Hotel News and Updates

Hotels train employees to think fast
USA Today - 16 hours ago… Stephen Brandman, co-owner of Thompson Hotels, the boutique hotel operator based in New York, says the big chains could wind up damaging relationships with …

Stage Listings
San Francisco Bay Guardian, CA - 19 hours ago… Red Victorian Hotel 1665 Haight, SF; (650) 346-4195. … Fri, 6pm: SFCC New Faces. Fri, 8pm: … Arsenal. Fri, 10pm: New York Nights. …

Now Showing
Connect Savannah.com, GA - 6 hours ago… A hippie (Kutcher) sells drugs from the comfort of his hotel room. … that he deservedly earned the Best Supporting Actor award from the New York Film Critics …

Hilton, Starwood Up on Takeover Analysis
Houston Chronicle, United States - 20 minutes ago… focus on fees and unit growth, leverage to international hotel markets, ability … or 3.1 percent, to $33.13 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. …

‘Justice For My Baby’
Tampa Tribune, FL - 15 hours ago… Robert Anderson, about the charges Tuesday morning at a hotel conference room in … New York coroner Michael Baden, who observed the second autopsy and discounted …

Targacept to Host NNR Analyst Day in New York
Yahoo! News (press release) - 6 hours ago… The event will take place from 8:00 am to 11:00 am Eastern Time at The New York Palace Hotel and will focus on developments and potential therapeutic …

Following LA’s script
Los Angeles Times, CA - 2 hours ago… as “home to MTV, Cond Nast, Morgan Stanley, the world’s biggest Marriott hotel, the Ford … entirely in the style of LA What does it say when New York, which as …

Al Pacino’s humility charms London hotel staff
DailyIndia.com, FL - 9 hours agoLondon, Nov. 27 (ANI): ‘Godfather’ legend Al Pacino recently charmed the staff at London’s lavish Ritz hotel by talking to them in the middle of the night. …

CTS Hotel Launches New Business Hotel Brand
China Hospitality News, China - 21 hours agoIn order to meet the needs of Chinese business travels, CTS Hotel has chosen Suzhou as the first place for its new Lv Ju brand hotel. …

Golf resort winners named and other international news
CatererSearch, UK - 12 hours ago… the year North America, with Praia D El Rey golf and beach resort on the Portuguese Silver Coast winning the European region and Sandy Lane hotel in Barbados …

Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown Offering Package Deals
dBusinessNews Atlanta (press release), GA - 4 hours ago[ Atlanta , GA November, 2006] The Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown is offering hotel discounts for art aficionados, avid shoppers and enthusiasts of …

Hotel customers await Polonium test results
Yorkshire Post Today, UK - 12 hours agoCustomers of a restaurant and hotel visited by radiation victim Alexander Litvinenko last night faced an anxious wait after giving medical samples for tests. …

Natives get upper hand, say casinos
National Post, Canada - 13 hours ago… The River Cree Casino and Resort, Alberta’s first native casino, already has a four-star hotel and plans for a “high-end” retail complex — all conveniently …

Rent a vacation home to help cut hotel costs
Chicago Tribune, United States - Nov 26, 2006… Rentals offer more space, often at a fraction of the cost of a hotel stay for families and groups who might otherwise have to pay for two or more rooms. …

Woman charged with providing alcohol, hotel room to teens
WTNH, CT - 5 hours ago27, 2006 12:08 PM) _ A Southington woman is facing multiple criminal charges after police say she rented two hotel rooms to give some teens a place to party. …

Iron Chef arrives to prove his mettle
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - 10 hours ago”Before the show [ Iron Chef ] , the chef’s position was not high, now it is” Hiroyuki Sakai at the Observatory Hotel in Sydney. …

Second-Tier Hotel Markets Likely to Outperform First-Tier Markets
Hotel interactive, NY - 7 hours agoNEW YORK - Hotel investors seeking the highest risk-adjusted returns should now focus their attention on the second-tier hotel markets, according to Hotel …

Former spy breakfasted at London hotel 
The former Russian spy who claims he was poisoned by his country’s security service had a breakfast meeting at an exclusive London hotel, it emerged yesterday.

