Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Tip Lawsuit Settled For $526,000

Tipped employees of Turtle Bay Resort have won a $526,000 settlement from the North Shore hotel over gratuities divided between workers and the company unbeknownst to customers.

The settlement is a result of a lawsuit filed in January 2009 that claimed Turtle Bay violated a fairly new state law requiring hotels and restaurants to distribute service charges for food or beverage service entirely to employees, or clearly tell customers if any portion of service charges is retained by management. Brandee Faria, a local attorney with Perkin & Faria representing Turtle Bay employees, said the case was the first to be resolved of several filed over the last couple of years against Hawaii hotels .

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China's Hilton loses 5-star rating over flesh trade

BEIJING: The Chinese government's campaign against prostitution, which usually targets karaoke joints, low-budget hotels and so-called massage parlours, has claimed a somewhat unexpected victim. The Hilton Hotel in southwest China's Chongqing city has lost its five-star rating after it was involved in a prostitution investigation.

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Louisville Marriott Settles Discrimination Suit

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - After not be allowed to wear their religious head scarf to work, four Somali women are now receiving compensation. The Louisville Marriott Downtown Hotel told the four women of Muslim faith they were not allowed to wear their hijabs while at work.

The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a discrimination lawsuit. The suit argued the right granted by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to reasonably accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs.

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Luxury hotel to open in London stately home

Hilton is to open a landmark hotel on the West London estate of the Duke of Northumberland, it announced July 19.

The London Syon Park will be part of the chain's luxury Waldorf Astoria collection and is designed to fit in with its opulent surroundings - right down to the butterfly house in the lobby.

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Greensboro Wyndham Hotel Moves Forward

GREENSBORO N.C. (WGHP) - A proposed downtown Greensboro luxury Wyndham hotel is one step closer to a $26 million federal recovery bond.

On Tuesday, the Guilford County Bond Authority unanimously voted to send the proposal to Raleigh where developers will need to win approval to receiving the federal bond.

The proposed 10-story, 180 room luxury hotel would be located near the corner of South Elm Street and February One Place.

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Accor, InterGlobe set up investment fund for Indian hotel assets

MUMBAI: Leading hotel operator Accor and InterGlobe, a travel corporation, on Wednesday announced the establishment of an investment fund for a
portfolio of India hotel assets.

Accor and InterGlobe would each hold 32 per cent equity in the fund.

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Two Baltimore hotel developments going to the auction block

Two partially renovated office buildings in downtown Baltimore, both undergoing conversion to hotels, are scheduled to be sold at back-to-back auctions next month in foreclosure sales on behalf of the lenders. Alex Cooper Auctioneers is handling both sales for BB&T Corp.

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LaSalle Hotel Properties Reports Second Quarter Results

BETHESDA, Md., Jul 21, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- LaSalle Hotel Properties /quotes/comstock/13*!lho/quotes/nls/lho (LHO 21.66, -0.42, -1.90%) today reported net income to common shareholders of $8.0 million, or $0.11 per diluted share for the quarter ended June 30, 2010, compared to net income of $8.2 million, or $0.16 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2009.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2010, the Company generated funds from operations ("FFO") of $35.9 million versus $35.6 million for the second quarter of 2009. On a per diluted share basis, FFO for the second quarter was $0.52, compared to $0.70 for the same period of 2009.

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Starbucks Reports Record Third Quarter Earnings

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) today reported financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended June 27, 2010, updated FY10 targets, and introduced FY11 targets.

Fiscal Third Quarter 2010 Highlights:

•Comparable store sales increased 9%, driven by a 6% increase in traffic and a 3% increase in average ticket
◦U.S. comparable store sales increased 9%, driven by a 6% increase in traffic and a 3% increase in average ticket
◦International comparable store sales increased 6%, driven by a 4% increase in traffic and a 2% increase in average ticket

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