.
We recommend a list of 3-10 OTAs. Within that, I would select a combination of large genertic OTAs and specific niche websites. Example: Booking.com, Home & Away, Sykes, Dog Friendly
David Weston, Chairman of the BandB Association
OTAs: View from The B&B Association
“Online travel agencies (OTAs) can be a great marketing tool for B&B owners and hoteliers, but we advise managing the relationship carefully” says David Weston of the Bed & Breakfast Association.
The B&B Association has …
Covid19
Hospitality Minister Update
We reached out to David Weston, Chairman of the B and B Association, for an update on the widespread calls for Boris Johnson to create a Hospitality Minister for the UK Government
David Weston, Chairman of the B and B Association, said introducing a hospitality minister would be “easier said than done”.
Earlier in the year, Claire Bosi, Editor of the Chef & Restaurant Magazine, launched a petition calling for Boris Johnson to create a hospitality minister for the UK government.
The petition, which is now closed, received over 200,000 signatures from industry experts, one notable supporter being celebrity chef …