Beds and Bars Group

Beds and Bars Celebrates Its 60th Birthday 🎂 2024 marks 60 years since the birth of Beds and Bars. The business, still primarily a family-owned and run organisation, has developed from just one site on Goldhawk Road, West London, into a leading operator of tourist accommodation and entertainment venues in Europe, with backpacker hostels, bars and traditional British pubs in 12 cities and eight countries. At the heart of Beds and Bars’ success has been its people and its values. The businesses’ motto ‘Live Your Life’ is a true reflection of this commitment to its staff. Coined by the late wife of Beds and Bars CEO Keith, Franca Knowles developed the ‘Live Your Life’ mission following the launch of Belushi’s Bars and St Christopher’s Inns. Franca believed in ‘Live Your Life’ with all of her heart – and was quickly adopted company wide. Franca passed away in 2014, but her love for people, her compassion and her tireless work remains the heart and soul of the business; and so her motto still stands stronger than ever to this day. A quote from Beds and Bars CEO, Keith Knowles: “At the core of what we do are the four cornerstones of the experience we strive to deliver – one that is safe, secure, fun and value for money. “Our leadership team together have over 150 years of experience in the hospitality industry. In the beginning we identified a niche in the budget accommodation market and focused on the backpacker sector. Over the last three decades we have taken the original model of 50 beds above a pub and evolved it into a concept that involves bespoke buildings with more than 500 beds.” #bedsandbars #hospitality #liveyourlife

⛵️We recently concluded our bi-annual sailing trip in partnership with The Discovery Sailing project, an initiative designed to reward our exceptional Beds and Bars team for their dedication and hard work. This trip not only serves as a token of our appreciation but also reinforces our commitment to our people living their best life. We're excited to announce that the Discovery Sailing Project is now integrated into our paid volunteer days program. This initiative allows our team to engage in meaningful volunteer work while enjoying the benefits of sailing. More details on how to participate will be available soon. At Beds and Bars, we believe in investing in our peoples personal and professional growth, and these programs are a testament to that commitment. #BedsAndBars #EmployeeEngagement #TeamReward #CorporateCulture #DiscoverySailingProject #EmployeeRetention #TeamBuilding

⏳T-Minus 2 days to go! Who's joining us for the #EURO2024 journey!

Yesterday, William Anderson and Alex May joined Beds and Bars Group for their Charity Bridge Walk supporting Aware Scotland. Over an incredible £25,000 has been raised so far, and there is still time to donate using this link https://lnkd.in/ec5AB_m5 The Bridge Walk is not only a highlight event throughout the year but also a great opportunity to raise money for charity alongside other industry friends. #charitybridgewalk #donate #fundraising #solicitor #charityevent

BETA's Youth Industry Networking Event 🧡 A few weeks ago we attended BETA's Youth Industry Networking event which took place on a cruise on the River Thames, overlooking the beautiful London skyline. It was a fantastic evening networking and connecting with so many of you within the Youth Travel industry. We're looking forward to meeting more of you this year at BETA's events! Will we be seeing you on the 17th June for BETA's parliamentary reception? An important event to help shape the future of the UK youth and educational travel industry. There's still time to sign up and attend this event - https://lnkd.in/ePnhjAQA British Educational Travel Association (BETA) #stchostels #bedsandbars

We're thrilled to announce that we have been selected for three Hostelworld Group HOSCARs awards this year! 🏆 🇪🇸 St Christopher's Inn Barcelona - Best Extra Large Hostel in Europe 🇳🇱 St Christopher's Inn at The Winston - Most Popular Hostel in Amsterdam & Best Hostel in Netherlands. A huge congratulations to our fantastic teams in Barcelona and Amsterdam for this very well-deserved recognition. #bedsandbars #hoscars #stchostels

WE ARE ON A MISSION TO BE CARBON-NEUTRAL BY 2030 ♻ Here at St Christopher's Inns we are making changes to our processes to help our sites, staff and customers staying with us be more sustainable. 🧡 - No single-use plastic at check-in or breakfast - Sustainability training for all members of staff - Sustainable travel resources on the whole of Europe - Toiletry refill stations in our receptions - 'Swap Shops' for all of our hostel guests - Monthly sustainability events in the local community These small steps will lead to big changes! We are continuing to educate ourselves, learn and grow on our sustainability journey with our goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2030! #stchostels #bedsandbars #sustainabletravel #sustainability

Happy International Women's Day ⭐️ Today marks an important day! A day that is globally recognised and that raises awareness for women's rights, gender equality and celebrates women's achievements. Here at Beds and Bars we are celebrating all you women of the world. And not just today but every day 🫶 #bedsandbars #internationalwomensday2024

We are proud to be sponsoring the British Educational Travel Association (BETA) Parliamentary Reception on the 17th June 2024. Did you know that BETA’s last report calculated that the youth, student and educational travel sector was worth over £28.6 billion per annum to the UK economy – representing over one-third of the total inbound tourism market? This event will be an opportunity to bring together BETA members, industry influencers, Government officials, MPs and Peers and to highlight the importance of youth, student and educational travel in our industry as well as the expansion of the Youth Mobility Scheme. https://bit.ly/48IJ9Z4 #beta #travelindustry #bedsandbars

Earlier this month several of our Rising Stars programme graduates had the privilege of being invited to a special apprenticeship appreciation event in the Houses of Parliament. Our team represented Beds and Bars Group and had the chance to network with industry representatives, apprentices, influencers, educators, media, and MPs. 🌟 Our Rising Stars had the opportunity to engage with various suppliers and their apprentices, exploring the diverse apprenticeship programs that companies in the industry provide, as well as the significant investments received by the hospitality industry. They also heard from a wide range of MPs who discussed the investments in and the importance of apprenticeships in the UK. The Rising Stars said; "Celebrating the completion of our Rising Stars programme at the Houses of Parliament gave us an amazing opportunity to look back on all of our achievements over the past year, as well as meeting other inspirational apprentices." You can find out more about our unique Rising Stars programme and the people behind the course here - https://bit.ly/3XYO18D #bedandbars #risingstars #hospitalityindustry