Hotel guests are notorious for treating their temporary living quarters with utter disregard; the phrase “trashing a hotel room” has been part of cultural parlance since at least the dawn of the rock star. Even the poshest of resorts often fall victim to their guests’ worst proclivities. In spite of all the obvious risk involved, one artist thought it would be a good idea to not only have his artwork displayed throughout a luxury hotel, but to install that artwork in the form of headboards. Now he’s suing the hotel after finding out that guests have apparently been treating his art like any other piece of hotel furniture — which, obviously, includes being in the background of porn videos. [More]
hotels
Artist Sues Hotel, Claiming His Paintings Became Infested With Bedbugs, Were Used In Porn Shoots
By 10.20.17
Some Disney World Hotels Will Now Allow Dogs In Guest Rooms
By 10.13.17
The next time you head to the House of Mouse in Florida, Rover won’t necessarily have to stay at home: Disney is launching a pilot program at some of its Walt Disney World hotels that allows dog owners to bring their pooches along for the trip. [More]
More Regular Hotels Discover The Joy Of Charging ‘Resort Fees’ For Normal Amenities
By 9.22.17
Travelers don’t necessarily expect to see resort fees, or extra expenses added to their bills for things that other hotels include in the bill, when staying at a hotel. It turns out, however, that this is an increasingly common practice. It lets hotels advertise lower rates and impose fees when guests get there. [More]
Motel 6 Admits Some Locations Were Sharing Lists Of Guests With Immigration Officers On Daily Basis
By 9.15.17
When you check into a hotel and provide a photo ID, your expectation is that the hotel will be holding this info for its records in case you mess up the room or try to skip out on your bill. What you don’t expect is that the hotel management is taking its daily guest logs and turning them over to federal immigration officials. [More]
Hacker Broke Into Hotel Rooms Electronically, Stole Customers’ Stuff
By 8.30.17
Key cards may be a convenient way for hotels to issue room keys, but a bug in one popular model made it convenient to electronically pick the locks. An override code to open doors was programmed into the locks, making them easy to open after a quick shopping trip to RadioShack. One man took advantage of this bug and used it to gain access to rooms across the country, stealing stuff from hotels and guests alike. [More]
Man Racked Up Thousands Of Dollars In Charges At Hotels Without Ever Checking In
By 8.28.17
Like Jimmy McGill lounging in a resort pool while charging drinks to another guest’s room, an apparent con artist in South Carolina recently told police he’s been freeloading his way around the luxury hotels of the Southeast, charging thousands of dollars in purchases to rooms where he was never the guest. [More]
Hotel Group Attack Ad Falsely Links Airbnb To Terrorism
By 8.7.17
There are a lot of justifiable reasons to take issue with home-rental platforms like airbnb: “Mega hosts” who are renting out dozens — maybe hundreds — of listings without being subject to hotel taxes or regulations; hosts who will turn just about any vaguely inhabitable space into a rental property; and allegations that airbnb fails to properly vet hosts. But one anti-airbnb hotel group has gone a step further, using incidents of real human tragedy to try to create a false link between airbnb and terrorism. [More]
Hotels Using Loyalty Programs To Get You To Book Directly
By 7.18.17
If you’ve noticed more solicitations from hotel loyalty programs lately, there’s a good reason for that. Hotels would rather give you free rooms now and then than keep losing the commissions that they pay when you book through aggregators like Expedia or Trivago. [More]
Here’s What You Need To Know About Hard Rock, Loews Hotels Hack Attacks
By 7.10.17
If you’ve stayed at a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino or Loews Hotel you’ll want to keep an eye on your financial statements after the two lodging companies revealed they’re the latest victims of a hack attack. [More]
A Ready-To-Go Hotel Room Kit & 5 More Things You Can Buy In The Trump Taj Mahal Liquidation
By 7.6.17
In the market for crystal chandeliers, slot machines, or the kind of art one only sees adorning the walls of a hotel? You’re in luck: The failed Taj Mahal Casino once owned by President Trump is under new ownership, which means it’s getting a makeover — and everything inside the place must go. [More]
6 Key Allegations From The D.C. & Maryland Lawsuit Against President Trump
By 6.12.17
This morning, the attorneys general for both the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump, accusing him of violating the so-called “emoluments clauses” of the U.S. Constitution by continuing to own his various business hotel, restaurant, golf, and real estate ventures. But what are the exact allegations being brought in this case? [More]
Since Shoppers Aren’t Going To Stores, JCPenney Wants To Sell Linens To Hotels
By 5.19.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
Looking around its stores for something else to sell that isn’t clothing, JCPenney is entering a new business. After noticing large online orders for home goods placed by what turned out to be hotels, the company has decided to launch an actual sales team that will visit and sell to hotels. [More]
The Eagles Accuse ‘Hotel California’ Owners Of Making Money Off Band’s Song
By 5.3.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
When you think of “Hotel California,” your head probably fills with snippets of the classic 1976 Eagles song — the seductive 12-string intro that every 13-year-old tries to learn, the epic guitar battle between Don Felder and Joe Walsh. Or maybe you think of the completely unrelated Hotel California in Mexico, which the Eagles have accused of trying to cash in on their hit song. [More]
Some Pricey Hotels Will Now Let Guests Rent Rooms By The Minute
By 4.24.17
Renting out a hotel room by the hour used to be a clear indicator of illicit goings-on. The current era of “pod” hotels and airport napping stations has removed some of that stigma — just in time for an app that lets people rent hotel rooms by the minute. [More]
Marriott Bringing Boutique Hotel Rooms To Coachella Tents
By 3.16.17
In the past, Coachella concert-goers interested in getting a bit of a taste of the hotel life would have had to trek away from the music festival to an actual hotel. Now, Marriott is bringing its boutique hotel flare to the festival’s field with a handful of luxury tents. [More]
Hotel Industry Claims That Airbnb Market Dominated By “Illegal Hotels”
By 3.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Home-sharing platforms like Airbnb describe their services as a way for homeowners with extra rooms — or second houses they rarely use — to connect with people looking for a place to stay. Hotel owners counter that Airbnb just lets people run de facto hotels without all of the regulations and taxes. In a new report, the industry lays out its case against these allegedly illegal hotels.
[More]
State Claims Hilton Paid Woman Less Than Male Coworkers, Including Her Son
By 2.10.17
New Jersey’s top prosecutor has accused Hilton of unlawful discrimination for paying a female Homewood Suites employee less than her male equivalents, including her son. [More]
New Hacker Trick: Locking All Hotel Guests Out Of Rooms, Demanding Ransom
By 1.30.17
Ransomware is a type of malware that infects computers and smartphones, encrypting the data on them and locking up the device, making it unusable. This is pretty bad when it happens to your personal device and you have no backup, but imagine an entire hotel full of guests locked out of their rooms because the hotel staff has been locked out of the computer system. [More]
