Best Corporate Team Building - The West London Shooting School - Just 12 miles from London

The West London Shooting Schools' excellent one to one tutition is no better way to entertain clients or employees than learning a new skill as well as enjoying a shooting party or multi acitivity day at the school. And if you fancy something completely different you could try a MacNab day, in which three colleagues or clients could turn poachers in a challenge to local landowners.  You will use a shotgun in the grouse butts, learning the skills of a .270 rifle on the range and also be taught the delicate art of fly-fishing in the lake, what better way to entertain. 

This fabulous School sits in 160 acres of wonderful grounds - just 12 miles from London. Newgate Travel were fortunate enough recently to visit this fabulous location and explore the grounds as well as experience the one to one expert tuition.  The grounds are perfectly set up for all types of shooting and not surprisingly has twice been voted "Best shooting ground in the country".   For entertaining clients or entertaining or team building with employees - this school has it all.    

New Year's Eve Gala Dinner at One Whitehall Place

This year why not celebrate the New Year with a fabulous view of The Thames and the Fireworks by attending a gala dinner at the Royal Horseguards Hotel - One Whitehall Place.   This fabulous 5 star hotel, steeped in history, has been a London landmark for over 100 years and is the only place to be on New Year's Eve, with first class food and drink and breathtaking views from the private terraces at the hotel.

A wonderful champagne reception, accompanied by a live band awaits you upon arrival before a stupendous 6-course dinner.   As the countdown to the New Year begins, hear big Ben strike Midnight and toast 2013 with a glass of chilled champagne from the private terraces of the hotel.  Take in the breathtaking spectacular of the fireworks display as you sip your champagne, what could be nicer!

World Travel Market 2012 - Best Ever!

Newgate Travel recently attended the World Travel Market the global event for the travel industry, held at the Excel Centre. Although it felt like it was miles from anywhere, once on the DLR with all the other visitors and you got a sense of excitment with fellow travellers looking forward to the event.   They would not have been disappointed!  WTM had put together a compelling programme of conferences, seminars and events for WTM 2012.

On the two days we visited, Tuesday and Wednesday, the place was buzzing with conversation and a hive of activity.  All the stands were full of people deep in conversation. The seminars were full to capacity with some, such as National Graphic presentation, standing room only!  Surprisingly the presentation on Travel Marketing is Dead - drew an enormous crowd to the Technology Presentation Suite with over 100 plus people crammed into the space, although the presenter lost a fair few of us as the presentation progressed with some of the jargon he used, still we can all say we heard it first at the World Travel Market!

There was a presence from every corner of the globe and more at World Travel market, whatever your association with travel, whether as a supplier, buyer, exhibitor, travel agent or travel operator, with stands on travel holidays, travel destinations, new and old concepts, literally everything that you would associate with travel was there for you to find at the WTM. Bus tours, coach tours, day tours you name it, it was exhibiting.

And if the above exhibition didn't confirm that the travel market is far from dead and is clearly showing no sign of a recession yet, far from it. According to the Daily Mail  the past 12 months confirmed the market is very much alive and thriving!

At the Daily Mail's UK inbound stand specially commissioned wrap round copies of the Daily Mail were given away with some interesting statistics on holidays. In particular its readers spent more on hoildays both in the UK and Overseas than any other news brand in the past 12 months.   Some £7.6 billion was spent on holidays or short breaks with 1 in every 5 pounds spent by a Mail reader.   Over 6.7 million trips abroad were taken in the last 12 months by Mail readers - representing 18% of all overseas visits and last but not least, over 10 million British holidays or short breaks representing 17% of all UK holidays taken by Mail readers. 

For those of us in the travel industry the signs are all there that the market is showing no signs of decline, we just have to make sure we reach our target market and deliver goods and services required!

Oxford - a bustling market town full of students, tourists, film crews and Morse experts!

Oxford a bustling market town, a haven that draws in tourists from around the Globe, film makers from all corners and Morse fans - from afar afield as Australia!   I recently visited Oxford and stayed in the wonderful Oxford Spires - Four Pillars Hotel just a mile and a half from the centre of Oxford.  The hotel sits in wonderful grounds and is a quiet haven from the hussle and bussle of the city centre.

The Hotel offers fabulous accommodation ranging from classic rooms to suites.   I stayed in a classic room, although it had all that was required, it was a little small for two but would have been just perfect for one.  The bar and lounge areas were very comfortably furnished with an excellent bar and waiting staff.   The Hotel's main restaurant, Beacons, served a scrumptious breakfast with a buffett of choice.  Dinner was served in the same restaurant with silver service from an excellent menu.  The Hotel's many faciliities include a spa, swimming pool and gym along with beauty treatment saloon.   There are a number of excellent corporate meeting rooms for corporate and leisure events including seminars and conferences as well as cocktail receptions and weddings - two of which took place on my visit.

The centre of Oxford is just a short stroll and you can take a leisurely walk along the canal - watching the rowers training - or stroll through town over the bridge.   Oxford has many fascintating areas and you need a week to visit all of it!

Morse fans, that travel from, come to Oxford to experience the scenery and see where the filming of Morse episodes took place that Morse and his colleague Lewis did when solving "murders" in Oxford.   I did the Morse tour and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Our guide Elizabeth was a fabulous guide with not just information about Morse and his writer/creator Colin Dexter but also Oxford and the its University.  Oxford University's library for example has over 13 million books, the majority of which are stored over 3 floors underground!

Whether your next trip is business or pleasure - you can't go wrong if you chose Oxford and the Oxford Spires hotel as the destination.