Windsor Festival to Mark WW1 and Women’s Suffrage Centenaries

Posted: Fri 3 August 2018 at 11:27

Windsor is set to host another Autumn of amazing cultural events during its annual Windsor Festival in September, and tickets are now on sale.

This year, the line-up is marking the centenaries of both the end of the First World War and of Women’s Suffrage. The exciting list of performances and speakers includes the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Orpheus Sinfonia, together with leading baritone Roderick Williams, who will be performing music commemorating the Great War.

A number of fascinating speakers will be coming to Windsor to share some insights about notable women from history. Jenni Murray will be sharing her thoughts on ‘A History of the World in 21 Women’, while Shami Chakrabarti is also appearing to talk about her book ‘Of Women: In the 21st Century’.

As well as giving locals and those visiting Windsor the chance to enjoy some cultural highlights this Autumn, the Windsor Festival also opens up some of the town’s most beautiful and historic buildings as venues. This year these include St George’s Chapel, Waterloo Chamber in Windsor Castle, Windsor Guildhall and Cumberland Lodge in the Great Park.

As well as the programme of music and talks, there will be a number of open houses featuring the work of local artists and craftspeople. Several other small exhibitions, as well as a community stage will also feature as part of the festival at the Old Court arts centre on St Leonard’s Rd.

The Macdonald Windsor Hotel, right across from the Castle, will be offering a special Festival Menu throughout the duration of the event from 16th September to 30th September.

Record Number of Visitors to UK from Abroad

Posted: Fri 27 July 2018 at 10:53

A record number of foreign visitors holidayed in the UK last year, according to the latest figures just released by the Office for National Statistics.

The charms of the UK, together with the weaker Pound, attracted 39.2 million visitors from overseas in 2017, which is up an impressive 4 percent on the year before.

Towns like Windsor, which offer historical sites, as well as quintessential English charm, are forever popular with tourists from Europe, but also from further afield, such as China, America and Australia. In fact, the UK tourism organisation, VisitBritain, claims that visitor numbers from these countries were up last year. Of course, some of the visitors are staying in the UK on business and others are here visiting friends and family who live in the UK.

As for how much overseas visitors are spending once they are here … well that’s on the up as well. In 2017 it totalled £24.5bn, an astonishing 9 percent higher than in 2016. This illustrates the cheaper Pound’s powerful impact on spending.

Although London is still the top location for foreign visitors, they are spending billions in other UK destinations such as Windsor, Oxford, Edinburgh, the Lake District and the South West of England.

The long, hot summer we are enjoying is thought to be impacting the number of Brits going abroad for their holidays this year, with more than usual opting to stay put. There have been reports of massive discounts being offered on foreign package holidays as travel agents struggle to sell the deals that usually fly off the shelves.

Business Travellers Enjoy Extended Stays in Exciting Destinations

Posted: Wed 25 July 2018 at 10:00

Business travellers often view their trips more as leisure than work, according to a new survey.

Bristol Airport commissioned a survey of 1,000 employees and found that they viewed 42 percent of their trips as leisure rather than business.

The survey also found that the vast majority (86 percent) said they generally enjoyed work travel and 60 percent admitted that they used business trips as an opportunity to visit new places, thus expanding their horizons.

Far from being an inconvenience to many workers, business travel is largely seen as a positive as employees enjoy high standards of business accommodation, such as serviced apartments and luxury hotels. Work travel also enables them to visit countries that would be beyond their reach in their day-to-day lives.

Bristol Airport’s Business Development Director, Nigel Scott, said that the term ‘Bleisure’ has been coined to describe trips that offer a break from the humdrum working life for many business travellers.

He explained: “Previously passengers would arrange business travel involving for one or two nights away, but increasingly we are seeing passengers selecting three or more nights stays, in some cases this allows passengers the opportunity of relaxing and enjoying time in and around the destination they are visiting.”

Business travellers staying in Windsor can enjoy everything our historic Royal town has to offer from the comfort of one of our high-end serviced apartments.

Royal Swan Upping Takes Place in Windsor

Posted: Fri 20 July 2018 at 14:13

An impressive flotilla of old-fashioned wooden skiff boats adorned with Royal flags has made its way up the Thames from Windsor bridge to carry out the annual Royal Swan Upping.

The Upping is the official process of counting the swan flock on the Thames in an attempt to help conserve the population. Following an outbreak of avian flu earlier in 2018, the Upping was seen as particularly important this year.

Speaking to the Windsor Express, David Barber, the Queen’s official swan marker, who was in charge of this year’s Upping, said: “It’s been the first time it really hit the Thames hard and it was very, very difficult to deal with in Windsor.”

However, the official count found some 200 birds were still living in the area, much to the relief of conservationists.

The Royal Swan Upping has been taking place for centuries and has its roots in the Middle Ages when the Royal Family declared that all ‘unmarked’ swans in open waters belonged to them. During that period swans were seen as a prized delicacy. The event takes place for five days each summer and begins on the third Monday of July.

