Hotels Gear Up for Tech-Savvy Guests

Despite the lingering economic turndown, hotels are investing in technology to ensure that tech-loving travelers are as content in the hotel room as they are in their fully-equipped homes.


Or perhaps a bit happier, given that hoteliers are offering access to new devices like the iPad, IP TV, and a slew of smartphone apps that enable guests to check in and order room service from their phone.

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Berkeley restaurant falls victim to credit card scam

BERKELEY, CA (KGO) -- Anyone can get scammed from thousands of miles away and not even know it. An international credit card fraud ring has been targeting restaurants across the nation and a busy East Bay restaurant got caught up in it. Lots of people use credit cards every day on the Internet, over the phone, and swipe them, taking the system for granted. In Berkeley, Jim Maser of Picante Restaurant has spent a lot of good will and time in building a good reputation for over 16 years.

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US travel agent faces 25 years jail for fraud

A US travel agent could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of massive ticketing fraud. Prosecutors told a Manhattan court that Virginia Wofford, 53, swindled American Express out of $US35m in fictitious travel over a three-year period.

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Va. restaurant owner pleads guilty to bank fraud

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A flashy Virginia restaurant owner with a penchant for sports cars has pleaded guilty in federal court to a series of bank frauds totaling more than $50 million. Osama El-Atari, 31, owned a small chain of steakhouses in the Washington, D.C., suburbs and was known for driving Lamborghinis and Ferraris. Last year, authorities say he disappeared after several banks discovered they had been defrauded. He was thought to have left the country and Brazilian authorities say El-Atari tried to fake his own death, buying a death certificate there. He was tracked this year to Texas.On Thursday, El-Atari pleaded guilty to three counts of bank fraud and one count of money laundering. He could face between 16 to 20 years in prison under sentencing guidelines.

Valley Forge finance director held for theft

A 71-year-old Norristown man who served as finance director for the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau was busy writing checks between 2002 and 2009, law enforcement authorities said Wednesday. Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't raise an auditor's eyebrow. But 293 of those checks, totaling $775,509.44, were to himself, though they showed up on bureau books as payable to vendors, according to records filed in Montgomery County.

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Meat supplier has beef with Gordon Ramsay

Another local restaurant-business supplier has come forward to accuse super-chef Gordon Ramsay of not paying his bills.

Last week, The Post reported the "Hell's Kitchen" star is being sued by two wine distributors who claim he stiffed them on bills of about $40,000 each. Now, Michael Braunschweiger, owner of the Bronx-based meat purveyor Endicott Meats, tells Page Six that Ramsay has gone AWOL on a bill for a cool $190,000.

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Las Vegas Hilton reports loss in first quarter

The Las Vegas Hilton swung to a loss during the first quarter of 2010 as revenue fell, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.

The hotel-casino reported a loss of $2.1 million during the first quarter, compared to a $3 million profit in the same period of 2009.

Net revenue fell by 10.8 percent, from $60.4 million in the first quarter of 2009 to $53.9 million in the first quarter of 2010.

Casino revenue decreased by 17.4 percent to $19.6 million during the quarterly period.

For the first quarter of 2010, room revenue was $20.8 million, a decrease of $1.9 million from the first quarter of 2009. The property didn't include average daily room rates and occupancy numbers in the filing.

Food and beverage revenue remained relatively unchanged for the quarter at $16.1 million.

Follow Up - Posh-hotel concierge caught on camera $queezing cabbies

Caught green-handed!

This stunning shakedown -- snapped by Post photographers -- is just one of the hundreds that doormen at swanky hotels demand every day from helpless cabbies, the hacks complain. The Paramount Hotel's concierge, Brian Conboy, was spotted demanding money in exchange for lucrative airport-bound fares -- not only from this driver but about a dozen others during a two-day period last week. Photographers snapped him shaking down three drivers on Friday and Saturday, and reporters observed several others.

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Carluccio's warns of uncertain trading despite a rise in profits

Italian restaurant chain Carluccio’s has posted an 8% rise in pretax profit to £2.7m for the first half of the financial year but warned that trading conditions are likely to remain uncertain.

The company reported strong trading for the six months to 28 March and said that turnover for the period was up 8% to £37.1m compared with last year’s £34.5m.

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Riviera loses $4.5 million, says bankruptcy possible

Riviera Holdings Corp., owner of casinos in Las Vegas and Colorado, today said it lost $4.5 million as revenue fell in the first quarter.


The loss, amounting to 36 cents per share, compares to a loss in the year-ago quarter of $1 million or 8 cents per share.

Net revenue of $30.8 million was down from $34.7 million in the year-ago quarter.

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