Worldwide briefing

Hilton to shed chain

Hilton Hotels Corporation is to sell its chain of 42 Red Lion hotels and five Doubletree hotels to Westcoast Hospitality. The sale, which is still being negotiated, should be completed by the end of the year. The hotels are mainly in the western USA.

Wyndham Cutbacks

Dallas-based hotel chain Wyndham International has suspended its contributions to workers' pension plans. Wyndham has already cut more than 1,500 employees from its workforce and reduced working hours for many of its remaining 26,400 staff. With occupancy a little higher than the break-even point of 65.1%, Wyndham has closed the entire 716-bedroom tower of the 1,620-bedroom Wyndham Anatole hotel in Dallas.

Wendy's Milestone

Wendy's International, the hamburger chain, has opened its 6,000th restaurant. The 224-seat milestone restaurant, in Tijuana, Mexico, is owned by franchisee Wenco Mexico, which operates 12 Wendy's in Mexico.

Swedish Swerve

Marriott International has withdrawn from a i155.5m (£97.4m) project to build a hotel and conference centre in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of its cutbacks following the attacks on the USA.

Bahrain Opening

Swiss-based hotel and restaurant group Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is to manage a 120-bedroom hotel and conference centre in Bahrain. The hotel is set to open next summer.