Jatropha Plant

The jatropha plant originated in the Caribbean. It was spread as a valuable hedge plant to Africa and Asia by Portuguese traders. The jatropha plant bears separate male and female flowers which contains compounds that are very toxic. The plant is resistant to drought and pests and produces seeds containing 40% oil.

Why is this important to the travel industry? Click here for details.

Tension In the Friendly Skies

Today in USA TODAY Snapshots section, the following poll results were published from TripAdvisor.com:

Types of people adults say are the most annoying to fellow air travelers. Those who...

Let their kids run around: 59%
Thrust back their seats during meals: 46%
Insist on chatting: 45%
Smell of strong perfume/cologne: 39%
Are not prepared at security checkpoint: 37%

These results are from 1100 U.S. passengers

The 10 Most Delayed Airlines

The Department of Transportation compiles monthly statistics on which airports have the most delayed flights. However, what travelers need to realize is that flight arrival times are more important than departure times. Departure times are based on the time that the plane leaves the gate. If the plane leaves the gate on-time, but waits on the tarmac for 3 hours...it is still considered to have an on-time departure.

These stats are based on % of on-time arrivals.

1. American 58.8
2. United 59.3
3. Comair 63.4
4. JetBlue 64.9
5. American Eagle 65.7
6. Mesa 67.3
7. Continental 67.4
8. Northwest 67.6
9. ExpressJet 68.5
10. Delta 72.9

yapta.com

Most third party travel sites are the same. All claim cheap fares, cheap hotel rates, and cheap rentals. Yapta.com has those claims, however, they also claim to save you money when the fare that you purchase actually decreases after the transaction is complete. Can this be true?

Yapta.com boasts that a traveler can check to see if the ticket price you book has dropped, AND GET AN AIRLINE VOUCHER FOR THE DIFFERENCE. If this is true, its an impressive service.

Although my gut tells me there has to be a catch, I noticed this morning that Marriott has a banner ad on the site. Does this legitimize the site? Maybe. Will I book my next flight using yapta? Probably not. I like to save money just as much as the next guy, but I'm a "book it and forget about it" kind of person. After booking a vacation I'd rather spend my time searching and learning about my destination rather than potentially jumping through hoops to get a $25 voucher for my next flight.

If you've had a good experience with yapta, I'd enjoy hearing about it.

RULES OF THE ROAD

In the latest issue of National Geographic Traveler there was a list of tips one should use when driving in a foreign country. The list is below along with a comment by your humble correspondent.

• Avoid driving in places where you don't speak the language or can't understand the alphabet. I can't imagine driving in China and asking for directions to the nearest Chinese restaurant.



• Drive during the day if possible. It's difficult driving at night in an unfamiliar area in the States, let alone in a foreign country with narrow roads and live-stock roaming the streets. On a similar note...last month when traversing on the back roads of Montana around 1 A.M....I came within inches of hitting a cow. Its a good story...email me if you want to know more.



• Ask for a car with GPS navigation. Make sure your navigation device speaks American.



• Don't be an easy target. Request that stickers or other indications that your vehicle is a rental to be removed. While visiting Hawaii, a friend of mine belongings (including cash and check book) were stolen when he "secured" his items in the trunk of his rental car. The police told him that is the worst place to place items as it is easier to break into the trunk than locked doors of a vehicle.



• Bring car seats for your children. Laws for car seats are different in each country. Don't assume the country you are visiting will have a car seat that fits the standards that you want for your youngster.



• If driving your own car south of the border, purchase Mexican insurance. Almost every major U.S. insurance policy specifically excludes coverage in Mexico. This should be a red flag for everyone. Traveler suggests purchasing a day-to-day policy on-line or in Mexico?? No Thank You. If I ever drive to the border. I will leave my car on the American side and either hire a driver or rent a car with rental car insurance.



• ...And my own personal suggestion when driving over-seas...Avoid "round-a-bouts". Whatever you think of American round-a-bouts...In Europe they are much worse, its like Thunderdome...there are no rules!

Travel Tip #7: Beware of "Dynamic Currency Conversion"

The next time you travel over-seas and paying with your American credit card don't be surprised if the hotel clerk, wait-staff, or car rental agent gives you a bill in U.S. dollars. This practice is known as dynamic currency conversion (DCC). So what's the big deal? One might think this is a convenient way to continue the transaction as you know exactly what you are being charged in U.S. dollars. But so fast, If you accept the pre-converted bill you will end up paying a higher exchange rate and credit card fees.

Companies that use DCC use an exchange rate that is competitive but many times is actually higher than the interbank exchange rate. Add that to the fact that in 2005 most credit cards automatically add a 1% "international service assessment" for all transactions outside the United States. and that $10 cappuccino just got a little bit more expensive.

