Setai Fifth Ave. sued over brand name

The Setai Fifth Avenue, a striking 60-story luxury hotel and condo that opened to guests earlier this month, has been hit with a lawsuit by the Setai Group, which wants its brand name taken off the property.

The Setai Group, a hotel and development company, alleges that the building's owners are in breach of contract, according to the complaint filed in New York state Supreme Court Monday. The suit alleges that the hotel's developer, Bizzi & Partners Development, owes Setai $1.4 million and improperly marketed the hotel. It is also seeking for the property to cease using its brand name.

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Paris-based Carlyle Group Plans $200 Million Hotel Expansion in France, Germany and Italy

The Carlyle Group, a Paris-based investment firm with 400 professionals in 19 countries, says its recent entry in bed and breakfast-style hotels was an opportunity to help its budget hotel brand expand throughout Europe.

The company's growth goal will add at least 100 hotels to the portfolio in key countries such as its home base of France, Germany and other smaller European countries, Franck Falezan, managing director with The Carlyle Group, told HotelNewsNow.com
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Carlyle's $614 Million Takeover Bid of Malaysia Fast-Food Company Rejected

Kulim (Malaysia) Bhd. rejected a 1.94 billion ringgit ($614 million) takeover bid from Carlyle Group and a matching rival offer for Southeast Asian fast-food chain operator QSR Brands Bhd., saying it has no desire to sell.

“As QSR and subsidiaries are currently experiencing robust growth, the board believes that more value can be realized in the long term and therefore the companies should be retained within the group,” Kulim, QSR’s biggest shareholder, said in a statement today.

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Kraft Challenges Starbucks Attempt to End Coffee Distribution Agreement

Kraft Foods Inc. said it would challenge Starbucks Corp.’s attempt to end a retail grocery coffee-distribution agreement between the two companies and has initiated an arbitration proceeding.

To end the deal Starbucks must compensate Northfield, Illinois-based Kraft for the “fair market value” of the business, plus possibly a premium of as much as 35 percent of that value, Kraft said today in a statement.

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Kentucky man arrested for flooding hotel room and pulling alarm to evade police

FAIRFIELD, Ohio (FOX19) - A Kentucky man was arrested, Tuesday, for flooding his hotel room with hundreds of gallons of water and then pulled the fire alarm to try and get away from police.

Charles R. Weaver, 46, from Hindman, Kentucky, was arrested at the downtown Cincinnati Courtyard by Marriott.

A police report stated that water was coming out from under the door to Weaver's room and was leaking into rooms next door and into the lobby.

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Hotel investor HEI sells Embassy Suites Irvine

Two months after selling two hotels in Philadelphia, HEI Hotels & Resorts, a Norwalk, Conn.-based investor in hotel properties, has sold the 293-suite Embassy Suites Irvine-Orange County Airport for an undisclosed price.
"With the comprehensive renovation completed in 2008, we have achieved our long-term ownership vision for this hotel," said Steve Mendell, HEI's president for acquisitions and development. "Combining our intimate knowledge of both the hotel and the market, however, we believe we will continue to add value to this asset as a third-party operator."

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Obama Outlines Moral, Philosophical Justifications For Turkey Pardon

Obama Outlines Moral, Philosophical Justifications For Turkey Pardon

Man uses fake Bob Dylan security pass to order 178 pizzas.. then disappears without paying

A restaurant has fallen victim to a prankster who had them make 178 pizzas by claiming they were for singer Bob Dylan and his crew.
An imposter wearing a fake pass for a Dylan concert called in an Antonio's restaurant and placed the huge order worth more than $3,900.
He told the owner the pizzas were for Dylan and his crew who had appeared in concert in Amherst, Massachusetts.

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Lisbon hotel denies Georgian delegation scandal

The management of Lisbon's TIARA hotel denied claims that the Georgian delegation to the recent NATO summit held a party with around 80 prostitutes during their stay, the Georgian InterpressNews agency said on Thursday.
"I am the general manager; I live in the hotel and am here 24 hours a day. I can assure you that nothing happened," IntepressNews quoted the hotel's manager as saying.

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Jumeirah Group announces second VENU hotel, in Azerbaijan

A luxury hotel constructed on the shores of the Caspian Sea will be managed by the Jumeirah Group, under its VENU brand, the Dubai Holding owned hotel company announced on Thursday.

Scheduled to open in 2011 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the VENU Bilgah is the second hotel to be announced in the rollout of VENU as a collection of contemporary lifestyle hotels that are geared towards “connecting guests with the location.”

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Armani Hotel (Dubai) waiter 'stole from guest's room'

DUBAI // A waiter at the Burj Khalifa's Armani Hotel, accused of possessing more than Dh300,000 in stolen cash and goods, yesterday admitted stealing from a guest's room at the luxury address.
KM, a 20-year-old South African, told the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance that he stole around Dh1,500 in cash from the room of a Saudi hotel guest on August 10. Earlier this month he was charged with stealing a Kuwaiti businessman's Dh53,000 gold Rolex watch.

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Phone Prank causes Motel Guest to Trash Room To Find 'Midget'

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. -- In what was apparently a phone prank that has taken place in other parts of the country, a motel guest said someone called his room and told him to smash the things inside in order to free a "midget" trapped next door.

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Seven Best Deep Fried Turkey Disaster Videos

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving, and a whole bunch of people are going to just toss a frozen turkey willy-nilly into a deep fryer, film the exploding fireball that results and post it on YouTube. (For which we, of course, are very thankful.) Most likely, you're doing it wrong and should probably stick the bird in the oven. Word to the wise: if you absolutely must fry a turkey, defrost it completely and make sure to dry it inside and out before dunking it in oil.

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Jamie’s Italian named Restaurant Chain of the Year

Jamie’s Italian has been voted this year’s Best Restaurant Chain at the second annual R200 awards, run by Restaurant magazine.
The chain, which is now 19-strong, was named the winner for its “vibrant blend of innovation, theatre, operational efficiency, smart marketing, service, atmosphere, and great food”.
It beat off competition from Byron and Cote to secure the award, which was presented at an exclusive R200 seminar at The Berkeley this afternoon.

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First Jamaican restaurant in Scotland to open in Inverness

Two Jamaican chefs are hoping to bring a taste of their homeland to the Highlands by opening Scotland’s only Jamaican restaurant in Inverness.

The 36-seater restaurant, called Cool Runnings – A Taste of Jamaica, will open on the site of a former pizza takeaway on Church Street.

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