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Starwood

CHAT Begins for China-World Tourism Interconnect

2016-03-24 by Aleksandr Shatskih

CHAT Beijing

News today from a new hotels industry meetup called “CHAT” shows directed knowledge and influence aimed at China’s hotel and tourism industry. This new summit being held at the Sofitel Wanda Beijing this week promises expanded interrelationships in between European and Chinese decision makers.

Tags: Horwath HTL, IHG, Kenneth MacPherson, Kevin Colket, Robert Hecker, Samuel Lim, Shiji Networks, SnapShot, Sofitel Wanda, Starwood, Stefan Tweraser, STR Global

A Return to Elegance: Starwood’s Hotel Bristol, Warsaw

2013-02-11 by Aleksandr Shatskih

Hotel Bristol

If you’re headed to Warsaw, and need a luxury stay with the crispest of pillow cases, Hotel Bristol there has brand new ones. A multi-million dollar revamp recently is sure to have included new linens. Aside this, the Warsaw city center icon also joins The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts’ group of the world’s finest hotels.

Tags: Belle Époque era, Luxury Collection, Luxury Hotels, Poland hotels, Starwood, Starwood Hotels, W Hotels, warsaw, Warsaw Five Star

Le Méridien Limassol Debuts Presidential Suite

2012-08-28 by Aleksandr Shatskih

Grand Presidential Suite

News from Starwood Hotels and Cyprus, Le Méridien Limassol Spa and Resort just announced having opened their Grand Presidential Suite. An already sumptuous stay on one of the world’s most beautiful Islands, this Cyprus hotel offers award winning service and amenities, and now a 300 sq. m. top floor suite fit for royalty.

Tags: Cyprus hotels, Cyprus tourism, Cyprus travel, five-star hotels, Le Meridien Limassol, Starwood

Big OTAs and Big Hotels in Price Fixing Lawsuit

2012-08-22 by Phil Butler

Class action versus OTAs

A federal lawsuit naming the likes of Expedia, Orbitz, Booking.com, Travelocity, Trump International Hotels Management, Intercontinental, Kimpton, Sabre Holdings, Priceline, Marriott, Starwood, and Hilton alleges the companies conspired to fix hotel room prices. According to the news from Reuters, the suit claims the travel giants did so in an effort to fend off competition from smaller online retailers.

Tags: Booking.com, buuteeq, Expedia, FairSearch, Global Hotel Exhange, Google, Google Travel, Hilton, hotels, InterContinental, ITA, Kimpton, Marriott, online travel, Orbitz, OTA's, price fixing, Priceline, rate parity, room prices, Sabre holdings, Starwood, Travelocity, treovi, Trump International Hotels Management

Accor Hotels Rises and Falls with Europe for 2012

2012-01-19 by Phil Butler

Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom

Accor Hotels, the largest hotel player in Europe, has announced guarded optimism for business going forward into 2012. According to their assessment, demand for rooms in Europe looks stable, while concerns over debt burdened South Europe put a damper on expectations.

Tags: Choice Hotels International, East Europe hotels, Europe economy, Europe hotels, France hotels, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels, InterContinental, Luxury Hotels, Marriott, Motel 6, Pullman Paris Rive Gauche, Roomkey, Sofitel, Southern Europe hotels, Starwood, US hotels, Wyndham Hotel Group

Starwood Hotels & Resorts: The Luxury You’d Expect

2011-10-19 by Phil Butler

Luxury Collection Destination Guides

Starwood Hotels’ Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts has released a limited edition US destination guide published by Assouline. Part of a set of bound books, the luxuriously crafted books show off the Luxury Collection’s most exquisite properties around the world.

