Search

×

Briefs: Union says AHLA ‘Promise’ initiative lacks teeth

Union says industry “Promise” lacks teeth. In what appears to be an escalating battle between U.S. hotel unions and hoteliers, Unite Here on Tuesday took a serious shot at the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s September announcement about its “5-Star Promise” initiative in response to sexual harassment and assault in the hotel industry. Unite Here suggested the AHLA-led initiative endorsed by several of the hotel industry’s biggest hotel companies contained a set of voluntary, non-binding recommendations lacking specific scope or timeframe for adoption and assigned no role or responsibility for hotel REITs or other owners. Unite Here also provided an analysis of the ongoing risks of sexual harassment facing hotel investors.

Read the AP report

Miami Beach finally gets it convention hotel. After numerous failed attempts related to concerns about traffic congestion, in Tuesday’s U.S. general election Miami Beach approved the development of a US$362 million, privately funded convention center hotel. An 800-room hotel, which will better help the city compete for bigger conventions, will be developed at a site next to the newly renovated convention space.

Read Miami Herald report

Motel 6 settles. After a nationwide class-action lawsuit against Motel 6, the chain has agreed to pay as much as US$7.6 million to guests who said their private information was given to U.S. immigration agents, according to court records. The lawsuit came after reports in 2017 that ICE agents made at least 20 arrests at two Motel 6 locations in Arizona. Under the proposed settlement agreement, the hotel also agreed not to share guests’ personal information without a warrant or subpoena, unless necessary to prevent “a significant crime,” according to the document.

Read Washington Post report

JV acquires Sheraton. Rockbridge and Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG) have acquired the 159-room Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel in Florida. The joint venture did not disclose the price paid for the property. HVMG will operate the hotel and oversee a planned US$1.25 million property upgrade. The Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel marks HVMG’s fourth hotel in Florida and its second Sheraton management takeover in 2018.

Hilton soft brand for NYC. Tapestry Collection by Hilton has added its second property in New York City, the Distrikt Hotel New York City, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. The 32-floor, 155-room hotel marks the brand’s 12th property.

Qataris buy more London real estate. Katara Holdings, which is owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, has reportedly bought Grosvenor House in London’s Park Lane for an undisclosed price from private American property investment firm Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. Ashkenazy bought the Mayfair property, which overlooks Hyde Park, in 2017. The Qatari fund also owns London’s luxury Savoy and Connaught hotels, the Harrods department store and the Shard, London’s tallest skyscraper.

Read The Guardian report

Blu goes to Canada. Radisson Hotel Group said Wednesday that the owners of Radisson Admiral Hotel Toronto-Harbourfront have announced their intent to convert the hotel into a Radisson Blu, making this the company’s first upper upscale hotel introduction in Canada. The owners are planning to update the hotel’s public spaces, guest rooms, food and beverage offerings and its meeting space to bring its unique Radisson Blu brand to life. The hotel is anticipated to open as a Radisson Blu in June 2019.

SF drops the hammer. Darren and Valerie Lee of San Francisco have agreed to pay a US$2.25 million settlement for penalties and investigation costs for illegally renting 14 city apartments through Airbnb. In addition, they are barred for at least seven years from offering short-term rentals in any of the 17 San Francisco buildings they own or manage.

Read The San Francisco Chronicle report

More Airbnb pushback. The main trade group for France’s hotel industry has reportedly sued Airbnb, accusing it of unfair competition by “knowingly violating” rules imposed as part of a crackdown on homesharing. The hotel industry body accuses Airbnb of keeping listings online even when they lack the required registration numbers, a rule recently introduced in Paris and other French cities. The French hotel association is seeking a symbolic 143 euros (US$163) in damages, in line with the nightly rate charged by one illegal Paris renter who was found guilty by a court earlier this year.

Read the phys.org report

Comment