Archive for the ‘Hotels’ Category

Volcano eruption in Iceland leaves travellers out of luck

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Many people making their way to Europe have been impacted by the ash cloud from the eruption of a volcano in Iceland.  It started with London Heathrow (LHR) and now flights to and within Europe have been cancelled. 

What should you do if you booked your flight, caror hotel through Priceline or Hotwire and can’t make your reservation?  Both websites have a no refund policy.  This issue will impact thousands of people, yet I couldn’t find an official policy on Priceline or Hotwire’s website. 

I suspect that for those with cancelled flights, airlines will do their best to rebook passengers on different flights.  One forum member told me that she decided to cancel her entire trip to Europe and received a refund from the airline, hotel and car rental.  (These reservations were not made on Hotwire or Priceline.) 

Say you have a hotel reservation in Europe but you can’t get to your destination.  Does anyone know how Hotwire or Priceline will handle this?

Priceline Hotel List – Youtube Video

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

This is a video recently posted on Youtube to provide an overview of how to use Priceline hotel lists when bidding on Priceline hotels.

2009 Hillarious Travel Incidents

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

I 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.

Hotwire Video – Identify Your Hotel Before Purchasing

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Here is a video I produced and put on Youtube.com that shows how to identify your hotel on Hotwire before you purchase. More “how to” instructional videos on Hotwire and Priceline will be added in the future. It’s a bit long and I will work on making future videos shorter. Additional feedback welcome.. comments on this video? What Priceline or Hotwire help videos would you like to see?

Enjoy…

Resort Fees

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Many hotels (and resorts) are not charging a “resort fee” above and beyond the hotel room reservation price. Two tourist destinations notorious for charging resort fees are Hawaii, and more recently, Las Vegas. Often, the resort fee is not disclosed when reserving or is only in the fine print.

Before you reserve a hotel room in Hawaii or Las Vegas, you may want to check out the resort fee lists below:

Las Vegas Resort Fee List
Excalibur $8
Gold Coast $3
Hard Rock Hotel $7
Hooters Hotel $5
Hyatt $10
Luxor Hotel $11
MGM Grand $15
MGM Signature $20
New York New York $3
Planet Hollywood $6
Sahara $6
Stratosphere $8
Treasure Island $20
Tropicana $8
Trump $15
Westin $15

Hawaii Resort Fee List

BIG ISLAND
Castle Hali’i Kai At Waikoloa $30
Includes: Entry Gate Electronic Key Card (access to the resort premises and Ocean Club), Two Welcome Drink Coupons, Two 20% off Restaurant Coupons, Parking Permit.

Hali’i Kai At Waikoloa $30
Includes: Electronic key cards for access to the property and Ocean Club facilities, Two Welcome Drink Coupons, Two 20% off Restaurant coupons

Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa $20
Includes: Parking, Unlimited in-room high speed Internet access, Daily half-day snorkel rental for two, Free local long distance calls to the U.S. and Canada.

KAUAI
Aston Kauai Beach at Makaiwa $12
Includes: Daily parking, unlimited toll-free and local calls, daily use of exercise facility, 15 % off selected treatments at Pua Spa, incoming/outgoing domestic faxes, coffee or tea coupon from the hotel’s Coffee Kiosk, in-room high-speed internet access, use of in-room safe, coffee packs in-room, daily newspaper (Mon. – Sat.), rollaway extra bedding, kids 12 and under eat free at the Voyager Grille.

Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa $15
Includes: Unlimited local & 800 number phone calls, Self and Valet Parking, Incoming Faxes, One-hour Court time per day at the Tennis Garden, Daily Fitness Accessa, Wellness classes, Garden Island newspaper, 10% off selected merchandise at ANARA Spa, 10% off selected merchandise at the Tennis Center, 10% off Business Center Internet Access, 10% off selected merchandise.

Hilton Kauai Beach Resort $13
Includes: Access to the Fitness Center, parking, wireless Internet connection in lobby, nightly poolside entertainment, manager’s cocktail hour.

Koa Kea Hotel & Resort at Poipu Beach $15
Includes: In-room internet access, use of fitness center, valet parking.

Sheraton Kauai Resort $17
Includes: Internet access in guest rooms, Mai Tai Reception with Hawaiian Entertainment, Tennis Courts, Toll free and credit card access telephone calls, Local on-island telephone calls, Cultural arts and crafts, Guest news library with internet and e-mail access, Self parking, Weekly movie venue, Discount on selected beach activities, Oceanfront Yoga three mornings a week, Access to the Oceanfront Fitness Center.

MAUI
Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas $13
Includes: Daily parking, unlimited local phone calls & long distance access charge, daily use of fitness center, special discount rates at the day spa, wireless internet access.