Although it may seem unsafe to carry large sums of cash with you on a trip that you converted before you left the States...you will end up saving money in the long run. However, if you decide to use your credit card demand to have your bill in the local currency. Stores are violating their merchant agreement if they refuse to let you pay in the local currency. Also, before you leave home find out what the service fees are with your credit cards...one may be cheaper than the other.

Meet the Hotel Guest of 2020

The below article is very entertaining and serves as a future reminder that today's hotel guest is an ever changing being whose wants and needs change with the changing technology. if we don't give our hotel guests what they want and expect...they will find it somewhere else. The article was written by Jitendra Jain, who is employed with Starwood Hotels & resorts in Dubai.




It is the year 2020. The past twelve years have been a flurry of development in the areas of design, nanotechnology, robotics, medicine, the Internet, security and law. Contrary to popular opinion, the hotel industry has not been slow on the uptake. It’s been the decade of hospitality renaissance. A coming of age, an evolution of service as it should be…and a tribute to true personalization. Here’s a look at the hotel guest experience in the year 2020 and how guests have helped the industry become truly magnificent:



My stay. My choice. I can choose and book all elements of my stay before I arrive, from my king sized bed, a fabulous view of the sea, non-allergenic pillows, a romantic dinner at the hot new fusion restaurant on my 3rd night, a pampering at the spa on the 4th, a round of golf on the 5th and a super chocolate sundae, served cold upon arrival (not to forget my airport pickup and drop with a virtual interactive city tour, of course). Hotel revenue and inventory management systems have evolved to a level where every amenity and service can be chosen, packaged, sold and delivered.



Click here for the remainder of the article.

Separate but Equal

No boys allowed: Hotels seek fortune with women-only zones

As hotels get ever more desperate to invent new niches to lure customers, we've have been hearing a lot about the "girlfriend getaway," vacations women take with just their girlfriends.

I confess I don't entirely get why we need the concept. Fun things to do are universal. Often, these packages include spa treatments, free cosmos, or something like that, which strikes me as more than a little sexist -- as if it's only women who like massages, and as if Carrie and Samantha would have no interest in, say, museums.

But whatever. Here's a woman-skewed concept that seems to have a place. The Naumi, a luxury hotel in Singapore, has launched a female-only wing for women guests. The concept, secured by private key-card access, reeks of boutique styling, complete with fancy Aesop skin care products, aromatherapy frills, and an entirely female staff. Since its introduction, staff says, the rooms have been at 80% occupancy, which isn't bad for a hotel, especially one charging $420 to $600 a night.

So far, the women-only zones are mostly confined to properties in Asia, Australasia and in Arab countries (such as this one in -- surprise -- Saudi Arabia), where presumably there are more women who prefer segregation for religious or privacy reasons. But the luxury execution goes way beyond simply providing a safe space. In fact, a manager at the Naumi says a big chunk of his clientele is women on shopping trips -- Singapore, a tiny city-state that is practically one big mall, is particularly attractive to the long-distance spree set. But women executives, too, not normally known for being timid, are also indulging in the new concept.As with so many truly catchy trends, this one seems to have bubbled up from the low-budget front lines. Hostelling International has segregated by gender for years, even as independently run hostels often mingle the sexes in the same dormitories. That's a big reason why HI is favored by school groups and parents sending their little ones on their first big foreign trip.

The turning point, though, came in the early '00s when stylish Base Backpackers, a super-budget hostel chain in Australia and New Zealand, created a girls-only wing for its properties. Base was savvy enough not to simply cordon off the femme zone with a fire door. It gave the area a swishy name, Sanctuary, and without charging the girls more than the boys, gave them luxury-imitating amenities like sheets with high thread counts and fat bath towels. The result? Base mushroomed from a couple properties to a dozen today.

Would women-only areas of hotels fill up in the West, where genders are more integrated? So far, the idea isn't ruling the zeitgeist. Last year, a Marriott in Grand Rapids tried it, prompting fire truck-chasing lawyer Gloria Allred to cry discrimination. Three years ago, the Grange City Hotel in London gave it a try, but today, its website makes no mention of any specialized areas for the ladies. But who knows? Maybe it will switch back after girlfriend getaways sweep the nation. I suspect that will be a mighty long wait, though.

BE HAPPY IF THE AIRLINES ONLY MISPLACE YOUR LUGGAGE

This story was written by Pablo Guzman from CBS News

HORROR: American Airlines Sued Over Missing Body
For 4 Days Miguel Olaya Was Told Everything From 'We Don't Know' To 'It's In Miami' To 'She's In Guatemala'
Lawyer: Wife's Body Badly Decayed Upon Arrival In Ecuador

It was Miguel Olaya's worst nightmare. Not only had his wife of 26 years died of cancer, but he says American Airlines lost her body when it was time to bury her in their native Ecuador.

Olaya is a proud man. But when we was asked what he told his 16-year-old daughter, Laura, about how for several days American Airlines apparently could not tell them what happened to his wife Teresa's body while they waited to bury her in Ecuador, after flying in from New York, well, he struggled to maintain his composure. He didn't want to break down in front of a camera, but clearly he was torn up inside.

