Easy…because Hugo was pissed…
Chavez was pissed off, because he had to ask for “permission” from its rightful owners (Audio here), to hold his Dictators Summit there…
In his own Dictatorial words:
“They took possession of assets like these (Read: They built it! I have no clue how to build anything, have been trying for 11 years) and they continue to earn money there from tourism and all that (Casinos!) and they try to place conditions on the revolutionary Government (Reservations? What are you talking about? Profits? Humbug!) I do not accept it! (I am a Dictator, therefore I have temper tantrums) Then I said, let’s expropriate and there it is: Expropriated. (Jeje I am powerful, no?). And I am going to change it’s name (Hugo Chavez sounds prentetious, but I can resuscitate some unknown patriot or even my grandpa, maybe Fidel or how about my horse?)
There you have it, straight from his neurons to his tongue…Hugo, the Dictator!
(Just imagine the same mental process: “Put Cedeño in jail, I like that woman, how can she be his girlfriend?”)
The Devil's Excrement 
October 20, 2009 at 11:26 am
Now thats realy strange – good luck that you find some coffee!
Guess I would die without 😉
October 20, 2009 at 5:10 am
Hans-
Plenty of meat, milk, and TP here, just no coffee. A friend is going to Caracas tomorrow; I’ll ask him to bring back some coffee if it is available there.
Michael
October 20, 2009 at 4:36 am
@m_astera thats realy bad. I was talking about the mainland.
Had been to supermarkets in Maracay, Tucacas and Ocumare. There all seems to be fine with the supply of coffee, toilettpaper, meat, dry milk.
Dont you have someone on the mainland to send it over to you?
All the best H.
October 19, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Hans, please tell me where on Margarita the stores have coffee? I have been to Central Madeirense, Unicasa, and Rattan. Nothing but instant coffee for about six weeks now, and running low on that.
October 18, 2009 at 12:27 pm
@m_astera you´re right that everything C´s touch turn into s…t.
I am just back to Germany after some weeks in Vzla. I saw coffee in every supermarket (Margarita, Ocumare, Tucacas) and I also noticed that the shelves where (surprise) full of all kind of things.
I remember last year – missing sugar, meat, toiletpaper but for, what I saw, Chavismo learnt his lection – at least now before X-mas…
Greetings from the bloody cold Germany
Hans
October 18, 2009 at 9:39 am
Condor is largely controled by the CIA/Mossad/Edidie Haskell so that comes as no surprise.
October 17, 2009 at 7:31 am
The German carriert Condor will stop flights to Margarita also or at least reduce it to 1 flight a week, the decision is pending ……
October 16, 2009 at 11:17 am
The Hilton is not far from where I live; I’m over in that area quite a bit, so it will be easy for me to keep an eye on the changes.
Worth mentioning is that there is a large new shopping mall, La Vela, just getting ready to open on Ave. Bolivar one block from the Hilton. No doubt they were counting on proximity to a great five-star hotel for some cache and some business. Wonder what La Vela’s owners, investors, and those who have rented space there are thinking now?
There is still no coffee on the store shelves; hasn’t been since two weeks after the coffee roasters were “nationalized”. Has anyone else noticed that everything the C’s touch turns to s**t?
October 16, 2009 at 9:22 am
“Atlas Shrugged”….the sooner you let the leeches have their way (with everything), the sooner the entire disaster will tumble down. Then you – the producers – can return and rebuild.
The current plan – death by a thousand cuts – is indeed MORE painful and much longer lasting – see Cuba, 1959 – present.
October 16, 2009 at 2:46 am
Frame, He also stated that the lease was up. It would be interesting to know if this is true, and that this was Chavez’ way of getting in some points to start the campaign.
October 15, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Imagine the drug monies that can be laundered thru the “State Run” casino!
October 15, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Venezuela’s Minister of Tourism, Pedro Morejon, on Wednesday said the Hilton and its facilities were in an “advanced state of disrepair” and that the government would refurbish them
Too funny! Chavez tried making reservations at a supposed “run down” hotel. Next time, he might consider bringing his own tent (sound familiar?)
October 15, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Iranians will now have a place to relax. I bet Aminajad took a liking to the hotel when he visited. Chavez will now give it to him.
How many embassies in the World have 482 bedrooms with spas, pools, restaurants, etc?
