M&C London hiring troubles: Hotel group Millennium & Copthorne has said Brexit uncertainty is making it difficult for its London hotels to recruit EU workers. The luxury hotel chain said more than half of its workforce in London currently came from the EU. Its comments came as it said profits fell to £106 million (US$136 million) last year, a 28% drop from £147 million (US$189 million) in 2017. The company also blamed the US-China trade war, minimum wage levels and competition from Airbnb for its woes. In the fourth quarter of 2018, its profits dropped 76% to £7 million (US$9 million).
Slap on the ‘Ritz’: The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, inside the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in western Kowloon, broke the conditions of its waste water discharge license, Kwun Tong Court ruled. Its operating company, Best Winners, was hit with the HK$15,000 (US$1,900) penalty. A routine inspection at the hotel last August found that waste water from the discharge outlet of one of its grease traps – plumbing devices that catch grease and waste particles before water passes into the system – was “turbid and greasy.”
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Marriott dividend: Marriott International has announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of US$.41 per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on March 29, 2019 to shareholders of record as of March 1, 2019.