These days the practise is very much about conservation and each swan identified in the Upping, which happens between Marlow and Cookham, is weighed and checked over for illness.

The Royals still play an active part in the Upping, with Princess Anne getting involved this year by observing the annual swan census in Marlow.

Growing Number of Businesses Using Serviced Apartments

Posted: Wed 11 July 2018 at 10:00

Nearly three quarters of businesses across the globe are using serviced apartments for workers on assignments and projects, according to a new influential report.

The latest Global Serviced Apartment Industry Report 2018/2019, compiled by the Travel Intelligence Network shows that the industry itself is going from strength to strength with the number of serviced apartments available increasing by 14 percent year-on-year.

Businesses looking for serviced apartments in Windsor for their staff will be interested to know that they offer a secure and safe option. This is increasingly relevant as employers are bound by certain duty of care obligations and are usually keen to house their staff in comfortable, central accommodation.

Serviced Apartment Success

The report also found that nearly 70 percent of the serviced apartment operators questioned said they will be looking to grow the number of apartments they offer over the next two years. It’s easy to see why this might be the case in light of PricewaterhouseCooper’s recent Talent Mobility 2020 report, which states: “There will be more assignees, more business travel, more virtual tools, and especially more quick, short-term, and commuter assignments.”

Industry insiders believe that there are a number of factors behind the booming popularity of serviced apartments. Health and safety awareness is certainly a reason why more businesses are turning to this option, while they also offer a good value way to provide spacious accommodation for staff with great working facilities, such as desks and WiFi. These are now seen as ‘must haves’ for business travellers and many hotels still fail to offer these facilities.

‘Once in a Lifetime’ RAF Centenary Flyover Comes To Windsor

Posted: Fri 6 July 2018 at 14:46

Nearly 100 RAF aircraft, joined by the Red Arrows display team, will soar over the skies of Windsor just after 1pm on 10 July in what has been called a “once in a lifetime” event.

Marking the centenary of the RAF, the mixture of vintage and modern aircraft will fly from Ipswich at 12:45pm, reaching Buckingham Palace at 1pm and Heathrow at 1:10pm. Windsor and Maidenhead will be next, a few minutes later.

WINDSOR CENTENARY FLYPAST Lancaster Bombers, Hurricanes and Spitfires will join the RAF’s latest state-of-the-art jet planes, alongside several helicopters and passenger aircraft.

Perhaps most anticipated will be the RAF’s next generation fast jet, the Lightning, as it takes to the air for what will be its first public outing.

Providing the weather conditions are right, 25 different kinds of aircraft will be involved in the procession.

The RAF says: “This once-in-a-lifetime flypast will provide an iconic centrepiece for the RAF100 celebrations.

“In our centenary year we are commemorating those that have come before us, celebrating our current personnel and, ultimately, inspiring a new generation to write the next chapters in the RAF’s story.”

To get a great view of the flypast, Windsor tourists and locals alike could head to Alexandra Gardens, where they may enjoy views of the flypast in the skies above Windsor Castle.

Alternatively, anyone lucky enough to have accommodation in central Windsor will be able to enjoy the flypast in all its glory from the comfort of their own home or garden.

The Windsor Wedding!

Posted: Mon 14 May 2018 at 18:10

We are very excited this month as Windsor hosts the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. Georges Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle this Saturday 19th May 2018.

We are expecting the town to be buzzing with excitement – in fact it has already started with bunting going up throughout the town and images of Harry and Megan adorning various shop doorsteps and pub windows!

There are huge screens going up along the Long Walk and Alexandra Gardens and the procession route has been mapped out to allow for maximum viewing pleasure! The royal couple will leave Windsor Castle and proceed down Windsor High Street, along Sheet Street and onto Kings Road, Albert Road then they will turn onto the Long Walk and go back up to the Castle greeting thousands of well-wishers along the way.

There will be food and drink and entertainment on tap and many visitors to Windsor and local families are making a day of it. The atmosphere is sure to be electric – let’s hope the weather holds out.

We are aware of road closures in the town from 10pm on the day before the wedding on certain roads in the town centre and other main roads into Windsor closing from 6am on Saturday 19th May until around 4pm.

For more information on this please see www.roadworks.org and type in Windsor and the date to see a map showing where each road is closed.

Despite road closures this event will be such a joyous occasion and we hope that the royal couple will be very happy as they start their married life – who knows, there may even be the patter of tiny feet in a few years!

If you have already booked accommodation with us then you will be aware of the road closures as we have emailed you but please do keep an eye on the roadworks site for any last-minute changes. There are parking spaces at The Review Ground which need to be reserved – the price is £30 per car and we understand there might be a 20 minute walk from there to The Long Walk. Book parking here

Our top tip for the day – travel light, leave plenty of time to get here as there are likely to be queues. There are extra trains laid on for the big day so leave the car at home and stay overnight to avoid the traffic!

