TORONTO RISES IN NORTH AMERICAN TOURISM RANKINGS

TORONTO, Jan. 27 2010 (Hospitality Business NewS) It was a record year for tourism in Toronto as the number of hotel room nights sold reached over 8.93 million. Toronto moved up to sixth place in hotel occupancy among top North American cities from 10^th a year ago. Tourism Toronto's newly released tourism estimates for 2010 show a significant rebound from the prior year and important growth in key international markets.

"The momentum from 2010 shows the resilience and growing popularity of our destination," said David Whitaker, President and CEO of Tourism Toronto. "In addition, we've been working to complement our existing core business by increasing our visitors, be they meetings delegates or international travellers."
Hotel occupancy across the Toronto region increased to 68.3 per cent up 9.7 per cent over the prior year, giving Toronto the fifth highest growth rate and the sixth highest total occupancy rate.

In 2010, Toronto welcomed 10 million overnight visitors. Visitor spending, including same day trips, totalled $4.5 billion in the Toronto region across a range of businesses and activities.

"More guests checking into hotels translates into more jobs being supported and created - not only in our hotels but also in our taxis, restaurants, shops, attractions and entertainment venues," noted Terry Mundell, President of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.  "This is also a vivid example of the kind of growth a destination can experience while enjoying a dedicated and consistent revenue stream from industry and government partners."

Key markets
The fastest growing visitor markets to Toronto are India (26.5 per cent increase) Brazil (25.5 per cent) China (21.9 per cent), and Japan (18.3 per cent). International travellers now account for 32.8 per cent of all visitors.

The top international visitor markets for Toronto in 2010 were:

					1.	U.S.	1,970,000
					2.	U.K.	194,000
					3.	China	117,000
					4.	Germany	78,000
					5.	France	71,000
					6.	Japan	70,000
					7.	India	64,000
					8.	Brazil	42,000

In 2010 the number of U.S. visitors remained steady compared to 2009, but showed a continued shift toward high-value urban travellers. Air arrivals to Toronto from the U.S. have increased for the past nine consecutive months and grew by 7.7 per cent in 2010, while the number of people driving over the border declined by 4.2 per cent for the year.

"The world loves to come to Toronto. It's a great place - a truly international, cosmopolitan city with world-class cultural attractions, festivals and sporting events," said Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture. "With all Toronto has to offer the visitor, we know it will continue to grow and shine as a global tourism destination in 2011 and for years to come." An important indicator of a thriving tourism industry is the continuing development by well-respected hotel brands. Adding to the recent openings of the Thompson Toronto and Le Germain Maple Leaf Square are the imminent openings of luxury hotels Trump Toronto, Ritz-Carlton Toronto, Shangri-La and the new Four Seasons.

Major wins in 2010
In early 2010, Toronto's convention industry got a shot in the arm as meeting planners from across North America rated Toronto tops in several categories. Toronto was ranked number one among 46 cities in North America for "Superior Convention and Visitors Bureau / Destination Marketing Organization" and for "Superior Convention Centre Services" for Tourism Toronto and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre respectively.** "There is a new buzz about Toronto that is now translating into a renewed and growing awareness and interest in this community as a visitor and meetings destination that can deliver on our guests' expectations" said Mr. Whitaker. "Being ranked among the top destinations in North America should not only be a real source of pride - it is a testament to the significant accomplishments so many have made in building this city over the past decade."

2010 was another positive year for booking future meetings and conventions as Tourism Toronto and partners booked 564,000 future hotel room nights. The list below sets out the top meetings, by hotel room nights, booked by Tourism Toronto last year.

					Year							Group	Attendance
					2012							Shoppers Drug Mart	2,200
					2012							Assembly of First Nations	3,000
					2012							Toronto Sports Council/Ontario Summer Games	8,000
					2015							Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages	6,500
					2015							Canadian Wind Energy Association	3,000
					2016							Government Finance Officers Association	7,500
					2017							ASAE & The Centre for Association Leadership	6,500
					2017							Canadian Union of Public Employees	2,500
					2023							American Water Works Association	11,000
					2029							American Water Works Association	11,000

