The Hilton chain is pulling out of Bahrain after 30 years, it was revealed yesterday. As of next month, the Hilton in Manama will be managed by another international chain called Golden Tulip Hospitality.

A 17-member advisory council to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), which held a two-day meeting here last week, has ‘unanimously supported’ the development of an integrated casino facility, the STB said in a statement yesterday. ‘The members of the International Advisory Council for Tourism (IACT) unanimously supported the development of an integrated resort housing facilities for gaming, conventions, entertainment, luxury hotel, F&B and retail outlets,’ the STB said.

International Hotel Management Company Hermitage Hospitality Ltd. announced the appointment of  David J. Horne as its Moscow-based Director of Development.  Mr. Horne will be responsible for all aspects of hotel development, including activities with major consulting groups and individual investors and developers on various hotel developments in Russia and Former Soviet Union.

As hotels spend billions on 21st-century upgrades, younger generations of travelers will grow up sleeping in a new breed of hotel. The money is going for things such as better beds, splashier showers, trendier bars and flat-screen TVs. A recent survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association suggests the transformation is well underway in an industry that this year is spending $5 billion on upgrades. By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY

The U.S. hotel industry is in the early stages of an upswing, following the long-endured bottoming-out that began in mid-2001.  The upswing is expected to carry through 2005 and bring with it an improved climate for hotel investment.  These findings were revealed in a recent joint study by PKF Consulting’s Hospitality Research Group and Torto Wheaton Research.

With demand continuing to support supply growth, the current time period will be one of the most profitable in the history of the U.S. lodging industry, according to new PKF Hospitality Research report.

By Nancy Trejos: Major hotel chains are now building two hotels on one property, some in the same building, that target two very different clienteles. The so-called dual-branded hotels are the latest way hotel developers are saving money during tenuous economic times.

"Welcome to Le Mondrian. Enjoy your stay," announced the attendant, giving the revolving door a push. I smiled my thanks but the canned greeting meant he didn't recognize me. Staff at my regular hotels recognized me; Le Mondrian, an upscale hotel on the Sunset Strip, didn't call as often as it should. By Mike Oppenheim, M.D.

By Rochelle Castillejos: Hotels should focus attention on corporate clients that are booking them during off peak seasons, as they can help you when you need them most.

By the JMBM Global Hospitality Group®: Not too long ago, keeping guest information safe was a fairly straightforward process – perhaps the most innovative development was providing an in-room safe for valuables. This approach made sense at the time, when guest security was a matter of securing people and their physical possessions. The industry now recognizes that hotel guests have valuables to protect that go far beyond watches and wallets, or even laptops and iPads – – perhaps the most valuable information a hotel guest has is his or her identity, and unless a hotel actively safeguards it, those valuables are at risk. The ubiquity of credit card, wireless internet and other options, while essential to hotel operations, is also a source of insecurity.