http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2009/08/17/daily14.html

A California-based affiliate of a South Korean company is buying the Queen Kapiolani Hotel in Waikiki and the Mililani Golf Course from a Honolulu developer for an undisclosed amount.

LA Koreana Inc. expects to close on both properties on Oct. 15, said asset manager Wayne Williams, a partner with Los Angeles-based Warnick & Co. It is purchasing the hotel and golf course from entities controlled by developer Bert A. Kobayashi, who acquired them from bankrupt Japanese company Sports Shinko in 2002.

LA Koreana, which is owned by Koreana Hotels & Resorts in Seoul, owns the Holiday Inn Long Beach Airport in California and the Ewa Beach Golf Club Hawaii on Oahu.

Although plans have not been finalized, the company plans to restore the 315-room Queen Kapiolani, which is on Kapahulu Avenue across from the Honolulu Zoo, to its former glory, “really clean it up and make it a hotel that people remember as being the elegant Queen Kapiolani Hotel that it was originally,” Williams said.

“The intention is not to make it a hotel that looks like every other hotel in Waikiki,” he said.

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/business/companies/starbucks_corporation/index.html

Mr. Schultz faces a difficult task: He has to slow down the company to make stores feel more like hip neighborhood coffeehouses while also delivering the steady growth that investors have come to expect from Starbucks.

It was not too long ago that the arrival of a Starbucks was a major event, a recognition that a town or neighborhood was worthy of the chic Seattle-based chain. But in the last five years, every street corner, airport concourse and roadside rest stop in America seemed to attract a Starbucks.

As the company grew and customer traffic increased, Starbucks expanded its food offerings while introducing efficiencies like those automated espresso machines. Gradually, complaints surfaced that Starbucks felt more like a fast-food restaurant than a coffeehouse.

In five years, Starbucks nearly tripled the number of stores worldwide, from 5,886 in 2002 to 15,011 in 2007.

But those were headier times. Now Starbucks finds itself in an economic climate that has most people reassessing their daily spending habits on luxury items.

The company’s revenues and profit are tumbling as a result. It earned $316 million in profit on $10 billion in revenue for 2008. Starbucks has been hurt by rising costs, the cannibalizing effects of years of overexpansion, and stiff competition in espresso drinks from the likes of McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. In the summer of 2007, its customer traffic declined for the first time since the company went public, sending the stock tumbling. By the end of its fiscal 2008, Starbucks stock, once seemingly invincible, had declined by over 50 percent.

In January 2008, Starbucks ousted its chief executive, James L. Donald, and brought back Mr. Schultz to try to invigorate the company. Later in the year, Mr. Schultz announced that would lay off 1,000 employees and close 600 underperforming locations in the United States, while scaling back the rate of store openings domestically. At the same time, Starbucks will move more aggressively to open stores overseas, where business remains robust. It has also introduced new discount programs like its $25 Gold Card, which offers 10 percent off on all items. – Nov. 11, 2008

Summary

Starbucks is one of the famous and popular coffee chain in the world. The new coffee style, Seattle style coffee were expanded in all of the world and any places, such as airport, station, and on the streets. It was successe and got a lot of money untile 2008. Numbers of stores also increased 5886 to 15011 in 2002 to 2007. However, recently, many fast-food shops appear and those have similar style with Starbucks, such as McDonall’s and Dunkin‘ Counts. Moreover, those chains sell coffee more cheaper than Strabucks. Because of that, Starbucks‘ sale down and their some shops were closed, and many sales clarks were layoff. Therefore, today, Starbucks changed some systems and they strive for increase sales.

Economic Impact

Starbucks is one of the famous chain and also it is really important and popular for students also. Decreasing number of stores deprive our study spaces and relax time from students. Moreover, coffee beans companies, which may contracted with Starbucks, sales also goes down. Because of the closing many stores, many people got hurt, such as Sales clarks, who were layoff by Starbucks, and also the coffee beans companies‘ staffs. And many coffee company which including Starbacks and other companies such as McDonnell’s, will work hard to sell coffee more cheaper and cheaper. It means coffee price is going to change more cheaper than today. Many coffee company will compete for making big sales.

