Another silver lining has been that Nigel has also discovered ‘the existence of what looks like a lovely affordable hotel in London’ which is now at the top of his list the next time he’s down in the Capital on business overnight. Of course, all the team at umi London will be looking forward to providing the warmest of welcomes whenever he comes to stay.

www.umihotellondon.co.uk
www.umihotelbrighton.co.uk
www.petrovkalofthotelmoscow.com

This year’s World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC), held in Barcelona 20-23 September, played host to the inaugural Global Youth Travel Awards.

The Awards formally recognise outstanding performers in several fields of youth travel and reward those members who contribute so much to the youth travel industry and community.

The Awards are open to members of the World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation. Members were invited to submit entries in the months leading up to the event.

Steve Lowy and umi Hotels were delighted to be recognised for Steve’s work in Cambodia:

The ISTC Skills Exchange Award

The ISTC Skills Exchange brings together an existing STAY WYSE member and a hostel in a country with a less-developed youth travel infrastructure, and this award recognises the individual/organisation that contributes time and effort to the business needs of another organisation. The goal is to help hostels in developing areas around the world improve their businesses in areas such as sales, marketing, branding, strategy and operations, and by extension create more opportunities for youth and student travel.

Other winners were:

The WYSE Travel Confederation Extraordinary Experience Award

Winner: Michael Teoh and Smaller Earth

—————————————————————-

The WYSE Travel Confederation Innovation in Marketing Award

Winner: CIEE’s “2 Months, 35 Countries” campaign

————————————————————

The WYSE Volunteer & Travel – Outstanding Volunteer Project Award

Winner: San Juanillo Fisherman’s Association and International Student Volunteers

————————————————————

The WYSTC App Yap Award

Winner: tripwolf

————————————————————-

The WYSE Work Abroad “Expand Your Horizons” Video Contest Award

Winner: Krupali Patel with Volunteering India

————————————————————-

The STAY WYSE Green Initiative Award

Winner: Sydney Harbour YHA

————————————————————-

The STUDY WYSE Outstanding Contribution Award

Winner: Manel Bassols, CETT (Barcelona)

More information on each award category can be found here.

Judged by TV star and entrepreneur Sarah Beeny King of Shaves founder Will King, Bebo founder Michael Birch, PR guru Lynne Franks, Smarta’s Shaa Wasmund and O2’s Simon Devonshire, six special category award winners were chosen along with an overall Smarta 100 winner.  Umi hotels was crowned winner of the ‘People’ category for its work with young people and staff engagement and will receive £1,000 worth of training from RBS Mentor.

Steve Lowy has made the effort to work with many academic institutions both in the UK and abroad to help train hospitality students.  Ranging from 1 week GCSE work experience to 6 month language and hospitality placements, over 100 students have worked at umi so far, covering more than 15 different nationalities.

Delighted with the award, Steve said: “Being listed in the Smarta 100 was an honour for us, but winning the People category has made me so so proud!  I truly believe in a service-led environment and this can only happen with a great team that have a genuine passion for their role and for the business.”

He added “my staff always make our interns feel a valued part of the team as most of them remember starting their own careers.  Both the students and our permanent team members bring new ideas to the table which helps us remain innovative”.

Steve’s efforts with young people has earned him board member positions for STAY WYSE and the British Education Travel Association (BETA).  Umi also supports its local communities, works with local suppliers and is now offering franchise opportunities and hotel marketing services.

The Smarta 100 awards are run annually to honour Britain’s brightest small businesses and are supported by RBS, Intuit, NatWest, Viking and Mishcon de Reya.

Voting is now under way to find the overall O2 Smarta 100 Business of the Year, winning £10,000 courtesy of O2 and umi needs your votes at www.smarta.com/100

This year’s Smarta 100 provides a fascinating snapshot of UK small business today: a cross-section of ingenious new ideas, individuals seeking self-employment after redundancy, the innovators of the cloud and crowd and the fast-growth big businesses of tomorrow.

Umi hotels is a “luxury-budget” hotel brand that empowers its people to help keep the business innovative and offers a value product without even a tiny compromise on service.  There are 99 other businesses all battling it out for the title of O2 Smarta 100 Business of the Year.

