Tag Archives: hotels

CNBC reports: Marriott International said on Friday that a guest reservation database of its Starwood Hotel brand was breached, potentially exposing information on about 500 million guests. The company said its investigation showed that an unauthorized party had copied and encrypted information, and that there had been unauthorized access to the Starwood network since 2014. The company said it had …

ZDNet reports: Security researchers have built a master key that exploits a design flaw in a popular and widely used hotel electronic lock system, allowing unfettered access to every room in the building. The electronic lock system, known as Vision by VingCard and built by Swedish lock manufacturer Assa Abloy, is used in more than 42,000 properties in 166 countries, …

The New York Times reports: The announcement came on his television show, “The Apprentice.” Donald J. Trump would open his second luxury hotel in New York, a “work of art” in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan that would become “an awe-inspiring masterpiece.” That was 11 years ago. The 46-story skyscraper, it turned out, was actually an albatross for Mr. Trump …

Bloomberg reports: The first thing you’ll see when you walk into Eaton Workshop, a hotel opening in late spring 2018 in Washington, is a custom-commissioned video art installation by AJ Schnack, shown on a series of vintage-style television screens. All day long, it’ll broadcast a montage of footage from the presidential elections of 2012 and 2016 that’s built around one …

The Washingtonian reports: Before the Trump International Hotel opened, Donald Trump liked to brag that the business he and his family built inside the Old Post Office would be “one of the great hotels of the world.” But according to a year-end list of new luxury hotels from a travel group that specializes in high-end accommodations, it’s one of the …

CNN reports: Before President-elect Donald Trump heads to the White House on January 20, he will find himself back in the witness chair for questioning in his ongoing contractual dispute with celebrity chef, Jose Andres. DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer A. Di Toro ruled Wednesday that Trump must sit for a deposition in New York City the first week of …

Not even with the room rates slashed by 50%. New York Magazine reports: Last weekend bankers and dignitaries from around the world descended on Washington for the annual World Bank–IMF meetings. But just a few days before the conference, rooms were not only still available at Trump International, they were heavily discounted. On October 2, a deluxe room, with a …

The Los Angeles Times reports: At least a dozen California GOP staff members at the Republican National Convention have been quarantined in their hotel rooms after becoming ill with what appears to be a highly contagious norovirus, also known as the cruise-ship virus, according to officials from both the California GOP and local health agencies. “It looks like norovirus,” said …

A Mississippi hospitality group with 1400 hotels, restaurants, and shops among its members has a plan to mitigate damage to the state’s reputation. From Jackson’s ABC affiliate: Mike Cashion, executive director of the MHRA, said “when HB 1523 was signed, Mississippi was thrust into the national spotlight. Regardless of its intent, this legislation has created a level of controversy and …

The ACLU has filed a complaint. They write: “911, what’s your emergency?” There are a lot of situations that may warrant calling 911. But seeing a transgender person is not one of them. But that’s exactly what a hotel manager in West Des Moines, Iowa, did when Meagan Taylor and her friend, both Black transgender women, checked into the hotel. …

The American Family Association is declaring victory over perversion today, reporting that Hilton Hotels no longer offers in-room adult movies. Via press release: Since 1992, AFA has been pleading with Hilton to get out of the pornography business. We’re glad to announce that efforts by AFA and our friends at Morality in Media (MIM) have been fruitful. Over the years, …

Via the New York Times: When the gay hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass found themselves under siege for hosting a dinner for Ted Cruz, the Texas senator who is running for president and has been vociferously opposed to same-sex marriage, they repeatedly stressed that the event was not a fund-raiser. “There were no checks given, it was nothing like …

Via the Guardian: Four helipads will cluster around one of the largest domes in the world, like sideplates awaiting the unveiling of a momentous main course, which will be jacked up 45 storeys into the sky above the deserts of Mecca. It is the crowning feature of the holy city’s crowning glory, the superlative summit of what will be the …

Per the president of the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association, the below apology from Manhattan hotelier Ian Reisner was read at the group’s meeting over the weekend. Dear Members of our Community, First I want to clear up that Mati Weiderpass has zero involvement or ownership in the Pines. Now let me state unequivocally that I made mistakes. While …

Via the Wall Street Journal: An industry group that includes Marriott International Inc. has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for guidance on whether hotels are acting within the law when they disable unauthorized WiFi access points set up on their properties. The hotels say they are trying to make sure their own wireless networks don’t get bogged down and to …

Hilton Hotels is spending $550M on a program that will allow guests to choose their rooms, check in, and open their rooms with their smartphones. The company plans to announce this week new technology intended for its 4,200 properties world-wide. Targeting younger travelers, Hilton is aiming to leapfrog competitors that already have rolled out new services like turning mobile phones …

The top clip features a rousing speech by Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lori Jean.

The recent spate of credit card hacking has expanded to major hotel chains. White Lodging — a company that maintains Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton and Westin hotel franchises — has apparently suffered a data breach that exposed guests’ credit and debit card information in 2013, independent security researcher Brian Krebs said. Banking industry sources noticed fraud among hundreds of cards that …

Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled against the owners of a bed & breakfast who were fined after refusing to rent a room to a gay couple. Hazelmary and Peter Bull refused to let civil partners Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall stay in a double room at Chymorvah House in Marazion in Cornwall in 2008. The couple, who had already lost …

Two years after they were fined £3,600 for refusing to rent a room to a gay couple, the Christian owners of a British bed and breakfast say they are closing down due to a plummeting occupancy rate. They say they have been forced into selling their nine bed hotel for £750,000 because last winter they “were actually shivering and were …