In brief

The five-strong Milton Hotels group has started work on a £650,000 refurbishment of its largest property, the 122-bedroom Milton Hotel at Fort William, in the Highlands.

Improving leisure facilities is to be a key part of the project.

A planning application was submitted last week for a £20m leisure and retail complex called Chorley Mills near Chorley, Lancashire.

Included in the plans put in by Schroder Exempt Property Unit Trust was a hotel and a family pub and restaurant.

The Swallow Hotel in Northampton has won an Investors in People (IIP) award in recognition of its training and development.

HF Holidays, which owns a chain of 19 hotels around the UK, has also gained IIP status.

The Counseil Culinaire de France has awarded one of its highest accolades, the Grand Cordon Culinaire Lacam, to Robert Mey, chef-pâtissier at the Hyatt Carlton Tower, London.

Mr Mey came to the UK in 1957 and worked at the Savoy and Coq D'Or before joining the Carlton Tower in 1969.

He is a member of the Académie Culinaire de France and a City & Guilds examiner for young pastry chefs.