Recession-fed tensions grow in luxury hotel industry | latimes.com

At the tranquil Four Seasons Resort Aviara north of San Diego, a heated struggle for control of the deluxe hotel's future is playing out in a rare public spat. The increasingly nasty tussle at the Carlsbad resort is indicative of tensions throughout the higher end of the hotel industry, as travelers cut way back on spendingAt issue is the very definition of luxury. The real estate investors who own the hotel say Four Seasons, which manages the property, is spending too much money keeping up appearances. They want to eject the fancy hotelier and bring in an operator they control.