Hotel Management: A Question of Kickbacks

• Author: Cecil C. Kuhne III
• Pages: 11-17

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Hotel Management:

A Question of

Kickbacks

Blue Tree Hotels Investment (Canada), Ltd. v.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

369 F.3d 212 (2nd Cir. 2004)

Blue Tree Hotels Investment (Canada), Ltd. and its aliates are owners

of seven Westin Hotels & Resorts located throughout Canada and the

United States. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and its ali-

ates are a group of companies that own or manage numerous hotels

throughout the world (including Westin Hotels & Resorts, W Hotels,

Four Points Hotels, St. Regis Hotels, and Sheraton Hotels).

In 1995 Starwood purchased the entire chain of Westin hotels with

the exception of the seven hotels owned by Blue Tree. Prior to Star-

wood’s purchase of the Westin chain, Blue Tree had entered into man-