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_12710510

Bargain hunters at Woodland Hills Camera & Telescopes moaned this spring when a 1 percent increase in the sales tax boosted the cost of binoculars, tripods and lenses.

Customers at the San Fernando Valley shop and other stores in the region will grumble even louder this week, when the sales tax in Los Angeles County rises an additional half-percent or a half-cent on the dollar.

Beginning Wednesday, the sales tax in Los Angeles County will reach 9.75 percent because of voter-approved Measure R, which is expected to generate $40 billion for local transportation projects over the next 30 years.

“People are already more sensitive to the price,” said Scott Bloom, manager of Woodland Hills Camera. “This next half-percent increase will be the nail in the coffin to local merchants.”

But supporters of Measure R note that the tax revenue will help alleviate traffic congestion through improvements expected to create as many as 212,000 jobs.

Voters had approved Measure R several months before Gov.Arnold Schwarzenegger imposed a 1 percent state sales tax – which began April 1 and will expire in 2011 – to help whittle down California’s $24billion dollar deficit.

Measure R is expected to generate revenue to help build a $4.2 billion subway linking downtown to the Westside, an $800 million rail line linking Pasadena to Montclair and a $200 million extension of the Green Line rail to Los Angeles International Airport.

Summary

Los Angels’s county tax increased 8.25% to 9.25 % on April 1, 2009. And in July 1, 2009, it increased again 9.25% to 9. 75%. It is for saving states money for future.

Economic Impact

Increasing county tax is really sirious problem for nation. It makes us difficult to shopping, traveling, and working. It gives big damege for us. It might make money effectively in the future. And it may be our helps. But I think it helps to stop to use money of us.

People will be stopped to use money and Tourists’ number is going to lose. And it will give big impact for travel industry.

This is one of the famous expensive hotel in Waikiki.

I took picture of one of the restaurant in Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which named AZURE.

This restaurant is next to the beach.

I went to lunch time, so it did not open yet.

Also, this hotel has nice bar next to the beach.

And the beach has some parasols and seats for Royal Hawaiian’s visitors.

People can have a seat and can drink and eat nice food with good reception by staffs.

I took picture with hawaiian Quilt shop’s staff, which named Hawaiian Quilt Collection.

And I took one more picture with other shop, NEWT, which is hats shop.

This shop has very nice hats, but they are very expensive. The hat which I was tried, was about 400 to 700 duller for each.

I wanted to have one but , I could not because of the price.

Finally, I got pen, broachers, and business cards by lobby staff and shop staffs.

In my opinion, this hotel is so expensive. I could catch that by the price of the simple hat also. To stay this hotel is very difficult because of the price. This hotel focus on rich people. But the high price keep rich and high service and rich name and absolute trusts by customers. So, it makes many repeaters  and make sales.

And I took picture with Concierge, who named Tomoko Kigasawa.

She can speak both English and Japanese.

This hotel’s most of lobby’s staffs speak only English, so concierge, like her, helps Japanese customers.

And this hotel has bar and Restaurant which located next to beach.

Both bar and restaurant have very nice view of Waikiki beach.

There are white parasols, many people enjoyed the beautiful view and delicious foods.

This Restaurant name is “beachhouse restaurant.”

And this hotel has beach in front of this hotel, and also pool next to the beach.

This pool has athletics for kids. Parents can watch children with nice drinks.

This hotel has some shops.

I went to one of the shop which relate with this hotel.

This shop name is “Lamonts.”

It sales hotel logo goods and some snacks for hotel visitors.

Finally, I got a pen, broachers, and business cards by hotel staff and shop staff.

And when I went to this hotel, some of couples had wedding party by chance.

This hotel has wedding service, too.

I had visited this hotel in June, 2009 with my family. This hotel has nice out looking and pretty rooms. I could feel like rich person because of the hotel interior decorations and staff’s treatments for us. The restaurant and bar’s foods were delicious and nice looking. I think this hotel’s service was very good and conformable for customers. This rich and nice correspondences of hotel staffs make visiter feeling good and make many repeater, like me.

