How Qatar and Morocco paid for EU chiefs’ hotels – POLITICO

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It was all within the rules.

That’s the universal response of the clutch of European commissioners who have accepted free hotel accommodation from non-EU governments, including Qatar, Morocco, Israel and Jordan.

A POLITICO investigation analyzed expense disclosures from EU commissioners over the past three years and found that seven leading figures in Brussels accepted free lodging from foreign governments.

At a time when the European institutions are already facing intense scrutiny over foreign influence following the Qatargate corruption scandal, the disclosures will raise new questions about ethics in the highest echelons of the EU.

The individuals who took up the free hotel accommodation on work trips included top EU diplomat Josep Borrell, Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi and Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans.

In statements explaining their actions, the commissioners’ offices all said they’d taken up the

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UK rescue flights for tourists fleeing ‘out of control’ wildfires on Rhodes and Corfu

UK airlines are scrambling evacuation flights to the wildfire-ravaged islands of Rhodes and Corfu where up to 10,000 British tourists are stranded in a “living nightmare” as a fresh red alert is issued for Crete.

The two biggest holiday firms Tui and Jet2 have axed all flights to the island in the coming days after holidaymakers were forced to flee their hotels having to sleep on floors in schools, airports and sports centers – but other firms, including Ryanair, Thomas Cook and easyJet continue to fly tourists who want to travel to Rhodes.

The popular destination of Crete was also placed under an “extreme” fire warning on Monday, with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis telling parliament it must “be on constant alert” in the weeks ahead. He declared his country to be “at war” with the blazes and warned of three more “difficult days” before the extreme heat eases.

An aerial view shows smoke billowing behind Kiotari village, on the island of Rhodes (AFP/Getty)

An aerial

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8 Barbie pink hotels for living out your dollhouse fantasy

You’ve heard of Barbie’s DreamHouse, but what about Barbie’s dream hotel?

The highly anticipated, widely marketed, extremely pink “Barbie” movie is sparking a wave of interest in all things rose-colored. Accommodations are no exception.

“There is a desire to go to pink hotels,” said Ron Sandel, general manager of last-minute booking app HotelTonight.

And they’re not just found in an iconic doll’s fantasy land. Pink hotels are generally located in tropical areas; the color was popular in the 1920s and in mid-century design, said Dak Kopec, an architectural psychologist and professor of design at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Kopec said he wouldn’t be surprised to see travelers looking out for pink hotels as Barbie is getting her big moment in the sun.

“There’s so much seriousness and so much frustration in our current society that I think people are looking for these types of escapes,” he said.

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California hotel workers on strike demand higher wages and a chance to live closer to work

ANAHEIM, Calif. — A second wave of hotel strikes is hitting Southern California this week.

Hotel workers and labor organizers have been striking and demanding higher wages and other benefits as they argue their existing salaries are unsustainable amid the region’s high cost of living and rent, making commutes and buying basic goods unsustainable.

Irene Andrade, 53, has worked as a housekeeper at the Sheraton Gateway next to Los Angeles International Airport for 17 years. She used to live in nearby Inglewood, but she moved to Ontario in San Bernardino County to be able to afford rent. She said she spends several hours commuting to and from work — she’s on the road at 5 am and gets home around 7 pm, and she hardly gets to see her 7-year-old daughter.

Striking hotel workers holding placards rally outside the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown. Southern California hotel workers are ON STRIKE! Thousands walked off the job at properties across Downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica, in an effort to secure higher pay and improvements in health care and retirement benefits. (Photo by Ringo Chiu / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images) (Ringo Chiu / SOPA Images/Sipa USA via AP)

Striking hotel workers holding placards rally outside the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown. Southern California hotel workers are ON STRIKE!

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10 of the best hotels and inns in Wales | Wales holidays

King Arthur Hotel, Reynoldston, The Gower

Often overlooked for the Pembrokeshire coastline, the Gower boasts some of the UK’s most spectacular beaches, including Rhossili, Oxwich and Three Cliffs Bay. The King Arthur is set inland, but has a fantastic position overlooking the village green, with locals and visitors massing on sunny days to create an almost festival atmosphere. Rooms are simple but comfortable, with hearty portions of pies, burgers and chilli as perfect post-walk or post-swim fuel, and an excellent selection of real ales and Welsh liqueurs.
Doubles from £85 Bed and Breakfast; kingarthurhotel.co.uk

Porth Tocyn, Abersoch, Gwynedd

Porth Tocyn, Abersoch, Gwynedd.