Tags: American Airlines, city guides, Expedia, Facebook, Google Travel, Hotel guides, Luxury Collection, Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts, Luxury Hotels, Orbitz, Sheraton, Social, Starwood, tourism, tourists, travel guides

Preferred Hotel Group Picks RateGain for Intel

2011-07-18 by Aleksandr Shatskih

Grand Hotel Excelsior Malta

RateGain, a company whose BrandGain innovation we just covered on Argo News, has just announced Preferred Hotel Group’s adoption of their iRate advanced intelligence tool. RateGain’s cutting edge rate shopping system, combined with the hotel groups iRate program, will afford managers real time advantage across multiple channels.

Tags: BrandGain, enterprise pricing tools, enterprise travel tools, Hilton, Historic Hotels of America, hotel news, Hyatt, John Ueberroth, Marriott, Preferred Hotel Group, Preferred Residences, price tools, pricing technology, RateGain, social travel, Starwood, Summit Hotels & Resorts, travel tools

The India – China Hotel Room Bottleneck

2011-05-25 by Phil Butler

Spa pool at the hotel

Where growth in the hotel business is concerned, the Asia hospitality sector is overdue for even more spiraling expansion. Believe it or not, China and India are the most underdeveloped hotel markets in the world outside the US, according to a report from STR Global. Accordingly, there are over 100,000 rooms under construction in China and 30,000 in India.

Tags: Chennai Hotels, China hotels, China tourism, Hilton, hotel market, hotels Asia, India hotels, India tourism, Indian Hotels Co Ltd., Marriott, Mumbai Hotels, Oberoi Udaivilas, Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi, Rajasthan Royals, Starwood, Taj Hotels, TATA Group, Top Hotels of the World, Top India Hotels

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Why We Embrace AI

At Argophilia, we believe in using every tool at our disposal to bring you the stories that matter. You may notice a certain precision in our data analysis, a specific flair in our visuals, or a rapid turnaround on complex topics. That is no accident—it is the result of our rampant use of artificial intelligence.

We use Gemini to help synthesize data, structure our reporting, and ensure our news remains as sharp as the reality we cover. When it comes to our imagery, we rely on the creative power of Midjourney and NightCafe, unless otherwise noted in our editorial credits.

We are not apologetic for this. In a fast-moving world, these tools allow us to focus on what really counts: investigating the issues, giving a voice to the marginalized, and maintaining the journalistic integrity you expect from us. We see AI not as a replacement for human judgment, but as an engine that amplifies our ability to inform, analyze, and tell the truth about our island and beyond.

We are writers and journalists first—but we are proud to be tech-enabled ones, too.

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Stories of Interest

The Six Pufferfish Species Found in Greek Waters

2026-07-08 By Mihaela Lica Butler

From the infamous Silver-cheeked Toadfish, whose powerful bite and deadly toxin have made headlines across the Mediterranean, to tiny deep-water species that most swimmers will never encounter, these invasive fish are now part of Greece’s marine life.

spearfishing diver AI illustration

Search Intensifies After Missing Spearfisher’s Gear Found Off Frangokastello

2026-07-08 By Manuel Santos

A Frontex thermal drone and multiple vessels search for a 65-year-old missing spearfisherman in Crete after his gear was found 5 nautical miles offshore.

Silver Nova pool deck

Luxury Cruise Ship Silver Nova Makes First Visit to Heraklion

2026-07-08 By Argophilia Travel News

Heraklion welcomed a new addition to its growing cruise portfolio this week as the luxury cruise ship Silver Nova made its first-ever visit to the Cretan capital. The maiden call was marked by the traditional plaque exchange ceremony aboard the vessel, attended by representatives of the Heraklion Port Authority, the Hellenic Coast Guard, and the […]

Chania market reopening 2026

Chania Municipal Market Targets September Reopening After Years of Restoration

2026-07-08 By Iorgos Pappas

Chania’s restored Municipal Market is expected to reopen in September, with shop owners beginning work on their premises during July.

Heraklion restaurants

Heraklion Restaurants See Plenty of Visitors but Less Spending This Summer

2026-07-08 By Victoria Udrea

Heraklion’s hospitality sector says visitor numbers remain strong, but cautious spending and rising costs are squeezing restaurant businesses.

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