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Free E-Book - Hotel Reviews: Finding and Understanding

In the spirit of this economic recession, I have made the decision to give away my e-book Hotel Reviews: Finding and Understanding. I previously charged $12.95 for it alone and it is now yours FREE as a gift.

As a matter of chance, there has been a 'dust-up' recently over reviews posted on TripAdvisor, a source I mention often in my book. It appears Chris Elliott of MSNBC fame has taken TripAdvisor to task over a recent revelation that some reviews are 'manipulated' by hotels. I laughed when I read the whole sordid affair as it was the same thing I mentioned over one year ago in my book! If you would like to see the sequence of comments and the article itself from Chris's blog, look here. (I actually commented on it myself - look for comment from DCR)

If you truly care about hotel reviews and whether or how effective they are, you may also want to read his interview with the CEO of Trip Advisor. I found that interview very worthwhile, perhaps because much of what I wrote is what the CEO says also - not only showing I know my nuggets but that understanding reviews is problematic.

So what have you got to lose (my book is FREE) except a few auto-emails from me till time everlasting (actually a couple months only). Sign up in the column at the right top and download your MP3 or digital e-book immediately!

What NOT to Say or Do at an Airport (Now)

A leading travel advisor and originator of a web site I often use to compare airline fares was quoted on ABC News regarding things NOT to say while at an airport. This is doubly important now because of the heightened screening procedures and security consciousness of TSA employees. I think we ALL know the age old warning about NEVER mentioning the word bomb within earshot of ANY airport employee. Well, apparently there is a newer updated set of litlle known things not to say or do when traveling.

I pass them along here in an article titled "Seven Things You SHould NEVER Say in an AIrport" from ABC News online. Tips include what you write on airline comment cards, how much you drink and what you think of the new body scan machines. In short, always watch what you say - even another pasenger (like the one that alerted security at the Neward airport breach) may be listening and may feel obliged to point you out to the local gendarmes.

As an added bonus, I found a Podcast of a travel show that includes updates on the new environment in travel security. You may wish to check it out in addition tot he above.

Q & A on Mexico (Baja and Cabo)

I haven't written about Mexico in quite some time - perhaps I take it for granted too much. (My brother just returned from a 2nd trip in the last 6 months to Mexico so maybe it seems like EVERYONE goes there already?)

Budget Travel has published a Q & A about destinations in Mexico from Baja California to the Mexican Riviera and I thought it would make for interesting reading even if you have been to Mexico. I myself have been all over Mexico but still I never made it to Baja or Cabo, so this article/post had interest for me as well. It is titled "Q & A on Baja and Cabo San Lucas" and though not a detailed article, it does ask a few common and relevant questions. and may be a good start for anyone just thinking about Mexico who has never been there before.

Super Bowl Hotel Info

All Right! You just were handed a pair of tickets to the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami. That's the good news. The bad news is how much it will cost you to use these tickets, especially given that the game is only days away.

It may be too late to find a great airfare ()my advice would be to fly into Jacksonville or Orlando and rent a car if Miami airfares are through the roof) but you CAN still find affordable hotels. An article I located on Peter Greenberg's blog/web site mentions hotels under $100 still available. Of course they are out of the immediate area and some hotels are 25 miles away (that's the beauty of flying into another city - you have a rental car!) but if you want luxury, you also have your pick of $300 plus per night resorts and hotels.

Check out the article here.

Airport Security - Perhaps an Oxymoron?

Pauline Frommer of Frommers fame posted an article on Bing about having her laptop stolen from the security line at JFK. In reading the post, I realized that though I consider myself somewhat of a travel expert, I too could easily fall into the trap of thinking that items in the security area (with all the attendant TSA personnel and airport police) would be safe. Far from it.

Read her post here. It is stunning that so many thieves are caught and as she pointed out, just as stunning to think how many HAVEN'T been caught! Though I usually travel where lines are so short you actually have to WAIT for your things, I can easily see how a duo bent on mayhem could slow up a line AFTER noticing a laptop going through and their accomplice(s) picking it up and wandering off. After all, there are no baggage tags assigned. So the security people have NO IDEA what belongs to whom. If you simply ACT like you own it, they assume you do and away goes your laptop. Just like what happened to Pauline.