October 15, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Hey – let’s take over a forward thinking country, rich with oil, rich with heritage built by European advanced technology, and drag it back to the stone age like Zimbabwe or Libya. Maybe we can even get further back like Iran and the Middle East. Let’s put the gold into some secret accounts in Switzerland and let the peasants fight for their lives. Hey, lets ban golf courses, ‘cos chavvy can’t play, no talent, so nobody else should…
Bet he’s got lots of tatoos, most chavvys in the UK have…
October 15, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Unfortunately for Venezuela’s tourism, there are a lot more places in the Caribbean (including Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Puerto Rico and other islands) where it is cheaper to fly and stay, security is much better, beaches are just as spectacular and even better maintained and “gringos” are actually welcomed. Because of the economic recession, travel for Americans have gone down (just like everywhere else). Even though we have a house in the Litoral Central, my children prefer to go to Puerto Rico (where one of them has an apartment) or Costa Rica because of the reasons above.
October 15, 2009 at 1:19 pm
This is also occurring at a time when tourism to Margarita is at an all time low. We have lost direct flights from Holland & England that kept many of these hotels in the black. The nationals only come for short periods in temporada alta (Christmas, August). The rest of the year we are dependent on foreign tourism which, lately, is very scarce.
The Hilton was a favourite haunt for the Yankees however if my experience is any indication tourists from the US have dropped 50/60% or more.
What’s going to happen if there is not enough income to cover all the expenses? It’s not like the old days (2 years ago) when they was tons of money to cover up inefficiencies.
It’s going to be an interesting 2010.
October 15, 2009 at 12:54 pm
They do not understand what happens. They see a thriving, profitable business and so they take it over. Soon the building is in shambles and unmaintained, debts are piling up… must be some kind of conspiracy.
October 15, 2009 at 12:15 pm
they engineered takover of Barquisimeto Hilton … Margarita’s fate is in the hands of those tasked with running it … if it goes to testaferros it survives relatively unscathed … if it goes to government agency then it’ll bust.
Are the former owners getting compensated? The Bolivarians have been paying a lot of money buying banks, hotels, insurance co’s, media, telco, logistics, and the list goes on….
October 15, 2009 at 11:22 am
Surprise! so we find “bitterness” drives decisions in Venezuela? In other words, the government says “you either accommodate me or suffer the consequences of my wrath”.
It is indeed tragic.
BTW, the story was picked-up by the wires. See:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jc-YeSwTAuh-5vkd0uPA7v2Eu4Ow
October 15, 2009 at 9:41 am
Kepler, I think the management was so embarrassed by the state of this 5 star (??) hotel that they ordered the employees not to admit that it was being run by Chavismo.
October 15, 2009 at 9:22 am
canuck ,
What do you mean they were not allowed to say who owns the hotel now?
That sounds like a joke…OK, I suppose it is just Venezuela.
I feel so alienated…just to think there are still several million fools who support this regime…
October 15, 2009 at 9:13 am
I heard when Chavez got the bill for his DIctators Summit, he decided not to pay it and take over the hotel…
Is it true that the new management team is compliments of Hezbolla????
October 15, 2009 at 8:55 am
We stayed in the Hotel Rasil in PLC last year. It is a hotel that was taken over by Fondene – read Chavez government.
Believe me – it was a disaster. Nothing worked. There were hand prints all over the entrance doors that looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. The elevators didn’t work. There were no bath mats in the bathroom & I almost killed myself getting out of the tub. I went to the front desk & they gave me one from a small supply behind the counter however the next day after the maid cleanup it had disappeared.
Time has dulled some of my memories however when I went to the counter to complain I asked if this was a Fondene hotel & the desk clerk said they were not allowed to say. LOL
The same fate awaits the Hilton Margarita. Forget this hotel as a viable tourist destination for the future. it will be used solely for missions & Cuban guests.
October 15, 2009 at 8:10 am
I know that it’s difficult for the Chavista government to construct new buildings or rehabilitate ones that have been devastated by natural disaster or lack of maintenance. However, instead of taking over an obviously thriving hotel which already contributes to Margarita’s tourist attraction, why not save the hotel complexes (Melia, etc) in Vargas, improve the security concerns of the people who go there, improve the tourism in that state and create employment for thousands of unemployed Varguenses?
But then, that is just too easy; it’s better to take over already thriving businesses and run them to the ground rather than build up the run-down ones!!!
October 15, 2009 at 7:46 am
So the Cedeño affair is all about a woman? That’s just sad.
October 15, 2009 at 7:00 am
Living in Margarita,it is always reassuring to see names like Hilton around. Today is a very sad and disturbing day.We were hoping the Thug would keep out of margarita…
October 14, 2009 at 10:06 pm
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