Best Western GB National Living Wage on BBC Breakfast

As part of our campaign to highlight the challenges that independent hotels face across the UK, watch again Best Western GB Chief Executive Rob Payne speaking to Stephanie McGovern on BBC Breakfast on 26.01.16.

Here at Best Western GB we are calling on the Government to look again at easing pressure on the hospitality industry as a new survey shows price rises and job losses are likely as a result of the National Living Wage. The survey of Best Western members, the largest collection of independent hotels in Great Britain, revealed that over 90% of respondents will have to increase their prices to mitigate the increase to staff salaries; 43% said they would have to reduce their workforce as a result of the changes and 80% said they would rethink recruitment.

Rob Payne, CEO of Best Western Great Britain said: “While we are in favour of a fair wage for everyone, our members are telling us that they are worried about job losses, price rises and recruitment and investment strategies as a result of the National Living Wage. Best Western was founded in 1948 to support hotels in becoming more profitable, a purpose which remains true today. We are working hard to help all those hotels and businesses we represent to navigate the impact of the National Living Wage. We are doing all that we can to drive down costs for goods and services with collective buying through Beacon, our purchasing business, and gaining economies of scale for customer acquisition and distribution - but we know more needs to be done. My worry is for those independent businesses that are not able to benefit from similar levels of support from organisations such as ourselves. The bigger picture here is that this will impact every café, every bed and breakfast, every visitor attraction and every pub, with potentially damaging consequences for investment in the British hospitality industry.”

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For more information please contact:

 Andrew Denton

Head of Communications

E: [email protected]   

T: 01904 695 707

M: 07967 173 906

 Best Western GB is the largest collection of independently owned and family run hotels in Great Britain. Our 270+ properties have over 42,000 years of history between them and hundreds of stories to share too. From the oldest purpose built hotel in Europe, the hotel with the best room-with-a-view in the world and the hotel which hosted the honeymoon of Hollywood royalty, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.

For more details about Best Western GB properties visit https://www.bestwestern.co.uk or to hear more Best Western GB stories and to arrange a press trip, with or without your dog, please contact the Communications Team.

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