Hilton Hotels Corporation named Pablo Torres general manager of the 288-guestroom British Colonial Hilton Nassau –downtown Nassau’s only hotel with a secluded beach. He most recently served as director of operations at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he also began his hospitality career.

The Buddha-Bar, well known around the world for its unique blend of dining and entertainment, is slated to open its first hotel in Panama in 2010. The Buddha-Bar Hotel & Spa Panama arrives in collaboration with developer, The Revat Group.

Travel agents are now able to further help their clients who are traveling to Las Vegas. ShowsLasVegas.com, an online resource for discount tickets to Las Vegas shows, events, and tours, was recently launched in preparation for the 2009 travel season.

Sebastian Barcelo Oliver, cofounder of the Spanish company that owns Barcelo Hotels & Resorts, died May 2 in Palma de Majorca, Spain. He was 79.

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism closed its Atlanta sales office this week as part of a cost-savings move toward making all U.S. offices virtual.

In the past week, airport officials in Mexico have invested nearly a half a million dollars in purchasing thermal imagers (infrared cameras) from Fluke Corporation, a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, to help them screen people for H1N1 influenza A, or swine flu.