Caterer and Hotelkeeper – 6725

FIRE SAFETY SHIFT

SUGGESTIONS that the Government is planning to shift responsibility for fire safety inspections from the fire service to the private sector would be a disaster for hotels, pubs and guesthouses, Liberal Democrat MP Paul Tyler said last week in a letter to tourism minister Iain Sproat.

"It would be an expensive disaster if a totally new system was introduced, with variable standards and no direct knowledge of fire fighting," the North Cornwall MP told Caterer.

"Establishments have faced major costs to ensure high standards of fire precautions, so the present system should be retained and improved instead of being farmed out to iniquitous commercial snoopers."

MEridien bid

AIR France has referred bids for its 58-strong Méridien hotel chain to the French government's privatisation commission. The state airline was unable to decide between offers from Accor and Forte.

PHONE DEBUT

GRANADA motorway services is introducing bedroom telephones into its 21 lodges in a bid to attract more business customers. It will charge the standard BT pay phone rate of 10p a unit.

WELSH WINNER

DOUGLAS Windsor, senior chef de partie at Cwrt Bleddyn Hotel, near Usk, Gwent, has won the Young Welsh Chef of the Year competition, organised by the Cookery and Food Association.

SAVOY CHAMPION

SAVOY Grill commis chef Neil Dowson won the award for the National Commis Rôtisseur at the 1994 Great Britain finals. He now goes on to the world finals.