hotels

Hilton's ego may have taken a bruising blow from its settlement with Starwood, but its finances likely won't, analysts say. As part of the deal, Hilton has agreed to take itself out of the boutique-hotel-style market to settle allegations that it stole trade secrets from Starwood.

How's this for bling? An Abu Dhabi hotel has unveiled a jewel-encrusted Christmas tree worth more than $11 million. The 40-foot-tall tree is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped ornaments and white lights. Its branches are draped with 181 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and...

Amid some recent profit-taking, Starwood's more bullish adherents say the stock has firepower to spare as the company continues to demonstrate solid leadership. It's one of the world's largest hotel companies and is well-positioned in the hot Chinese and Indian markets.

If there's one thing the airlines' recent profit boom can teach us, it's that micro-charges work. They unbundled services such as checked baggage, meals and blankets, and as a result their bottom lines soared. One lodging chain now entering the Western market, Tune Hotels, is applying that price...

Marriott International (MAR) said that earnings per share could hit $2.75 by 2013. The estimate is part of a range of ambitious growth forecasts for the next three years. The company said that it expects to add as many as 90,000 hotel rooms to its portfolio from 2011 to 2013, with additional...

As travel picks up, Marriott International posted a third-quarter profit of $83 million, up from a loss of $466 million in the year-ago quarter. But shares are down after the company forecast that fourth-quarter earnings might be less than analysts expect.

Some CEOs look as though they've never done a day of manual labor in their lives, and Stephen Joyce, the head of Choice Hotels International is one of them. His week in the spotlight of Undercover Boss left him sweaty and distressed, and -- as usual -- in touch with soul of his company.

Who wouldn't want to save both time and money? Often, however, one comes at the expense of the other. Convenience, for example, comes at a price. You'll pay dearly for the luxury of enjoying a candy bar from the minibar in your hotel room. Make the effort to walk out of the hotel and the price...

Virgin Group Ltd, founded by U.K. tycoon Richard Branson, plans enter the hotel industry. Virgin will spend as much as $500 million on high-end hotels aimed at "high income, well-educated, metropolitan 'creative class'" customers, Bloomberg News said. The company is scouting for locations in...

Ritz-Carlton will introduce a loyalty rewards program in response to declining room rates in the luxury hotel industry.