First of all, I took picture with Robby staff, who named  Dan Teruya.

This hotel has a lot of Japanese tourists, so he could Japanese very well, and of course he spoke English.

Therefore, he can service both Japanese and American.

This hotel located next to Waikiki beach, so it is one of their sales point.

Many guests go to the beach from this hotel.

This hotel has 8 restaurant or bars.

This picture is “The Colony,” which is seafood , sushi, and hawaiian food restaurant bar.

And I took picture with a staff of Hawaiian Quilt Collection, which is Hawaiian Quilt shop at Hyatt Waikiki hotel.

This hotel has about 27 shops.

Finally, I got broacher, pen, and business card by Hyatt’s robby staff and Hawaiian Quilt shop’s staff.

In my opinion, this hotel is very big and many customers everyday. And also, there were some travel shops, which were very helpful for sightseeing, such as rent-a-car, tour conduct shop, and ticket shop. Moreover, those staffs can speak English and Japanese. This hotel has a lot of Japanese visitors. therefore, it is very good service for them. Those service, which staffs can speck Japanese make many Japanese customers I think.

http://cbs5.com/local/sfo.paperless.check.2.1158147.html

Continental Airlines senior director of customer service Jared Miller said you can have your boarding pass emailed to your cell phone or PDA and just wave it over a special kiosk.

“This scanner is actually taking the barcode, and it’s reading the information off the barcode, as well as it’s looking at the security elements to ensure the authenticity of the barcode itself,” Miller said. “Making sure that it was issued by Continental Airlines and that it hasn’t been tampered with.” 

The airline still has to check your ID to make sure your face matches the name. 

The TSA Director for the Western Region Ed Gomez said the new procedure will mean that passengers don’t have to worry about misplacing their boarding passes. 

“I see people running around here all the time where they’ve lost their boarding pass,” Gomez said. “They went to the bookstore, they had lunch, they went to the restroom. I lost my boarding pass. Now they’re going to miss their flight. They have to go back to the ticket counter and what if there’s a line.” 

This technology is already in place at LAX, San Diego and soon to be Orange County as well as 20 other airports around the nation.

SUMMARY

one of the famous Airline company, Continental, began new greener service. Customers can have own boarding pass emailed to your cell phone or PDA and just wave it over a special kiosk. People do not need boarding pass paper instead of the new items.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

It helps to save green and people do not need to care about holding paper. It is really high technology and became easier. Then many business people, family, and young customers will increase. However, the becoming technologically is not good for elderly people. I think they are not good at new high technology. So elderly customers will decrease, i think.

http://www.nrn.com/breakingNews.aspx?id=371790

OAK BROOK, Ill. (Aug. 26, 2009) McDonald’s units in the Chicago area this week began offering several breakfast items for $1 to drive traffic during the morning meal.

The nation’s largest hamburger chain confirmed Wednesday that it is selling six items for $1: the Sausage Biscuit, the Sausage McMuffin, medium coffee, two hot cakes, two hash browns, and the Fruit ’N Yogurt Parfait.

A spokeswoman for Oak Brook-based McDonald’s said the new program in Chicago is one of several promotions in markets across the country meant to provide value to customers. Some local-market deals include two-for-$2 offers or items priced at $1 other than those offered in Chicago.

The limited-time offer in Chicago is not an extension of McDonald’s popular Dollar Menu, the spokeswoman said, nor is it a test run for a permanent value menu at breakfast.

“The nature of this is to provide flexibility. … This is not a test,” she said, “this is just one market of many that is using a local-market option to meet the needs of its customers.”

While quick-service franchisors like McDonald’s and Burger King have clashed before with franchisees over deeply discounted items, which tend to put enormous pressure on restaurant margins, McDonald’s Corp.’s regional leaders and its franchisees agreed on the terms of the dollar breakfast offering in Chicago before it was implemented, the spokeswoman said.

Among the chain’s breakfast initiatives this year was the May 5 nationwide rollout of its McCafŽ espresso-based beverages. McDonald’s marketed the premium-coffee drinks with national TV ads and free samples of the McCafŽ Mocha on Mondays between July 13 and Aug. 3.

