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]
starwood hotels
Artist Sues Hotel, Claiming His Paintings Became Infested With Bedbugs, Were Used In Porn Shoots
By 10.20.17
The Bidding War Is Over: China’s Anbang Insurance Drops Pursuit Of Starwood Hotels
By 4.1.16
Just three weeks after crashing Marriott’s party and throwing billions of dollars in the ring to take over Starwood Hotels — the operator of brands like Sheraton, St. Regis, Westin, and W — China’s Anbang Insurance Group packed up its bids and decided to go home, leaving Marriott and its $13.25 billion to be crowned the merger winner. [More]
Starwood Backs Away From Marriott Deal After New Buyer Offers $13.2B
By 3.18.16
Earlier this week, it looked like the $12 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels — which includes brands like Sheraton, St. Regis, Westin, and W — by Marriott was in doubt after last-minute interest from China-based Anbang Insurance Group. Today, there is no doubt; that original deal is dead and Starwood is going with the higher offer from Anbang. [More]
Marriott’s Acquisition Of Starwood Hotels In Question After New $14B Takeover Bid
By 3.14.16
Five months after Starwood Hotels and Resorts – which operates brands like Sheraton, St. Regis, Westin, and W – announced it would sell itself for $12 billion to Marriott to make the world’s largest hotelier, the company revealed that it had received an unsolicited takeover bid of roughly $14 billion from a group of suitors. [More]
Marriott Switching To “Made In The USA” Towels, Bath Mats In All U.S. Hotels
By 3.10.16
Soon, every time you step out of the shower and onto a bath mat to towel off at a Marriott hotel in the U.S., all that fabric you touch will have been made in America. The hotel company says it’s the first in the hospitality industry to move to exclusively U.S.- made towels and bath mats in all its 3,000 U.S. locations. [More]
Starwood Hotels Reports Payment Systems At 54 Locations Infected With Malware
By 11.20.15
Just days after Starwood Hotels and Resorts made headlines for combining with Marriott to make the world’s largest hotelier, the company is back in the news for a decidedly less exciting issue: it’s the latest victim of a hack attack. [More]
Marriott To Buy Starwood Hotels For $12.2B
By 11.16.15
Less than a month after Hyatt Hotels was reported to be in talks to buy rival Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, it was a different lodging industry giant that popped the $12.2 billion question. [More]
Hyatt In Talks To Buy Rival Starwood Hotels Brand
By 10.28.15
A merger craze seems to be taking hold this month: first there was the mega beer merger between Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, then news this morning that pharmacy giants Walgreens Boots Alliance and Rite Aid were headed down the aisle. Now, it looks as if the need to grow by expanding one’s portfolio has trickled into the lodging industry. [More]
Uber Passengers Can Now Earn Starwood Hotels Points With Each Trip
By 2.25.15
Uber and Starwood Hotels are teaming up in an effort to get more passengers to choose Uber over regular taxis, with a new partnership that gives riders Starwood rewards points every time they take a ride using the car-hailing mobile app. [More]
Forget The Magnetic-Strip Keys, Starwood Hotels Expands Use Of Virtual Hotel Room Keys
By 11.4.14
Nearly 10 months after the owner of a chain of boutique hotels announced it would begin implementing the use of virtual keys to open guests’ rooms and streamline the check-in process, the plan is finally coming to fruition at 10 Starwood hotels around the world. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Starwood’s W Hotels Are Havens For Prostitution
By 10.7.14
A New Jersey couple has accused the W Hotel chain of functioning as a safe haven for prostitutes to ply their wares from the lobby, alleging in a personal-injury lawsuit that that atmosphere is responsible for an attack on the woman in June 2013. [More]
Contact Starwood Founder Barry Sternlicht
By 8.7.08
Having trouble with your Starwood hotels experience and regular customer service not helping? This guy might. After all, he founded the place.
