Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Waldorf Hotel Used as Torture Den by Bondage Couple

THE WALDORF Hilton hotel, one of London's most prestigious five star establishments, was the location for what a judge called 'medieval torture' involving nipple clamps, hot wax and blood.

Southwark Crown Court heard yesterday that Finola McKenna, 46, and Neil Fagan, 61, had been meeting for S&M sex for several years, but that on 20 May 2009, things took a more sinister turn.

Read More:

Two firefighters suspended for taking beer from fire-ravaged hotel

Two firefighters in Oliver, B.C., have been suspended over allegations that they drank beer saved from a fire at a historic hotel.

The RCMP is investigating allegations that six kegs of beer were removed from the fire-ravaged Mesa Hotel on May 23. One of the kegs was tapped after all six were moved to the Oliver fire hall in the back of a private truck.

Read More:

Whitbread to maintain hotel price war

The hotel price war that broke out last summer is expected to continue to the end of this year after Whitbread said it had no plans to end the cheap room promotion at its Premier Inn budget hotel chain.

Having for years shunned discounting, Whitbread introduced a £29-a-room offer last June in response to aggressive price-cutting by mid-market competitors

Read More:

Pittsburgh Hotel-condo project OK'd by city

City planning commission members cleared the way Tuesday for the start of a grandiose $100 million hotel-condominium project on Mount Washington, but one key hurdle remains: financing.

Members voted unanimously to approve the final land development plan for the One Grandview Avenue development, which would sit at the site of the former Edge restaurant and offer guests and residents dramatic views of the Downtown skyline.

Read More:

Hotel capex to drop for second straight year

NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters) - Spending on new carpets, beds and lampshades at U.S. hotels will drop for a second straight year in 2010, as the lodging industry grapples with high debt and a slow recovery of demand.

Capital expenditures at U.S. hotels will fall about 10 percent from 2009 levels to $3 billion, according to a new study from New York University's hospitality school.

Read More:

Hotels Hint at a Turnaround

The long-battered hotel industry is turning the corner as occupancy and revenue in the U.S. finally start to rebound.

But hotel owners can't start partying just yet. Hotel properties remain deeply indebted, with billions of dollars of mortgages coming due in the coming years amid forecasts the industry won't regain its full strength until 2013.

Read More:

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Acquires the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco, California

BETHESDA, Md., Jun 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Pebblebrook Hotel Trust today announced that it has acquired the Sir Francis Drake Hotel for $90.0 million from a partnership led by The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC. The 416-room, upper upscale, full-service hotel is located in downtown San Francisco, California in the heart of Union Square. The hotel will continue to be managed by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants ("Kimpton"). The transaction was funded entirely with proceeds from the Company's initial public offering.

Read More:

Suburban hotel busts may hit taxpayers

Two convention-sized hotels built during the boom years in the Chicago suburbs have become monuments to municipal hubris. If the lodging market doesn't turn around soon, they could become a burden on taxpayers.

In 2005, village officials in both Schaumburg and Wheeling were boasting of their investments in hotels. Schaumburg itself is the owner of the Marriott Renaissance at the village's convention center, Interstate 90 and Meacham Road. Wheeling provided a $23 million subsidy for the new Westin North Shore, 601 N. Milwaukee. The hotel's developer said the subsidy was "totally, completely, unequivocally essential" to the project.

Read More:

Budget-conscious hotels turn to optional housekeeping

Room cleaned, sir? Want to sleep on your bedsheets a few more days, madam?
More hotels are cutting back on housekeeping services. With their business sharply reduced, hotels are looking to save money by urging customers to forgo daily changing of linens, towels and toiletries

Read More: