Ancient elephant trails and lion breeding habitats are under threat from a series of hotels being built in a remote Kenyan game park, claim conservationists.

Tourist numbers could double with the four new lodges in Samburu National Reserve and the adjoining Buffalo Springs reserve, a pristine stretch of dusty scrub dotted with bush-covered hills, 200 miles north of Nairobi.

A surge in visitors, many likely to be from Britain, could damage for ever the fragile ecosystem, home to 900 elephants, a dozen prides of lions, leopards and the endangered Grevy’s zebra.� Read more

Continuing its efforts to cut back on owned assets and focus on managed and franchised properties, Hilton Hotels Corp. is selling up to 10 European hotels to a fund managed by Morgan Stanley Real Estate for approximately $770 million, the company said in a statement.

Hilton also announced today it completed the sale of the 132-hotel Scandic chain to EQT, a Swedish buyout firm, for approximately $1.1 billion. CPN reported March 2 that the deal was expected to realize net proceeds of approximately $1.04 billion from the sale, which would be used to reduce debt.� Read more

Two Hyatt Place hotels have opened in Nashville, marking the newly developed brand’s entrance into the Tennessee market.

Hyatt Place/Opryland at 220 Rudy’s Circle and Hyatt Place Nashville/Northeast at 330 East Main Street in Hendersonville had grand opening events this week.

Additional Nashville-area Hyatt Place hotels include Hyatt Place Nashville/Brentwood and Hyatt Place Nashville/Cool Springs.� � Read more

The city’s fast-rising occupancy rate has triggered plans for two new hotels at 101st Street and Ellerslie Road.

“We’re just getting the paperwork through the city, then we will proceed,” Vancouver developer Charan Rai said today.

He plans to build a $14-million Gateway Sheraton hotel “catering to small business people,” with 154 guest rooms.� Read More

Perfect Escapes, the online expert in luxury hotels and great deals on luxury travel, today announced its top luxury hotels in the United States. This definitive collection of 762 hotels represents only the top 1.5 percent of all hotels in the U.S. From the best boutique hotel on the California Coast, to New York’s most premier properties, Perfect Escapes offers a comprehensive collection of the nation’s upscale hotels.� Read more

The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. the largest global luxury hotel brand, announced today the launch of the Leading Green Initiative. This innovative program will enable and encourage guests to make a conscious decision toward greener travel by actively supporting Sustainable Travel International (STI), the foremost non-profit organization in responsible tourism. Read more

UAE-based Reef Real Estate Investment Company will launch two new hotels as part of its two Dh600 million mixed-use developments in Dubai this year.

The hotels will be operated by Corp Executive Hotels, a local hotel management company in which Reef has a stake.

At present Reef owns one four-star Corp hotel, a 90-room property in Dubai’s Barsha area. The company invested Dh120 million in the hotel, which opened recently.� Read more

Gardeners at historical hotels have to make it their business to know their stuff. Here’s some advice from garden professionals at a few of the hotels selected for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Hotels of America program.� Read more

Frequent business traveler Joan Berman of Boston wasn’t seeking an environmentally conscious hotel when she found the Orchard in San Francisco a few years ago.

She was attracted by the free high-speed Internet connection and only later learned of the hotel’s green efforts, from reducing energy consumption to using nonchemical cleansers.

The hotel, which opened a sister property on Bush Street last fall, is one of a rising number of businesses that cater to environmentally conscious travelers. And traveling can also present opportunities to minimize your impact on the environment.� Read more

Two downtown Oklahoma City hotels are among six just added to the member list for the National Trust Historic Hotels of America.

The Skirvin Hilton _ which originally opened as the Skirvin Hotel in 1911 and reopened in February after being closed and boarded up for 19 years _ and the Colcord Hotel help bring the organization’s membership to 213 hotels.

The designation of the two Oklahoma hotels comes during the state’s centennial year.� Read more