Tagged With "Hotels"
Comment
Re: Campaigners ask: Can the QE2 be saved?
A sad story, but not unusual. People get attached to ships, maybe why they're called "she" instead of "it". My son was in the Navy, on the magnificent aircraft carrier USS Ranger, CV61, one of several of that name, the first in 1777, commanded by John Paul Jones. The end of his tour was also Ranger's last, after a voyage to the Persian Gulf for a goodbye battle. Retired just afterward (1993) and stored in Bremerton, WA, I read yesterday that as I write this, Ranger is sailing under tow...
Comment
Re: Campaigners ask: Can the QE2 be saved?
I read some years ago of extensive ship-breaking on the Bangladesh coast, where labor is cheap and regulations scanty...an immense amount of dangerous work, but because the labor is cheap, the scrap profits are high, or higher than they would be if the cost of recovery were high. Which leads me to wonder: what would be the economic value of that long tow to Brownsville as opposed to scrapping the ship on the West Coast? Ideas, anyone?
Comment
Re: Campaigners ask: Can the QE2 be saved?
There must certainly be profit to the company, International Shipbreaking, that was paid 1 penny US by the Navy to tow Ranger to Texas where they do the work and, presumably, don't do in WA. I toured Ranger but, even so, it's hard to comprehend the size of a ship where 6,000 men (and a few women) work and live, plus 2 decks for airplanes. Lots of steel there, lots of razor blades. I saw an amazing piece, probably on 60 Minutes, about the place in Bangladesh where the work you mention is done...
Comment
Re: World's largest hotel to open in 2017
I know it sounds like sour grapes, but anyway: after experiencing big-hotel check-in at Las Vegas, I don't want to go to this one anyway.
Comment
Re: World's largest hotel to open in 2017
Last night I had what seemed like a very long dream, hanging out with Joan Rivers. Not that it wasn't fun, but I'm as likely to think about staying in a hotel of this size anywhere as it is likely for that dream to come true.
Comment
Re: Islamic State opens 5-star hotel...do you have reservations about that?
Thanks, but I'll pass on staying at this one. So should anyone who is Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, gay, female, or the "wrong" type of Muslim.
Reply
Re: Hotel Rewards Programs. Worthwhile or not?
Hi Doc Over the years it seems I've joined so many of these programs, but I really don't travel enough on business and I tend to use airline reward credit cards...I guess I have gotten free nights before with Hilton and Starwood.
Reply
Re: Hotel Rewards Programs. Worthwhile or not?
The main usefulness that I have found for these loyalty programs is not the tangible rewards. The staff just seems to be more attentive and accommodating when they see that I am a regular with their company. There have been times when the extra attention has made a big difference in an otherwise harried trip.
Reply
Re: Hotel Rewards Programs. Worthwhile or not?
I'm a Holiday Inn Express or La Quinta member. On my most recent road trip, I did get upgraded at the HIE for being a member. The free nights are always great too and that's the main goal. I've used many La Quinta free nights when I do workshops out of town. With HIE, I usually use the points for a discounted rate in expensive areas, like Sonoma or Paso Robles - wherever a vineyard may be!
Reply
Re: Hotel Rewards Programs. Worthwhile or not?
That's what I do, too, SayMoi. I think it's a good plan. Use my rewards for expensive cities. Pay in lower priced cities and built up more points there. It is nice to get little upgrades and free nights for being a member of a program. Plus I like having a place of consistent quality I can count on. I like knowing what kind of room I'm going to get.
Reply
Re: Hotel Rewards Programs. Worthwhile or not?
Using the points for the expensive properties works well. We have stayed at the Marriott very close to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It was a treat just to see the Leidesplein and Vondlepark from our room . We have used points to stay at the Hotel George V in Paris, just around the corner from Champs-Élysées . Why stay extra nights in Des Moines when you can be in Paris ? Not knocking Des Moines - but, hey, Des Moinesians would go to Paris, too.
Reply
Re: Hotel Rewards Programs. Worthwhile or not?
I've heard that in the US, the favorite destinations for people to use their rewards for free rooms are (drumroll.......)...............1) New York City..........2) Maui. No big surprises there.
Reply
Re: Hotel Rewards Programs. Worthwhile or not?
Interesting to see this many people actually using hotel rewards programs for...hotels! I always looked for ones whose points could be traded for airline miles...not as easy as it used to be!
Reply
Re: Hotel Rewards Programs. Worthwhile or not?
We have used the points for hotels from time to time. We did not really want to use them for hotels, but it seemed complicated to do anything "out of the system".
Comment
Re: Hotel-Malls; Shop 'til You Drop
It's hard for me to imagine liking shopping that much. To the point I can't leave the mall and have dinner and a night's sleep somewhere else. But to each his own. It must meet a consumer demand in that market, so more power to them!
Reply
Re: Hotel Rewards Programs. Worthwhile or not?
I like the Holiday Inn Express hotels. And I'll go out of my way to stay there when I can.
Reply
Re: Experience with hotel bidding sites?
