Hotels – Trademark infringement is serious business
Call it a sweet place to stay, but don’t call it Hershey.
That’s the word from Hershey, PA-based Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company, which is suing the Radisson hotel chain for what the company claims is trademark infringement. The alleged infringement occurred when Radisson renamed one of its hotels last year, changing from Radisson Penn Harris to Radisson Harrisburg Hershey. Hershey claims it has exclusive rights to use the name Hershey in connection with “other goods and services, hotel, lodging and resort facility services.” Hershey contends that the Radisson is trying to trick travelers and damage the Hershey brand because it’s not in Hershey. The hotel is located approximately 14 miles west of Hershey.
We’re sharing this post from the 
As oil from the Gulf of Mexico’s spill inched toward land, hotels along the Gulf became increasingly nervous. By the beginning of June, hotels were already reporting higher cancellation rates and more vacancies during peak season than ever. Amid increasing media coverage and high speculation on not if, but when the oil would make landfall, two hotels in Key West made a pre-emptive move – they are offering guests a clean beach guarantee.
The month of May brought with it some serious issues for hotel owners in both Nashville and Manhattan. Flooding forced hotels to evacuate guests in the Nashville area while a bombing attempt emptied hotels in the Times Square vicinity. Proof once again that you can’t pre-plan for the unexpected soon enough.
As hoteliers put to rest a year of upheaval, uncertainty, and financial strain, the predictions are already in for 2010. A PKF Hospitality Research study shows that despite the industry facing an uphill battle, occupancy rates are expected to rise 0.4 percent in 2010. Okay, not great news – occupancy levels fell an average of 8.9 percent in 2009. But the ever-so-slight increase means one thing for anxious hoteliers – the modest increase is the first year-over-year increase in the last eight quarters.