Germany: Kaiser’s Descendant Loses Bid for Return of Castle
A descendant of the last German kaiser on Tuesday lost a court bid for the return of a castle overlooking the Rhine valley, part of which has been turned into a hotel.
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Judge Rejects Challenge to Oakland Hotel Worker Protections
An Oakland, California, ordinance that sets higher standards for hotel employees’ pay and working conditions is not unconstitutionally vague or pre-empted by U.S. and state laws, a federal judge declared in court Wednesday.
Read moreHome Away
A federal class action claims Home Away negligently fails to protect customers from sending money to scammers who post phony listings.
Read moreTrump Accused of Dodging Taxes on Panama Hotel
The majority owner of a former Trump-branded hotel in Panama said in a court filing on Monday that Donald Trump’s company misrepresented finances of the building to evade Panamanian taxes.
Read moreTrump Must Provide a Glimpse at Finances in Disclosure Report
resident Trump’s latest financial disclosure report is expected to provide a rare glimpse into whether his presidency has helped or hurt his hotels, golf resorts and other parts of his business empire.
Read moreCalifornia Fines Unpermitted Luxury Hotel $15.6 Million
Sending a message about the value of maintaining affordable visitor accommodations along California’s coast, the state’s Coastal Commission on Wednesday issued its largest fine ever — $15.58 million — to a luxury hotel owner that demolished two affordable motels in Santa Monica to build a high-priced property near the world-famous pier.
Read moreBoston Denied Peek at Airbnb Occupancy Rates
Airbnb persuaded a federal judge Friday to block new regulations in Boston that would require it to divulge how many nights each month its Boston rentals are occupied.
Read moreUK Rape Appeal Puts Spotlight on Duties of Hotel Staff
Fighting to revive claims by a Glasgow woman who was raped on vacation in Sri Lanka, a lawyer told the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on Wednesday that the rapist’s job at the hotel leaves a travel company liable.
Read moreDenied Bail, Accused Mar-a-Lago Intruder Pleads Not Guilty
The Chinese woman charged with misleading Secret Service agents to gain entry into President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club was denied bail Monday moments after federal prosecutors back-tracked on testimony that she carried an insidious computer virus with her onto the property.
Read moreFeds Say Accused Mar-a-Lago Intruder Had Trove of USB Drives
The Chinese woman accused of illegally entering President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club armed with malicious software had a signal detector, $7,500 in hundred-dollar bills and nine USB drives stashed in her hotel room at the time of her arrest, a Secret Service agent said at a hearing Monday.
Read moreMotel 6 to Pay $12M to Washington State in ICE Settlement
Motel 6 will pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit with Washington state over claims that the motel chain regularly gave its guest lists to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Read moreSecret Service Distances Itself From Mar-a-Lago Security Breach
Saying it lacks the final word on who treks in and out of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, the U.S. Secret Service has denied responsibility for an incident in which a Chinese woman gained unauthorized access to the sprawling Palm Beach property under suspect circumstances.
Read moreChinese Woman Carrying Malware Allegedly Got Into Mar-a-Lago
A woman carrying two Chinese passports and a device containing computer malware lied to Secret Service agents and briefly gained admission to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club over the weekend during his Florida visit, federal prosecutors allege in court documents.
Read moreFourth Circuit Appears Skeptical of Trump Emoluments Case
Lawyers for President Donald Trump asked a sympathetic Fourth Circuit panel Tuesday to reject a lawsuit accusing him of violating the Constitution’s emoluments clauses, which ban the president from receiving gifts from foreign or state governments while in office without congressional consent.
Read moreAll Eyes on Fourth Circuit Hearing in Emoluments Case
Of the many legal challenges President Donald Trump is facing, few have forced legal experts and historians to dig deep quite like claims that his private business dealings with foreign governments violate the Constitution.
Read moreExpedia Class Certified
A federal judge certified a class of hotel owners challenging Expedia’s practice of falsely claiming that their hotels are sold out simply because they are not associated with Expedia.
Read moreMinimum Wage
The California Hotel & Lodging Association brought a federal complaint challenging Oakland’s voter-approved Measure Z of 2018, which, among other things, sets a minimum hourly wage of $15 with benefits or $20 without benefits, increasing annually with inflation, for employees of city hotels with 50 or more guest rooms.
Read moreFacebook Blamed for Trafficking of Tennessee Girl
The mother of a Tennessee girl sued Facebook on Wednesday, claiming the social media giant allowed her then-15-year-old daughter to be groomed and extorted by human traffickers who kidnapped her and sold her to hundreds of sexual predators while she was locked in a hotel bathroom for 10 days.
Read moreHilton Retirees Push to Reopen $146 Million Deal
Complaining that more than 40 percent of a settlement fund remains untouched, a lawyer told the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday that the Hilton hotel group has kept thousands in the dark about retirement benefits.
Read moreJudge Scolds NYC for ‘Breathtaking’ Grab at Airbnb Data
Blocking an attempt to glean massive amounts of user data from Airbnb, a federal judge slammed New York City on Thursday for pioneering a brave new world of “breathtaking” searches and seizures.
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