California Supreme Court: It's not the boss's problem if employees work during breaks
San Jose Mercury News
California workers have a legal right to take their rest and meal breaks on the job, but their bosses are not obligated to make sure they do not work while they grab that sandwich or cup of coffee. That was the bottom line in a closely watched California Supreme Court ruling issued recently clarifying the law on an employer's obligations to ensure workers actually take their meal breaks under state labor statutes.More

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust acquires the Hotel Milano in San Francisco
Business Wire via MarketWatch
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust announced that it has acquired the Hotel Milano for $30 million. The 108-room, full-service hotel is located in the south of Market and Convention Center submarket of downtown San Francisco. The property will be managed by Viceroy Hotel Group. "We are extremely excited to acquire the Hotel Milano in the highly desirable and resurgent San Francisco market," said Jon Bortz, chairman and CEO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust.More

Kimpton gets financing to reposition Hotel Palomar
San Diego Busines Journal
A unit of San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants has obtained a $46 million loan to finance the repositioning of two hotels, including Hotel Palomar San Diego. The loan was made by PCCP LLC. Financing was provided to KHP Fund II LP, a real estate private equity fund sponsored by Kimpton. More

Company wants to makeover world's luxury hotel gift shops
Business Insider
While wealthy travelers can enjoy almost any amenity at the world's most luxurious resorts, Lee Ann Sauter didn't see any acceptable shopping options. "There was a place in the market for redesigning resort retail," said Sauter, who in 2008 founded Seaside Luxe, a company that helps luxury resorts open profitable retail outlets or redesign existing stores.More

The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe joins Benchmark Hospitality portfolio
Hotel News Resource
John Kratzer, chairman and CEO of JMI Realty, The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe's new owner said, "We are very pleased that the Royce family, which has for 50 years been an important part of the legacy of The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, felt comfortable with us as the next stewards of this beloved community asset. With the transfer of ownership, The Inn becomes one of our company's cherished jewels, as it has been for the community of Rancho Santa Fe for nearly a century."More

Kimpton Hotels buys Canary Santa Barbara
Los Angeles Times
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants bought the Canary Santa Barbara hotel and is looking for more Southern California inns to purchase, the company said. No major changes are planned for the 97-room boutique hotel in downtown Santa Barbara, said Joe Long, chief investment officer. "The former owner's vision is consistent with what we do," Long said. Kimpton favors highly designed, stylized hotels with chef-driven restaurants intended to appeal to local residents as well as travelers. The Canary has a Canary Islands theme, a restaurant and a rooftop lounge.More

Music fans gear up for Coachella 2-weekend event
Reuters
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival returns to the California desert on April 13 with a new, double dose of music that some fans have said might dilute its impact but others think could give an even bigger break to up-and-coming bands. For the first time since it began in 1999, organizers have scheduled the three-day festival for two consecutive weekends with identical lineups, highlighting its growing popularity.More

2 new hotels costing $100 million planned for Sacramento Airport
Bloomberg
Sonnenblick Development LLC, which helped develop Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, will spend $100 million on two hotels at the Sacramento International Airport, the site's first new lodging properties in 30 years. The Los Angeles-based company won the contract to build the hotels, to be attached to the airport's new Terminal B, according to Robert Sonnenblick, the company's principal. Construction of a 225-room full-service hotel and a 150-room limited-service property will start in mid-2013, with an opening planned for the first quarter of 2015, he said.More