He managed to get out "Que estamos sufriendo. Translation: "We are suffering."

His wife of 26 years died of cancer, and after a viewing at De Riso funeral home in Brooklyn, the funeral home arranged with American Airlines to fly the body to Ecuador.

Between April 1, when her body was supposed to arrive, and April 4, Olaya and his lawyers say American Airlines' story changed from "We don't know" to "It's in Miami" to "She's in Guatemala." Last Thursday, Olaya filed a lawsuit against American Airlines and De Riso Funeral Home, which attorneys say hired American to transport the body.

"This is an airline that has the most sophisticated luggage and baggage system in the world!" attorney Richard Villar said. "How could they not know where the body is?!"

Added attorney Christopher Robles: "It appears from what we know about the state of the body when it arrives in Ecuador, that the body was not refrigerated. It was not kept the way a body would need to be kept."

Olaya said he saw his wife's poor condition when he opened the casket. In Spanish, he said, "These people played with someone's sentiments."

And then, looking for an answer, he said: "Yo no entiendo por que." Translation: "I just don't understand why.

"Funeral director Kathleen De Riso said the shipping error was caused by someone at American who punched in the wrong airport code. She said they wrote GUA for Guatemala instead of GYE for Guayaquil.

"It was not our error," De Riso said, adding that the body was properly embalmed and "there was no decomposition." She said it was the first time in her 18 years of dealing with American that such a mistake had happened.

American spokeswoman Jennifer Pemberton said her company was researching the situation but could not comment because of the pending litigation.

Olaya's lawsuit, filed last week in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn, accuses the airline and funeral home of negligence and asks unspecified damages.

Olaya's wife died of pelvic cancer at age 57 on March 28.

Trend to Eliminate Telephone Books from Hotel Rooms Growing

Next time you're staying in a hotel in a strange city and need to consult the yellow pages, you might be out of luck.


Some hotel chains have started saying goodbye to phone books.
Their position: Guests no longer let their fingers do the walking through the yellow pages, because they have the Internet at their fingertips.


Hyatt Hotels and Resorts and Hyatt Place hotels are among those with phone-book-free rooms, company spokeswoman Amy Patti said. Hyatt Place has hotels in Raleigh and near Raleigh-Durham International Airport.


The chain has dumped in-room phone books "primarily due to the convenience the Internet provides," Patti said. "A phone book can be provided at the guest's request," or guests can get assistance from the hotel staff.


Other hotel chains tossing phone books include Omni Hotels, Kimpton Hotels and some chains operated by Starwood Hotels -- such as Westin, Sheraton and Aloft.


The trend is one more bit of bad news for Cary-based R.H. Donnelley, which publishes directories in 28 states.


Like other traditional media, yellow pages publishers have seen advertising revenue decline because of the struggling economy and companies shifting their advertising to the Internet. As a result, Donnelley has been cutting jobs, and its stock has dropped 98 percent in the past year.
Donnelley spokesman Peter Larmey notes that the company has exclusive deals to be the sole provider of print directories to hotels in many of its markets.


Many hotels still keep phone books in their rooms -- often alongside the Bible.
Louise Garrell, general manager of the Ramada Inn on Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh, said making yellow pages available reduces demands on hotel employees' time. "We have them in the rooms so people don't have to ask us," she said.


Yellow Pages Association spokeswoman Stephanie Hobbs contends that the hotels that have chosen to eliminate phone books are relying on false assumptions. "The current wisdom is that everybody is wired 24/7," she said. "Would that were true, but it's not."


Still, the association plans to provide hotel chains with consumer usage data in hopes of reversing the trend. The association estimates, based on 9,008 telephone interviews, that last year, Americans turned to the printed yellow pages 13.4 billion times -- about the same as in 2006.

Carlson Worldwide Property & Room Inventory

Carlson recently opened its 450th Country Inn & Suite property. Below is a list of how many hotels and rooms the Carlson company represents in the lodging industry.

WORLDWIDE PROPERTY & ROOM INVENTORY
As of: June 1, 2008
County Inns & Suites By Carlson
Properties: 448
Rooms: 35,855
Carlson Hotels Worldwide
Properties: 986
Rooms: 148,733# of Countries: 72

'A-Room-Atherapy'

Travelodge UK Infusing Scents in Bedsheets to Help Guests Nod Off; Aromas Include "Freshly Cut Grass" and "Home-baked Apple Pie" .



June 2008 - In a UK first, budget hotel chain Travelodge is trialling 'a-room-atherapy at a selection of its hotels - with the launch of a unique series of 'ReminiScents'. The specially scented sheets have been designed to evoke happy and comforting memories for guests, in a bid to help them nod off.