Make sure you read the comments also for other tips. It isn't just laptops that are vulnerable - expensive cameras, iPods and now iPhones are highly sought after by thieves as well. Heck, even your CHANGE is probably vulnerable!

Hotel Tipping

Most veteran travelers are well aware of whether a tip (and how much) is due to any given party. After that, it is simply a matter of how much they tip or whether they even want to. Some people think tipping is ridiculous (even for service employees) and others think tipping brings better service and are generous with their amounts.

There are always cases however that don't fir the norm and people (especially those who travel infrequently) are not sure when or if a tip is 'owed' and/or how much it should be. For them, I pass along this article from USA Today titled " How Much to Tip at Hotels and When: A Primer for Guests".

I even mention for front desk employees at hotels tipping in my book because there is apparently very little understanding of what a tip (even $1) can do for you when staying for several days. I was somewhat surprised in the article that the so-called hotel experts didn't seem to grasp the basics either, so while I suggest you read the article, I will add my 2 cents worth as well.

Here's the scenario. Hotel desk clerks do not expect tips, nor do any solicit them as far as I have ever seen. They are more than happy (as a rule) to provide good service in hopes you will return in the future. But I myself am often mystified at how far some guests will go in expecting service that ranges FAR beyond normal. For instance, to bring extra towels or a wine opener or a toothbrush to your room is NOT an expected action from a sole desk clerk. Their job is to check in guests and answer phones - not run all over the hotel delivering toothpaste because you forgot it. It should be enough that the hotel (like ours) provides these things without charge but it is expected that the guest come down to the desk to get them.

And think about bags left in storage. If you have 3 bags and would normally tip a shuttle driver $2-$3 to load them on a shuttle, is it beyond reason that a clerk who has to retrieve them from a back storage area and bring them out to the lobby deserves a $1, if not more? Yet rarely does anyone give our staff a tip but a cab driver unloading bags gets $5 usually. Makes no sense. And as always, you can 'requests' rooms with a view when in Las Vegas or near the ocean but isn't it worth $5-$10 as a preemptive tip to guarantee you see the lights of the Strip instead of the darkness of the desert for the next 3-4 nights?

If you read the above article, I suggest you read some of the comments. This article generated a ton of them and some are downright humorous. And when talking about tipping, it is always good to laugh because no one wants to see an unhappy tipper.

The 787 Dreamliner

You may or may not have been aware that the latest generation of efficient airplane has been in the building stages for several years. It is the latest in the 700 series of planes and while not as large as the latest AirBus (the A310?), it is plenty big on its own. Still, it operates on 2 huge engines that are far more fuel efficient than the engines of the past. This is the appeal for the airlines - better fuel efficiency while still delivering up to 300 passengers per flight.

The appeal for the traveling public will be less visible until you get on board. Boasting larger windows than standard planes and using LED lights instead of incandescent bulbs which serves to brighten the cabin so overnight fliers can adapt to time changes easier. Along with advanced aerodynamics to lessen motion sickness and increased oxygen levels in the cabins means passengers should experience less stress on flights and therefore more relaxation.

Only now going through test trils, the first scheduled 787 will be delivered to ANA in 2010. Up to 55 airlines have ordered Dreamliners so it is likely you will see one yourself (if not fly one) by 2012.

How Travel and Technology Have Affected Travel

I came across a great article from USA Today about how travel in this last decade had changed. Why? Because of technology and terrorism. The article will speak for itself but I wanted to add my 2 cents worth of experience as well.

Remember (for you older folks) when you could wait at a gate for a departing flight and if there were any seats available, get on as a 'Stand-By' for a great fare? I recall flying several times to L.A. in the early 70's (on PSA - Pacific Southwest Air which is now just Southwest) for $25. Those days are gone because now you can't get past security without a ticket and airlines don't issue standby seats anymore.

I used to take my skis and bags to the airport the night before a flight and leaving them in a locker for $1 so I didn't have to schlep them with me on the shuttle the following days. That too is now gone because you can't leave luggage in lockers anymore and the rare baggage storage services are only in the international terminal in San Francisco and cost about $25 per bag now.

You could enter and exit the boarding areas at will also as well as wait for friends or loved ones at the gates. Those days too are gone as without a ticket or special pass, you can't get through security without a boarding pass.

In the end, we are far safer and glad of it but it is fun to "remember when" once in a while.

