Starwood Hotels sues Hilton, alleging theft of company info

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide has filed a lawsuit against Hilton Hotels Corp., alleging that two of its top executives stole confidential and proprietary information used to launch Hilton into the lifestyle-hotel market.

Starwood has seven properties in the Denver area under the Westin, Sheraton, Four Points and aloft names. Hilton has four under the Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites brands.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, claims that Ross Klein, global head of Hilton Luxury and Lifestyle Brands, and Amar Lalvani, global head of Hilton Luxury and Lifestyle Brand Development, pilfered more than 100,000 electronic files from Starwood when they were recruited to Hilton in June 2008.

Those included confidential information on Starwood’s luxury and lifestyle brands, step-by-step details on how to convert a hotel property to a luxury lifestyle hotel and contracted marketing and demographic studies.

That information was used to launch Hilton’s Denizen brand in nine months, the suit argued. Starwood took three to five years to launch its W brand.

Hilton, in a statement, said it “believes this lawsuit is without merit and will vigorously defend itself.”

Boston hotels wary of Craigslist-lurking killer

Boston police believe that the killer of a masseuse on Tuesday night at the Marriott Copley Place may have been involved in several other incidents and that he may have selected his victims on Craigslist.

In the latest incident Thursday night, a woman who advertised her as yet unstated services on Craigslist was bound and held at gunpoint at the Holiday Inn Express.

Her description of her attacker appears to match that of a "person of interest" in the murder of masseuse Julissa Brisman, who also advertised her massage services on Craigslist, at the Marriott Copley Place on Tuesday.

Another incident, this time at the Westin Copley Place, in which another woman (and another Craigslist advertiser) was robbed, may also be related.

In the case of the two robberies, the attacker tried to tie the women up with plastic cord. In the case of Ms. Brissman, it appears that she attempted to fight her attacker and was then shot several times in her torso.

The Holiday Inn Express victim appears to have been fortunate that her husband arrived on the scene, leading the attacker to flee.