The 'ReminiScents' have been developed around the top five scents Brits would like to be surrounded by, as they drop off to sleep, The fragrances were identified following the feedback from a national 'Senses Census' of over 5,000 Britons.
Guests at selected Travelodge hotels will be able to choose from the following exclusive ReminiScents free of charge:


- The Sea - to evoke memories of holidays. The sea is the number one scent that Brits would like to be surrounded by as they drop off to sleep, comforting 45% by bringing back memories of happy holidays. Also ideal for those who are used to living by the coast.
- Freshly Cut Grass - to evoke the scents of summer. Almost a quarter (21%) wanted to nod off to the smell of freshly cut grass, reminding them of long, happy summer days. Also ideal for those who are used to living in the country.
- Baby powder to remind guests of their children. The ideal comforter for doting parents, with one in five (18%) choosing to be surrounded by the smell of their baby when away from home to lull them into slumber
- Home-baked Apple Pie - to create a home-from-home experience for guests. Baking and cooking aromas are the most comforting scents for almost over one in ten (12%) Britons
- Chocolate the ideal pick me up for women. The scent of chocolate and sugary sweets is the most comforting smell for 9% of UK women




click here for the remainder of the article.

Travel Agencies

In 2007, American Express disclosed its global corporate travel sales. It reported $20.5 billion in global corporate travel sales, an 11 percent increase over $18.5 billion in 2006. Unfortunately, Amex declined to authorize how many transactions that dollar figure represents. The Business Travel News estimates the dollar figure represents 15.3 million transactions. Amex is the only major travel company that did not disclose transaction numbers. Below are the top ten travel companies according to the number of transactions processed. Although not included, it is assumed Amex would be at the top of the list.

1. Carlson Wagonlit Travel 11,001,156
2. Omega Travel 962,553
3. Travel and Transport 738,854
4. Tzell Travel Group 648,940
5. World Travel 564,768
6. Ovation Travel Group 397,212
7. Adelman Travel Group 361,496
8. The Travel Authority 351,534
9. Garber/FCm Travel 329,446
10. Directravel 325,435

Wyndham Acquiring Microtel, Hawthorn

Wyndham Worldwide expects by the end of July to close the acquisition of U.S. Franchise Systems' 292 economy Microtel Inns & Suites properties and 91 extended stay Hawthorn Suites properties-Wyndham's first entry in that tier-from Global Hyatt Corp. Financial terms were not disclosed.

As Corporate Director of Sales of a hotel management company that owns a Microtel Inn & Suites, I'm looking forward to this acquisition by Wyndham. Besides Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham owns Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Wingate, Baymont, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Knights Inn, and Amerihost brands.

Microtel has suffered from name recognition since its conception. Being part of the Wyndham family of hotels will make the Microtel brand more visible to the loyal guests of the brands above. Wyndham also has one of the best loyalty programs in the hospitality industry. Wyndham REWARDS, formally triprewards, has over 6000 hotels/resorts worldwide. When was the last time you traveled to a city that did not have one of the hotel brands above? With the addition of Microtel and Hawthorn, Wyndham REWARDS has become a better loyalty program that it was before.

Hidden Hotel Charges

Click here for an interesting article by Andrea Bennett titled How to Avoid Hidden Hotel Charges.


In reality, its impossible not to pay for hidden fees at hotels. Many travelers feel that these "hidden" or "extra" fees can only be found at higher price hotel and spas. However, think about the last time you stayed at a moderate priced hotel such as a Holiday Inn Express. If the room charge was $100 plus tax...are you paying for amenities that you did not use? Did you use the pool? Did you use the exercise room? Did you take advantage for the airport shuttle? Did you have your fill of the complementary breakfast? All of these items are included in your rate regardless if you take advantage of them or not.


The more amenities a hotel has, the more expensive the hotel will be. The best way to save money on hotel stays is to define what amenities are important for that particular hotel stay and choose a hotel that best fits those requirements.

Survey Results #4: Pillows

When traveling, do you bring your own pillow with you? 64 persons responded

always/most of the time 10
never 29
sometimes/once in awhile 19
seldom, but I always ask the host/desk for extra pillow(s) 6

Travel Tip #6: Hotels.com

By now, must of travelers have experienced a canceled flight or a late connection which translates into not getting to your final destination until the day after your expected arrival time. With factors such as weather, mechanical failures, and union trouble...if you've never experienced a flight delay you are on a very short list.

When this happens don't be one of the slugs waiting in line at the hotel phone boards. Be proactive and have hotels.com 800 phone number into your cell phone (800.246.8357). With over 70,000 participating hotels, chances are good that they will have a participating hotel in the city you are stranded in. The hotel may not have a pool, but it beats sleeping in an airport.

The number can also be used if stranded somewhere when having vehicle trouble.

They're Coming to America

Top countries whose residents visited the United States in 2007, with number of visitors in parentheses.

