By: Andrew Clark

The US-based hospitality company Starwood has accused its rival Hilton of a "massive" case of industrial espionage through the alleged theft of more than 100,000 electronic files containing sensitive information about its luxurious W hotel chain.

Starwood claims that California-based Hilton has been under intense pressure for improved profits since it was bought by the private equity company Blackstone for $20bn in 2007.

Since going private, Hilton has hired 10 managers and executives from Starwood, which owns brands such as Sheraton, Westin and Le Meridien. According to a lawsuit filed by Starwood, two of these executives brought with them a vast store of trade secrets which Hilton used to develop a newly launched concept, Denizen Hotels.

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