Comeuppance: How many hotel operators were thrilled to read Dublin hotel owner Paul Stenson’s response to a social media influencer’s request for a free hotel room so she can spread the word to her 80,000 followers – several likely not old enough to own a credit card. I know I was (I wrote a post on the subject myself). Stenson, of the White Moose Café and Charleville Lodge, told the blogger, “Maybe I should tell my staff they will be featured in your video in lieu of receiving payment for work carried out while you’re in residence.” —Jeff Weinstein
“It’s never the same story”: Dietmar Müller-Elmau made his fortune with hotel accounting software Fidelio, but his roots in hotels are deep. His latest venture is the Orania Berlin, that builds on the creative community that flocked to his family’s Schloss Elmau hotel in Germany’s Bavaria. HOTELS’ Jeff Weinstein talked with Müller-Elmau about the culture — and controversy — that his new venture is attracting. —Barbara Bohn
Tech time for Vegas: Vegas is upping its tech game, writes Forbes. At the Mandarin Oriental for instance, incoming guests get an assist from a friendly lobby robot named Pepper who can answer questions about your stay, but Vegas is also embracing tablets and internal clock-sensitive lights. The benefit of Vegas’ efforts? The ability to test these kinds of systems on a larger, high-turnover population means insight into successes (or shortcomings) even faster. —Chloe Riley
Paris in the springtime: I love it when fabled hotels are re-energized and it’s even more romantic when they are located on Rive Gauche, Paris. The Lutetia, now owned and operated by Georgi Akirov’s The Set, will reopen this spring after a four-year restoration. Originally opened in 1910 by the Boucicaut family, founders of Le Bon Marche, Akirov says his team has married the old with a new contemporary spirit. Key count has been reduced to 184 from 233 to allow for larger rooms, a jazz bar is in the works, as is the return of the hotel’s famed Brasserie, all under the leadership of General Manager Jean-Luc Cousty. I can almost taste it. —J.W.