1. Canada (17,735,000)
2. Mexico (15,089,000)
3. United Kingdom (4,497,858)
4. Japan (3,531,489)
5. Germany (1,524,151)
6. France (997,506)
7. South Korea (806,175)
8. Australia (669,536)
9. Brazil (639,431)
10. Italy (634,152)

Total Arrivals: 56,716,277

Pillow Menu

To ensure every guest gets superb shut-eye, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, the global contemporary luxury hotel brand, has turned sleep into an experience by pioneering one of the world's most extensive pillow menus. With more than 75 varieties of pillows to choose from across the globe, guests will find that Conrad caters for their most personal of pillow preferences. Luxury hotels and pillow menus may go hand-in-hand, but Conrad Hotels & Resorts has taken the concept a step further, introducing destination-based and mood-inspired pillows to make their guests more comfortable than ever.

Each pillow has its own unique properties, from anti-snore assistance to cold relief, and total relaxation to romance. Some of the pillows, such as the 'Porcelain Pillow' (Conrad Centennial Singapore), the 'Tiba Pillow' (Conrad Cairo) and the 'Shogun Pillow' (Conrad Bangkok) pay homage to the local culture. Others offer healing properties through sleep, including the 'Cold and Flu Pillow' (Conrad Chicago).

To find pillow perfection, try the following Conrad favourites:

To continue, click here.

Top Twenty Hotel Brands in the World

The top twenty hotel brands of the world is based on the number of rooms each brand represents in the global hospitality market. The list shows rank, hotel brand, number of hotels the brand has open, and the number of rooms represented.

1. Best Western 4035 hotels/308636 rooms

2. Holiday Inn 1382/256775

3. Comfort Inns & Comfort Suites 2467/188596

4. Marriott Hotels & Resorts 520/188544

5. Hilton Hotels & Resorts 511/176523

6. Holiday Inn Express 1808/156531

7. Days Inn of America 1883/153333

8. Hampton Inn 1490/147326

9. Sheraton Hotels & Resorts 399/138878

10. Super 8 Motels 2081/128587

11. Quality Inns & Hotels 1210/118386

12. Courtyard 767/110780

13. Ramada Worldwide 874/106978

14. Motel 6 956/98038

15. Mercure 756/93827

16. Hyatt Hotels 213/92755

17. Radisson Hotels 397/87410

18. Ibis 769/86486

19. Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts 300/83661

20. Novotel 387/69234

The above lists represents 21,505 hotels and 2,791,284 rooms!

Travel Tip #5: Phone Chargers

If you are like me, you continually forget to pack your cell phone charger when traveling. Countless times I've found myself in my hotel room talking to my wife when the low battery signal would remind me of my forgotten charger. If away from home for more than a few days I would go to the local mall and purchase a replacement charger. Very frustrating!

The next time this happens to you and if you are staying at a hotel save some money by asking the front desk attendant if they have any spare cell phone chargers in "lost and found". If the hotel is like the 15 managed by Professional Hospitality, the front desk associate will return from "lost and found" with a box full of cell phone chargers forgotten by past guests. In most cases the associate will let you have a charger or at the very least allow you to borrow it during your stay.

In my 17 year hospitality career here is a list of some of the odd things that guests have left in a room after checking out.

duffel bag with a large sum of money
various musical instruments
prosthetic arm
prosthetic leg
clown costume
kittens
various fire arms
wall mounted pay-phone
wedding dress
1 empty urn
3 full urns
parachute
and my personal favorite...2 small alligators

New Beiging Airport Terminal Becomes 'largest building in the world'

BEIJING: The new Terminal 3 at the airport in Beijing is twice the size of the Pentagon.
Adorned in the colors of imperial China, with a roof that evokes the scales of a dragon, the massive glass- and steel-sheathed structure, designed by the British architect Norman Foster, cost $3.8 billion and can handle more than 50 million passengers a year.
The developers call it the "most advanced airport building in the world," and say it was completed in less than four years, a timetable some believed impossible. It opened in late February with little fanfare, but also without the kind of glitches that plagued Heathrow's new $8.7 billion terminal near London, which took six years to complete.

Click here for more...

Survey Results #3: Expensive Hotel Rooms

What is the most you've spent on one night of lodging at a hotel/resort? 48 people responded

less than $100 - 0
between $101/200 - 28
between $201/300 - 14
between $301/400 - 3
between $401/500 - 1
more than $501 - 1

InsideTrip.com

Most third party travel sites are very similar. Sites such as Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, and Kayak show you a list of fares from least to most expensive. These sites as well as others are best at giving the user several options when it comes to finding the lowest fare. However, they fall short on letting the user know if the fare is a true value in regards to key factors that can help determine whether the flight is worth the money or is one to avoid - like how much legroom you get, a flight's on-time performance and mishandled luggage rates.

Enter InsideTrip.com, a new travel site that arrived a few weeks ago. InsideTrip.com, like other sites, still lists several options along with price. However, Insidetrip.com is different that it lists those fares in accordance to 12 "pain points". The pain points involve 4 factors in each of the following categories: Speed, Comfort, and Ease.

