In one of the odder news stories about new hotels, the Hayden Ferry Lakeside development in Tempe, Ariz., which was to include condos, a hotel, retail and office space, has told Starwood's Le Meridien to take a hike.

The Valhalla Development Group, the developers of the project, are ready to have a groundbreaking in December, but Le Meridien isn't ready to commit to the project yet - so the developers decided to go with another 4-star hotel brand which has not yet been announced.
]]> AndrewC 2008-08-28T16:00:18-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/5/22/63957/9764 <![CDATA[<p><i>You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the <a href="http://flickr.com/groups/hotelchatter/">HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool</a>, or by <a href="mailto:tips@hotelchatter.com">sending the photo along to us</a>. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.</i><p><p> <img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/Anti_View_Le_Meridien_New_York.jpg" class="imgborder"><p> <p>We've been thinking warm glowing thoughts about the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Le+Parker+Meridien+New+York/local/313"><b>Le Parker amandak 2008-05-22T09:06:28-05:00 40.764761 -73.978233 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/2/20/132623/057 <![CDATA[<p><i>Hotelier. The word is so romantic, so eccentric, so...French. However, run-of-the-mill real world hoteliers don't always live up to the etymology. <p>Always looking to bring you the most pertinent information on the worldwide hotel scene, we figured when we found hoteliers that were worthy of the French pronunciation of the word, we would let them speak to you directly. Besides, before you dropped a bunch of cash to stay at someone's house, wouldn't you want to get to know the owner a bit? Exactly. We, always oh so full of ourselves, are calling this series <b>Hoteliers That Matter</b> and we are sitting down with these hoteliers and letting them tell you, straight from their mouths to web ears, what you juliana 2008-03-07T13:32:38-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/12/14/3951/6826 <![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/LemeridienUnlockArt.jpg" class="imgborder"><p> <p>We were so excited last week about <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Le%20Meridien%20Hotels"><b>Le Meridien Hotels</b></a> getting <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/12/5/162224/730/hotels/Hotel_News_Briefs_Marriott_Gets_Greener_Trump_Gets_Delayed_Le_Meridien_Gets_Facebooked_and_More">Facebooked</a> that we never told you all about its weird and wonderful new website.</p><p>Le Meridien says the new site is all about concept. It certainly ain't just about hotels, with a lofty goal like this: they want to create "a global community for those who appreciate creativity".</p><p>One side of the site focuses on creativity with words. They've created a part of their site related to an idea of "50 beans" in a coffee cup: visitors can submit flash-fiction stories of exactly 50 words, and you can read the stories written by others. We haven't found one set in a hotel yet, but the monthly amandak 2007-12-14T09:29:38-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/12/10/154133/69 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/trumpsoho_mooned.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>&#183; <b>Hotel Animals</b>: We know that the Hilton Waikoloa has a yet-to-be-named <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/12/3/23409/3381/hotels/Could_This_Baby_Dolphin_Be_Your_Ticket_to_a_Free_Night_in_a_Hawaiian_Hotel_">baby dolphin</a> in its care but let's not forget the little Sgt. Pepper, born in July, in the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Mirage/local/104"><b>Mirage's</b></a> <a href="http://www.mirage.com/attractions/attractions_dolphins.aspx">dolphin habitat.</a><p>&#183; <b>Jock Jam Hotels</b>: A shooting goes down outside the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Conrad+Indianapolis/local/543"><b>Conrad Hotel</b></a> in Indianapolis. Word is Pacers b-baller <a href="http://www.wthitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7471834">Jamaal Tinsley</a> and his crew were the targets.<p>&#183;<b>Hotel Blacklists</b>: Jane Fonda is not welcome at <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Breakers/ian/112199"><b>The Breakers Hotel</b></a>, so says <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/12102007/gossip/pagesix/jane__unforgiven_573298.htm">Page Six</a>. But it's not the hotel that won't have her. Its the American Legion members who say she isn't welcome.<p>&#183; <b>Hotel Filfth</b>: You may not want to step into any of Vancouver's hotel pools. Apparently, they are all <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=c2090a1a-a386-4206-939d-5da374794c3f&amp;k=65451">filthy.</a><p>&#183; juliana 2007-12-10T16:50:01-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/