Rye Brook reportedly became the first village in New York to approve a hotel tax authorized under a new state law, a power already wielded by cities and towns in New York.
As of Nov. 1, patrons of Doral Arrowwood and Rye Town Hilton will have a 3 percent tax added to their bills, in addition to regular sales tax.
The tax could chase meetings and conventions to other venues in New York and Connecticut, according to Demetrios Adamis, an attorney representing Doral Arrowwood, as quoted by RyePatch.
The tax comes up for reauthorization in three years.
Chatham Lodging Trust completed its second Westchester County hotel acquisition in the past month, buying the 124-room Residence Inn in New Rochelle for $21 million, or $169,000 per room.
In September, Palm Beach, Fla.-based Chatham Lodging paid $61 million for the Marriott White Plains/Westchester County, with the deal valued at $137,000 per key for the 133-suite facility.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. debuted new guestroom designs for its Westin and Sheraton hotels, in an attempt to address what it says are some of travelers”™ biggest pet peeves.
Starwood is based in White Plains and plans to move its headquarters to Stamford in 2012.
Some of the new features include tables that fold out to fit a room-service tray or laptop computer; bedside tables with easy-access outlets; LED reading lights embedded in headboards; and expanded closets to house additional shelves and room minibars.
The Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center will be the first East Coast Starwood facility to showcase the new designs, after it is renovated early next year.
