Hotel In Baltimore

On a downtown street, with the bright sunshine and a television camera on his face, Neil Fisher promised Maryland a lavish, $100 million Ritz-Carlton hotel, hundreds of jobs and a fortune for a charity aiming to "build back the glory of Baltimore."His message appealed to many. "People need hope and something to dream for," he concluded in his pledge to help make Baltimore better.But what the public didn't see on that October day were the other sides of Fisher: the tough-talking real-estate syndicator accused of multimillion-dollar fraud; the repeatedly bankrupt developer who says he likes the sport of being sued; the snakeskin-booted land dealer whose partner on the Ritz deal was once convicted alongside Maryland's most infamous swindler, Jeffrey A. Levitt.

Two years ago, La Tran had never been to Baltimore. If all goes according to plan, his family business will be one of the biggest hotel operators in the city by 2011. Tran is a member of a family business that earlier this year opened the $11 million, 96-room Quality Inn Downtown Baltimore inside the old Title Building at 110 St. Paul Place. His family's company, Tran Group LLC, is nearing completion on a second project nearby, conversion of the historic Hotel Junker at 22 E. Fayette Street to an $8 million, 49-room Envy Hotel by Best Western.

An item in Monday's Business section contained incorrect dates for the Interstate Conference of Employment Security Agencies. The convention will be held Aug. 20-23 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Baltimore.The Sun regrets the error.

Shelley Meyer, of Pittsburgh, PA, and Kenny Musselman, Jr., of Baltimore, MD, were married on August 27, 2005 at the Harbor Court Hotel in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Their children, Brittney Meyer and Kenny Musselman III were the honorary attendants. The bride is the daughter of the late, Katherine and George Herrman. The groom is of Musselman's Dodge in Baltimore and is the son of the late, Evelynand Kenneth Musselman. The couple honeymooned in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and they reside in Arnold.

Two years ago, La Tran had never been to Baltimore. If all goes according to plan, his family business will be one of the biggest hotel operators in the city by 2011. Tran is a member of a family business that earlier this year opened the $11 million, 96-room Quality Inn Downtown Baltimore inside the old Title Building at 110 St. Paul Place. His family's company, Tran Group LLC, is nearing completion on a second project nearby, conversion of the historic Hotel Junker at 22 E. Fayette Street to an $8 million, 49-room Envy Hotel by Best Western.

Shelley Meyer, of Pittsburgh, PA, and Kenny Musselman, Jr., of Baltimore, MD, were married on August 27, 2005 at the Harbor Court Hotel in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Their children, Brittney Meyer and Kenny Musselman III were the honorary attendants. The bride is the daughter of the late, Katherine and George Herrman. The groom is of Musselman's Dodge in Baltimore and is the son of the late, Evelynand Kenneth Musselman. The couple honeymooned in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and they reside in Arnold.

PG&E-Bechtel Generating Co. in Bethesda changed its name to U.S. Generating Company. The firm is a partnership of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Bechtel Group Inc.Logistics Management Corp., a provider of operational consulting services, relocated from Harleysville, Pa., to The Generals Building, 2086 Generals Highway, Annapolis.KudosLianne Thomas won a Top Marketing Directors Award from the Practice Development Institute. Ms. Thomas is marketing director for Katz, Abosch, Windesheim, Gershman & Freedmann, Baltimore-based accounting and management/consulting firm.

For additional Baltimore convention information, call the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association at 659-7300(local) or (800) 343-3468 (out of state).MARCH 18-19: State of Maryland International Reading Association Council at Sheraton Baltimore North. Contact Bonnie Schmeltz, 3605 Laurel View Road, Laurel, Md. 20724. Expected attendance: 900.MARCH 20-24: American College of Preventive Medicine at Stouffer Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore. Contact Hazel Kelmowitz, 1015 15th St. N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20005.

Bolstered by the news that a developer wants to build a downtown hotel without public money, dozens of people urged the Baltimore City Council yesterday to vote against the mayor's plan to give $25 million in tax breaks to developers of another proposed downtown hotel.It was a last-ditch, pull-out-the-stops effort from opponents of the Wyndham Inner Harbor East hotel, who for months have used any argument available to try to thwart the city's plan to build the 750-room project."If we have so many people willing to come here, why are we willing to give the farm away?"

Developers of a Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Inner Harbor will present another plan to city design reviewers today that may call for a smaller project than originally proposed. The developers, who've generated several plans for the luxury hotel to appease local officials and residents concerned about preserving the area's views and character, will make a pitch to the city's Design Advisory Panel. Panel members will make a recommendation to city planners, once they've seen the project's concept, said Bob Quilter, an architect in the city's planning department and coordinator for the panel.