I decide I want to fly to San Diego from Milwaukee. After entering in desired dates I choose the pain points that are important to me, such as: on-time stats, lost bags rank, and aircraft age. The list of fares will then appear in accordance with these pain points...not price. Sometime the first option is the cheapest, other times not. The user can then scroll down and decide which fare to chose.

The site seems easy to use and is definitely worth checking out when booking your next flight.

A Really BIG Boat!

The 220,000-tonne cruise liner that has its very own New York-style Central Park




The world's biggest cruise liner is to have a New York-style "Central Park" on the ship, its owners have revealed. Royal Caribbean is building the 220,000-tonne liner with the working name Project Genesis and the announcement is the latest salvo in the intensely competitive global cruise market. The company said the park would be "a revolutionary design in which the centre of the ship opens to the sky and features lush, tropical grounds spanning the length of a football field".



To read more, click here.

Per Diems In U.S. Cities

The cost of travel is not cheap. The average daily cost of 100 U.S. cities is 314.78! This daily cost consists of hotel, 3 meals, and car rental. Below are the 10 most expensive cities in the United States. Included is the average per diem needed. Note that the per diem does not include airfare and parking fees.

1. New York $564.24

2. Washington DC $463.41

3. Boston $433.12

4. Newark $422.74

5. Detroit $416.94

6. San Francisco $410.33

7. Chicago $406.62

8. Honolulu $399.84

9. White Plains $398.19

10. Baltimore $397.45

44. Milwaukee $308.68

62. Madison $293.19

International travel isn't much cheaper. Using a cross section of 100 cities the daily per diem needed is $314.08 (US dollars). Although this is .70 cheaper than the average in the United States, one can see from the numbers below that the 10 most expensive international cities are much more pricey that their US counterparts.

1. Paris $528

2. Amsterdam $506

3. Moscow $505

4. Stockholm $498

5. London (Central) $480

6. Oslo $478

7. Rome $454

8. Brussels $452

9. Kiev $450

10. Lyon $448

THE BELLAGIO: I Loved the Electronic Drapes

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of staying at The Bellagio in Las Vegas NV for 5 nights. Before checking in the only expectation I had was the expensive room rate and although The Bellagio is considered "high-end" for Las Vegas I still expected the decor to be somewhat tacky. The expectations of the expensive room rate was accurate. However, The Bellagio wasn't tacky. In fact, The Bellagio is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in.

My traditional room was very spacious. It featured a king size bed, a work/business area, and a huge bathroom. When entering the the room I was greeted with marble flooring that lead you into the room. The marble flooring extended into the bathroom. In the corner of the room was a comfortable sitting chair. My first 5 minutes in the room was spent "playing" with the electronic drapes. Very cool. I must admit, during the 5 days, I found myself fascinated with the electronic push button drapes. I'm convinced the electronic drapes actually saved me money at times because it kept me away from the gaming tables.

The bathroom was huge. It featured a marble floored shower area that had glass walls. This was separate from the bathtub which was large and deep that included jacuzzi jets. The vanity was long and had 2 sinks.

Like most of the newer Las Vegas hotels...The hotels are destinations themselves. Even if you are not staying at The Bellagio one could spend a few hours walking around admiring the hotels impressive architecture, fine art, touring shops, and visiting one of the hotels find eating establishments.

Before arriving in Vegas a co-worker who had stayed at The Bellagio the year before told me that when he stayed there for a week that it was the only time that he didn't want to leave a hotel to go home. After my trip, I would have to agree. Does anyone know how to get electronic drapes installed in your house?

TOP TEN IN ROOM MOVIES FOR 2007

LodgeNet Interactive Corporation is the leading provider of media and connectivity solutions designed to meet the unique needs of the hospitality industry. LodgeNet Interactive serves more than 1.9 million hotel rooms representing 9,300 hotel properties worldwide in addition to health care facilities throughout the United States. Translation...If you paid for an in room movie while traveling over the past year, you most likely watched the movie via the LodgeNet system.

Lodgenet is the leader in providing on demand entertainment to the market, and its list of the top selling titles is the most accurate gauge of performance in the market. The most-viewed video on demand movies in properties served by LodgeNet during the year were:

1. Knocked Up
2. Borat
3. Night at the Museum
4. Wild Hogs
5. 300
6. The Bourne Ultimatum
7. Casino Royal
8. The Departed
9. Live Free or Die Hard
10. Ghost Rider

Mideast's first woman-only hotel opens in Saudi Arabia

Women in Saudi Arabia have a plethora of constraints. They are banned from driving vehicles, forced to be covered from head to toe while in public, prevented from talking to men other than relatives and prevented from traveling without written permission from their male guardian.

