Mediaboss Marketing

Domain Properties and the NYC hospitality sector are off to a profitable start in 2012. Recently, Domain Properties, a key player in New York City Hotel transactions, closed on the sale of the Avalon an upscale Midtown property. This transaction is just one of the latest deals involving prominent hotels in the Big Apple. Domain Properties continues to represent private investment entities, pension funds, REITs, hotel management companies, asset management firms, and sovereign funds in search of equity rich quality Hotel Properties in New York City including Developments, Acquisitions and Joint Ventures.

New York, NY (PRWEB) March 23, 2012

The recent deal involving the Avalon (unique building situated in a prime Midtown neighborhood) is the latest transaction in a vibrant NYC hotel sector. Domain Properties has just released its detailed "Beginning of the Year Report - Buying and Selling NYC Hotels in 2012" an overview of the current hospitality scene from January to March. Other notable deals include hotel sales such as Hampton Inn 35th St. Empire State Building, Novotel Hotel Times Square, Cassa Hotel & Residence, Knickerbocker Hotel, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Hyatt Place New York Midtown South, and Wyndham Garden Hotel - Times Square, as well as Holiday Inn New York City Midtown - 31st Street (Chesapeake's Lodging Trust's first NYC hotel).

In addition, Dubai Investment Group, part of the larger Dubai Group, is selling the Jumeirah Essex House an art deco building near Central Park.

The hotel company explains that "Jumeirah remains confident in the value it brings as an internationally respected luxury hotel brand and expects that it will continue to manage the hotel after the sale of the property."

As well, InterContinental Hotels Group boss, Richard Solomons, plans to sell the landmark New York Barclay hotel. Simon French at Panmure Gordon notes, "Given the strength of the US hotel market we look for management to reaffirm its commitment to dispose of the InterContinental NY Barclay in 2012."

Indeed, this hotel sale could yield shareholders a $250 million cash return. Generally, investors around the globe have an eye on the robust demand for NYC Hotels as well as the Big Apple's record-breaking tourism statistics. Recently, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and NYC & Company (New York Citys official marketing and tourism organization) announced that the Big Apple had welcomed more visitors in 2011 than suggested by earlier projections.

In fact, last year's NYC tourism figures indicate a record-breaking 50.5 million visitors. Even between December 2011 and January-March 2012, travelers are coming to New York City the number one metropolitan U.S. tourist destination. Hotel occupancy rates increased to 85% by the end of last year. Even during the winter months, corporate groups and leisure guests choose New York City.

For complete OFF-MARKET listings of NYC hotels for sale or to have Domain Properties represent your hotel portfolio, visit http://www.Domain-Properties.com Contact Haim Yagen and get Domain Properties to work for you in one of the most exciting periods in the history of buying and selling hotels in New York City. During 2012, city hotels are expected to match or even exceed the popularity that the industry enjoyed during the previous year. That accomplishment would be an outstanding one for the Big Apple's lodging sector. NYC hotel sales demonstrated a five-year high in 2011 up 148% from 2010 and 524% over 2009.

About Domain Properties:

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Manhattan Hotel Market Report 2012 - NYC Hotel Investments - Developments & Acquisitions by Domain Properties

For immediate release

23 March 2012

Top Level Domain Holdings Limited

("TLDH", the "Company" or "Group")

TLDH to apply for .music

The Directors of Top Level Domain Holdings Limited (AIM:TLDH.L), the only publicly traded company focused exclusively on acquiring and operating new generic top-level domains ("gTLDs"), are pleased to announce that it has signed a joint venture agreement with LHL TLD Investment Partners of Beverly Hills California ("LHL") to apply for the .music top level domain under the gTLD programme being run by the Internet's governing body, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"). ICANN has formally opened the application window under which organisations can apply for the right to own and operate a new generic top level domain.

LHL consists of a number of leading music industry figures including artists, managers, music producers and lawyers. TLDH's wholly owned registry services business, Minds + Machines, will provide back-end registry services and TLDH will co-invest alongside LHL in the joint venture.

Antony Van Couvering, CEO of TLDH, said:

"We're thrilled to be working with leading music artists and professionals. This partnership brings financial weight and industry expertise to the table and confirms the value which we see in .music."

On the 21 February 2012, the Company announced that it had already applied for 40 gTLD Application Slots on behalf of itself and its clients. The Company will be applying for a further batch of Application Slots before the Application Window closes on 12 April 2012.

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Top Level Domain Hdg - TLDH to apply for dot music

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/76c490c9/venture_capital_in) has announced the addition of Frost & Sullivan's new report "Venture Capital Investment Trends in the United States Automotive Industry" to their offering.

This study analyzes venture capital investment trends in the United States automotive market during the past decade. Drivers and restraints for VC funding and factors that are looked for in a company before funding are discussed. How a funded company benefits is also studied. The breakup of the investments by region within the United States and the preferences of the sub-classification within the automotive market among the VC community are provided, as well as the outlook for VC funding.

DRIVERS EXPLAINED

Government Initiatives

A VC's portfolio is highly risky as they invest in companies that are prone to many uncertainties. Government initiatives, suchas tax reductions and subsidies, could help entrepreneurs as well as VCs in reducing their capital expenditure and seeing areturn on their investment sooner. This can drive VC activity.