As members of the Baltimore City Council weigh a proposal for a convention center hotel, the city's most expensive public project to date, they are trying to make sense from seemingly conflicting information. If Baltimore is attracting worldwide attention as a tourist destination, why can't city officials find a suitable private developer to build the hotel? After subsidizing two other major hotels in Baltimore, why is city ownership of a hotel smarter than giving incentives to developers?

A year to the day after the city first unveiled Robert L. Johnson's plan for a headquarters hotel in Baltimore, the founder of Black Entertainment Television yesterday won the mayor's blessing to build it. Johnson's firm, RLJ Development LLC of Bethesda, and Quadrangle Development Corp. will have a six-month exclusive negotiating priority to build a $200 million, 750-room Hilton just north of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The hotel is designed to boost attendance at the city's flagging convention center.

The most famous view in Baltimore - the cityscape seen from Camden Yards - appears likely to change soon with the construction of a $200 million convention anchor hotel just north of the stadium. Nearly a year after a splashy City Hall announcement by Black Entertainment Television mogul Robert L. Johnson that he wanted to build a headquarters hotel in Baltimore, the city's quasi-public development agency has endorsed his development team's proposal over two others that have since applied for the job. The hotel is viewed by city leaders and meeting experts as an urgently needed resource to help build business at Baltimore's economically lagging convention center, which was expanded recently at a cost of $151 million.

Developers of a Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Inner Harbor will present another plan to city design reviewers today that may call for a smaller project than originally proposed. The developers, who've generated several plans for the luxury hotel to appease local officials and residents concerned about preserving the area's views and character, will make a pitch to the city's Design Advisory Panel. Panel members will make a recommendation to city planners, once they've seen the project's concept, said Bob Quilter, an architect in the city's planning department and coordinator for the panel.

On a downtown street, with the bright sunshine and a television camera on his face, Neil Fisher promised Maryland a lavish, $100 million Ritz-Carlton hotel, hundreds of jobs and a fortune for a charity aiming to "build back the glory of Baltimore."His message appealed to many. "People need hope and something to dream for," he concluded in his pledge to help make Baltimore better.But what the public didn't see on that October day were the other sides of Fisher: the tough-talking real-estate syndicator accused of multimillion-dollar fraud; the repeatedly bankrupt developer who says he likes the sport of being sued; the snakeskin-booted land dealer whose partner on the Ritz deal was once convicted alongside Maryland's most infamous swindler, Jeffrey A. Levitt.

The photo that appeared in yesterday's editions with the obituary of Walter Kloetzli, longtime banquet manager of the old Emerson Hotel, was incorrect. Mr. Kloetzli, who was 99, is shown above in a photo taken about a decade ago. Services will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. John's Lutheran Church, on Sweet Air Road in Jacksonville.The Sun regrets the error.Walter Kloetzli arrived in the United States speaking noEnglish in 1914 but became known for his style as banquet manager at one of Baltimore's most highly regarded hotels.

The photo that appeared in yesterday's editions with the obituary of Walter Kloetzli, longtime banquet manager of the old Emerson Hotel, was incorrect. Mr. Kloetzli, who was 99, is shown above in a photo taken about a decade ago. Services will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. John's Lutheran Church, on Sweet Air Road in Jacksonville.The Sun regrets the error.Walter Kloetzli arrived in the United States speaking noEnglish in 1914 but became known for his style as banquet manager at one of Baltimore's most highly regarded hotels.

Bolstered by the news that a developer wants to build a downtown hotel without public money, dozens of people urged the Baltimore City Council yesterday to vote against the mayor's plan to give $25 million in tax breaks to developers of another proposed downtown hotel.It was a last-ditch, pull-out-the-stops effort from opponents of the Wyndham Inner Harbor East hotel, who for months have used any argument available to try to thwart the city's plan to build the 750-room project."If we have so many people willing to come here, why are we willing to give the farm away?"

James B. Davis Jr., a retired maitre d' who, during his four-decade career, worked in some of the finest hotels and clubs in Baltimore, died Wednesday of respiratory failure at Good Samaritan Hospital. He was 72 and lived in Ednor Gardens.Mr. Davis, who stood 6-feet-5-inches, was a commanding and understanding presence, whether he was watching over the old Fallstaff Room in the Belvedere Hotel or reassuring a nervous mother that her daughter's wedding reception at the Baltimore Country Club would go off without a hitch.