A wonderful base for exploring the breathtakingly beautiful Wales Coastal Path, Porth Tocyn is a very friendly, family-run hotel that feels like the best kind of home-from-home: sitting rooms filled with fresh flowers, magazines and comfy sofas, and a children’s snug to keep small people happy. In the bedrooms, antique pieces

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Los Angeles-area hotel workers strike over wages, housing

LOS ANGELES, July 2 (Reuters) – Thousands of Los Angeles-area hotel workers went on strike on Sunday demanding pay hikes and improved benefits in a region where high housing costs make it difficult for low-wage earners to live close to where they hold jobs, union officials said.

Unite Here Local 11, which represents 15,000 workers at more than 60 major hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties, declared the strike a day after the workers’ contracts expired. It marks one of the largest strikes to hit the US hospitality industry in recent years.

The labor dispute comes during the July Fourth holiday weekend as Southern California’s busy summer travel season goes into high swing. It overlaps with a Hollywood screenwriters strike that was headed into a ninth week, already taking a toll on the Los Angeles economy and showbiz production.

Hotel workers, including housekeepers, dishwashers, cooks, waiters, bellhops and front-desk

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Thousands of hotel workers in Southern California are on strike, demanding better pay and benefits

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Thousands of hotel workers in Southern California walked off the job on Sunday, demanding higher pay and better benefits in what the union is calling the largest strike in its history.

Cooks, room attendants, dishwashers, servers, bellmen and front desk agents at hotels were picking outside major hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties just as the summer tourist was leaning up.

Last month, members of Unite Here Local voted 11 96% in favor of authorizing the strike. The union is seeking better wages, improved healthcare benefits, higher pension contributions and less strenuous workloads.

In addition, the union wants to create a “hospitality workforce housing fund” to help workers deal with the soaring costs of living in greater Los Angeles. Many employees report commuting hours to work because they can’t afford to live near their jobs.

“Our members were devastated first by the pandemic, and now

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Choice Hotels (CHH) Expands in Colorado With New Hotel Opening

Choice Hotels International, Inc.‘s CHH Cambria brand recently announced the addition of the Cambria Hotel Copper Mountain in Colorado. This marks the brand’s third property in the region, joining the likes of Fort Collins and Denver International Airport.

Located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, the six-story (127-room) upscale hotel provides guests access to fitness centers, on-site dining and multi-function indoor-outdoor meeting spaces. It also offers convenient access to a wide range of winter and summer outdoor activities, including MTB trails and Vail Pass. The property is in close proximity to leisure attractions such as the Leadville, Vail and Lake Dillon.

The company stated the integration of the property with the Choice Privileges loyalty program, which allows customers to earn and redeem points for reward nights. This includes properties from its existing coverage of 7,400 hotels (or 22 brands) located in 45 countries and territories worldwide. The company

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Hotel owner discriminated against Hispanic workers: lawsuit

An owner of a hotel based in Taos, New Mexico, called Hispanic workers racial slurs and didn't allow them to use their real names at work, a lawsuit says.

An owner of a hotel based in Taos, New Mexico, called Hispanic workers racial slurs and didn’t allow them to use their real names at work, a lawsuit says.

Street View Image from December 2022 © 2023 Google

The owner of a hotel banned workers from speaking Spanish and didn’t allow them to use their real names on the job, according to a lawsuit filed in New Mexico.

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A Taos hotel, which was formerly known as Whitten Inn, now must pay $87,000 as part of a settlement, according to a June 27 news release from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

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The commission filed a lawsuit against the hotel company in 2014 after multiple workers said they were discriminated against by the hotel’s owner, according to the complaint. At the time of the lawsuit’s filing, the hotel had locations in Taos, New Mexico; Abilene, Texas; and Santee, South

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Iran said to target Israeli businessmen, Chabad House, hotels in Cyprus terror plot

The targets in an Iranian-planned attack in Cyprus included an Israeli real estate businessman and a Chabad House, as well as hotels and entertainment venues frequented by Israeli tourists, Channel 12 reported Monday.

The report named the alleged targets, citing “the investigation” as its source for the information. It did not name the businessman.

Channel 12 also said that in recent days, Greek intelligence services were arrested by seven Pakistani nationals who were recruited by Iran to carry out attacks in the country.

It was not clarified if they were also linked to the Cyprus plot.

The leader of the cell reportedly escaped and an international warrant was issued for his arrest.

The report noted the close cooperation between the Mossad and intelligence services in Greece, Cyprus

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