Commenting on umi’s inclusion in the Smarta 100, Steve Lowy, Founder of umi hotels said: “Being listed in the Smarta 100 really is an honour for us and particularly having a place in the Top 5 for People as I strongly believe in working with young people.  People are an integral part of any service industry and it is great to be acknowledged for our efforts in this area, as well as being an innovative and progressive business.”

Many of this year’s winners have triumphed through adversity such as Camille Johnson, who set up Pink Ribbon Lingerie after her mother’s experiences struggling to find attractive mastectomy lingerie.

Proving the crucial role small businesses have to play in the future recovery of the UK economy, Smarta 100 revenues total over £65,000,000 with an average turnover of £692,000. They’re contributing more to the nation’s coffers than they’re borrowing too, with over half (51%) entirely self-funded.  On average, they are three years and two months old and Smarta 100 businesses tend to be running lean operations with a growing shift towards virtual teams and networks of freelancers.

The Smarta 100 also tells us about the people behind Britain’s brightest small businesses. This year’s winners are 55% male, 45% female, aged between 18 and 52 with an average of 33.

Commenting on this year’s Smarta 100 winners, Dragons’ Den star and Smarta board member Deborah Meaden – who wasn’t part of the judging process – said: “This year’s Smarta 100 has uncovered some superb small businesses, many of which I’ll admit I’d never heard of but have enjoyed discovering and am very much looking forward to meeting.

“What pleases me is that these awards are championing passionate and ambitious people with brilliant ideas who’ve acted on those ideas and turned them into flourishing businesses. These small businesses and individuals are hugely important and deserve our recognition and support.”

Simon Devonshire, General Manager, SMB for O2, said: “The SMBs that have made the final shortlist are testimony to the dynamism and variety of businesses that are operating and flourishing in the UK. O2 supports young companies such as this that are looking to make a name for themselves by offering them flexible communications packages. It will be fascinating to find out which companies win the categories and the O2 Award, which will act as a springboard for future growth.”

Voting for the overall O2 Smarta 100 Business of the Year is now live and umi would like your votes!

The overall winner and special awards winners will be presented with their prizes at The Smarta 100 Awards final on Wednesday 21^st September at London’s IndigO2.  The shortlisted companies are now available to view online.  These awards will be decided by the Smarta 100 judging panel consisting of King of Shaves founder Will King, Bebo founder Michael Birch, PR guru Lynne Franks, TV’s Sarah Beeny, creator of MySingleFriend.com and Tepilo.com, Smarta’s Shaa Wasmund and O2’s Simon Devonshire.

To view the full 2011 Smarta 100 (including the special awards shortlist) and to vote for the O2 Smarta 100 business of the year, visit: www.smarta.com/100

Chloe is a student who has just received fantastic results for her A levels and is excited about going on to University to study English. Chloe has never stayed at an umi hotel before but circumstances bring her to London on a regular basis and she has been searching for the right hotel to stay at. umi hotels is one of her top choices.

Chloe thought that the prize on offer would be useful as she plans to go travelling when she finishes university with the aim to teach English abroad. She is particularly drawn to Eastern Europe and when she saw the competition it just felt right to enter.

Visit umihotels.com/competitions for your chance to win our latest competition.

Founder Steve Lowy accepting the award

The 2011 awards, in association with TravelMole and LeadGenerators, recognise excellence in online travel.  Umi won the “Accommodation over 20 rooms” category for their efforts in providing relevant, fresh and well-presented content to visitors of the website that represents their London budget hotel.  Developed by 2am Media in conjunction with umi marketing, the website has a bespoke booking engine, a blog noting London events and downloadable podcast directions for guests, amongst other attributes.

Famed for its modern-European style food and extravagant decor, Little Bay has made its mark in London for excellent value, quality food.  Now, Founder Peter Ilić has brought his fine bistro menu to the seaside, for locals and tourists alike.

Brighton has an array of eateries serving Italian and Asian cuisines but Little Bay will be joining just a handful of modern-European style restaurants, none of which offer an experience quite like Little Bay.  Diners will be able to enjoy live opera music several evenings a week and locally-sourced ingredients across the menu.

