News Briefs

Rajpoot rejoicing

The Rajpoot restaurant in Bath is this year the first Indian outlet to win the Les Routiers Restaurant of the Year award.

Queen's rescued

Newstead Investments has rescued the 22-bedroom Queen's Hotel on The Esplanade at Burham-on-Sea, Somerset, from its 14 months in receivership. It has begun a £250,000 six-week refurbishment of the property.

Feld sentence cut

Robert Feld, former managing director of Resort Hotels, has had his eight-year prison sentence for a £20m fraud reduced to five years, making him eligible for parole after three. Feld, above, had argued that his sentence was too harsh compared with those handed down for more lucrative, longer-lived frauds.

More surviving

Only two pubs and one hotel went into administration or receivership during March, according to Deloitte & Touche. Figures for the past 12 months are: pubs, 25; other catering, 2; hotels, 25; restaurants, 13.

Extra Callaghans

Forte plans to open three more Callaghans Irish horse-racing hotel bars in London this year after a successful pilot at Marble Arch.