Hotwire.com has a generic "star rating" hotel, unknown to you as to which brand and exact location, at discounted prices. I've use them a few times and been satisfied with the results. For example, I got 4 star rooms in downtown Montreal for less than eighty dollars a night, probably a quarter or less of their rack rate. Generally I do like to know where I'm staying, but good luck. Let us know how this works out for you.
Comment
Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, November 11, 2014: Hotel Tadoussac, Quebec
What a charming and colourful Hotel DrF ! Reminds me - again - of some of the vast distances you travel in Canada. My Canadian cousin drives 200 miles for a night at the Theatre ! And 200 back ! Did you venture into the hotel for a few photos ? And definitely worth a few snaps in the snow. 200 miles in most directions and I'd be swimming around the UK.
Comment
Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, November 11, 2014: Hotel Tadoussac, Quebec
It is a great place, Garry, and no, I didn't get inside (was traveling with my then younger children who weren't interested in going in, much to my regret). But I expect the lobby will be every bit as appealing as the exterior. And I'm not sure looking at those white walls in the snow wouldn't blind you.....
Comment
Re: Paris Looking Down: A View from the Eiffel
Great pics. We were there this past August and were very impressed with the Eiffel Tower. It was truly fantastic accomplishment and the views are spectacular. The day we were there we had pre-purchased our tickets online, but did not use them. The morning of our scheduled day it was pouring down rain and we were tired, so we stayed in bed. Later in the morning the skies cleared and we went over to the tower. Since we missed our time we had to purchase another two tickets. it was still worth...
Comment
Re: Paris Looking Down: A View from the Eiffel
Thanks, Pheymont. Even we who imagine we know the city have gotten a whole new perspective. Point of view is everything! And, having been up the tower once long ago, I'm again struck by how much higher it seems looking down than it appears from the below or from a distance.
Comment
Re: Paris Looking Down: A View from the Eiffel
Thanks! Certainly true also about how different it can appear at different angles from below, as in Dr. Fumblefinger's blog here the other day!
Comment
Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, April 12, 2014: Mokelumne Hill, California
I find stories of Gold Rushes to be absolutely fascinating! One that always gripped me was the Klondike Goldrush in the late 1800s. This was the last major one because after this telegraph and eventually phone lines change the world by providing more accurate information in a timely way, but in the late 1800s, everything was still word of mouth. It was at a time when stories of gold made 100s of thousands of people give up their lives, sell everything they owned, and head out to get their...
Comment
Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, April 12, 2014: Mokelumne Hill, California
My gg grandfather was a 49er, headed west with his brother and cousin, then returned by ship, Panama and Cuba, to Missouri where they farmed and eventually supplied the army at Ft. Bridger in Wyoming as well as working as guides on the Oregon Trail. It was the next generation, my grandparents and g.grandparents that settled for good in California. So the stories of The West have always been the lore of our family. More places in the coming weeks.
Comment
Re: Pancakes, Bacon & WiFi: what travelers want
I'm not very surprised that free breakfast and free wifi are important to travelers. Given a choice, I'd rather have the wifi than breakfast. I use my computer a lot and the freedom wifi gives me to go about my business is critical to my travels. I don't book rooms that lack wifi anymore.
Blog Post
What changes in European hotel booking could mean to you...
You may soon have a real reason to use a "metasearch" site such as Kayak or Travago to find your European hotel room, rather than an actual booking site such as Booking.com or Expedia. Up to now, almost all prices have been the same; that may be about...
Blog Post
Going to Jukkasjärvi? There's a VERY cool new hotel there.
In fact, what's just opened in this Swedish town is the 25th annual seasonal ice-hotel, crafted fro hundreds of tons of ice and snow, to accommodate 16 suites. The designs, different for each room, come from 42 artists from around the world. For...
Blog Post
Hotels.com: Most mobile bookings are last-minute
Hotels.com, one of the leading on-line bookers, reports that over 60% of its mobile app users are booking same-day. It also reports that mobile app users tend to shorter stays than traditional customers. CLICK HERE for more.
Blog Post
Gumbo's Pic of the Day, March 30, 2015: Mission Inn, Riverside
In many respects, Riverside, California, is a forgettable city -- one of dozens you drive by on the freeways of the sunny Southland. Besides its university, it does have one interesting landmark, known for its beautiful Spanish...
Blog Post
AirBnB continues its growth spurt
AirBnB continues its impressive growth. It is estimated that AirBnB will, in time, surpass hotel reservations. This might not be in the distant future, as AirBnB bookings are expected to exceed those of even the large hotel chains in the...
Blog Post
Marriott, Hotel Lobby, drop request to allow WiFi jamming
Marriott, which last year was fined $600,000 for blocking private WiFi hotspots at a convention hotel (forcing participants to pay up to $1000 for hotel service) has withdrawn from a petition it started (along with the American Hotel and Lodging...