Grand Wailea Resort $25
Includes: Floral lei greeting and Mai Tai punch (non-alcoholic) upon arrival, unlimited local, toll-free, and credit card calls, internet access, coffee & tea in guest rooms, nightly turndown service, unlimited use of Spa Grande’s cardiovascular and strength training facilities, participation in Sunrise Power Walks and Yoga classes, admission to twice-daily scuba clinics and water aerobics, participation in scheduled Garden and Art tours featuring the works of Botero, Leger, Picasso and Warhol, use of self parking facilities, shuttle service to scheduled stops throughout the Wailea area, and use of the water features to include water slides, water elevator, whirlpools.

Honua Kai Resort & Spa $25
Includes: Daily Parking, Internet Access, In Room Safe, Fitness Center, Free Local and Toll Free Calls, Suite Starter Kit (laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, sponge, liquid soap, dish towel and wash cloth, condiment and coffee).

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa $15
Includes: Parking, in-room coffee & tea, in-room safe, access to 800, 888 and local telephone calls, daily admission for 2 to the fitness portion of Spa Moana, daily newspapers, and one hour per day of tennis court time.

Kamaole Sands Resort Maui $16
Includes: Free parking, daily newspaper, coffee, and free local and 800 number calls.

Kapalua Villas and Homes $18
Includes: Shuttle service from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm, parking permit, unlimited tennis, in-room safe, local calls, free international calls to select countries, incoming faxes and a premier guest certificate booklet (valued at over $200 in discounts at resort shops and restaurants.)

Makena Beach and Golf Resort $15
Includes: Self parking, free local and toll free calls, Kona coffee and tea replenished daily, two bottles of water in guest room replenished daily, shuttle service to Makena and Wailea Resort areas, access to Ho’ohana Fitness Center, boarding pass printout.

Ritz Carlton Kapalua $20
Includes: Wireless high-speed internet access, local telephone calls, toll-free telephone access, discounted golf fees and preferred tee times, Resort shuttle services (Kapalua Resort & West Maui Kapalua Airport only), use of our 24-hour fitness center, Aloha Friday festivities and cultural history tours, arts & crafts, self-parking, resort charging privileges at select shops and restaurants, and in-room coffee.

Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa $25
Includes: In-Room Hi-Speed Internet, Free Wireless Internet access in Public Areas, including Lobby and Pool Bar, First Night Valet Parking, and Daily Self Parking thereafter, Unlimited local (on island) telephone calls, Starwood Maui scheduled shuttle service to Westin Maui Resort and Spa, Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas, and historic Lahaina town, Kaanapali Resort scheduled shuttle service to Kaanapali resort hotels, and The Fairway shops at Kaanapali, Yoga and Pilates Classes, Daily Cultural Activities, Lessons, and Entertainment, Children under 12 eat free from Keiki Menu at Kekaa Terrace with Paying Adult.

Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa $25
Includes: Unlimited U.S. Domestic Long Distance Phone Calls, Unlimited Local Phone Calls, Outgoing Domestic, U.S. Fax Service (up to 20 pages), Daily Self-Parking, 1-Litre Bottle of Water per day (in-room), 500 Marriott Reward Points per stay, 15% discount on Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services, Grandes’ Gems – 10% discount on jewelry purchases (excluding special events) and complimentary jewelry cleaning between the hours of 3pm-5pm daily, Mandara Spa – 10% discount on 50-minute service and complimentary spa gift, Mala Wailea Restaurant – 20% discount in Restaurant, Dinner only (excludes lounge dining, Pre Fixed Menu, early bird specials and alcoholic beverages), Maluhia Pool – 20% discount on full Cabana and Casabella rentals, Pool Side Concierge & Activities – 20% off any scuba lesson or ocean dive and 20% off paddle board rental, Two Welcome Mai Tai drinks per stay at Kumu Bar & Grill OR Two Cups of Starbucks Coffee per stay at Lauhala Hut

Westin Maui Resort & Spa $25
Includes: Admission to the Spa and Fitness Center, in-room high speed internet service, self parking, shuttle service to Maui Airport upon availability, shuttle service to Kaanapali golf and tennis facilities and nearby sister properties Sheraton Maui Resort and Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas, Westin Maui heavenly logo gift bag in room, 2 bottles of spring water in room replenished daily as necessary, outdoor portrait sitting and free 4 X 6 color photograph through West Maui Photography, cultural activities, unlimited local calls up to 60 minutes per call.

OAHU
Imperial of Waikiki $6
Includes: Access to Kalia Spa Facility, Unlimited DVD’s, unlimited local/toll free calls and use of in room safes.

Turtle Bay Resort & Ocean Villas $20
Includes: Local calls, 800 number calls, parking, self-service guest room coffee and tea, daily newspaper Mon-Fri, one hour snorkel equipment rental per day, one hour tennis time and equipment per day, in-room safe, and use of fitness center.

These are current as of December 2009. For a current list, please visit HotelDealsRevealed.com’s forum.
Las Vegas Resort Fee List
Hawaii Resort Fee List

Thanksgiving Not The Busiest Holiday For Travel

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

Most 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, 2009

Not 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

Google Local Business Search - Seattle Hotels