THE WALDORF Hilton hotel, one of London's most prestigious five star establishments, was the location for what a judge called 'medieval torture' involving nipple clamps, hot wax and blood.
Southwark Crown Court heard yesterday that Finola McKenna, 46, and Neil Fagan, 61, had been meeting for S&M sex for several years, but that on 20 May 2009, things took a more sinister turn.
Read More:
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Two firefighters suspended for taking beer from fire-ravaged hotel
Two firefighters in Oliver, B.C., have been suspended over allegations that they drank beer saved from a fire at a historic hotel.
The RCMP is investigating allegations that six kegs of beer were removed from the fire-ravaged Mesa Hotel on May 23. One of the kegs was tapped after all six were moved to the Oliver fire hall in the back of a private truck.
Read More:
The RCMP is investigating allegations that six kegs of beer were removed from the fire-ravaged Mesa Hotel on May 23. One of the kegs was tapped after all six were moved to the Oliver fire hall in the back of a private truck.
Read More:
Whitbread to maintain hotel price war
The hotel price war that broke out last summer is expected to continue to the end of this year after Whitbread said it had no plans to end the cheap room promotion at its Premier Inn budget hotel chain.
Having for years shunned discounting, Whitbread introduced a £29-a-room offer last June in response to aggressive price-cutting by mid-market competitors
Read More:
Having for years shunned discounting, Whitbread introduced a £29-a-room offer last June in response to aggressive price-cutting by mid-market competitors
Read More:
Pittsburgh Hotel-condo project OK'd by city
City planning commission members cleared the way Tuesday for the start of a grandiose $100 million hotel-condominium project on Mount Washington, but one key hurdle remains: financing.
Members voted unanimously to approve the final land development plan for the One Grandview Avenue development, which would sit at the site of the former Edge restaurant and offer guests and residents dramatic views of the Downtown skyline.
Read More:
Members voted unanimously to approve the final land development plan for the One Grandview Avenue development, which would sit at the site of the former Edge restaurant and offer guests and residents dramatic views of the Downtown skyline.
Read More:
Hotel capex to drop for second straight year
NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters) - Spending on new carpets, beds and lampshades at U.S. hotels will drop for a second straight year in 2010, as the lodging industry grapples with high debt and a slow recovery of demand.
Capital expenditures at U.S. hotels will fall about 10 percent from 2009 levels to $3 billion, according to a new study from New York University's hospitality school.
Read More:
Capital expenditures at U.S. hotels will fall about 10 percent from 2009 levels to $3 billion, according to a new study from New York University's hospitality school.
Read More:
Hotels Hint at a Turnaround
The long-battered hotel industry is turning the corner as occupancy and revenue in the U.S. finally start to rebound.
But hotel owners can't start partying just yet. Hotel properties remain deeply indebted, with billions of dollars of mortgages coming due in the coming years amid forecasts the industry won't regain its full strength until 2013.
Read More:
But hotel owners can't start partying just yet. Hotel properties remain deeply indebted, with billions of dollars of mortgages coming due in the coming years amid forecasts the industry won't regain its full strength until 2013.
Read More:
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Acquires the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco, California
BETHESDA, Md., Jun 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Pebblebrook Hotel Trust today announced that it has acquired the Sir Francis Drake Hotel for $90.0 million from a partnership led by The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC. The 416-room, upper upscale, full-service hotel is located in downtown San Francisco, California in the heart of Union Square. The hotel will continue to be managed by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants ("Kimpton"). The transaction was funded entirely with proceeds from the Company's initial public offering.
Read More:
Read More:
Suburban hotel busts may hit taxpayers
Two convention-sized hotels built during the boom years in the Chicago suburbs have become monuments to municipal hubris. If the lodging market doesn't turn around soon, they could become a burden on taxpayers.
In 2005, village officials in both Schaumburg and Wheeling were boasting of their investments in hotels. Schaumburg itself is the owner of the Marriott Renaissance at the village's convention center, Interstate 90 and Meacham Road. Wheeling provided a $23 million subsidy for the new Westin North Shore, 601 N. Milwaukee. The hotel's developer said the subsidy was "totally, completely, unequivocally essential" to the project.
