Food critic outed and ousted from restaurant

Los Angeles Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila ducked into Red Medicine, a new Beverly Hills restaurant, for some modern Vietnamese food the other night, but got nothing to eat. Instead, she was outed and ousted, her party turned away, her picture snapped and critic's anonymity shredded by the restaurateur himself.

"I always knew at some point a blogger or somebody would take a secret photo. But I never expected that a restaurateur would stick a camera in my face," Virbila said Wednesday.

Virbila was rebuffed, Red Medicine managing partner Noah Ellis said, because "Irene is not the person any of us wanted reviewing our restaurant. … This was not a rash decision."

Read More:

Linchris Hotel Corp. buys the Hilton Scranton

SCRANTON – A Massachusetts hotel corporation has paid $16 million to buy the Hilton Scranton Hotel & Conference Center on Adams Avenue in the city’s downtown.

With the purchase, Hanover, Mass.-based Linchris Hotel Corp. made its first step into the Pennsylvania marketplace. It was made in partnership with Blue Vista Capital Management of Chicago.
Hotel General Manager Brian Anderson said customers will notice added value and better service but little else. The name will stay put.

The 175-room hotel is Green Seal certified and an IACC-approved conference center featuring 19 meeting rooms, a 74-seat amphitheater and a grand ballroom accommodating up to 500 guests.

Read More:

$8 million buys Belleview Biltmore

BELLEAIR — The new owner of the Belleview Biltmore said his group paid a little more than $8 million to buy the hotel and its assets.

The hotel's assets include the historic Biltmore, its 136-acre golf club on Indian Rocks Road and the Cabana Club on Sand Key.

Raphael Ades, a Miami investor, said he plans to work full time after the new year to deal with the hotel's roof problems and improve the golf club.

A lien was filed by the town of Belleair last year after the owner was fined for the hotel's dilapidated roof

Read More:

$20m resort proposal awaited for Cat Island Bahamas

The Government is awaiting a $20 million proposal from an Italian-based resort operator for a four-phase, high-end boutique hotel development at Orange Creek in Cat Island, Tribune Business can reveal, which will be targeted at the European travel market.
 
Michael Scott, the attorney and Hotel Corporation chairman, told this newspaper that the Government was awaiting details of Equinox SA's plans for what is likely to be a 40-room small hotel, plus a small attached real estate component featuring 45 high-end villas and cottages.
 
Pledging that there would be "sufficient spin-off and trickle down for Cat Island" in terms of business opportunities for Bahamian-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, Mr Scott said Equinox SA's plans - for which a formal proposal is now awaited - tied in perfectly with the Government's vision of high-end, low density tourism development in the Family Islands.

Read More:

Jerome (Arizona) Grand Hotel Files $8 Million Lawsuit Against the Town

The quaint historic mining town that's a popular tourist destination with Phoenicians has been nailed with an $8 million-plus lawsuit.

Brought upon by the Jerome Grand Hotel, the legal action is in response to the town government's decision to revoke the historic lodging spot's certificate of occupancy due to the hotel's "unsafe" conditions, according to the town manager's official press release.

As of the time this post was published, a court date had not been set.

During inspections performed in the summer, Jerome's fire chief Rusty Blair and chief building official David R. Steiver found that alterations within the building had taken place without the proper permitting and that the hotel didn't contain sufficient fire and emergency exits. The release, dated December 8, states that the Grand Hotel's owners "have been unwilling to meet those requirements, thus resulting in complete closure of the hotel."

Read More:

Islay suffers body blow as golf resort goes into administration

No-one who has played the Machrie championship golf course on Islay is ever likely to forget it.

This 71-par course is one of the most challenging but beautiful courses anywhere in the world which is why golfers everywhere will groan with disappointment at the news, just announced, that the Machrie Hotel and Golf Links has gone into administration.

 

But, however bad the blow may be to golfers from around the world, the impact on the people of this Hebridean isle will be even greater.

With 16 rooms in the main hotel and 15 chalets, the Machrie Hotel is the biggest hotel on the island. It also is the only venue with the draw of a golf course – routinely named as one of the best 100 in the world – a draw strong enough to attract visitors to stay and play.

Read More:

Dubai Asset Sales Pick Up as $20 Billion in Debt Comes Due 2011

Sales of Dubai’s holdings are gaining momentum a year after the emirate’s corporate flagship shook world markets with plans to freeze payments on $24.9 billion in loans.

DP World Ltd., the port operator, agreed yesterday to sell 75 percent of its Australian unit, raising $1.5 billion. Borse Dubai Ltd., which controls Dubai’s two stock exchanges, raised $672 million Dec. 16 by selling about half its stake in Nasdaq OMX Group Inc., owner of the second-largest U.S. equity exchange. Both companies said they will use the proceeds to pay down debt.

Read More:

Amend law on alcohol, Kenya hotels plead

Hotel operators now want the new Alcoholic Drinks Control Act amended to scrap the rule that puts a time limit on sale of alcohol.

The Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurants Association of Kenya (Perak), said the hospitality industry would suffer massive losses due to the time limit.

According to the new law, bars can only sell alcohol between 5pm and 11pm on weekdays and between 2pm and 11pm on weekends and public holidays.

“Employers who operate on three work shifts will be forced to do away with one for economical reasons. This will result to loss of jobs for thousands of Kenyans,” said Perak chief executive Sam Ikwaye.

The regulations governing the law were published last week and immediately came into force, dealing a heavy blow on alcohol sellers.

Read More:

Erawan invests B10bn on mid-range tier

The Erawan Group, the listed hotel company, plans to invest 10 billion baht to develop and take over hotels in the mid-priced and budget segments after seeing bright market prospects and the growth of low-cost airlines.

The company projects revenue contribution from mid-priced and budget hotels will rise to more than half of total revenue in the next five years, said president and CEO Kasama Punyagupta.
"We will focus on selective locations in established destinations where we already have customers and understand the markets," he said.
The company is experienced in the economy segment, with seven Ibis hotels already opened in key tourist spots.
Ibis's performance was strong in the first seven months of this year even as the tourism sector suffered from local political problems. Economy of scale is an important factor to keep operating and investment costs per room low

Read More:

Spanish Hotel Chain Ratifies Leadership in Cuba

(Hospitality Business News) Spanish hotel chain Sol Melia ratified in 2010 its leadership in the Cuban tourist industry with the opening of its 25th hotel, the  Meliá Buenavista, in Santa Maria Key, and now runs 21 percent of the Cuba’s lodgement capacity.

 President of Sol Melia Cuba Operation Gabriel Garcia said the Spanish chain is interested in expanding its operations in Cuba, where 31 percent of the four and five star hotels are run by them.

In 20 years of operations Melia has lodged over 50 million tourists in Cuba and has contributed some 3.7 billion dollars.

He said that 30 percent of the two million visitors a year to Cuba prefer to stay at the Melia hotels.

The chain has received several international and domestic awards for the quality of its services, especially for the work of its best hotels that include Melia Cohiba in Havana, Meliá Varadero and Tryp Península Varadero in that beach resort, among others.

On May 10, 1990, Melia started its operations in Cuba with the opening of the Sol Palmeras in Varadero. Nowadays it has 10,444 rooms throughout the country.

Newly-weds sue hotel after wedding declared "worst day of their lives"

Garry and Lorraine McKay are demanding their money back, plus £10,000 each in damages, claiming that their big day was the "worst day of their lives", ruined by hotel staff who failed to live up to the standard promised in their brochures and letters.

An Edinburgh court heard that after the wedding, at the Hilton Coylumbridge, near Aviemore, several guests were struck down with food poisoning.

It was claimed that during the reception, sparkling wine ordered for the wedding party was given to other hotel guests by mistake, that cleaners tried to eject the bride from her room while she was getting ready and that guests were unable to taste the cake because the chef took it away.

Read More:

Saudi royal buys landmark Crillon hotel in Paris

Image via Wikipedia

The prestigious Hotel de Crillon in the heart of Paris has been sold to a member of the Saudi royal family.

The 18th Century former palace, on the Place de la Concorde, is said to have been bought for around 250m euros (£212m, $328m).

The Crillon is currently owned by US company Starwood Capital which acquired the hotel when it took over the Taittinger empire in 2005.

An earlier attempt to sell the hotel to Saudi-backed JJW ended up in court.
In April, the court ruled that JJW would have to pay Starwood 100m euros to settle the dispute, which involved an alleged breach of contract.

Read More:

Two found dead in Somerset Days Inn

Somerset Borough police are investigating the deaths of two people found shot to death in a hotel room Wednesday morning.

Borough police Chief Randy Cox said police were notified late Wednesday morning that staff at the Days Inn along Waterworks Road found a deceased person when checking on an individual who did not check out at the proper time. They are treating the investigation as a homicide.

“They immediately exited and secured the room and contacted 911,” Cox said.

When police arrived they discovered two deceased individuals, one male and one female, in the hotel room.
Read More:

Manhattan restaurant owner pleads to tax charge

NEW YORK — An 80-year-old Manhattan restaurant owner has pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns by hiding $4.9 million overseas.

Ernest Vogliano entered the plea in federal court in Manhattan Wednesday. He agreed to pay a civil penalty of $940,000. Sentencing was set for March 24.

Vogliano owns Il Vagabondo, a legendary midtown restaurant. He said during his plea that he knew what he was doing was wrong and illegal when he failed to report the money from 2003 through 2007.

Read More:

Woman jailed for putting glass in restaurant meals

A woman has been jailed for four years after admitting she sprinkled shards of glass in her restaurant meals and ate them as part of a lucrative insurance swindle.


Mary Evano, 49, claimed $200,000 in compensation after filing the bogus insurance claims. She also incurred more than $100,000 in medical bills after carrying out the dangerous stunts.
After confessing to the deceptions, she was jailed in Boston and ordered to pay more than $340,000 in restitution.