High Gasoline Prices

VCs are very bullish on investments that would create green environment. Automotives is considered a subcategory of the clean environment sector among many VC investors. Thus, higher crude oil prices creates more need for alternative energy sources in sectors where VCs do heavy investing. There is a positive correlation between VC investments in value and crude oil prices over the years.

Customer Demand

Customers are responsible for driving change. Their preference towards adopting a new technology in the powertrain domain and other sub-classifications, such as telematics, influences VC funding. Also, speed of adoption is important because it helps reduce the payback period. Looking at recent trends, any investment related to technology in powertrain, driver interface (navigation maps, parking assist), and clean energy is expected to get back investment more quickly because of higher demand for these technologies.

Entrepreneurship, Research And Development

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Research and Markets: Venture Capital Investment Trends in the United States Automotive Industry

BOSTON, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Equipos, the leading provider of client communications and reporting solutions for buy-side investment firms, has entered into partnership with HCL Technologies a leading global IT services provider. Under terms of the agreement HCL will deliver and support the Equipos Coric Client Communications Suite globally.

Coric allows client services teams to respond quickly and efficiently to ever-changing reporting requirements, without recourse to IT. It is controlled by client services professionals via a range of easy-to-use dashboards and automated workflow tools. Coric generates premium quality reports, incorporating customized data, charts and personalized commentaries, and delivers them in print, online or via mobile devices.

"HCL and Equipos share a common goal of transforming technology into competitive advantage. Equipos brings domain expertise in investment management, financial reporting and client communications, while HCL brings extended reach, integrated offerings and system integration expertise. The partnership will help wealth and asset managers with extensive global communications and engagement management requirements to increase efficiency and enrich client experience," said Rahul Singh, President Financial Services & Business Services, HCL Technologies.

Dominic Ryan, Head of Sales, EMEA and Asia Pacific at Equipos, commented: "Equipos is proud to join HCL's impressive list of world-class partners. Both companies have an established presence in the global financial services sector and clients will benefit not only from our complementary middle and back-office solutions, but from our best practice approach. This partnership with HCL will ensure consistent, high quality delivery and support for Coric clients."

About HCL Technologies

HCL Technologies is a leading global IT services company, working with clients in the areas that impact and redefine the core of their businesses. Since its inception into the global landscape after its IPO in 1999, HCL focuses on 'transformational outsourcing', underlined by innovation and value creation, and offers integrated portfolio of services including software-led IT solutions, remote infrastructure management, engineering and R&D services and BPO. HCL leverages its extensive global offshore infrastructure and network of offices in 26 countries to provide holistic, multi-service delivery in key industry verticals including Financial Services, Manufacturing, Consumer Services, Public Services and Healthcare. HCL takes pride in its philosophy of 'Employee First, Customer Second' which empowers our 83,076 transformers to create a real value for the customers. HCL Technologies, along with its subsidiaries, has reported consolidated revenues of US$3.9 billion (18,334 crores), as on 31 December 2011 (on LTM basis). For more information, please visit http://www.hcltech.com

About HCL Enterprise

HCL is a $6billion leading global technology and IT enterprise. Founded in 1976, HCL's range of offerings includes product engineering, custom & package applications, BPO, IT infrastructure services, IT hardware, systems integration, and distribution of information and communications technology (ICT) products across a wide range of focused industry verticals. The HCL team consists of over 90,000 professionals of diverse nationalities, who operate from 31 countries including over 500 points of presence in India. HCL has partnerships with several leading global 1000 firms, including leading IT and technology firms. For more information, please visit http://www.hcl.com

About Equipos

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Equipos and HCL Forge Award-Winning Global Client Reporting Partnership

The board of directors of internet overseer ICANN is said to be fuming after its ethics were called into question by the organisation's outgoing president and CEO.

Rod Beckstrom, who is set to the leave the domain name policy group in July, took to the stage at ICANN's public meeting here in San Jose, Costa Rica on Monday to criticise what he called the "tangle of conflicting agendas" on the board.

ICANN must be able to act for the public good while placing commercial and financial interests in the appropriate context, he said. How can it do this if all top leadership is from the very domain name industry it is supposed to coordinate independently?

There is value in having community members with domain name industry experience but it is equally valuable to avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest, he said.

The address came a few weeks after an ICANN board meeting at which seven of its 16 directors, including the chair and vice-chair, acknowledged conflicts of interest relating to ICANN's new generic top-level domains initiative, which promises to create hundreds of new domain suffixes.

Chair Steve Crocker runs the consulting firm Shinkuro, which has a silent investment from domain name registry provider Afilias. Vice-chair Bruce Tonkin, meanwhile, is a senior executive with Melbourne IT, an Australian company that expects to help over 100 clients apply for new gTLDs.

All seven conflicted directors excused themselves from voting on or discussing new gTLDs, in adherence to new ethics rules approved by ICANN in December.

Beckstrom first raised conflicts of interest as a problem facing ICANN at its meeting in Singapore last June, just a few days before the organisation approved the new gTLD programme.

The programme enables any company to apply to run their own right-of-the-dot domain name either generic terms such as .web or .blog, geographic names such as .london, or branded extensions such as .canon and .hitachi.

The then-chair of ICANN, Kiwi trademark lawyer Peter Dengate Thrush, left the organisation shortly after the Singapore meeting to take on the well-paid executive chairman position at Top Level Domain Holdings, a start-up with big plans to apply for dozens of new gTLDs.

Original post:
ICANN prez calls out own board over conflicts of interest