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Hilton Pittsburgh Loses The Hilton Name

Earlier this week a press release announced that exterior renovations were underway at the Hilton Pittsburgh but that's not the only news from the hotel. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Hilton Hotels & Resorts has terminated its Franchise License Agreement with Shubh Hotels Pittsburgh LLC, the owner of the Downtown hotel, leaving it without the Hilton name. A Hilton spokesperson said that the owner had violated the terms of the franchise agreement.

The hotel is located at the gateway to Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle and has been a Hilton since 1959. The move comes less than two weeks after Shubh changed managers at the hotel, bringing in Prism Hotels and Resorts to replace Crescent Hotels & Resorts after a legal battle. The hotel has been facing problems for years. Workers stopped the plans for the exterior renovations after the contractor walked off the job. The new renovation called for the hotel's gold aluminum to be refreshed. The 712-room hotel already went through a $30 million interior renovation.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review also says that there has also been an ownership change with Tampa cardiologist and philanthropist Kiran Patel taking an 89 percent equity position under the name Black Diamond Hospitality LLC and Shubh Hotels owner Atul Bisaria retaining the other 11 percent share. There is a possibility that the Hilton name could return to the brand once whatever issues Hilton had with the hotel are resolved. Shubh Hotels has blamed the problems on the former managers, accusing Crescent Hotels of working with the property's mortgage holder, BlackRock Inc. to try and take over the property. Crescent has filed lawsuits saying it is owed management fees and a loan totaling $1.2 million.

UPDATE: The hotel has filed Chapter 11 following Black Rock's filing of foreclosure papers.

Tags: hilton, hilton hotels, hilton pittsburgh, pittsburgh steelers

Andaz Wall Street Housewarming Party

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Events

Usually a "soft launch" is a quiet affair with friends and employers gathered for a big round of encouragement smiles, trying menu items and testing out drink concoctions. Someone forgot to tell that to Hyatt, who gathered a crowd of 300 to toast their highly anticipated new Andaz hotel in Manhattan.

Andaz is a new boutique concept from the hotel giant with locations in West Hollywood and London. Andaz Wall Street is the first in New York, with another on Fifth Avenue to open this spring. The Wall Street location officially opened to the public on Jan. 18.

At the housewarming, the restaurant, Wall & Water, was packed to the gills as guests gathered around marble "bars" for tastings of smoked salmon, arugula salad, grilled scallops and other bites being cooked before their eyes in the dining room.

Downstairs at Bar Seven Five, guests could try a choice of several different drink concoctions including a signature bourbon drink served flaming. Instead of a traditional bar with mixologists working their magic on one side and guests on the other, the lounge is laid out with a series of square-marble islands that break down the wall between guest and server, giving the bar an air of a high-end kitchen. Alchemy, a duo behind several successful New York speakeasies, designed the cocktail menu with an appropriately hip retro flair.

At right, Dr. Oz's daughter, Daphne Oz, with Lily Cowles, Natasha Lennard and Elizabeth Cordry.

Tags: andaz wall street, AndazWallStreet, bar five seven, BarFiveSeven, hilton hotels, HiltonHotels, new york hotels, NewYorkHotels, wall street, wall water, WallStreet, WallWater

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No Hilton Discount for Paris

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

No discount for Paris Hilton at the Hilton? It seems lie the heiress has a sense of humor. The Daily Record reports that while in Scotland, she was on the Real Radio Breakfast Show and she, as a prank, called the Glasgow Hilton to ask for a room at a discount rate. She explains who she is and asks for the corporate rate and the desk clerk tells her that the best he can do is a queen room at £170. When she asks for a discount she is refused. I'd love to hear the tape of this.

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Tags: glasgow, hilton hotels, paris hilton, ParisHilton