My Priceline Squidoo lense
I created a Squidoo “lense”. If you’ve never used squidoo before, you should give it a try. Lenses are like web pages that focus on a particular topic. Be sure to check out my Priceline lense.
Archive for the ‘Thoughts and Opinions’ Category
Priceline on Squidoo
Thursday, March 18th, 20102009 Hillarious Travel Incidents
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010I saw a great article in the newspaper today about odd mishaps that have happened to people while traveling during 2009. Here are some gems:
- An American border guard who questioned Desidrio Fortunato, a BC man who was about to drive into the U.S. “Turn off the car,” the guard commanded. The Canadian man asked him to be polite and say please. As a thank you for the manners lesson, the guard pepper-sprayed Fortunato in the face, pulled him from the car and threw him onto the ground. He was handcuffed and questioned for 3 hours.
- Davor Ivanovic had to spend his birthday all alone on a business trip to Croatia – or so he led his wife to believe. As a surprise, the wife arranged a live call to his hotel room from his favorite radio station. The phone was answered by a woman. Listeners heard the wife scream. The husband’s replay, braodcast live: “Why have you done this to me? We have kids.”
- German sweethearts Mika and Anna-Lena planned to elope and get married in Africa. They set out in the early hours of New Year’s Day, accompanied by Anna-Lena’s sister, Anna-Bell. Their suitcases were stuffed with summer clothes and swim suites. But police foiled their plans after spotting them waiting for an airport train in Hanover, Germany. They were returned to their parents, who had no idea what they were up to. Mika was 6, Anna-Lena 5, and Anna-Bell 7.
- It was bad enough when United Airlines baggage handlers smashed the custom-made $3,500 guitar of Halifax musician Dave Carroll. Only when Carroll composed a song called United Breaks Guitars and posted it on YouTube – where it became a viral hit – did United promise to do better. It failed. Just over 3 months later Carroll flew United again. He arrived safely but his bad did not.
Here’s to happy travels in 2010.
Thanksgiving Not The Busiest Holiday For Travel
Saturday, October 31st, 2009Most people thikg Thanksgiving is the busiest time of the year to travel. However, according to Orbitz, the busiest holiday week was July 4.
The company conducted a survey based on hotel and package (air and hotel) bookings. Orbitz.com found that Thanksgiving was actually the fifth, behind July, Memorial Day, Christmas, and even the last week of March.
Granted, measuring “travel” is difficult and there is no single best indicator. Perhaps those traveling during Thanksgiving don’t book hotels because they stay with family. Those travelers would not be counted in Orbitz.com’s survey. Several other factors also come into play, such as much much advertising Orbitz does at various times of the year. Still, they Orbitz survey provides a good approximation of the busy times of year to help travelers plan (or avoid) travel.
Interesting as well are the LEAST busiest travel weeks of the year. Orbitz.com’s survey indicates that the least busiest times were the first 2 weeks of December. (Author’s note: This is when my family takes an annual trip to Mexico as they are great deals to be had.) During the summer months, the least busiest week was the week before Memorial Day. After that it’s full on until the beginning of September.
Google Helps Level the Playing Field For Independent Hotels
Friday, October 30th, 2009Not long ago, chain hotels hand a strangle hold on the Internet. How could small boutique hotels, independs, and B&Bs compete with the chains. With brand-name recognition and large advertising budgets, independent hotels had a tough go at making a presence and attracting business via the internet. (The exception being niche hotels, those offering something unique not offered by chain hotels.)
Enter Google Local Results and the game has changed. When you do a search for, say “Hotels Seattle Wa”, your first set of results is a map with a list of hotels. Yes, many of the chains show up on the map and in the results, but so do many of the independent and smaller hotels, at least those who know how to market themselves on the Internet.
Google Local Business Search - Seattle Hotels
Airline Checked Bag Fees
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009It seems that all the airlines are charging money for checked bags these days. Well, not quite all airlines. In fact there are 2 domestic carriers that don’t charge for the first checked bag. Way to go JetBlue and Southwest.
Below is a list of the cost of checked bags for the various airlines:
- Alaska: $15 first bag, $25 second bag.
- American: $20 first bag, 30 second bag.
- Continental: $20 ($15 online) first bag, 30 ($25 online) second bag.
- Delta: $20 ($15 online) first bag, $30 ($25 online) second bag.
- Frontier: $15 first bag, $25 second bag.
- JetBlue: $0 first bag, $20 second bag.
- Northwest: $20 ($15 online) first bag, 30 ($25 online) second bag.
- Frontier: $15 first bag, $25 second bag.
- Southwest: $0 first bag, $0 second bag.
- United: $20 ($15 online) first bag, $30 ($25 online) second bag.
- US Airways: $20 ($15 online) first bag, $30 ($25 online) second bag.
Welcome!
Sunday, October 25th, 2009Welcome to HotelDealsRevealed.com Blog. You can find travel articles and hotel deals this blog. This entire website has been created for the travelor who loves a bargain. For hotel and travel arrangements, two of the best sites are Hotwire and Priceline. Visitors may also be interested in the following sections:
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