Tuesday, February 13, 2007


Big Oil, Big Software Team Up


A DEAL announced on Monday by Bill Gates and Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal to buy Four Seasons Hotels for $US3.7 billion ($4.8 billion) underscores a trend by well-heeled investors to acquire hotels and hotel companies.


Anybody want to bet that the Four Seasons hotel will install Microsoft software and teen-agers will be doing their best to hack the system? It should take a few weeks at best until "Harry Butz" has reservations in the Penthouse Suite.