Oceanfront Deerfield Beach Resort Joins Wyndham Hotels and Resorts

PARSIPPANY, NJ--(Hospitality Business News - January 27, 2011) - Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC, a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), today announced its expansion in Florida with the addition of the 172-room Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort along the Atlantic coast in Deerfield Beach.
Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort, owned by Chase Enterprises of Hartford, Conn., recently completed a major multi-million dollar renovation that modernized the property's public spaces and guest rooms, business center, fitness center, gift shop and meeting space. The hotel formerly was the Howard Johnson Plaza for the last 40 years.
Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort, located steps away from the beach at 2096 N.E. Second St., becomes the eighth Wyndham^® property in Florida.
"We are excited to welcome such a long-standing, renowned member of the Deerfield Beach community to the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts family," said Jeff Wagoner, president of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. "Deerfield Beach is an ideal location for business and leisure travelers looking for a relaxing getaway and upscale accommodations. The newly transformed Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort, with its impressive renovated spaces, modern amenities and personalized service, will provide guests the deluxe resort experience they have come to expect from the upscale Wyndham brand."

Blackstone Buying Big Stake in historic Hotel Del Coronado

Blackstone Group LP is close to a deal with the owners of the historic Hotel Del Coronado near San Diego to restructure the beachfront hotel's $630 million of debt and become a major owner of the property, according to people familiar with the matter.

Under the terms of the pending deal, Blackstone and existing owners Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc., Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and KSL Resorts will contribute enough capital to chop the hotel's debt load to $425 million from $630 million, these people said.

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Swiss police probing small blast at Davos hotel

DAVOS, Switzerland (MarketWatch) — Police are probing a small blast that broke a window at a hotel near the complex hosting the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, the organization said Thursday.

In a written statement, a World Economic Forum spokesperson said a “small firework” went off at the back entrance of the Morosani Posthotel, damaging one window.

The police are investigating the incident and the hotel remains fully operational and accessible, the World Economic Forum said.

Security is extremely tight at the event, which attracts world leaders and chief executives of the world’s largest companies. It runs through Jan. 30

Group takes responsibility for blast

London's new £200m hotel – where the owners want to check out already

London's latest addition to the hotel market opens next month, hoping to attract not only well-heeled guests but well-positioned buyers as it showcases what comes with its £200m asking price.

The W Hotel, in the grimy tourist ghetto of Leicester Square, is a no-expense-spared, 192-bedroom development that is being marketed by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels on behalf of Northern Irish developers McAleer & Rushe, who bought the former Swiss Centre building for £47m in 2004.

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Luxury hotel chain to introduce 'minibar for the mind'

Luxury hotel chain Morgans Hotel Group is to follow the lead of several cruise lines by introducing a program to ensure that the minds of its guests are as well exercised as their bodies.

Morgans, which owns high profile hotels Sanderson and St Martins Lane in London, New York's Mondrian Soho and the Mondrian Los Angeles, among others, announced January 25 that it would partner with The School of Life, an organization that runs programs and services aimed at increasing personal fulfillment.

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Guest claims drunk Marriott employee sexually assaulted sleeping guest

A woman claiming she was sexually assaulted by an intoxicated northwest suburban hotel employee who used a master key to enter her room while she slept filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the hotel.

Katherine Olson claims Marriott hotel employee Mauricio Rodriguez used a universal hotel card to break into her room and sexually assault her April 23, 2010, at the Marriot Schaumburg at 50 N. Martingale Rd. in Schaumburg, according to a suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

The suit claims Olson was a guest at the hotel when employee Rodriguez became intoxicated and used a hotel master key to enter her room without her permission while she slept late April 22 or early April 23.

Once inside the room, Rodriguez removed his clothing and sexually assaulted Olson, according to the suit.

The two-count suit claims Marriott International Inc. failed to provide adequate security, allowed employees with access to master keys to become intoxicated, served employees excess amounts of alcohol and allowed employees access to master keys after their shifts.

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Morgans to sell two NYC hotels

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels is handling the sale of the Royalton and Morgans hotels for the company, which as of November 30 had liabilities of $801.2 million. Its market cap is $282.2 million, according to Reuters data.

Bids for the two hotels are due next week, said sources familiar with the matter.

Morgans could not be reached immediately for comment.

Jones Lang La Salle Hotels declined to comment.

The two hotels offer a buyer high-end assets in the most coveted urban locations, which are enjoying a surge in demand as business travel recovers.

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Ownership of Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund V Resorts at Stake

Investors jockeying to control the fate of eight huge U.S. resorts are pushing to get the Feb. 1 due date of $1.5 billion of debt on those properties extended.

