Worldwide briefing
Essential news from around the world…
Stamford double
Stamford Hotels and Resorts has bought the 106-bedroom Ritz-Carlton hotel and the 314-bedroom Sheraton Airport Hotel, both in Sydney, Australia. They will be renamed the Sir Stamford at Circular Quay and the Stamford Sydney Airport.
Hotels add high-speed access
More than seven out of ten hotels in the US are looking to introduce high-speed Internet access into bedrooms because business guests want their connections to the Internet to be as fast as those they have in their own offices, says a report from analyst Cahners In-stat.
Ex-Wendy's man joins Taco Bell
Taco Bell has poached an executive from Wendy's burger chain to be its new president in the USA. Emil Brolick, formerly senior vice president of new product marketing and strategic planning at Wendy's, replaces Peter Waller, who has left to pursue outside interests. Taco Bell, part of Tricon Global Restaurants, suffered a 6% drop in same store sales in the second quarter of this year.
Blast hits German hotel
Three people have been killed in a suspected gas explosion at a hotel in Thedinghausen, near Bremen, Germany. The victims were an elderly German couple and a Swiss holidaymaker.
Olympic pay bonus
Hotel workers in Sydney, Australia, are pushing for an Aus$7.25 (£2.80) an hour pay increase for working during the period of the Olympic Games.
Chicago Hopes
Extended Stay America has opened its 17th new property this year, a 140-bedroom hotel near Chicago, USA. The hotel is the company's 379th.