The Summer Intern

Posted: Tue 8 August 2017 at 12:16

Internships in Windsor As a student on summer break from university, it can be hard to find employment that is rewarding, has a strong focus on training and development and is flexible enough to allow time with friends and family. The Internship at Accommodation Windsor gave me all these benefits and more. The office is based just off Windsor High Street and the properties are all based in Windsor & Eton. It is this focus on the local area that allows the company to really specialize and help to train me with a hands-on approach. With the majority of properties a short walk away from the office this is a huge benefit to me as I’m not yet driving.

Coming into this internship I had hoped to gain skills in dealing with administrative functions and getting some practical experience in an office, as well as get first-hand insight into how property companies operate. I haven’t had to make one cup of tea yet and instead have been given jobs to assign keys, help manage arrivals and perform a variety of daily tasks that require me to use a range of skills. The jobs are challenging without being impossible, structured without being monotonous and most of all I genuinely feel a part of the team after just my first few shifts.

I’ve been able to visit a few properties that the company manages as well as Alma House Guest House that the company also owns and understand the set-up of a small business. The company believes in all staff understanding the whole process and for this reason I travelled with the Housekeeping team to clean a property in Eton which took me back to my days at primary school where we used to visit the college and its facilities. These nostalgic thoughts did help me tremendously in passing the time between cleaning the toilet bowl and hoovering the floor. Don’t tell my mum though, or she might make me start cleaning more regularly at home!
I have also been tasked with researching products for use in all of Accommodation Windsor’s 60 properties – from coffee machines to clock radio alarms. I have presented my finding to the team and I’m actively involved in giving feedback on usage (especially the coffee machine!) The company is also looking at ways to be more environmentally friendly and I’m currently working on finding UK suppliers who provide eco-friendly products. My university skills are invaluable in finding, sorting through and presenting information to the Management team who have so far been really impressed with my input.

Internships can simply be a gateway to future employment, but here I have enjoyed the internship in its own right. The team are good fun but I am also learning when it is the right time to stop joking and get my head down with any work that comes my way – an invaluable skill for business.

Overall I would highly recommend the internship programme here at Accommodation Windsor Limited. An enjoyable and very useful internship in its own right, with a set up that is very organised, it has been an excellent peek behind the curtain into the post-university world for me and what the world of office work would be like.
The only problem I have now is trying to remember not to answer my mobile “Good afternoon, Accommodation Windsor. How can I help?”

What’s on April / May 2017

Posted: Thu 6 April 2017 at 19:49

The weather is warming up and there is no better time to visit Windsor. With a huge choice of restaurants, bars and cafes and masses of local events taking place beat the crowds by booking to stay in our beautiful town this Spring. You can choose to stay in top 5 star hotels, executive serviced accommodation or boutique B&B’s.

Windsor is beautiful in Spring and here’s what’s on if you are planning a visit in the new few weeks…

Cliveden is running an Easter Egg trail between Saturday 14th and Monday 17th April from 10am to 3.30pm. Free entry for NT members
The Carnival of Colour at Savill Gardens on Wick Lane between 1st-17th April from 10-5pm each day with a Rainbow Trail and chance to win a celebratory Rhododendron
Theatre Royal Windsor is showing Dirty Rotten Scoundrels from 4-8th April and Fame the Musical from 11-15th April
Enjoy Windsor’s very own Royal Free Singers in concert at Eton College on 8th April from 7.30 – 10pm
Treat yourselves to a Gourmet Spring Dinner hosted at the Cumberland Lodge on 19th April from 7-9.30pm
Help the Queen celebrate her 91st birthday with a 21-gun salute taking place on the Long Walk (Brook Street entrance) from midday on 21st April
Monday Evening races start at Windsor Racecourse on 24th April and then 8th, 15th and 22nd May – gates open 2.45pm
The Great British Dog Walk departs from Savill Gardens for a wonderful 4km or 9km stomp through Windsor Great Park on 29th April from 10.30am in aid of hearing dogs
The stylish Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival takes place at Windsor Castle on 5th and 6th May
Windsor Horse Show will once again be wowing the crowds from 10-14th May in Home Park
Ascot May Racing Weekend takes place 12-13th May
The Syd Lawrence Orchestra will be performing at Theatre Royal on Tuesday 16th May
Windsor Half Marathon and 10k River Trail will be on 21st May this year – still time to get training
The Adele Songbook performed by Katie Markham (hand-picked by Adele herself) will take place on 23rd May at Theatre Royal
Windsor Independent Market will be on Peascod Street this Easter weekend 15th and 16th April and also 29th and 30th April

What’s coming up… keep dates free and get tickets quick for these forthcoming events

Sunset Cinema will be appearing at Cliveden House Hotel from 21st June to 11th July – enjoy a classic movie with food by Rick Stein and ice-creams by Hand & Flowers in a wonderful setting
Windsor Championship Dog Show from 29th June to 2nd July in Home Park
Tickets for Royal Ascot are on sale now with the Windsor Enclosure already sold out – book early to avoid disappointment
Live & Unwind Festival at Oakley Court from 29-30th July