With this restrictive life-style...maybe women is Saudi Arabia deserve to have a hotel for themselves. The Luthan Hotel and Spa caters to women only, has 25 rooms, offers 150 spa treatments, and has fine dining as well as conference facilities. Are woman allowed to hold meetings/conferences in Saudi Arabia?

The Luthan Hotel and Spa opened this month.

Travel Tip #4: Don't Drink the Water

When traveling to Mexico it's often difficult to say no to ice cubes and tap water. It's even more difficult not to worry about a bad case of Montezuma's Revenge. Thankfully, a company named Hydro-Photon has come up with a solution. The SteriPEN Traveler Water Purifier is a pocket device that uses ultraviolet light to purify up to 16 ounces of water in less than 60 seconds. The process eradicates parasites that might have you spending most of your vacation in the bathroom instead of the beach.

More info and where to purchase can be found at http://www.steripen.com/.

Transportation Security Administration

TSA (tsa.gov) officials may be the most hated people on your list when flying in America. Nothing is more frustrating than going through security lines at your airport of choice. Although I know why the procedures must be followed I absolutely hate the fact that I have to remove my shoes while going through security.

The TSA website (tsa.gov) always has updated info regarding new/current luggage and carry-on rules. It might be a good idea to visit the site for a few minutes before your next flight to make sure your expert packing at home the night before won't be in vain the following day at the airport.

The site also has other related travel/flight articles that I found interesting. I also liked their "brag" section that gave a brief description of some of the terrorist plots that the tsa helped thwart. The hi-jacking of plans was very prevalent in the Middle east in the 70's and 80's. I hope America's TSA will prevent that from happening in the United States.

Their procedures may be a hassle, but they are batting .1000 since September 11, 2001.

Top 10 Spa Hotels in the World

TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel community, recently announced the top 10 spa hotels in the world based on their popularity index and traveler ratings. All properties are 4-5 star rated. If visiting, be prepared to be pampered and bring a credit card with a high limit. I included the average daily rate with each ranking.

1. Ogai Valley Inn and Spa - Ojai, California $323 (pictured above)

2. Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel - Interlaken, Switzerland $476

3. The Lodge At Woodloch - Hawley, Pennsylvania $1076

4. Les Sources de Caudalie - Aquitaine, France $1036

5. Como Shambhala - Bali, Indonesia $275

6. Canyon Ranch Lenox - Lenox, Massachusetts $1664

7. Casa Palmero at Pebble Beach - Pebble Beach, California $843

8. Lausanne Palace & Spa - Vaud, Switzerland $445

9. Hotel Le Mirador Kempinski Genfer See - Vaud, Switzerland $320

10. Schlosshotel Buehlerhoehe - Buhl, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany $396

Survey Results: #2

In 2007, including business and leisure, how many nights did you spend at a hotel/resort?
65 people participated in this survey.

0-10 nights 30 people
11-20 nights 24 people
21-30 nights 6 people
31-40 nights 1 people
41-50 nights 0 people
51 or more 4 people

New Service Tracks Shady Hotel Guests

Are you one of those hotel guests that purposely complains about everything in hopes to get a refund or discount? You know who you are. When a customer service representative asks you "how was your stay", you complain that the drapes didn't block enough sun from coming into your room, you complain that you could hear interstate traffic while trying to sleep although you knew before hand that the hotel was located just yards from said interstate, you complain that the room rate is too high although you agreed to the rate at check in, you complain that the thread count of the sheets isn't high enough, you complain that the free orange juice was too cold because it hurt your teeth, you complain that your room wasn't cleaned although you had the "do not disturb" sign on your door all day long, you complain that you didn't get your wake-up call although you are unsure if you ever asked for one, you complain that the pattern of the hall carpeting is too "intense" because it makes you dizzy, you complain about "jet noise" but in the same breath say that you chose the hotel because it was so close to the airport....

If you are one of these people...BEWARE, the hospitality industry is onto you! HotelSafeGuard.com launched last month. The service aims to help the hospitality industry combat fraud and check guests with suspicious patterns. David Barber, of HotelSafeGuard.com, estimates scams cab cost a hotel 5%-7% of revenue a year.

HotelSafeGuard.com charges $472.80 per year and bills itself as an across the board, world wide service that detects patterns of financial fraud and guest abuse.

Holiday Inn: A New Look

The Holiday Inn brand is an icon in the lodging industry. If you are a frequent business traveler and routinely take weekly or weekend vacations you have most likely stayed at a Holiday Inn product.

As a child one of my fondest travel memories was staying at a HoliDome, a Holiday Inn that featured a "dome" over the pool area, for the weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with my parents and younger brother. The dome area not only had a pool and hot-tube, it also featured a small mini-golf area, a huge game room, pool table, and a ping pong table. As a kid, this was the best hotel ever! My brother and I were impressed as only kids could be when mom and dad ordered us hot fudge sundaes by the pool. As I re-call, we didn't wait the customary 45 minutes to jump into the pool after we filled our bellies with ice-cream.

