Hotels

Category Archives for Hotels.

The Hilton Austin’s President Was Appointed In A Corrupt Bargain

by Gary Leff on March 6, 2021

Mar 06 2021

The Hilton Austin is owned by the City of Austin. Or, technically, by a separate entity created by the city. The city appoints the company’s board, and can amend its bylaws. But because it is a ‘private’ entity owned by the city, it is able to apply for a federal Paycheck Protection Loan to cover payroll costs it is going to be incurring anyway. Cities themselves cannot apply for these forgivable loans.

When applying for the PPP loan was discussed at the City Council meeting, other dirty laundry about the Austin Hilton got aired.

Boycott Hyatt Movement Growing As Chain Hosts CPAC Conference

by Gary Leff on February 25, 2021

Feb 25 2021

Hotels host meetings and events, and generally do not carefully vet the messages that will be shared or the people who will gather at those meetings to make sure they’re consistent with the values of their median customer, consistent with the values of their most vocal customers, or consistent with the values of twitter.

From time to time that becomes a problem, and seemingly becomes a problem for Hyatt (and, oddly, for the Hyatt Regency Orlando) relatively often.

Hyatt Regency Boston No Longer Wants To Be A Hub For Prostitution

by Gary Leff on February 25, 2021

Feb 25 2021

The Hyatt Regency Boston has apparently become notorious as a hub for prostitution with “at least 70 incidents involving sex for pay at the hotel over the past six months” according to the Boston police department in a licensing hearing.

In order to minimize future incidents they’ve hired the security director away from the Sheraton Boston and added a second night guard to their staff.

Hyatt’s New Promotion: Up To 1250 Points Per Night Plus A Free Night After 10 Nights

by Gary Leff on February 23, 2021

Feb 23 2021

Hyatt’s new promotion will offer 2000 points every two nights stayed March 1 through June 15 (2500 points for Hyatt co-brand credit card customers) plus a free category 1-4 night after 10 nights stayed during the promotion period.

Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country Tried To Pull A Fast One On Hyatt And Program Members

by Gary Leff on February 22, 2021

Feb 22 2021

The Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country has been playing games with free room night award availability. Most of the time you’ve been able to use Hyatt points for free nights there. However there’s a trick they’ve been using at peak times, like Memorial Day Weekend, to stop people from redeeming. They’ve been pulling a fast one on program members – and Hyatt. Fortunately after I pinged someone at Hyatt, they cracked down in less than 24 hours.

Hotel Apologizes To Honeymooners Because People Could See Into Their Mirrored Sauna

by Gary Leff on February 20, 2021

Feb 20 2021

The five star Grand Josun resort in Jeju, South Korea is apologizing for a ‘mistake’ that allowed honeymooners to be seen honeymoooning in their sauna.

The sauna’s windows are coated to prevent seeing in during the day, but that doesn’t prevent people inside from being in full view at night – so blinds are supposed to come down when it’s dark. But they didn’t – and guests didn’t know this needed to happen.

He Gave Us Bonvoy And Defended Resort Fees. Did Arne Sorenson ‘Stand Up For What Was Right?’

by Gary Leff on February 16, 2021

Feb 16 2021

I was sad to learn of the passing of Marriott’s long-time CEO Arne Sorenson, the first non-Marriott to hold the post. My sympathies go out to his family who lost him to pancreatic cancer way too early at 62. I wasn’t going to write about it because the news is well-covered. My reactions though center largely around what’s been said about him since his untimely passing.

His public legacy, I think, is more complicated than the tributes I’ve seen generally recognize. And that flows naturally from the role he filled at the helm of a global business in a very political industry.

Hotels Called Out For Price Gouging As Unprecedented Weather Event Hits Texas Electrical Grid

by Gary Leff on February 16, 2021

Feb 16 2021

Texas is experiencing a weather event it hasn’t seen in a generation. We don’t do single digit temperatures, negative wind chills, and significant snow. The problem compounded when the state’s electric grid couldn’t handle demand. Freezing temperatures took some power generation offline (due to frozen natural gas pipes) at a time when everyone cranked up their heat.

Local residents without power are complaining about hotel price gouging.

Video: Police Raid Florida Man’s Hotel Room, He Throws Knives And Trash Can At Them

by Gary Leff on February 13, 2021

Feb 13 2021

A hotel guests faces 6 counts of assaulting a police officer after calling the cops to his hotel room, saying he wanted to kill them “since his world was ending.” The cops didn’t end his world but did taser him several times.

The man, staying at the Plaza Resort on Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach, Florida, “threw knives, a trash can and other items at officers as they tried to get him to surrender.”

Man Drives Volkswagen Through Lobby Of Sheraton

by Gary Leff on February 8, 2021

Feb 08 2021

The Sheraton Atlanta Airport was liquidated, with all its furnishings sold off. Now the Sheraton Atlanta Downtown has been ransacked as well by a man driving through the hotel’s lobby. He parked in front of the elevators.