Read More:
In 2005, village officials in both Schaumburg and Wheeling were boasting of their investments in hotels. Schaumburg itself is the owner of the Marriott Renaissance at the village's convention center, Interstate 90 and Meacham Road. Wheeling provided a $23 million subsidy for the new Westin North Shore, 601 N. Milwaukee. The hotel's developer said the subsidy was "totally, completely, unequivocally essential" to the project.
Read More:
Budget-conscious hotels turn to optional housekeeping
Room cleaned, sir? Want to sleep on your bedsheets a few more days, madam?
More hotels are cutting back on housekeeping services. With their business sharply reduced, hotels are looking to save money by urging customers to forgo daily changing of linens, towels and toiletries
Read More:
More hotels are cutting back on housekeeping services. With their business sharply reduced, hotels are looking to save money by urging customers to forgo daily changing of linens, towels and toiletries
Read More:
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Goldman Request to Foreclose on Sawgrass Resort Denied by Judge
June 21 (Bloomberg) -- Goldman Sachs Mortgage Co., the lender to the owners of Florida’s Sawgrass Marriott Resort, failed to win bankruptcy court permission to take over and sell the company’s assets.
Judge Paul M. Glenn in Jacksonville, Florida, denied Goldman’s request to lift the automatic stay, a part of the bankruptcy code that shields a company from creditors’ efforts to collect on its assets. Goldman Sachs Mortgage is a division of Goldman Sachs Group Inc
Read More:
Judge Paul M. Glenn in Jacksonville, Florida, denied Goldman’s request to lift the automatic stay, a part of the bankruptcy code that shields a company from creditors’ efforts to collect on its assets. Goldman Sachs Mortgage is a division of Goldman Sachs Group Inc
Read More:
Fertitta sweetens Landry's offer again
Landry's Restaurants Inc. CEO Tilman Fertitta has raised his offer in a successful bid to gain an activist investor’s approval for the executive's acquisition of the company, Landry’s said Tuesday.
Fertitta upped his bid for the Houston-based restaurant chain by 50 cents to $24.50 a share.
Read More:
Fertitta upped his bid for the Houston-based restaurant chain by 50 cents to $24.50 a share.
Read More:
Chipotle: Too Caliente For Investors
Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) has been on fire as the "quick-casual" burrito joint continues to grow returning over 200% for investors since going public in 2006. The company now employs over 22,000 people to deliver "food with integrity" using all natural ingredients. From 1998 to 2006, McDonald's Corporation owned a majority interest in Chipotle but divested their interest in 2006
Read More:
Read More:
Judge gives early OK to Lake Las Vegas bankruptcy plan
A judge verbally approved Lake Las Vegas’ plan to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy at a hearing Monday, the development’s parent company said today.
Sandra Sternberg, a spokeswoman for the Atalon Group, said the company expects to have written approval for the plan from Judge Linda Riegle by Friday. Sternberg said the development won’t emerge from bankruptcy for a few weeks, but Lake Las Vegas on Monday overcame a big hurdle in the process.
Read More:
Sandra Sternberg, a spokeswoman for the Atalon Group, said the company expects to have written approval for the plan from Judge Linda Riegle by Friday. Sternberg said the development won’t emerge from bankruptcy for a few weeks, but Lake Las Vegas on Monday overcame a big hurdle in the process.
Read More:
$1.2 billion in Fontainebleau construction permits pulled
Some $1.2 billion in construction permits were pulled for the idled Fontainebleau casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip this month — but no one is saying if that means construction will actually resume anytime soon.
Clark County Development Services, the county office that tracks the issuance of building permits, reported last week that a company that acquired the Fontainebleau property on the Strip pulled 47 permits for projects at the development’s 2777 Las Vegas Blvd. South address.
Read More:
Clark County Development Services, the county office that tracks the issuance of building permits, reported last week that a company that acquired the Fontainebleau property on the Strip pulled 47 permits for projects at the development’s 2777 Las Vegas Blvd. South address.
Read More:
