Archive for the ‘Hotel News’ Category

SKIP HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING FOR POINTS OR DOLLARS? Guests at many Westin and Sheraton hotels can opt out of daily housekeeping in exchange for a $5 credit or 500 Starpoints. That seems like a good idea to me since my room remains mostly tidy when I’m traveling on business. It also has environmental benefits since less water and chemicals are used to clean the room. The Wall Street Journal points out that an average high-end hotel saves about $22 per room if the guest opts out of housekeeping. What do you think? Would you take a hotel up on an offer like this?

SHERATON MANHATTAN NO LONGER SHERATON. You might not be able to opt out of housekeeping at the Sheraton Manhattan, though. Starwood has announced that the hotel will loose its brand affiliation this spring due to it’s deteriorating quality. However, the Sheraton New York (across the street on the EAST side of 7^th Ave) will keep its brand flag. (It always seemed a little weird to have two Sheratons so close to each other anyway…)

Updated room at the Best Western President Hotel near Times Sq- NYC

WHO KNEW IT WAS A BEST WESTERN? Check out my latest blog post on Best Western’s youmustbetrippin.com blog about the increasing number of Best Western hotels that may surprise you and make you say, “Wow! Who’da thunk THIS could be a Best Western?” I take a look at unusually cool BW hotels in San Francisco, Seoul, New York and Honolulu.

HOTEL BIZ IN BIND. Despite whispers of the return of business travelers, the hotel industry is still hurting. That’s because even as business travelers creep back, they are paying significantly lower rates. Evidence: IHG, the world’s largest hotel operator (Holiday Inn, InterConti, Crown Plaza, etc) said it’s revenue for 2009 was down 19% compared to 2008. However, the company said declines in January were less severe.

WARNING: PAY SKYMILES CREDIT CARD BILL ON TIME. Or lose your miles. Starting this month, Delta/Amex/SkyMiles credit card holders who pay their bills late will forfeit miles earned during the pay period. To reinstate those miles, you’ll have to pay a $29 fee. (This policy has long been in effect on standard American Express cards, but it’s now imposed on co-branded cards, too.)

NEW SKYMILES CREDENTIALS AND MILEAGE ROLLOVER COMING. If you recently qualified for Medallion status for 2010, your shiny new credentials should be in your mailbox soon. Also, if you qualified for Medallion last year, but continued to earn MQM miles, those extra miles should have “rolled-over” into your account this month, giving you a nice head start of getting Medallion again next year. Other changes that come as part of the 2010 Medallion program go into effect on March 1.

SKYMILES MARKETPLACE. Tired of trying to unload miles for flights? Delta would like you to try to unload miles for other things, like hotel and car rental bookings, electronics, clothing and luggage at its new SkyMiles Marketplace. As usual with these merchandise-for-miles schemes, the prices seem very high compared to street prices, or when compared to the enormous value of a free round trip. For example, a Flip MinoHD Video camera is featured on the opening page of the marketplace for 38,200 miles. A frequent flyer mile is generally thought to be worth about 1.5 cents, so you’d be paying the equivalent of $573 for a camera that costs about $200 at Best Buy. A first class round trip award to Hawaii starts at 37,500 miles, and this $200 camera is going for MORE than that? I dunno…I think I’d stick with redeeming miles for award flights. It’s a value that can’t be beat (at least when you can find the award seats you want…) What do you think? Is the Marketplace worth it for you?? Leave your comments below.

BEST WESTERN MATCHING ELITE STATUS. Everyone knows about how airlines will match elite level status to poach frequent travelers from competitors. Now hotels are getting into the act as well. Just this week, Best Western announced that it would give elite status in the Best Western Rewards program to anyone who sends them their elite level credentials from another chain. Elite membership in the BW program offers members room upgrades, early/late check in/out, and earning bonuses. Details here: www.bestwesternstatusmatch.com (Disclosure: I write a blog for Best Western’s youmustbetrippin.com site.)

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Even though the hotel biz is having a tough time, new properties are still opening, so here are four hip brand-spenkin’ new hostelries that TICKET readers should know about:

NEW YORK: I had an outstanding stay earlier this winter at the brand new Hotel Indigo on W. 28^th St near the Fashion Institute of Technology. The hotel is located in Chelsea on a block full of commercial florists which makes for a beautiful walk to or from the hotel. While the hotel is out of the bustle of midtown, there’s a subway stop a block from the hotel on 7^th Ave where trains can get you up or downtown in a flash. What do I really like about this hotel? It’s brand new from the ground up—something you don’t see a lot of in NYC.  There’s free wi-fi. Only downside: Rooms on lower floors have poor views. Lowest rates in late March range from $175 to $200.

CHICAGO: We’ve not actually visited the brand new, ultra-glam Elysian hotel, but we’ve been hearing about it from TICKET readers and colleagues at Leading Hotels of the World. It’s all-new from the ground up which is nice in a town with a lot of old hotel stock.  While it’s new and has all the latest techie bells and whistles (flat screen TVs, free wi-fi, built in stereo speakers) it’s got old world touches like a cobblestone driveway, marble bathrooms, fireplaces, outdoor terraces and windows that open. In late March, rooms range from $300 to $600, putting it in competition with the likes of the Peninsula and Four Seasons. If nothing else, you must see it’s gorgeous  website. (PS: When in Chicago last week, my frequent-traveling mother Julia checked out the Elysian and gives it a big thumbs up.)

photo: Erik Oginski

LOS ANGELES PT 1: The brand new glitzy and glamorous W Hollywood Hotel opened last month in a new mixed use development in the heart of Tinseltown at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. Guests are given star-studded treatment in true Hollywood fashion as they walk the plush “red carpet” to check in. As usual at any W Hotel, there’ll be a party in the lobby— here’s what an opening press release says: “Guests, residents and LA insiders can sip and socialize on the adjoining outdoor terrace and ground-floor lounge, featuring black tufted leather sofas, lounge chairs and a decadent backlit lobby bar crafted of glowing Onice Fantastico onyx.” Rates in late March start at about $220.

LOS ANGELES PT 2: The JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE officially opened Feb 17.  The long-awaited hotel is a cornerstone of the $2.5 billion L.A. LIVE sports, residential and entertainment district, located in downtown Los Angeles, across the street from the LA Convention Center and Staples Center. (Photo below) The 878-room property, which plans to be LEED-certified, shares space with the much smaller 123-room Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles (with a 4000 sq foot spa) in a unique 54-story tower. This is one of several new developments in the once-blighted downtown area that should help it shed some of its grittiness. Rates in late March at the J.W. start at $229. At the Ritz (opening next month), lowest rates are closer to $350.

photo: Marriott International

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Seems that the hotel industry is FINALLY hearing what business travelers have been screaming about for the last, oh, five years or so. They are getting around to making free Wi-Fi standard, instead of a pricey add-on, even at full-service brands that seem to be hold outs.

You’ll still get it free and easy at moderate brands like Best Western, Marriott Courtyard, Hampton or Holiday Inn. Mod new brands like Hyatt’s Andaz, InterConti’s Indigo and Starwood’s Aloft or Element offer it free.

But to get it from the posher players, there are hoops: for example, at Fairmont, Omni or Kimpton, you must first sign up for their (free) loyalty programs. Also, some larger companies with buying clout and good travel managers get free Wi-Fi as part of a negotiated rate with the hotel.

WARNING: This seems to be an almost exclusively American phenomenon as hotels, especially in big European capitals, continue their rapacious ways—charging $20-$40 per day for Wi-Fi.

What’s the most you’ve ever paid for Wi-Fi? Where did you pay it? Leave your comments below.

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In an interesting move, Marriott has installed hi-def, hi-priced Cisco Telepresence Suites at two hotels in Bethesda, MD and New York City. (Your TICKET editor conducted an interview with a Cisco exec via Telepresence last year, and I must admit, it really did feel like we were in the same room—except for the eye contact, which was a little off-kilter. But still…)

Marriott is not stopping with two hotels. You’ll soon find Telepresence at Grosvenor House (London), a JW Marriott Hotel; JW Marriott Hong Kong; Renaissance Sao Paulo; JW Marriott San Francisco, JW Marriott Marquis Miami; Renaissance Washington, DC; Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway; and Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott with more to follow.

It’s ironic that a big travel industry player would jump on the virtual meetings bandwagon, but Marriott sees this as a new revenue stream, and we think they are on to something.

It sorta works like this: A small group of U.S. based businesspeople would travel to say, New York, and have a meeting via Telepresence with a group of colleagues in say, Hong Kong. The business people on both ends would save money, time and jetlag by not having to fly overseas. Marriott would still make money by housing execs traveling into New York and Hong Kong in addition to its percentage of the fees charged for usage of the suite. Everybody wins.

More info here.

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VEGAS WILL BE PACKED. All indications are showing that this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (Jan 7-10) is going to be full to overflowing. Why? Pent up demand. This time last year we were all in economic shock. Attendees for CES and many other conventions were forced to cancel their plans. With things looking up this year, everyone wants to go back. So expect FULL flights between ATL and Vegas, full hotels, and the necessity of restaurant reservations. The city is expecting in excess of 100,000 visitors for this, the city’s largest event of the year.

HILTON HHONORS. Hilton is increasing the number of HHonors points required for award redemptions starting on January 14. Most reward categories will require an additional 5000 points for a free night stay. Stays at Hilton’s poshest brand, the Waldorf=Astoria Collection, are now pretty much standardized at 50,000 per night in the low season and 60,000 in high season. (TIP: Redeem points before Jan 14 on the old schedule and you’ll save.)

http://hhonors1.hilton.com/en_US/hh/landing/RewardFAQ/index.do

MISCELLANY

DEAD WEEKS. (SEE VIDEO) If you’ve got some flexibility in your travel schedule, don’t forget that the first three weeks of January are considered “dead weeks” in the travel industry. This is when travel demand plummets and you’ll find some of the very lowest prices of the year if you can take off at the last minute. It’s a great time to troll for bargains on last minute sites like Hotwire or name your own price sites like priceline.com. You can also find tons of last minute deals on cruises departing Florida and Gulf Coast ports. You’ll also find incredible weekend deals at luxury hotels located in downtown areas. And this year, with AirTran launching service to Jamaica, Aruba and the Bahamas, (and Puerto Rico) you will find lots of last minute bargains to warm weather destinations. Also, all those nice new hotel rooms in Las Vegas are a steal (except Jan 6-10 when the Consumer Electronics show is in town.)

PER MILE RATE CHANGE. The IRS recently announced that, starting January 1, 2010 it would lower the standard mileage rate to 50 cents per mile, down from the current 55-cent rate (and a high of 58.5 cents in 2008) The IRS standard mileage rate is the maximum amount you can deduct from your taxes for business use of a personal vehicle. It’s also used as a guideline for companies reimbursing employees who use their personal vehicles on company business.

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It’s almost Halloween and that always means one thing to me: Time for smart travelers to get a jump on the holidays! Check out TICKET editor Chris McGinnis’ outlook for holiday travel on CNN. (See full Q&A script below)

TICKET editor Chris McGinnis’ Holiday Travel Outlook

Here’s the full Q&A script for this segment for those of you who don’t want to or can’t watch the video. It includes much more info that what’s included in this one-minute segment.

TOPIC: Holiday Outlook

Q: Give me a general overview of what the holiday travel outlook looks like:

A: Holiday travel will be cheaper this year than last year if you book early. Not so much if you wait.

For example, Expedia data showed that average airfares around Thanksgiving are down about 17% back in Sept. Now, Bing Travel is saying that Thanksgiving fares are on the rise….up 6% compared to this time last year. So make you move.

Q: Why will there be lower fares?

A: Two reasons: less demand due to the ailing economy, and lower fuel costs for airlines, which helps keep fares low.

Q: What will be a good price for a domestic flight to a major city?

A: It depends on when and where you are flying.

Flights on the most popular days around Thanksgiving, such as the Tuesday or Wednesday before or the Sunday and Monday after are always more expensive.

If you must travel on those days, you should expect to pay at least 25% more than if you travel on less popular days.

Flights between major cities where there is low fare competition will be much cheaper than flights to smaller towns dominated by one or two airlines.

Q: What’s a price point travelers should keep in mind?

A: It depends on when and where you are flying and varies greatly, so it’s impossible to state.

Keep in mind that holiday travel is peak season travel, so while prices are lower than previous years, they are still going to be higher than any other time of year.

Q: What will be a good price for rental cars?

A: It depends on when and where you are renting a car.

Since business travel demand for rental cars is down during the holidays, rates tend to be lower than at other times of year.

Q: When should travelers book by in order to get deals?

A: The best time to book Christmas holiday trips is in mid-October—no later.

Q: What about flight delays?

A: Now that the airlines are flying fewer planes, airport congestion is less of a problem overall.

However, big hub airports like Atlanta and New York still have serious congestion issues.

Weather is always the wild card for delays during the holidays. If a snowstorm hits a major airline hub, delays are unavoidable.

Q: What’s the downside of this travel season?

A: Holiday season is peak season, and flights will be much fuller this year.

This means that if you miss your flight or your connection, the likelihood of getting on the next flight out is slim. You may end up having to wait a day or two.

Q: How can travelers avoid getting caught with no back up?

A: Pad your schedule and don’t be late for your flight this year.

If you miss your flight, you could end up waiting a day or two for the next available seat, which could ruin your holiday.

Q: What’s the bottom line for this holiday travel season?

A: Holiday travel will be cheaper than last year if you book your trips well ahead of time.

Airport congestion and flight delays will remain a problem at some big hub airports, but overall, airline on-time performance is improving.

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SF-based Joie de Vivre hotels recently invited your TICKET editor Chris McGinnis  to Long Beach, CA for the grand opening of the Hotel Maya, located right there on the waterfront between the Queen Mary and downtown. They’ve done a great job! If you find yourself on the southern side of LA or in Orange County, it’s worth a look! Here is my video review. Below you’ll find the voice over script to the video in case you can’t watch it.

Video Review of the Hotel Maya

In typical fashion, designers from the mod San Francisco based Joie de Vivre hotel chain have gone to Long Beach, California…

…where they found the UN-gracefully aging  Coast Hotel …

…and transformed it into a Latin lover called the Hotel Maya to the tune of about $20 million dollars

The property is set in a forest of 400 palm trees on the Long Beach waterfront.

Rooms are decorated with unusual touches like river stone headboards…

Bathrooms are brand new… I love that brown granite and burnt orange wallpaper!

Every room’s got a big desk area, flat screen TV, mini bar— and thankfully free and fast wi-fi

There’s a dramatic pool area with Vegas style cabanas good for play, and for work….

Plus an ample gym and meeting space for business travelers.

The airy Fuego Restaurant specializes in three things: seafood, tequila, and a stunning view of the city AND the Queen Mary docked nearby.

All in all this a great redo— like a stodgy old aunt going in for a makeover and coming out a flamenco dancer!

The Hotel Maya is located about 30 mins south of LAX on the border of LA and Orange county.

Rates start at around $140 for garden views. Water views are closer to $200.

www.hotelmayalongbeach.com

FREE NIGHT AT MARRIOTT. If you are not yet a member of Marriott’s Rewards program, now would be a good time to join. If you sign up and stay twice at any Marriott brand between now and Nov 15, you’ll get a certificate good for one free night at nearly any Marriott, except the most expensive ones.

2x-3x-4x WITH BEST WESTERN. Best Western Rewards members can earn double points for two stays, triple points for three stays and quadruple points for four stays through Nov 24. Catch: You must book your stay on a MasterCard to qualify. In addition to that bounty of points, you’ll earn and extra 250 points if you book at www.bestwestern.com

BEL-AIR GETS FACE LIFT. The best breakfast I ever had was an egg white omelet and a glass of fresh orange juice that tasted like it came off the trees in the courtyard at the outdoor patio restaurant at the Hotel Bel-Air, located in a leafy canyon just off Sunset Blvd west of Beverly Hills. That was about five years ago and while my stay there was nearly perfect in every way, the place just looked t-i-r-e-d. So it’s a good thing that this west coast grand dame is closing for up to two years for a full renovation of it’s 91 rooms and suites.

I made the following video for my Best Western blog at www.youmustbetrippin.com and it’s sorta gone viral (nearly 1000 views as of Aug 27)

It’s a video report on the opening of the cool new Hotel Avatar in Santa Clara, Calif….in the heart of Silicon Valley. Very clever re-do of the classic motel with all the modern amenities you’d expect, like free and fast wifi, nice pool, gym with elliptical trainers, etc.

Rates start in the very reasonable range of about $130 per night and it’s a nice colorful change compared to a lot of the beige box hotels in the area.

Check out the two min video and see for yourself:

RATES CRASHING. Hotel rates are WAY down, too. That’s because hotels can’t just go park excess hotel rooms in the desert like airlines can park planes. This means there are a LOT of unsold hotel rooms going at bargain basement prices—- and we are talking some of the most popular destinations in the country like Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco and Hawaii. European rates have tanked, too!

Examples of average hotel rate declines this summer
In US:
•    Las Vegas: -25%
•    New York: -25%
•    San Francisco: -23%
•    Honolulu: -18%

In Europe:
•    Barcelona: -35%
•    London: -25%
•    Rome: -23%
(Source: Expedia.com)

INTERESTING FINDINGS IN LATEST JD POWER SURVEY. Overall guest satisfaction at hotels rose last year, says the J.D. Power 2009 North America Guest Satisfaction Survey of 66,000 hotel guests. No surprise: Four Seasons came out tops in the luxury category. Hilton Garden Inn and Hyatt Place ranked high in the mid-priced category. Surprise to us: Wyndham Hotels ranked high in the upscale tier. Drury Inns also came out very high in mid-priced range. We’ve not stayed at a Wyndham or a Drury Inn in years—have you? They must be doing something right, so please let us know about your experiences with these chains! LET US KNOW!

TOUGH TIMES. The first half of 2009 was brutal for the hotel industry. According to Smith Travel Research, occupancy fell 11% in the first six months of 2009. The average daily rate dipped below the bellwether $100 mark to $98.66. Revenue per available room slipped 19%. Ouch. However, the outlook for hotels is improving as the economy seems to be warming up.

WATERGATE STILL A MESS. Did you hear that the Watergate Hotel in Washington went up for sale on auction last month and failed to attract a single bidder? The hotel was built in 1967. I remember staying there when it was a Swissotel.

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CANDLEWOOD SUITES HITS NYC. We always love a NEW hotel in NYC and here’s the latest from InterContinental: “Candlewood Suites is bringing a full-scale apartment experience at a midscale hotel price to business and leisure travelers at a prime location just one block from Times Square. Guestrooms are all studio suites with wide rooms, including a full kitchen with full-size refrigerator, stove top, dishwasher and microwave, and stocked with pots, pans, plates, glassware and utensils; comfortable recliner; large workspace with desk chair; and deluxe bedding.  Unlike most New York City midscale hotels, the Candlewood Suites offers amenities typically found in apartment buildings, including a complimentary 24-hour fitness center, complete with cardio and weight machines, and complimentary onsite laundry for guests. Location: 339 West 39th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues—over near the Port Authority. Rates in August start at about $220 per night. When we checked rates for Sept and Oct, the hotel was already sold out most nights! www.candlewoodsuites.com

AN ALTERNATIVE TO TRIPADVISOR. Check out this very helpful new site where hotel guests post their own VIDEOS of hotel stays. Very revealing! http://hotelvideoreviews.com/index.html

MORE FREE INTERNET. So here’s a positive trend that we are hearing about more frequently: Many full service hotel brands are FINALLY getting the message that guests are tired of paying for wi-fi when they can get it free at most limited service brands. For example, Hyatt now offers free wi-fi in all hotels to platinum and diamond members of its Gold Passport program. InterContinental Ambassors get it free, too. We are hearing that many west coast luxury properties, such as Ritz-Carltons are also offering it for free. Let’s hope the trend continues!

DOUBLE MILES ARE BACK. Delta SkyMiles American Express cardholders earn DOUBLE miles on all Delta flights through the end of the year. Register here www.deltadoublemiles.com

DISINTEREST IN LOYALTY PROGRAMS? Membership in hotel, airline and car rental loyalty programs has declined 31.2 percent since 2007, according to a new study from the loyalty research company Colloquy. The results, based on interviews with 2,152 U.S. consumers, indicate there still is interest in loyalty programs, but travelers are picking fewer carriers and hoteliers with which to invest their time and money.

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