August 16, 2006
In response to the TSA's new list of banned carry-on items, several
hotels and hotel chains -- including Wyndham International, Omni
Hotels and the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas -- have begun
offering an array of complimentary sundries to arriving guests. The
items include bottled water, contact lens solution, deodorant, hair
gel, hair spray, nail-polish remover, toothpaste and shampoo.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has
loosened its ban on all liquids, gels and lotions in carry-on
luggage. The amended list of approved items now includes small
doses of liquid medication; glucose gel for diabetics; some
cosmetics; and baby food and breast milk for passengers traveling
with an infant. Shoe removal for checkpoint screening now is
mandatory. For the latest details, visit
www.tsa.gov
.
Incentive giant Carlson Marketing has
acquired meeting and incentive firm TQ3Navigant Performance
Group for an undisclosed amount. Navigant Performance Group has 100
employees and three offices in the United States: Marlboro, Mass.;
Minneapolis; and Parsippany, N.J. Navigant's president, Steve
Some, now is a senior vice president for Carlson Marketing and will
work closely with the company's East Coast clients. When asked if
the three Navigant offices would remain open, a Carlson
spokesperson said operations still were being evaluated.
UNITE HERE Local 2, representing workers
at 13 San Francisco hotels, will hold a vote on Aug. 24 to
determine whether to give union leadership the authority to call
for a worker strike. Mike Casey, president of Local 2, said he
hopes the threat of a strike will accelerate negotiations with the
San Francisco Multi-Employer Group, which represents the hotels.
"The timing is in order to get [hotel negotiators] off the dime,"
he said. "It's time to recognize that we've waited already too
long." Casey vowed to disrupt meetings in San Francisco if the
union's proposals are not "regarded more seriously" by negotiators.
"We will not let the fall convention season go by without going at
the business directly," he said. The next two negotiation sessions
will be held on Aug. 21 and 22.
Marriott International announced this week
a comprehensive new banquet menu for meetings and events at all
Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts
in the U.S. The menus, created based on meeting planner feedback,
include breakfast, lunch, dinner, breaks, receptions and beverages.
Planners can select, customize and submit their menus online,
complete with accompanying photos of their selections. Marriott
says the new menus, which have been in development for several
months, allow planners more flexibility in creating meals that
match their needs.
Hilton Hotels Corp. is considering the
sale of its Scandic brand, which was part of a recent acquisition
of lodging assets. Scandic's 130 hotels are primarily in Sweden,
Finland, Norway and Denmark. Hilton might bundle the brand with 10
Hilton properties in Europe that will be up for sale at the end of
September 2006. At that time, the company will officially announce
the names of the properties on the seller's block, and whether
Scandic will be included.
Omni Hotels will break ground Monday on a
$115 million convention center hotel in Fort Worth. The 604-room
property will offer 48,000 square feet of meeting space.
Directly across the street from the Fort Worth Convention Center,
the hotel will open in late 2008 with two restaurants, a Starbucks,
a wine bar, a sports bar and a spa.