Blog Post
South Beach Miami - A walk through Art Deco History
South Miami Beach is probably one of the most photographed cities in the United States. It is home to what may be the densest collection of art deco architecture in the United States. It is hard to find something new to say, in fact, when I...
Blog Post
Most hoteliers still ignoring the AirBnB threat to their business
Seems the folks who run hotels in large cities still aren't too worried about AirBnB -- but maybe they should be. AirBnB, which has experienced enviable growth and market penetration these past few years, doesn't concern those who run hotels in...
Blog Post
Skyscraper hotel planned for Swiss valley
A 100-suite luxury hotel, the same height as the Empire State Building, is planned for a tiny Swiss town of only 1000 residents. Room rates would run from just under $1000 a night to nearly $25,000 a night. It's aimed at (VERY) wealthy guests from the...
Blog Post
Marriott on track to reduce water consumption by 2020
Marriott hotels has set a corporate goal to reduce it's water consumption significantly. Year 2014 over 2013 saw the giant hotelier reduce water use by 5.3%, and 16% since 2007. The company set a target in 2007 to reduce its water...
Blog Post
How big is the hotel booking business? Now you know!
Sometimes numbers get so big they're hard to visualize or believe, and here's one of those numbers: During the first three months of 2015, booking.com handled 106,400,000 hotel room nights. That's right...over 100 million....
Blog Post
Sticky-fingered guests' favorite hotel "gifts"
Many travelers bring home souvenirs of the cities they've visited, and some bring home souvenirs of their hotels as well. And sometimes it's not the little shampoo bottles, either! Hotels.com, an Expedia subsidiary, recently surveyed 4700...
Blog Post
When do we want it? Now! What do we want? Read on...
But does it have WiFi? A new survey tells us that WiFi is holding its place as the #1 desired hotel amenity—but not as many people listed it as #1 as last year. Breakfast held #2. And almost nobody cares about the mini-bar with its...
Blog Post
Booking.com's new venture: services for hotels
Booking.com's new plan: work both sides of the front desk at hotels. Photo: Wikimedia / opera cadet Booking.com, possibly the biggest busiest on-line hotel booking site, is trying out a venture on the other side: Their...
Blog Post
Islamic State opens 5-star hotel...do you have reservations about that?
The 5-star Ninawa Hotel in Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, has been re-opened by Islamic State officials. The city was seized by ISIS last year. The hotel, which had great TripAdvisor reviews before that, is not for the average traveler. It's...
Blog Post
Gumbo's Pic of the Day, March 14, 2015: Taplow House Hotel
Taplow House is a rambling Edwardian English country house hotel on the outskirts of the village of Taplow, not far from Windsor, across the Thames from Maidenhead. I’ve stayed there twice, at the end of one segment of the Thames...
Blog Post
JetBlue's boutique hotel: Sorry! No vacancy for you!
JetBlue, which has its training center ("JetBlue University") in Orlando, along with some operations and maintenance centers, has now opened its own 196-room boutique hotel with all the amenities, from pool to gym to good food. But it's not...
Topic
Unusual Hotel Rooms
There's millions of hotel rooms around the world and most are fairly standard. Bed of varying size and comfort, bathroom with show/tub combo, maybe a desk, maybe a comfortable chair in which to sit. Most rooms just differ by their size and...
Blog Post
Marriott to offer free wi-fi to all its Rewards member
Marriott is breaking the old internet template used by many hotel chains. Lower priced hotels, including lower end Marriott properties (eg. Fairfield Inn, Courtyard) have offered free wi-fi for some time. Upper end Marriott properties have...
Topic
October - A perfect month to explore Udaipur and nearby sites
Udaipur, which is also known as the lake city of India, is a beautiful and romantic tourist destination, in the state of Rajasthan (INDIA). Udaipur has been the home of the Mewar Kingdom, which has built a strong empire from 11th to 20th century and has not surrender to major empires in India like the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal, etc. Now as said in the title, October is the best month for a couple (or family traveler) to explore Udaipur, as the weather is quite good (not hot or too cold). And...
Topic
4 Best Riverside Hotels in Varanasi
As Varanasi is listed among the most visited cities in our country, it is obvious that the city is boasted with some of the best hotels in India. Here we have brought to you the list of 4 best hotels in Varanasi near Ganga River . Scroll down and make your sojourn more divine. 1. Kedareswar Bed and Breakfast Kedareswar Bed and Breakfast Kedareswar Bed and Breakfast is one of the most loved and adored property of the country. This is actually a real gem that come under the moderate price with...
Topic
Know Everything About Goa Travel Information
Why Goa? India is one of the countries which have always fascinated different countries. Some invade it while some ruled it. Some brought blunders to this heritage country while some others made such wonders which made their names immortal with their works. The state of Goa is part of India and is situated at the west coast of the country. The state is rich with the Portuguese’s culture, heritage and history. Goa and the Tourism Goa is listed among the best tourist destinations in India.
Blog Post
The Painted Lady, Reidsville, GA
Travel Rob travels to Reidsville, Georgia to show you Georgia Folk Victorian Architecture