Remember the news about a month ago that Starwood had accused Hilton of dealing in corporate espionage? (The gist: “Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. filed a lawsuit accusing Hilton Hotels Corp. of “aiding and abetting” two Hilton executives in illegally obtaining information that would hasten the development and launch of Hilton’s new Denizen “lifestyle” brand, and reduce the costs and risks of repositioning its luxury brands.”)

Now it sounds like this might end up settling, at least if Hilton has its way. It’s what I’d want if I were in their shoes, to make it go away as quickly and quietly as possible.

In-room coffee pots are on my mind these days, having just (barely) survived an overnight in New York at a hotel that doesn’t offer them or have caffeine in the lobby or have an open restaurant at 6 a.m. (I’m too cheap for room service so I didn’t even look into that). I had to wander the streets in the dark and misty rain for blocks before stumbling onto a deli that was open and had some go-juice for me.

Anyway…so that’s why this post from Chris Eliott caught my eye: A fee for drinking coffee in your room? What’ll they think of next!

The thing that I’ve been noticing was commented upon by Ed in the comments: “I’ve noticed that the more upscale the hotel, the more nickle and diming you are subjected to…I find that the more affordable hotels are more inclusive!”

Ain’t that the truth!

According to Chris Elliott, people are not just being walked these days; they’re also being downgraded from four-star hotels to a no-tell motel. One guy he talked with took the downtrade, even though he was in the block for a medical convention at the hotel, which one would think would at least get him a room at a comparable hotel instead of a dive.

Please let your folks know they can say no if this happens to them, and that you can intervene on their behalf. They don’t have to, as this guy suggests tongue in cheek, “simply start disrobing in the lobby, and wait for them to suddenly find a room.” Chris offers other solutions for travelers who find themselves in this situation. Though in my experience, “being nice” can be translated by a harried hotel worker into “guest with ’sucker’ stamped on her forehead” just as easily as, “gee, let’s give this nice person a break.” Just saying…

Just read this on Hotel Chatter: Hong Kong Hotel Quarantined Due to Swine Flu Case. What would you do if your meeting was being held there (and this could happen elsewhere, don’t kid yourself)? Would the meeting go on? Seriously, what would you do? Another contingency to consider in your ever-growing contingency plan file.

Some great comments on the Starwood corporate espionage lawsuit against Hilton over at Hotel Chatter. I’m not one to rush to judgment, so I won’t, but…let’s just say I’m looking forward to what else comes out in the wash. I do agree with the one commenter who says, “there’s nothing good about this for Hilton.”

Wow, this should be interesting to follow: Starwood Sues Hilton and Two Former Starwood Executives for Corporate Espionage, Theft of Trade Secrets, Unfair Competition. Keep in mind that this is a press release, not a news story, so only one side is represented. Looking forward to hearing the other side…

Why not? The Green Upgrader found this very cool hotel, the Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren in the Netherlands, that took old wine casks and turned them into hotel rooms. A little funky, but I’d love to give it a try. (Via BoingBoing.)

Which is, of course, why are hotel carpets so ugly? Something I’ve often wondered…

That’s the bright side of this depressing bit of news from PFK: PKF Says Current Decline in the U.S. Lodging Industry Will be Deeper and Last Longer than Previously Predicted. Some cities will see declines less than others, but it sounds like pretty much everyone in the U.S. hotel business is going to feel some pain this year. From the release:

The PKF-HR March 2009 national forecast calls for a 13.7 percent decline in RevPAR during the current year, representing a downward revision to the 9.8 percent decline anticipated earlier this year, a time when the economic outlook was not quite as severe. The revised 2009 forecast is the result of a 7.8 percent fall off in occupancy and a 6.4 percent drop in Average Daily Rate (ADR) for the year.

In case you need more proof of how tough things are for meetings right now, check out this article from the NYT: As the Recession Waxes, Business Meetings Wane. I haven’t heard of anyone doing this, but according to the article, “Some event organizers, desperate for delegates, are going so far as to waive registration fees or to offer free hotel rooms to lure budget-minded business travelers.”

Now might be a good time to point out an article we did a while back that could be all-too-useful these days: How to Unplan a Meeting.