Customers face radioactivity tests 
Customers at a restaurant and an hotel visited by a poisoned ex-KGB officer will be tested for the radioactive substance that killed him, said health chiefs.

In Tomorrow’s Paper 
LONDON — A swanky hotel bar where a former Russian spy sipped tea before his poisoning death. A sushi restaurant where he ate a bowl of soup.

Hotels in India not keeping up with economic boom 
Need a hotel room in India? Better book early and bring big bucks. As the nation’s economy booms, foreigners and newly affluent Indians are flocking to the country’s big cities in unprecedented numbers — but are finding a shortage of places to stay.

A sushi stop, a hotel bar London investigators trace steps of poisoned ex-Russian spy 
LONDON A swank hotel where he sipped tea. A sushi bar where he had soup. Investigators are tracing Alexander Litvinenkos last steps to find out how a rare radioactive substance could have killed the former KGB agent and vociferous critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

London police examine Putin foe’s final steps 
Rare radioactive element killed ex- spy; Russian leader denies culpability

British police working to unravel mystery of Russian ex-spy’s death 
LONDON (AFP) - Police in Britain are piecing together evidence on how Russian former spy and Kremlin foe Alexander Litvinenko may have been fatally poisoned.

Radiation tests after spy death 
People who may have come into contact with dead ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko in London are offered radiation tests.

Britain?s Spy Mystery: A Slow Death by Poison 
The real-life terror of a Putin foe?s agonizing ordeal.

Zimbabwe: Meikles Ups Stake in Kingdom 
MEIKLES Africa Limited, majority shareholder in Kingdom Financial Holdings, has increased its stake in the financial institution to 36 percent courtesy of the rights issue it undertook last year.

Shoppers flock to answer the siren song of savings / Early birds snap up best deals before sunrise in traditional  
Cajoled out of their homes by after-Thanksgiving sales, thousands of Bay Area shoppers took to the malls, specialty stores and discount centers for the time-honored tradition of Black Friday — the annual inauguration of the holiday shopping season….

HOW TO DONATE | For a more complete list, go to www.mercurynews.com 
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties hopes to raise $4 million this holiday season to provide food to other agencies. Donors can visit https://fooddrive. shfoodbank.com and order food the agency can purchase. It needs turkeys and non-perishable goods to fill holiday baskets distributed by 700 agencies. Donations can be dropped off at 750 Curtner Ave. in San Jose and 1051

Smoking Ordinance Passes 
The Allen County Commissioners passed a county wide smoking ordinance Wednesday morning that’s not as restrictive as the one originally proposed. Smoking will be prohibited in most public places, but you’ll still be able to light up in a bar.

A.C.E.S. gives Thanksgiving dinners to needy 
By DANA A. FITZWATER As the weather turns cold and the holiday music infiltrates nearly every aspect of life, take a moment to think about the people who do not have the resources to provide their families with a traditional holiday meal.

Freeport buys rival to create mining giant 
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. agreed to buy Phelps Dodge Corp. for $25.9 billion in cash and stock in the world’s biggest mining takeover. Phelps Dodge stockholders will get $88 in cash and 0.67 share of New Orleans-based Freeport, the companies said Monday. The purchase will make Freeport the world’s largest publicly traded copper producer, overtaking BHP Billiton Ltd. Global mining

Community sports calendar 
14U Wood Bat Tourney: Dec. 1-3 at Messer Park Junior Major League. Open to all teams; players must be under 15 years old as of May 1, 2007. Registration fee is $200 plus three high-school-approved baseballs per game played. Birth certificates required.

INBrief 
Egat raising B9bn ENERGY :The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) said yesterday that it planned to raise nine billion baht through loans or bonds next year to fund new power plants.

Save this winter by checking out these off-peak destinations 
Along with holidays, cold temperatures and snowy weather, winter also brings off-peak savings to destinations at home and abroad. From U.S. cities and national parks to European countries, just about anyone can find a winter destination that appeals to their interests and budget.