Read More:

Chinese restaurant hires robot waiters

The owner, Zhang Yongpei, is hoping that his robots will prove to the world that China is on the global front line of technological development.

Inspired by space exploration and robot technology, each of the seven robots costs nearly four thousand pounds each, and they are wired to perform a specific duty within the restaurant.

As diners enter, they are met by a female robot equipped with batting eyelashes and a mechanical "welcome". They will later encounter receptionists, waiters and even dancing entertainers.

Read More:

Jamaica: Tourist dead, 10 hospitalised from food poisoning

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) — An Argentinean tourist is dead while 10 other visitors to the island have been admitted to hospital in St Ann suffering from suspected food poisoning.

The group, which comprises tourists from the United States, Japan, Italy, as well as four visiting Jamaicans, was staying at a villa in the neighbouring parish of St Mary when they consumed a meal of fish and potato salad late last night. Following the meal they all became extremely ill.

They were rushed to hospital where a doctor confirmed that the Argentinean visitor had died. His identity was not released.

One of the other tourists is said to be in critical condition.

Christmas Occupancy Down 16%

If 2010 was a year of rebuilding, 2011 is about sustaining occupancy and revenue growth. The industry is carrying a strong book of business into 2011, which will get the New Year off to a good start. Committed occupancy for the top 25 markets in North America for the current quarter and three future quarters is ahead of the same time last year by 6.7%. Group business continues to strengthen with group commitments for the next 12 months up 6.1% year-over-year. For the first quarter of 2011 they are up 7.0%. Group booking pace continues to improve, with new bookings added over the past month up 4.9% over the comparable period last year. Group ADR is behind by 2.2% year-over-year.

As has been the case for the past several months, transient demand continues to lead occupancy growth, with transient room nights ahead of the same time last year by 7.3%. Business demand (transient weekday retail and negotiated segments) in particular has been and remains very strong, with reserved room nights up 12.8% year-over-year. Transient leisure demand is growing as well, though at a far slower rate.

Read More:

A Preview Clip of NBC's America's Next Great Restaurant

NBC just released a preview clip of the upcoming series America's Next Great Restaurant in which contestants compete to see who has the best restaurant concept and win "the biggest reality prize in television history, a new restaurant chain." The kicker here, though, is that the four judges — Australian chef Curtis Stone, chef/Food Network host Bobby Flay, Nestle/Splenda spokesperson Lorena Garcia; and Chipotle founder Steve Ells — are actually going to invest in the nationwide launch of the chain. (Or maybe just three cities as a press release announced earlier this year.)


Read More:

Gunmen attack Jamaica all-inclusive hotel

There are worries that there could be a fallout in the tourist sector this winter following Tuesday  night’s attack by gunmen on a prominent all-inclusive hotel in Negril Westmoreland.

None of the visitors were injured, but it is understood that a staff member was hurt in the attack which also triggered widespread panic at the hotel.

According to reports at about 10:30 p.m. three armed men entered the hotel and demanded that the receptionist direct them to the manager.

Read More:

Oakland sues to close three hotels, claiming prostitution occurs on their property

OAKLAND -- A significant problem with human trafficking has led the city to sue three hotels police say are hot spots for prostitution, City Attorney John Russo said Wednesday.

The public nuisance suits, filed Tuesday, will ask the court to close each hotel for a year and fine each one $25,000, though Russo said he'd prefer to have the hotel operators solve the problem by doing a better job keeping prostitution off the premises.
Of the three, according to the lawsuits, the human trafficking issue is worst at the Economy Inn at 122 E. 12th St., near the southern shore of Lake Merritt. The suit Russo filed cites numerous recent arrests there for rape and kidnapping, often with underage girls as the victims and often related to prostitution, according to police.
Several men working at the hotel Wednesday declined to give their names or comment. Refusing to give his name, one man said, "We have no knowledge of what's going on."

Read More:

Hilton and Starwood settle lawsuit over trade secrets

Hilton Worldwide and Starwood have reached an agreement in the unusual - and unusually nasty - feud that pitted two hotel giants against each other over corporate spying.

The unprecedented case started in 2008 when Starwood charged that Hilton - and two former Starwood executives who had joined Hilton's luxury hotel development team - stole documents to help Hilton develop its own version of Starwood's successful W hotel chain (Denizen) and rush it to market. A federal investigation was launched in April 2009 into the allegations, at which time Hilton grounded efforts to develop Denizen.


Newly filed court documents show that Hilton and Starwood's agreement:

• Bans Hilton until January 2013 from developing a hotel brand that would compete in the same category as Denizen, the W-style hotel that it tried to develop using information.
• Requires Hilton to make payments to Starwood; no sum is disclosed.
• Calls for Hilton to be supervised until January 2013 by two federally appointed monitors to, Starwood says, "assure that the conduct that occurred does not occur again."

Read More: