Happy New Year from ACE Bookings!
The team wrapped up 2025 in the best possible way, with a couple of truly unforgettable bucket-list trips that combined adventure, learning, and incredible industry connections.
Ella spent three weeks travelling along the east coast of Australia, with two nights in Singapore along the way. It really was the trip of a lifetime, taking in some breath-taking destinations, extraordinary views, and beautiful wildlife in their natural habitats. Alongside making memories to last forever, Ella stayed in six different hotels during her travels, a fantastic opportunity to expand our worldwide knowledge and allow us to provide clients with genuine, first-hand experiences and recommendations.
Meanwhile, Jo headed off to the Maldives, staying at the stunning Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa, before flying on to Dubai. Here she experienced two exceptional properties including Ciel Dubai Marina, an impressive newly opened hotel, and the spectacular Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab Dubai, thanks to Andre from Mundus Representation and 2xceed for the exceptional travel arrangements. Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab Dubai was truly out of this world and has officially become Jo’s new favourite hotel!
While in Dubai, Jo also had the opportunity to attend the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A huge thank you to Stuart Pain for arranging the tickets, and to Sean from Glow events for organising the transfers between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It was also wonderful to catch up with industry peers, including Donna from Cara Hotel Marketing, Stephen from PAC, Paul from Global events, Cat from Westmont Hospitality, and Ali from Hilton Birmingham Met.
Returning to England was certainly a shock to the system, but we still managed to squeeze in some last-minute supplier visits before the festive break. These included lunch with Jamie from Leonardo, Christmas drops from Nottingham Venues and The Venues Collection, and visits from Kaarin and Clair from Radisson.
Jo also had an incredible couple of days at Silverstone, going behind the scenes to see how every second on the track is meticulously managed. She even had the unforgettable experience of completing a lap of the circuit with a professional driver which was an absolute highlight! During the visit, Jo explored the impressive event spaces, which are perfectly designed to host conferences of all sizes. The experience was rounded off with a fabulous dinner at Escapade, followed by an overnight stay in the stunning trackside apartments. A huge thank you to Judi Oliver for the invitation, and to the wider team for organising such a fantastic and memorable event.
Ella attended the Accor Christmas Lunch at Novotel Leeds, a perfect way to wrap up the year and reconnect with UK Accor hotels. Thank you to our account manager Chris Ford for the invite.
After a restful Christmas break spent catching up with family and fully switching off, we’re now into 2026 and ready to hit the ground running. We have lots of exciting things in the pipeline and a busy January already underway, including a trip to London, the BEAM Annual Dinner, where Jo has been shortlisted for Agency Leader of the Year and plenty of supplier meetings planned.
We’d like to wish everyone a successful 2026 and say a huge thank you to all those who continue to support our family on this journey. We’re incredibly grateful and can’t wait to catch up with you all throughout the year ahead.
Here’s to 2026, we hope to see you soon!