Wynn Las Vegas and Tennessee’s Hermitage win five-star rating
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA - Nov 14, 2006AP. NEW YORK — The Tower Suites at Wynn Las Vegas has become the first Las Vegas hotel to ever win a five-star rating from Mobil Travel Guide. …

Moody’s cuts rating on Vegas monorail debt to junk status
Las Vegas Sun, NV - Nov 21, 2006… The privately funded system, which links several Las Vegas Strip hotel-casinos and the Convention Center, has not turned a profit since it opened in July 2004. …

Montreal boxer to face veteran Castillo
Toronto Star,  Canada - 10 hours ago… the toughest test of his young boxing career when he fights veteran Jose Luis Castillo on Jan. 20 at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas. …

Spears Looking for a New Home?
andPOP, Canada - Nov 22, 2006… follow in Celine Dion’s footsteps and do a show in Las Vegas (although why … 20-week, $15 million exclusive performance contract with the Palms Hotel and Casino …

kansas basketball notebook
Lawrence Journal World, KS - Nov 22, 2006… Fieldhouse, then head to Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Invitational. … will attend a show on the famed Vegas strip tonight … stay in a casino, but in a hotel off the …

Hatton, Castillo Card Set For Las Vegas
BoxingScene.com, AR - Nov 20, 2006… by BBC Sport, that the twin bill for Ricky Hatton and Jose Luis Castillo, has been set for January 20 in Las Vegas. The card takes place at the Paris Hotel. …

Report: Man freed in Las Vegas bodybuilder witness slaying plot
Las Vegas Sun, NV - Nov 21, 2006… from the Clark County jail, according to documents cited by the Las Vegas Review-Journal … known poker player Greg “Fossilman” Raymer at the Bellagio hotel-casino …

Take a gamble with Lotus
New Car Net, UK - Nov 22, 2006… as “the Complete Lotus Experience”, the manufacturer will fly buyers to Las Vegas, where first class accommodation awaits at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. …

Shakeup in dining scene roils placid waters of Tomales Bay
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - Nov 22, 2006… After all, the restaurant and the hotel it’s in, the Prescott, are up for sale, their … makes good and decides to do even better in the tax oasis of Las Vegas. …

‘Operation Yellow Ribbon’ offers discount for military families
Detroit Free Press, United States - 2 hours ago… Set: “The 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards” show. It’ll be telecast on CBS at 8 pm May 15, live from the MGM Grand Hotel In Las Vegas. …

Genteel Galveston saunters at a different pace in Texas 
GALVESTON, Texax - MUCH OF Texas may be perceived as a hard-partying cowboy paradise, but in Galveston, you’ll have to rethink your notions about big hats, high boots and fat wallets.

Community Alarmed at Controversial Developers Plans for Apartment Community 
NOVEMBER 21, 2006 — New York — The Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA), a neighborhood group, is urging the citys Department of Buildings to stop issuing building permits to Tommy Huang, owner of the Flushing, N.Y.-based Huang Development.

Tibetan sets self on fire by Hus hotel in India 
MUMBAI - A Tibetan protestor set himself on fire on Thursday outside visiting Chinese President Hu Jintaos hotel in Indias business hub before being taken away by police.

Preferred Hotel Group renews distribution and reservation services …
e-Travel Blackboard (press release), Australia - Nov 12, 2006… Pegasus RezView CRS has been the reservation system for the group s more than 73,000 hotel rooms serving as a fully-hosted system that connects PHG hotels …

Priceline.com Named Best Third-Party Hotel Reservations Website …
Business Wire (press release), CA - 22 minutes ago… Priceline.com s hotel reservation service gives travelers more ways to save than any other major online reservation service, said Brett Keller …

Casinos could draw smokers
Arizona Republic, AZ - Nov 17, 2006… part of Chandler and Ahwatukee Foothills are closer to the reservation and could … residences, fraternal and veterans clubs, tobacco shops and some hotel rooms. …

WorldTradeShow.com boosted by Vietnam
Internet Travel News (press release), UK - Nov 9, 2006… 304. WorldTradeShow.com receives a commission for each hotel reservation booked through the www.HOTELS.com.vn travel website. The …

State denies backroom dealing in Fells Reservation project
Boston Globe, United States - Nov 16, 2006… the plan to build apartments and offices on property in Stoneham within the reservation. … Fells, because when the Fells was created in 1894, it housed a hotel. …

Room with a view of a Radio City Yule 
Following New York hotel trends could be a full-time job. There’s the boutique movement to make stays feel homier, and the hipster movement to make lodgers feel they’re riding the cutting edge. There’s a slew of hotels by Ian Schrager, where an overnight is the equivalent of getting the man’s autograph. Minimalist design means lots of black-and-beige and the dozen square feet of emptiness that

`Bobby’ stirs up memories long buried 
For the others shot that night, it’s an event that needs no `reimagining’ On the night that Robert F. Kennedy was mortally wounded at The Ambassador Hotel, five others were hit by his assassin’s bullets: a labor leader, two newsmen, a Democratic Party activist and a teenage campaign volunteer.

