News /Virgin promises better wi-fi
size of a school gym.
The friendly concierge knows we are keen to get down to dinner, but enquires whether we have time for a complimentary glass of prosecco as he delivers the bags. We somehow find the time.
The Grand has two restaurants and we choose The Rise, which offers a range of tapas style plates to mix and match.
First up is a delicious braised Yorkshire lamb shoulder, capers and pea guacamole.
Then it’s a bit of a test for a test for my wife, a relapsed pescetarian no less, but she bravely puts away the steak tartare with sour dough and ‘horseradish emulsion’ like someone who has eaten raw meat all her life. Venison, ox cheek, grilled tiger prawns and even octopus follows. If there’s one thing the Rise teaches me it is that no The Grand Hotel has 107 guest rooms, including 13 suites. Rates start at around £149 a night depending on when you visit. The seven bedroom types comes with Egyptian cotton bed linen, Molton Brown toiletries, bathrobes and slippers, air conditioning, and free wi-fi. The restaurant’s whisky lounge houses over 120 different malts. The most expensive whisky is Macallan 1957 at £280 per measure. It’s Three Rosette Hudson’s Restaurant, named after George Hudson, the Victorian ‘Railway King’. The hotel’s spa won a world luxury spa award for the best UK Spa in a Hotel – beating The Dorchester in London. For more information visit https://www. thegrandyork.co.uk/ or call 01904 898961. dessert should be served without a pairing cocktail, so my wife’s Yorkshire Cheese Platter comes with a delightful Port Manhattan, while my Buttermilk Panna cotta Yorkshire Strawberries and Sorbet are complemented by a Sweet Dream G&T. VIRGIN Trains says the wi-fi on its trains is about to get much better.
The train operator has announced that all 56 of its West Coast route Pendolino trains are having a refit, which will vastly improve the on-board equipment, and allow free wi-fi to be extended to all customers.
The £7.5m investment is part of a new deal agreed with the government, which will see Virgin Trains continue to run the West Coast franchise through to at least the end of March 2019, with the option for up to a further one-year extension at the Department for Transport’s discretion.
Installation of the wi-fi upgrade is planned to begin on the Pendolino fleet from this May, with the work expected to be completed by January 2019.
It says the new technology is ‘future-proofed’ so it will work with 5G mobile phone networks as they come on stream and offer further speed improvements.
Phil Whittingham, managing director of Virgin Trains on the West Coast said: “Virgin Trains has led the industry for more than two decades, and I’m delighted that we have secured a new contract to continue operating on the West Coast. The investment will see a big improvement in our on-board wi-fi, and follows our industryleading innovations such as automatic delay-repay and free films and TV on board via our Beam app.
“I’m pleased that we’ll be able to offer almost all of our customers access to the improved wi-fi for free. We know wi-fi is a top priority for our customers and I’m sure they’ll welcome the upgrades to both speed and availability.”
In addition to the wi-fi improvements on board, the train operator will also investigate eliminating ‘not-spots’, or places without mobile phone coverage, on parts of its network. The route taken by the west coast mainline sees a large number of these ‘not-spots’ as trains pass through cuttings and tunnels, and where there is no mobile phone coverage there is also no wi-fi available.
The new contract will also see all station ticket machines upgraded to accept contactless payment, more information and other improvements such as additional seating at stations and improved toilets, lighting and carpets on board.
There will also be new apprenticeship opportunities, including for train driver roles. A NEW campaign has been launched to inspire people to holiday in the UK.
VisitBritain’s new campaign ‘I Travel For…’ uses short films and story-telling to shine the spotlight on unexpected experiences and less-explored destinations in Britain, alongside its globally renowned and iconic landmarks and attractions.
The campaign aligns the passions that motivate people to travel with experiences that can only be had in Britain, inspiring overseas visitors to book a trip.
The digital campaign kicks off internationally with a launch film on Facebook and Instagram, followed by a series of films and images promoting destinations across Britain. VisitBritain chief executive Sally Balcombe said: “Tourism is one of the UK’s most valuable export industries, driving economic growth and creating jobs right across Britain. It is also a fiercely competitive global industry and we are seizing the opportunity to build on the strong growth we have seen, showcasing that Britain is bursting with fun activities, adventure and wonderfully unexpected experiences to come and discover all year round.
“By shining a spotlight and telling the stories of Britain’s exciting and contemporary culture, innovations in food and drink, the beauty of our countryside and vibrancy of our cities, we want to inspire even more international visitors to book a trip right now.”
The campaign has been developed based on VisitBritain’s global research into people’s motivations, passions and inspiration for travel including adventure, fun, relaxation, discovery, culture, food and drink and the unexpected.
As part of the global campaign, VisitBritain is also working with companies such as BA and Expedia, to help turn the inspiration into actual bookings.