business

The term in the travel industry is “walked.” That’s when a hotel tells a traveler with a confirmed reservation that it does not, in fact, have an available room and instead books a room for the guest at another hotel. “Walking” is not new. According to hotel industry experts, however, it has been on the rise as the strong economy drives up hotel occupancy rates. At the same time, hotels have been under pressure to maximize their revenues, experts say. To do that, hotels, much as airlines do, try to predict who will not show up or cancel at the last minute. Sometimes, they guess wrong. While hotels are not under any legal obligation to the guests they walk, it is industry policy to book guests a room in a comparable property and pay for that room, according to Reneta McCarthy, a senior lecturer at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Still, some travelers, like Paul Lanyi, a marketing contractor from Los Angeles, argue that a free … [Read more...] about When Your Hotel Is Overbooked, You Might Be ‘Walked’ to Another

When Huawei's founder and president Ren Zhengfei started his firm back in 1987 with just 21,000 yuan - the equivalent of about $6,600 today - little did he know his creation would grow to become a telecoms giant and make him one of the richest people in the world.With his personal fortune estimated at about $1.7bn, his company currently employs 180,000 workers around the globe - and its annual revenue is forecast to be $125bn (£96bn) this year. Mr Ren is something of a recluse, but in the past few weeks he has been talking to journalists, defending his firm amid rising pressure from the US and other countries over security concerns about Huawei's role in building 5G networks across the world - and the nature of its links to China's government."We would rather shut Huawei down than do anything that would damage the interests of our customers," he countered. "I support the Communist Party of China, but I will never do anything to harm any other nation. "Some people in the West … [Read more...] about Ren Zhengfei: Huawei’s reclusive founder

LONDON — The Japanese automaker Honda has become the latest business Honda will close its plant in Swindon, England, which employs 3,500 workers, by 2021, according to a statement from two members of Parliament, Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland, who have been in contact with the carmaker. Honda declined to respond to queries about the move, reported earlier by Sky News. “At this point, we are not able to make any comments regarding the speculation,” the company said in an emailed statement. “We take our responsibilities to our associates very seriously and will always communicate any significant news with them first.” But in a joint statement, Mr. Tomlinson and Mr. Buckland confirmed media reports about the upheaval and said they were “disappointed and surprised” that the plant would be gone in two years. “Honda have told us today that they will be consulting with all staff and there is not expected to be any job losses or … [Read more...] about Honda Plans to Leave Britain as Brexit Draws Close

Honda workers in Swindon expressed their anger and fears for the future on Monday over the expected closure of the plant, blaming Brexit for a loss that they said would send shockwaves through the town. After news broke of the likely closure in 2022, with the loss of 3,500 jobs, one worker leaving the plant said the atmosphere inside was “clearly not very happy”. The man, who like most workers absorbing the news did not wish to be named, has been with the company for 24 years. He blamed Brexit for the car giant’s decision. He said he had voted remain in the EU referendum and condemned the local Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson for campaigning for Brexit. “He wanted Brexit – he gets to carry the can. If he’s not unseated by a massive majority at the next election then this town gets what it deserves,” he said. Before the referendum – in which 55% of the town backed leave – the site was a “perfectly viable car plant operating … [Read more...] about Workers blame Brexit for demise of Honda’s Swindon plant

Amazon will publish its carbon footprint later this year, the company announced Monday, as part of an effort to radically reduce the global shipping giant's greenhouse gas emissions, the AP reports. The big picture: Global corporations will have to play a major part in reducing GHG emissions if carbon reduction targets are to become a possibility. … [Read more...] about Amazon claims half its shipments will be carbon neutral by 2030