I thought of this experience as I read a recent article that mentioned the Holiday Inn brand was changing their iconic signage with new streamlined signage. Below is an example of the new signage with Andrew Cosslett, Chief Executive of InterContinental Hotels Group. Also included below is a rendering of the classic Holiday sign.

A few interesting and fascinating facts:

• The brand was established in 1952, and currently has 3125 hotels worldwide.
• The brand was first to offer free ice and telephones in every room.
• Around the world, Holiday Inn is opening a hotel a day and signing two.
• Holiday Inn has a development pipeline of more than 110,000 rooms (942 hotels).
• Around the world, three people check into a Holiday Inn every second.
• Every night more than 300,000 people stay at a Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express.
• Holiday Inn has been mentioned in song lyrics by Elton John and rappers Snoop Dog and Chingy.
• Personally, I've stayed at a Holiday Inn product 5 times over the past 5 years. I've eaten an average of 3 cinnamon rolls at the free breakfast on each of my 1 night stays. :-) yum!

Is your hotel room clean?

Back in December I posted an article about the key card urban legend.

Click here for a web article from msn.com. It mentions the key card urban legend as well as "rule 240", an airline urban legend I've never heard of.

The same article mentions "dirty hotel rooms". Although I don't agree with the article's statement that housekeepers are under-paid and over-worked, the article's statement on cleanliness has merit. As a frequent traveler I don't use a "white glove" to determine if a room is unclean. However, I do use some common sense.

Consider the following:

There is usually a robe-hook on the inside bathroom door. What did the person who rented the room before you hang on that hook? A used towel? Are you confident the house-keeping staff cleaned it properly? The same can be asked about towel racks. At home we hang bath towels, hand towels, and wash cloths over some type of towel rack...Do you do the same when staying at a hotel? Again, are you confident the towel racks were cleaned properly after the guest before you rented the room? It may not be the "greenest" practice, but I don't re-use soiled towels after I use them. I simply toss them on the bathroom floor. Because I usually travel alone, the supply of bath linens in the room will satisfy my needs until I check-out the next day or when the room is cleaned the next day.

For whatever reason I sleep better in hotel beds than at home. However, every once in awhile I get a case of the "gross-outs" when I think of past guests who have slept in the same bed. Laundry costs are a huge expense for the lodging industry. Although sheets and pillowcases are changed after a room is checked out...Do you think the blankets and comforter are laundered? If you'd like to know some facts on this issue, leave a comment and I can inform you more.

Another area to be aware of is room carpeting. Typically, room carpeting is shampooed 1-2 times a year or when needed. Always assume that's its been awhile since the carpet has been shampooed. A good rule of thumb: Always wear socks, sleepers, or shoes in your room to protect your bare feet from unknown liquids and substances that were spilled or dropped by previous guests.

A few friends and family members of mine carry a "wet-ones" type of product with them when they travel. Any alcohol based wipe can sanitize some commonly used items in a hotel room such as the telephone receiver and TV remote control.

Although no one has ever died from an unclean hotel room, it's important to use common sense to put your mind at ease when checking into a hotel.

A Different 'Xperience'

A new trend in some full service hotels is offering "The X Room". The X Room not only features the most current technology expected by the average traveler, but it also has technology that the hotel guest can expect 3-5 years from now. The following is a list of in-room amenities that a X Room has at the Courtyard by Marriott Newark-University of Delaware for its future technology minded guests.

• GDA-700 - bartech's duel-door minibar system uses 23 FFID and infrared sensors and can hold items for sale and guests' personal items.




• Digital Door Viewer - First (View) Security's electronic video system acts as a high-tech peephole that allows guests to see the entire area outside the door.




• AnyFill - TeleAdapt's universal fast charger automatically charges 95% pf mobile battery powered devices.




• Clocky - Nanda's alarm clock on wheels runs away and hides if guests aren't ready to wake up and start their day.




• Digital Frame - Edge tech corp's high-resolution digital picture frame allows guests to decorate the walls with their personal pictures. It also has an MP3player.




• Flameless Candles - Flame free candles Inc.'s LED luminaries produce a soft, flickering flame that illuminate just like a real candle




• DD 46/2 - Inncom's Guestroom Digital assistant let guests use a touchscreen display to control climate, lighting, drapes and other aspects of the guestroom.




• Wii - Nintendo's video game console lets guests play games wirelessly and to do light workouts in the room.




• RealTimeREX Suite - RealTime Date Solutions' software suite provides the hotel with monitoring of hundreds of processes and systems.




• Lighted Hair Dryer - Andis' environmentally friendly hair dryer has a quiet turbo motor and diffused night light.




• Tri Spa Showerhead - Oxygenics' system introduces air into the shower creating a powerful oxygenated spray.

Personally, Id like too have a white-noise machine in my room. Being a lite-sleeper, a white-noise machine would be a feasture that I'd pay extra for.