Ralph Alvarez, McDonald’s president and chief operating officer, noted in the chain’s most recent conference call with investors that much of McDonald’s marketing focus had been devoted to the morning meal. National advertisements in the chain’s second quarter promoted the regular breakfast menu and the McCafŽ launch, he said, in addition to ads that featured McDonald’s regular Dollar Menu.

The brand’s coffee business has grown from 2 percent of sales to 5 percent of sales “over the past few years,” Alvarez said, adding that those results have exceeded the company’s expectations.

Though breakfast had been a growing daypart for the restaurant industry in recent years, the recession has halted its momentum, even as it fares better than other dayparts, according to data from market research firm The NPD Group.

For the three months from April to June 2009, guest counts at breakfast fell 2 percent for the whole restaurant industry, compared with the same three months in 2008. Traffic was down across all industry dayparts, the data showed, with declines of 2 percent at lunch, 5 percent at dinner, and 1 percent at evening snack occasions.

In the quick-service segment, breakfast traffic was flat for the spring 2009 period compared with a year earlier. Traffic plummeted 6 percent at dinner for quick-service restaurants, while guest counts fell 2 percent at lunch and 1 percent for evening snacks.

“Breakfast has slowed, but it’s holding up much better than lunch or dinner,” said Bonnie Riggs, an analyst with Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD. “The reason for that is tied a good deal to high unemployment. If we’re not on our way to work, we’re not going to the drive-thru for coffee.”

An offer such as McDonald’s $1 breakfast items should help quick-service chains keep their morning-meal traffic more resilient than that of other dayparts.

“It’s deal-related occasions that have been keeping the industry from suffering steeper traffic declines,” she said. “Dollar menus and value menus have served the hamburger category well, so it seems logical that they’d offer a value menu for breakfast as well.”

SUMMARY

Biggest first foods chain, McDonald’s,  tried new service in Chicago.  This week began offering several breakfast items for $1 to drive traffic during the morning meal. Totally, they sold 6 items for 1 duller,the Sausage Biscuit, the Sausage McMuffin, medium coffee, two hot cakes, two hash browns, and the Fruit ’N Yogurt Parfait.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

In my opinion, McDonald’s is already famous with cheap and fast. Sealing 1 duller breakfast is more helpful for customers. many people love “cheap and delicious.” And also, morning time is everybody really busy, few seconds thought really important. Therefore, 1 duller is easy to calculate, and it saves time. Those many good points will gather many people more and more, and mcdonald’s sale will increase.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32641072/ns/travel-destinations/

LAS VEGAS – It’s a touch of old Vegas: Vintage neon signs are being restored and will adorn a stretch of downtown’s Las Vegas Boulevard.

About 17 signs, some from casinos dating to the 1950s, will be part of the boulevard’s Scenic Byways Plan, said Danielle Kelly, operations manager for the Neon Museum, which is providing the signs.

The signs — including the horseshoe that once topped Binion’s Horseshoe casino and the slipper from the Silver Slipper next to the New Frontier casino — recall earlier years of the city that grew out of the desert to become America’s gambling mecca.

So far the project has gotten $240,000 from the sale of Las Vegas Centennial license plates to refurbish three signs. About $900,000 from the city went for median improvements in the Cultural Corridor.

Whitehouse said restoring the signs has been like getting in a time machine.

“At this point, they’ve become pieces. Art pieces,” he said. “This is something we’d all like to do, and I’m doing it.”

SUMMARY

Las Vegas is really famous and having big sales of Casino. And there were many famous and old symbol mark. Those of 17 signs were changed new. those 17 signs were made in 1950′s , very old and popular for people. and it can make image easily for casino for people.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Casino can make a lot of money easily because many people love it and enjoy it. Moreover, Las Vegas is very famous and there are a lot of people everyday for enjoying casino. Also, illuminations are part of enjoyment and many people also looking forward to watch it. Therefore, in my opinion, when the new illumination and signs are completed, many people, who are having purpose for seeing those new signs, are going to come to Las vegas. And those people also enjoy casino, then Las Vegas and casino’s sales will be higher and higher.

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