At stake is ownership of the CNL Hotels & Resorts Inc. portfolio, including Hawaii's 780-room Grand Wailea resort and the 739-room Arizona Biltmore resort in Phoenix.

The CNL resorts are owned by Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund V, which financed its 2007 purchase of the portfolio by saddling the properties with $3.3 billion of debt. The restructuring of that debt will likely be one of the largest in the commercial-real-estate market this year.

The latest twist in the CNL saga came earlier this month, when investors led by Paulson & Co. and Winthrop Realty Trust reached an agreement with the Morgan Stanley fund to take control of CNL, exchanging their $600 million of CNL's corporate mezzanine debt for the company's equity, according to court documents and people familiar with the matter.

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Darden to test Red Lobster & Olive Garden under one roof

Palm Coast will be the testing ground for a new Darden Restaurants Inc. concept of housing two of its restaurant brands in the same building, a company representative said.

The 8,700-square-foot building in the Palm Coast Town Center off State Road 100 will house both Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurants. The restaurants, which will employ a total of 215, are both expected to start hiring Feb. 9 and are scheduled to open March 7.

Darden spokesman Rich Jeffers said the company created the “synergy restaurant” concept to expand into smaller markets that would not meet its population density requirements to build a single brand. Jeffers declined to say what that population density threshold is, but Palm Coast, about an hour south of Jacksonville, had a population of 73,168 in 2009, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Taco Bell responds to lawsuit

Image via Wikipedia(Hospitality Business News) January 26, 2010 --- "At Taco Bell, we buy our beef from the same trusted brands you find in the supermarket, like Tyson Foods. We start with 100 percent USDA-inspected beef. Then we simmer it in our proprietary blend of seasonings and spices to give our seasoned beef its signature Taco Bell taste and texture. We are proud of the quality of our beef and identify all the seasoning and spice ingredients on our website. Unfortunately, the lawyers in this case elected to sue first and ask questions later -- and got their "facts" absolutely wrong. We plan to take legal action for the false statements being made about our food."

Getting Into Harvard Easier Than McDonald's University in China

Zhou Xiaobu runs from one end of a table to another, grasping a piece of a puzzle she and her team are assembling as part of a leadership training exercise for McDonald’s Corp. managers.

“Go, go, go,” yells their Taiwanese teacher, exhorting them to work for the prize, a box of Danish butter cookies, for being the first to build the company’s trademark Golden Arches. Above their heads is a sign that reads: “Learning today, leading tomorrow.” The thick green binders stuffed with paperwork on each of the 31 students’ desks indicate the next activity may not be as rousing.

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Starbucks Sees Second-Quarter Profit Below Estimates on Higher Coffee Cost

Starbucks Corp., the world’s biggest coffee-shop operator, forecast second-quarter profit that fell short of analysts’ estimates as it projected paying more for coffee.

Net income will be as much as 33 cents a share, the Seattle-based company said today in a statement. Analysts expect 35 cents, the average of 18 estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

“We are seeing coffee cost increases alone which are penalizing our profit and loss in 2011 by about 20 cents per share,” Chief Financial Officer Troy Alstead said in a telephone interview.

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Stanley Ho Says He Transferred Macau Casino Stake

Billionaire Stanley Ho today said he transferred ownership of his stake in Asia’s biggest casino company to family members, seeking to end a dispute for control over a business he spent five decades building.
The tycoon had earlier said the transfer of a 31.7 percent stake in Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau SA to five of his children and the woman he refers to as his third wife was done without his consent. The stake in STDM may be worth at least $1.63 billion using today’s stock price of unit SJM Holdings Ltd.
“The big problem has been resolved,” Ho, 89, said in an interview broadcast today by Television Broadcasts Ltd. “My families and I are very happy we have made the decision.”

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Barclay Brothers Said to Gain Control of Maybourne Hotels’ Owner

David and Frederick Barclay will gain control of the parent company of Maybourne Hotels Ltd., owner of London luxury hotels including Claridge’s, a person familiar with the plan said.

The brothers, owners of the Telegraph Media Group Ltd., will buy 35 percent of Coroin Ltd. from Irish property entrepreneur Derek Quinlan to add to the 25 percent holding they purchased last week, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. London-based Maybourne also owns the Berkeley and Connaught hotels.

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