Worldwide briefing

Essential news from around the world…

Vancouver workers strike

Workers at seven hotels in Vancouver, Canada, have gone on strike for better wages and benefits. Together, the affected hotels have 10% of hotel bedrooms in the city.

Swiss hotels thriving

The number of overnight stays in Swiss hotels is expected to increase by 4.2% this summer, according to statistics from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. Overnight stays by overseas visitors are set to rise by 5.4%.

Prêt on Wall Street

Sandwich chain Prêt à Manger opens its first overseas branch, on New York's Wall Street, today. The company will wait to see if the branch is successful before deciding whether to expand further in the USA.

Marriott profits rise

Hotel chain Marriott International saw its net income jump by 11% to $126m during the three months to 16 June. Sales totalled $2.4b, an increase of 17%.

Hotel group sells serviced apartments

Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels has sold The Sutton, an 84-room luxury serviced apartment complex on New York's Upper East Side to specialist residential property group Glenwood Management. The agent was Jones Lang LaSalle.

Roadhouse in European venture

Mid-market US restaurant group Roadhouse Grill has set up a joint venture with Italian food service giant Cremonini to open a minimum of 60 Roadhouse Grill restaurants in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the UK and other European countries by 2004. The first will open in Rome early next year.

Wendy's targets Mexico

Burger chain Wendy's International has announced plans to open 100 restaurants in Mexico over the next 10 years.