MidEast Property Orgy Ends, Currency Battle BeginsWhat: Dropping oil prices and a global credit crisis is hitting the Middle East too, where some states are considering a common currency.

The Dirt:Cost cutting in a world where five-star hotels are the norm is a scary sign. The folks in the Middle Eastern city of Dubai are cutting costs and bringing the real estate development spending spree to halt, having already asked Abu Dhabi for help. Some of the folks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) [...]

Hipster Hotels For Budget TravelersLuxury For Professional NewbiesWhat: Hoteliers are adding new brands to attract 20-somethings, offering a boutique-like environment at the cost of the average respectable chain hotel.

The Dirt:Imagine being able to stay at a hotel like the W without breaking the bank? Now imagine that wherever you go, no matter how boring, you get the option to stay at a hip hotel with other like-minded, displaced yuppies. That’s the void Starwood Hotels & Resorts is aiming to fill with one of [...]