Forte bid to stop the rot in hotel dining

Forte Hotels is to introduce two high-street restaurant brands into its Posthouse hotels in an attempt to rescue hotel dining from the doldrums.

Mongolian Barbecue and City Centre Restaurants' Garfunkels will open in the High Wycombe Posthouse and Brentwood Posthouse respectively next month, as part of Forte Hotels' efforts to make its hotel dining rooms more attractive.

James Naylor, chief executive of City Centre Restaurants (CCR) said this was a new departure for his company, but it had made clear its wish to franchise CCR brands.

"If the Brentwood pilot proves successful we would be looking to open a numberof restaurants with Granada. Naturally, they would be looking for some exclusivity," said Naylor.

Forte's managing director of restaurants and catering, Chris Brown, has already signed a seven-hotel joint venture deal with top chef Marco Pierre White.

Plans to lease restaurant space to other operators are also well advanced.

Expanding restaurant group Oriental Restaurants is to open an 80-seat branch at Le Méridien, Gatwick, at the beginning of November. The group will pay a turnover-based rent to Forte.

Meanwhile, Forte is expected to sign a deal shortly with Raymond Blanc to open a second Le Petit Blanc at the Queen's Hotel in Cheltenham.