Girls’ trip: College chums gather for a milestone 
By the time The Patrol Sergeant rejected New York, I despaired of ever choosing a city to celebrate our 50th birthdays. At least half a dozen other places had been shot down already. It seemed that the four of us, who had lived in harmony in a cramped student apartment in Los Angeles so long ago, now couldn’t agree on anything.

(AFX UK Focus) 2006-11-17 21:23 GMT: LaSalle Hotel buys Holiday Inn in Manhattan 
BETHESDA, Md. (AFX) - LaSalle Hotel Properties, a real-estate investment trust that owns 31 upscale and luxury hotels, on Friday said it has acquired the Holiday Inn Manhattan Wall Street District for about $50.5 million.

From Hell’s Kitchen to lukewarm New York 
Restaurant union warns Ramsay to mind his language while at work.

Centene Corporation to Present at Merrill Lynch 2006 Health Services Investor Conference 
Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced that it will present at the Merrill Lynch 2006 Health Services Investor Conference, which will be held November 28-29, 2006 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Michael F.

Goya thieves knew shipping details 
WASHINGTON | Federal investigators have concluded that thieves armed with detailed shipping information were behind the removal of a Goya painting from a truck last week.

City of Boise Offers Hotel Vouchers to Homeless 
Boise, Idaho — The City of Boise is also doing what it can to provide short-term emergency shelter to homeless families during the winter months. It has taken $10,000 out of its general fund to pay for hotel vouchers to get families off the street.

Hotel chain yanks CNN 
DES MOINES (AP) Former Mason City resident and hotelier James Thompson has pulled CNN and CNN Headline News from his hotels following a CNN broadcast of an insurgent video showing Iraqi snipers shooting at U.S. troops.

Two security guards stabbed at hotel 
TWO security guards were stabbed when they scuffled iwth two men at an Adelaide hotel overnight.

Hotel watch 
Francisca Kellett stays at The White House, Brighton.

Nicky Hilton sues hotel developer for rights to her own name 
Heiress Nicky Hilton is suing a man she once considered going into the hotel business with after discovering he tried to trademark her name for his own use.

Midwest hotel chain drops CNN over Iraq sniper video 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A Midwest hotel chain has pulled CNN and CNN Headline News from its guest rooms and lobbies in response to the cable network’s broadcast of an insurgent video showing Iraqi snipers…

Restrictions in old deeds threaten hotel 
Handwritten deed restrictions dating back to the 1880s could block plans for a new hotel and retail complex at the corner of Elmwood and Forest avenues in Buffalo.

Powder man sparks alert 
Firefighters carry out a full chemical investigation after they find a man covered in white powder at a hotel.

Keller piles in the orders 
The engineering group involved in the building of the Millennium Dome laid the foundations for a bumper end to the year today.

Gests Zebra Milk Request 
Music producer DAVID GEST shocked staff at a top London hotel when he demanded zebra milk be delivered to the suite he shared with his now-estranged w

Doubts surround Michael Jackson comeback bid 
Michael Jackson came out of hiding this week and is running London’s tabloid press ragged, but ahead of his long-awaited return to the stage many doubt whether the deposed King of Pop can reclaim his crown.

Datacolor’s ‘’Color In Retail'’ Summit at London’s Sherlock Holmes Hotel Attended by World’s Top Retailers 
LONDON—-The world’s top retailers met in London to participate in a two-day global summit sponsored by Datacolor. The focus is not fashion, branding, or launch strategies. It is color.

Zeta-Jones, Douglas Photo Dispute Heads to U.K.’s Highest Court 
Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) — Six years after the multimillion- dollar marriage of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, rival celebrity magazines are taking a battle over their wedding photos to Britain’s highest court.