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.

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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."

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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."

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Papa John’s Announces Key Operating Assumptions and Earnings Guidance for 2011

(Hospitality Business News) December 21, 2010 - - - Company Reaffirms 2010 Earnings Guidance; Year-end BIBP Deficit to be Retired by Company as part of Multi-Year National Marketing Fund Agreement with Domestic Franchisees .

Highlights

• Projected 2011 earnings per share of $2.00 to $2.12, an increase of over 16% as compared to the reaffirmed 2010 earnings range of $1.74 to $1.80 per share at the mid-point, excluding the impact of the franchisee-owned cheese purchasing company, BIBP Commodities, Inc. (BIBP)

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Appeals Court upholds verdict in favor of Hilton Hotels in Discrimination case

The United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit upheld a lower court verdict in case No. 10-453-cv

Former Hilton New York employee Walid El Sayed, a United States citizen of Egyptian descent, who is Muslim, was hired as an Assistant to the Director of Housekeeping in December 2004. El Sayed was terminated on August 9, 2006 approximately three weeks after he complained to the Hilton's Housekeeping Director, Barbara Still, that a co-worker referred to him as a "Terrorist Muslim Taliban."

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Chartres Lodging Completes Acquisition of 451-Room Ocean Resort Waikiki

SAN FRANCISCO--(Hospitality Business News)--The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC ,the San Francisco hotel investment and advisory firm, has completed its purchase of the 451-room Ocean Resort Waikiki in a joint venture with a fund managed by Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing, and has announced plans for complete renovation, rebranding and repositioning of the property. Kokua Hospitality, an independent management firm affiliated with Chartres Lodging, will take on the management of the hotel.

"Chartres Lodging has been patiently waiting for the right time and circumstances to invest in the Waikiki lodging market and discovered the Ocean Resort to present the ideal opportunity,” said Robert D. Kline, Chartres Lodging president and co-founder. “Waikiki's market fundamentals have been resurgent. The Ocean Resort is located within a block of the beach and is an ideal value-added investment opportunity."

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TCS partners with Hilton on IT strategy

MCLEAN, Va. & MUMBAI, India--(Hospitality Business News)--Hilton Worldwide, the leading global hospitality company, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: 532540) (NSE: TCS), a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions firm, today announced a multi-year agreement to help accelerate and enhance Hilton Worldwide's technology strategy as part of the Hilton Worldwide Innovation Collaborative.

The Innovation Collaborative will evolve Hilton Worldwide’s technology infrastructure and accelerate innovation across the company’s portfolio of ten brands. TCS will leverage its extensive experience in running large transformational initiatives and modernizing legacy systems to help develop a platform that keeps Hilton Worldwide in the forefront of the business and technology landscape.
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McDonald's challenges KFC Christmas tradition in Japan

Thanks to a hugely successful advertising campaign in the 1970s that proclaimed "Kentucky for Christmas!" millions of Japanese have made KFC their traditional Christmas Day meal. This year, McDonald's is looking to get a slice of that business.

courtesy of McDonald's Japan

The burger giant has launched its Christmas Waku Waku Chicken Variety campaign. McDonald's started taking advance orders for the set meal on November 4 and selling over the counter at its more than 3,700 domestic outlets in early December.

The set includes two grilled chicken breasts, two five-piece boxes of Chicken McNuggets, two "shaka shaka" chicken pieces, which come with three flavours - cheese, black pepper and pizza - that must be added to the chicken, plus a mega-portion of fried potatoes.

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McDonalds makes it into Wikileaks

Summary: In an unexpected twist in McDonald's ten-year legal battle with former franchisee Servipronto, the Second Court of Appeals ruled on December 7, 2005, that the U.S. fast-food giant had illegally terminated its franchising agreement with Servipronto on July 1, 1996, and therefore owed the local firm $24 million in damages for unrealized earnings during what would have been a 20-year extension, to June 30, 2016. One other case involving McDonald's and Servipronto has been resolved in favor of McDonald's, while two others are unresolved. The Salvadoran Courts are inefficient, politicized, and occasionally corrupt. Their inability to effectively enforce commercial law detracts from the country's ability to attract investment. Post will continue to encourage the Government of El Salvador to press for meaningful judicial reform. End summary.

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Hotwire Reveals Canadian Hotel Rate Report for December 2010

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 22, 2010 - Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the results of the December 2010 Hotwire® Canadian Hotel Rate Report, which features the top five cities in Canada where hotel rates have dropped the most. When combined with Hotwire’s already discounted prices, the Hotel Rate Report helps guide customers to the destinations that can maximize their travel dollars.

Halifax, Nova Scotia tops this month’s report again with a nine percent drop. Those looking for an escape from the extreme snow and wind found in most areas of Canada should head to this capital city, where the average minimum temperature is only -7 degrees C during the month of December.

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Mouse spoils London Hilton hotel stay

Jacqueline and Phil Sutton, of Coton, near Whitchurch, discovered the unwelcome intruder during their stay in the capital at the plush Hilton London Olympia Hotel, Kensington, on Saturday night.
After someone initially thought they had seen a mouse in the room, the rodent later turned up squashed – believed to have been caused by Mr Sutton turning over while in bed.
After telling hotel staff, the mouse was removed and the family were offered their Saturday night stay for free.
Joined by their three children, they were staying in the capital for The London International Horse Show.

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Hilton Worldwide opens 200th hotel in Europe

Hilton Worldwide has opened its 200th hotel in Europe, the Doubletree by Hilton Varna - Golden Sands in Bulgaria.

The announcement follows a period of growth for the hotel empire, which has opened 50 hotels in Europe over the past three years. Newly introduced brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton now make up 20% of its European estate.
Simon Vincent, area president Europe, Hilton Worldwide, said: "We are experiencing an incredibly exciting period in our 91-year history, as we look to introduce more guests to more hotels around the world than ever before.

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Travel and Leisure Top 500 Hotels 2011

Top hotel is in India. Number 2 is in Montana
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Aussies take over iconic Queenstown waterfront hotel

An Australian investment group takes over the lease and business of Queenstown’s historic landmark Eichardt’s Private Hotel today.

Melbourne-based Imperium Capital Group has a range of businesses including several in the hospitality area – it owns the Australasian rights to the T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant chain.

Eichardt’s comprises five luxurious hotel suites at the bottom of The Mall and four lakefront cottage suites, also on the Queenstown Bay waterfront.

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Hyatt affiliate buys ownership stake in Brazil site of planned development of 408-room hotel

CHICAGO (AP) - An affiliate of Hyatt Hotels Corp. acquired a majority stake in an ocean-front property in Brazil where the company said Tuesday it plans to build a 408-room hotel.

Financial details were not disclosed.

The property is located in Barra da Tijuca, a residential and commercial district of Rio de Janeiro.
Hyatt already has property in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.