“I think Little Bay is just what Brighton needs” said Peter, “we’re offering all Little Bay Brighton followers on Twitter, 50% off their total bill if they book in advance, so come and see for yourselves”.

Steve Lowy, Founder of umi, feels that what Little Bay offer fits really well with umi Brighton.

Situated on King’s Road and adjoined to umi hotel Brighton, the restaurant is working with umi to provide dinner, bed and breakfast packages to hotel guests but is also completely open to the public.  The restaurant is ideally located for pre or post theatre dining, being just minutes from The Brighton Centre and a short walk from the Theatre Royal Brighton. A three course menu before 7pm costs £10.95, while parties of 10 or more can enjoy a three-course meal for £10.95 at any time.

Little Bay Brighton will be open seven days a week, including Christmas Day and is fully licensed.  Families, business guests and private groups are all welcome to dine between 7am to midnight, daily (11pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays).

In 2007, Caterer & Hotelkeeper Magazine reported on research findings* that over the next twenty years the budget hotel sector will experience its biggest growth period, with the prediction that in 2027 the sector will represent a 26.8% share of the overall UK hotel market.  The budget hotel sector looks to be growing in line with this prediction, despite the recession, following its increase in market share from 12% of UK serviced hotels at the end of 2007 to 16% at the end of 2010.

The umi brand is offering hoteliers the opportunity to be a part of this rapidly growing market both in the UK and overseas.  Umi focuses on first class customer service delivered by passionate staff combined with bargain accommodation prices.  All of this happens within modern, relaxed, city-based hotel environments with the provision of services usually only provided by four and five-star hotels.

If your hotel needs to be re-ignited and you are serious about running a service-led business, umi believe that becoming a part of their group could be just right for you. And, you don’t have to change the name of your hotel unless you want to.

Successful applicants will be required to pay a franchise start-up cost, a (low) commission charge on any bookings gained through the umi websites and commit to a three-year minimum term.  Marketing support, sales and budgeting training, staff manuals and use of umi’s BookItWith online booking engine are included amongst other support elements.

Steve Lowy Founder of umi hotels said “we have a professional and experienced team and are happy to help other independent hoteliers make their hotel business profitable and efficient.  Our franchise package is excellent value, in line with the value accommodation experience that the existing umi hotel’s are already offering”.
*comprehensive research conducted by Melvin Gold Consulting

Steve, who set up his company, umi Hotels in 2007, is now in with a chance of winning the Entrepreneur of the Year award and scooping the final prize of £2,000 and 50,000 Nectar points.

Steve found his inspiration for umi whilst travelling after university. He identified a gap in the market for a hotel with the fun, laid-back atmosphere of a backpacker’s hostel and the service of five star accommodation. At just 26, Steve created a “luxury-budget” hotel that supports young people entering into a hospitality career.

Steve’s background in hospitality meant that he was well placed to make a success of his business. Following the launch of his London hotel, he has since opened umi propertiesin Brighton and Moscow. His efforts have won him several awards in recognition of his business success, with umi London included in the Sunday Telegraph’s top 50 best budget hotels in the world.

Steve commented: “I am so pleased to have been shortlisted as one of the Nectar Business Small Business Awards Entrepreneurs. It feels great to be in the running. It comes at an incredibly exciting time for umi Hotels.”

Steve was just one of many hugely successful and dedicated UK entrepreneurs that entered the Nectar Business Small Business Awards 2011 and his entry will now be judged by a panel of experts, including Karren Brady who will be joined by small business journalist Guy Clapperton, Marketing Director at Nectar, James Frost and Merchandising & Marketing Director for UK and Ireland Office Depot, John O’Keeffe.

James Frost, Marketing Director at Nectar, says: “The Nectar Business Small Business Awards offer the chance for entrepreneurs to demonstrate how they have made their business stand out from competition through strategic decision making or breaking new ground in business. We’ve been thrilled with the standard of entries this year, and would like to wish all the shortlisted entrepreneurs the best of luck.”

For full information on the awards please visit www.nectar-business.com/sba2011