No updated information has come from the Best Western “greatest cyber-heist in world history” report, which has me thinking the membership organization’s number of 10 customers affected is a lot closer to reality than the Scottish newspaper’s number of eight million.

The original story seemed so sensational, and somewhat vague, I was half expecting to see Sean Connery as the front-desk clerk/secret operative in a major motion picture coming to theatres near you.

Who knows what actually happened, but it’s a scary thought that something like that is even possible. Even if the number is only 10, that’s little consolation to those affected.

It just goes to show how important it is for companies—and individuals—to protect their private information.

I only had the privilege of meeting Steve Porter once, but the chief of IHG’s Americas region made quite a first impression. It was easy to see why the man was so well-liked, and so successful in this industry.

I was in Atlanta in mid-June to take part in the company’s extended-stay owner certification class for an upcoming story. Porter popped into the conference room to welcome the 40 or so newer owners and developers, giving them a brief pep talk about Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites and then taking questions. As he entered the room he chatted with a couple owners he clearly knew, by name, before settling into the front of the room.

The next day I attended a company celebration to honor the first Staybridge Suites opening outside the Americas. By chance I ended up next to Porter and together we entered the large room decorated with balloons and banners. Porter quietly moved through the room, comfortably chatting with a handful of the 200 or so IHG employees at the event.

Despite being the head of one of the biggest lodging companies in this country, Porter looked and sounded like everyone else in that room. You wouldn’t have known he was the one with the really big office on the top floor of IHG’s U.S. headquarters.

When I got the chance to sit down in that office with Porter later that day, the conversation wasn’t about him or the company. He wanted to know if the class and story pitch had lived up to its billing. Was it what I expected? What I wanted? Did I get everything I needed? He then suggested a couple topics he’d like to see covered by the hotel trade publications.

The conversation soon drifted to Ohio, the state he loved and the one I’m also from, and the Buckeyes. The Miami of Ohio grad was a huge fan of the Scarlet and Gray and couldn’t wait for the upcoming OSU-USC football matchup. He said he wasn’t going to attend the game because of business obligations, but I’d like to think he’ll be watching—and cheering—from above when the game kicks off in September.

I wish we’d get the chance to work together again, but I’m glad I got to know him, albeit briefly. To better know Steve Porter, check out the wonderful website IHG created to honor him.

A recent New York Post story suggested the Brooklyn hotel boom was going bust. Industry experts, including Sean Hennessey, CEO of Lodging Advisors, indicated more than half the 5,000 hotel rooms once planned for the borough may never come to fruition—at least not in the near future.

The borough currently has around 1,200 hotel rooms, the story said, with about half of those at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. Whether the rest of the planned hotels ever see the light of day, the Marriott has continued to thrive. The hotel just celebrated its 10th anniversary at the end of July, marking a decade of grand success at a project that took nearly 15 years to complete and earned developer Joshua Muss some strange looks as he persevered through delays and doubts.

The hotel, the first and only full-service hotel in Brooklyn, doubled its room inventory to 667 when a 24-story expansion tower was added in 2006. Occupancy rates, General Manager Sam Ibrahim told me earlier this year for the May 15 cover story, have remained around 85 percent through the years. Hennessey, in the recent New York Post story, said occupancy is at 80 to 85 percent in the borough despite the struggling economy.

Projects may be slowed and some even halted in the short term, but I have to think the prospects for hotel development in Brooklyn remain strong when the financial markets rebound. A little more than a stone’s throw from Manhattan, the borough is a viable—and potentially cheaper—option for those working on Wall St. or visiting the Statue of Liberty. Plus Brooklyn offers its own unique history, culture and vibe.

Until recently, there hadn’t been much of substance from either presidential candidate that made me feel as though either of them give a hoot about the tourism business. But then last week, Sen. Barack Obama was quoted in the Orlando Sentinel that he’s “willing to consider a publicly subsidized national advertising campaign” aimed at luring more overseas tourists to the U.S. The caveat—and it’s a reasonable one—is that the campaign must be able to demonstrate results.

Of course, presidential candidates will say just about anything to anyone to secure a vote, but with Obama on the record on this topic, it’s important that anybody and everybody in the broad hospitality industry challenge him and his campaign—as well as John McCain’s campaign—on this topic at every possible opportunity. If you’re an entrepreneur or a hotel GM, both parties have probably been knocking at your door looking for support for their candidate. The next time you’re contacted by either the Obama or McCain campaign, be sure to bring up this topic, as well as other hot-button issues facing our industry, e.g., immigration reform, card check legislation and more.

We only get a chance to influence the direction of the country once every four years, so it’s important that we do what we can to steer candidates in our direction.

I see my colleague Eric Stoessel made his blog debut today. I wish him well in his new position as managing editor. I also welcome Patrick Mahoney, the new associate editor, who starts Monday.

This is my day to say farewell, though it’s not my swan song. I’m leaving my job as Features Editor after nearly 19 years with Lodging Hospitality. It’s been a great job and I hope to continue contributing to LH from time to time. The magazine has been very good to me and I love the hotel industry, so full of character, color and personality.

Since I began writing about it more than 20 years ago, lodging has become much more dynamic and exciting. It can only grow more so as it becomes ever more global, its content ever richer.

But for me, it’s time to move on, to spend more time with my family and, perhaps, develop other kinds of outlets. I look forward to new kinds of relationships with my many friends in the lodging industry. I thank Ed Watkins, my long-time editor and one of the best collaborators I’ve ever had, for his support, and wish all of the LH staff my very best. May the magazine continue to evolve and excel. In case you want to reach me, the address is carlo.wolff@gmail.com. Be well.

Consider this my first official at-bat, my debut post here in this forum. For those of you I haven’t met or spoken to yet, I started with Lodging Hospitality in November after working as a sports editor for a small daily paper in Ohio (hence the lame sports cliché).

I handle putting together the LH eReport every two weeks and posting editorial content to lhonline.com, so I thought it might be wise to introduce myself to you, our online reader. I’ll also be making an appearance in this space when the mood strikes, blogging about our fine industry.

I can’t say I’m an expert on it yet—is that even possible?—but I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know everyone and learning about lodging. As I’ve told anyone that’s asked, and a few people that haven’t, this industry is a blast to cover. Not surprisingly, most hoteliers are pretty outgoing and hospitable people; and with as many different companies, brands and owners out there, there really aren’t too many trade secrets. Put it this way, you’re a lot less guarded than that high school football coach who wouldn’t return my calls or tell me about his revolutionary Wing-T offense for fear that I might give away his secrets.

OK, that’s the last reference to sports, I promise. I welcome any and all comments, critiques and suggestions on ways we can improve either this newsletter or our new website. Both have immensely improved in the past few months, but tweaks and upgrades will continue until we have them perfected. Input from you is invaluable, so please feel free to email me anytime at eric.stoessel@penton.com. I also handle the design beat for the magazine, so send any news or ideas on that front to me as well.

I look forward to hearing from you.