TSA brings back secondary screening at gate

By Joe Brancatelli

Boy, we sure could live without this: Just when you thought
it might be safe to go back to the airport, the Transportation Security
Administration has gone back to the future and revived one of its
least-liked practices. The TSA has reintroduced secondary screening at
the gate. The program appears to be selective rather than nationwide —
"These checks are not announced in advance and can occur at any gate,
at any time," the TSA thundered on its Web site — and not in response
to any particular security threat. … The Inspector General of the
Homeland Security Department says that low morale among front-line
screeners may be compromising security. The 29-page report from
Inspector General Richard Skinner says screeners are frustrated and
distracted and TSA efforts to address the problems have been
inadequate. The TSA wasn’t pleased to hear this. It claimed that
Skinner’s report had "flawed conclusions." … The TSA has adjusted its
policy for members of Clear and other registered traveler programs. Once RT members exit their proprietary lanes, they may
proceed directly to the tables where travelers are removing shoes and
laptops. RT members can no longer jump that line and go direct to the
X-ray machines and magnetometers.

HOTEL HOT SHEET

In Toledo, another contender for the King of Velcro: You have
surely heard the term "Velcro Hotel," a reference to lodgings that
constantly change their chain affiliation. The brand signs on the
buildings, say hotel wags, change so frequently that they are affixed
with Velcro. Amongthe current contenders for the title of the King of
Velcro are the current Hotel Pennsylvania in New York and the
InterContinental Kansas City. Both hotels have had myriad brand names over
the years. Two up-and-comers: the current LaQuinta in Stamford,
Connecticut, and a Marriott on Sutter Street in San Francisco, both of
which have had at least five names each. Now the latest challenger: The
14-story hotel on Summit Street in Toledo, Ohio. The property opened in
1985 as a Sofitel. Three years later, it became the Marriott Portside.
In 1994, it became the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, then shed the Holiday
Inn name when Crowne Plaza became a separate brand. Four years later,
it became a Wyndham. In 2005, the building was sold and the 241-room
hotel was renamed the Toledo Riverfront. A new owner purchased the
building 15 months ago for $7.5 million and hired a new management
company. This month, after $6 million of renovations, the hotel became
the Crowne Plaza Toledo.