American Airlines defends $20-million severance pay to CEO.

Deutsche Bank forced to restate 2012 profits due to U.S. lawsuits.

Google will package and brand chat services as Babble.

T-Mobile readies "Uncarrier" no-contract pricing plan and proposed board structure, while AT&T introduces no-contract wireless phone service and Sprintlaunches de-branded Android smartphones.

7-Eleven sues 7-SEVEN chain for trademark infringement.

Apple brand found to be less "inspiring" than it was three years ago in new consumer survey.Continue reading...

While the global economic recovery may be meager, hotels chains are anxious to move on and drive up occupancy rates. That's why two of the top chains, Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide, are pursuing new initiatives to convince upscale travelers to stay at their high-end properties.

Marriott is forming "strategic partnerships" with other brands to create "a deeper luxury guest experience." The company said it will work with Aromatherapy Associates, auction house Christie's, nutritionist Keri Glassman, international vintner Treasury Wine Estates, and Tumi, makers of travel luggage, eyewear and accessories.

In partnership with Christie's, for example, its Grosvenor House in London, a JW Marriott Hotel, is hosting a unique photographic exhibition this month — Beatles Illuminated: The Discovered Works of Mike Mitchell — which brought out celebrities such as Sienna Miller to the preview of never-before-seen photographs of the Beatles’ first hysteria-inducing trip to America in 1964.

Marriott will marshal these partners specifically to enhance its JW Marriott hotel brand, which is a notch below Marriott's ritzy Ritz-Carlton, but ranks above Marriott hotels. Mitzi Gaskins, VP of JW Marriott, admitted to the New York Times that there is "some confusion" between JW Marriott and Marriott.Continue reading...

John Vanderslice is Hilton Worldwide's global head of luxury and lifestyle brands, which means the Conrad and Waldorf Astoria hotel brands.

He's also the host of The Luxury Manifesto, a new web video series that will run online and on the Facebook pages for Conrad and Waldorf Astoria to highlight Hilton's corporate commitment to the luxury sector through conversations with other luxury brand leaders.Continue reading...

As the W Hotel officially opened its first property in London last night with a bash that included a performance by Mick Jones and Roger Daltrey (a pre-opening sneak peek shows its Leicester Square surroundings, above) another trend is sweeping the hotel world.

Rather than opening new properties, major hotel brands are using a new strategy to grow. Squeezed by rising costs and tight credit, they're "reflagging" or rebranding to convert an existing hotel property to be part of a different brand family.Continue reading...

Wonderful Pistachios' new keyboard cat spokesman is perrrrrfect — and certainly an improvement over Rob Blagojevich.

Thanks to Gucci, you can now see your low-brow 3D entertainment without losing any high-brow cool.

Reinventing a symbol of charity: "Pimp My Poppy."

Starbucks pours too-hot-tea lawsuit down the drain.

Michigan family not pleased with the "crazy New York City" story it brought home: Waldorf Astoria sued for bed bugs.

Methods for paying Hades ferryman Cahron: Old and busted: Two coins. The new hotness: Kardashian prepaid Mastercard. Continue reading...