http://www.hotelchatter.com/ Hotel Reviews, Hotel Ratings, Hotel Openings en-us Copyright 2008 - SFO Media 2009-11-23T23:41:04Z HotelChatter HotelChatter http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/hcwhite.jpg http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Hotel%20Lawsuits http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/10/7/145747/419 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/nodenizen.jpg" class="top"><p> <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125487422757969391.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories&loc=interstitialskip">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported this morning that <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/hilton hotels">Hilton Hotels</a> and its executives accused of stealing proprietary <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/w hotels">W Hotel</a> information to create their now dead-in-the-water hotel brand <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/denizen">Denizen Hotels</a>, could face criminal charges. <blockquote><p>The grand jury is part of a six-month-old Justice Department probe into allegations that Hilton, which is owned by private-equity firm Blackstone Group, used trade secrets taken by former Starwood executives, who defected to Hilton last year, to develop its own luxury brand to compete with Starwood's successful W chain.</blockquote></p><p>About 30 Hilton employees and executives have either been fired or placed on leave. <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/ross klein">Ross Klein</a>, the former president of Starwood Hotels who defected to Hilton and juliana 2009-10-07T15:18:26-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/10/6/10025/6327 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/WA_ProsceniumFront.jpg" class="top"></p> <p>Uh oh. Hope you didn&#146;t think the economy&#146;s death grip on the hotel industry had loosened. Seems the bottom has dropped out from under the highly anticipated <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/2/28/115654/768/hotels/The_Waldorf_Astoria_Collection_Keeps_Collecting_Hotels"><strong>Waldorf-Astoria Sarasota</strong></a>.</p> <p>The developers funding the massive project are in an ugly feud, with Gary Moyer suing his former business partner, the &#147;much younger and wealthier&#148; Zeb Portonova, <a href="http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090928/ARTICLE/909281009/2413/BUSINESS?Title=Sarasota-developer-suing-his-former-partner">reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune</a>.</p> <p>Back in early 2008, we reported the announcement for the coming hotel project, which was set to be a 225-room hotel featuring 38,000 square feet of meeting space, signature restaurants, a roof-top pool, and a swank spa. Delivery was expected in late 2010, so the project had sort of fallen off our radar. The Herald KatieK 2009-10-06T10:20:43-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/9/1/22530/16932 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/scheetzhardrocklawsuit.jpg" class="top"><p> <a href="http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep/01/suit-alleges-hard-rock-owner-shares-blame-death-fo/">The Las Vegas Sun</a> reported yesterday that the family of <b>Michelle Hatchel</b>, who died of a drug overdose in 2007 in the Vegas condo of <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/ed scheetz"><b>Ed Scheetz</b></a>, the former CEO of <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/morgans hotel group">Morgans Hotel Group</a>, have not only filed a lawsuit against Scheetz but have also named <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hard+Rock+Hotel+and+Casino/local/595">The Hard Rock Hotel</a> and Morgans as defendants.<p> Hatchel had been living and partying with him at his Vegas residence in the weeks before her death--an overdose of oxycontin and cocaine--and Scheetz referred to her as his "girlfriend" in the 911 call. Scheetz has never been criminally charged for any wrongdoing in Hatchel's death. However, he has already settled a wrongful death suit with juliana 2009-09-02T08:49:44-05:00 36.1097680 -115.15445 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/8/14/95410/5718 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/coffemaker_phoenixmarriott.jpg" class="top"><p> Quite often, hotel guests stay away from the in-room coffee because it either tastes like crap, the machine is difficult to figure out or worse yet, <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/5/27/93246/2445/hotels/Have_You_Been_Charged_For_Drinking_the_Coffee_In_Your_Hotel_Room_"> it costs money.</a> But now there could be another reason to avoid the in-room coffee machines--they could really mess your hand up. From the <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/08132009/news/regionalnews/brainiacs_bad_break_184334.htm">NY Post</a>: <blockquote><p>Former Columbia University researcher Kristopher Karnauskas yesterday filed a $10 million suit against an Arizona hotel, claiming its percolator shattered in his hand, hurting him so badly he couldn't deliver a speech on global warming. <p> And what's more, the 27-year-old climate scientist claims he can no longer play his trumpet. His conflict with the carafe took place in January at a juliana 2009-08-14T10:59:04-05:00 33.4199860 -111.82836 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/7/15/103120/151 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6929/xsniteclub.jpg" class="top"> <p>Okay, kiddies. Can't we all agree that suing each other over the gimmicky use of two consonants is a little...excessive? Or should we say "XS-ive"? <p>According to local Las Vegas news station <a href="http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10729619">KVBC</a>, Wynn Resorts filed a lawsuit on Monday in U.S. District Court against <b><A href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/nylo hotels">NYLO Hotels</a></b>. The dispute? Who has the rights to "XS." Yes, really. <p>Reportedly, NYLO had "asserted rights" to the trademark "XS" &#151; perhaps a marketing tie-in for their yet-to-happen XP brand? &#151; and had "offered to let Wynn pay a licensing fee to use the name for the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/3/3/15923/38761/hotels/A_Night_of_XS_At_Encore_Las_Vegas">club at Encore.</a>" How generous of them! The suit Wynn is filing against NYLO says its use of "XS" doesn't Jenna 2009-07-15T10:37:21-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/