Wacky Travel Tales from 2009

From my very own hometown paper comes this lighthearted review of some weird events that happened in the last year to travelers. I found it amusing and assume you will too.

You can comment as you go from tale to tale. I know I questioned at least one item (RyanAir requiring 'brides' dressed in wedding dresses to book an extra seat and list it as "Miss Extra Seat." Apparently, they do not match ID's with reservations because here in the USA, you would need ID that said "Miss Extra Seat".)

Titled Travel's Weird and Wild 2009, you will no doubt chuckle at the Swiss Air pilot who dropped trou at the security checkpoint, tsk tsk the Newcastle pub drinking competition and be annoyed at the surcharge one airline assessed for a child's teddy bear as carry on. The other high (or actually LOW points) you'll have to read for yourself. 

Exotic Accommodations

Recently, I wrote about out of the ordinary locations people might stay who have been everywhere and seen everything. Now, I found an article about exotic and off-beat accommodations available to those who have an entrepeneurial spirit about them.

For instance, how about cubicles in the middle of a field in Spain? Or a single red 'cube' in France? There are houses and cabins over water, even a Boeing 727 fuselage sticking out of a house in Costa Rica. (And at only a bargain $400 per day!)

Yes, you would have to perhaps be tired of being pampered in luxury suites and penthouses and most likely to want to splurge on somewhat rudimentary accommodations, but I suspect half of the fun is just getting there and then having a memory never to be forgotten. And one few others share.

Check out this article from the UK and enjoy.

What Travel 'Experts' Expect in 2010

I have prepared a 2010 newsletter on what I expect to happen in the coming year but I may not end up offering it when all is said and done. In its place, I offer this USA Today article citing certain travel experts as to what they think will happen in 2010. And just to be fair, I also found travel columnist and travel author Ed Perkins views for the 2010 outlook and offer them here courtesy of the Baltimore Sun.

Most of my readers know I am not impressed (to say the least) with Third Party travel sites so when the article starts off citing a Travelocity 'expert', I cringed to think what I would read. All in all, none of the advice (or opinion) offered is bad and after all, it really is only opinion. Mine is no more valuable than any others and I would add my acknowledgment that the advice offered is good enough. No one expects 2010 to be much better than 2009 - my problem is I think a rebound will happen sooner than most experts think, so I think expecting 'more of the same' in 2010 may not apply by summer time.

But I'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, read these three expert opinions and make your decisions yourself.

What the Christmas Terror Attempt Means for Fliers

Because of the attempted bombing in Detroit of an airliner, the travel scene for 2010 changed once again. And once again, the airlines are the hardest hit on the economic front, as it is feared many people will shy away from travel (or at least from flying) because the security breaches reminded us once again just how vulnerable we really are.

I'm no airline expert or apologist but I'll pass along this story I found concerning what exactly may be the reaction of many fliers to this latest threat. As always, it centers less on safety as it does on comfort (people won't fly if they have to wait in 3 hour lines to go from Boise to Las Vegas) but they will allow for extra security for that overseas or Hawaii bound trip.

Nonetheless, with 2010 hoping to rebound from the bleak 2009 economic disaster in the travel arena, this is the LAST thing the airlines (and hotels and Car rental agencies and tour providors) needed.

If it Truly Is a Rat Race..

Then at some point, we must learn to live like rats. Well, if not rats then hamsters at least. And the never to be outdone French have kindly allowed us to do just that - sleep like hamsters.

Now open in Nantes is a hotel that took a room and converted it to a hamster cage. Only the Hamster Hotel is not for your favorite traveling pet - but for YOU. A room complete with hamster running wheel and head pieces made to look like mouse ears so you can truly live and act like a rodent. Included in the price of 99 Euros (about $150) is grain to eat, hay to sleep on and a make-shift fountain of water. According to the owners, the price will go up when Wi-fi and HiDef TV are installed.

Take a look at this video courtesy of the Huffington Post. It features a French couple enjoying the cage (and no - not for breeding!). 

Which makes me wonder - what do hamsters tell other hamsters they are living? The human race?

Why PrePaid Hotel Reservations Are To Be Avoided

I have written several times regarding the risk versus the benefit of pre-paying hotel reservations. Most recently it was a post last March regarding the additional small discount you receive when you pre-pay but as a general rule, it does not make good financial sense to pay $100's if not 1,000's of dollars up front for an agency or hotel to use for months ahead of your arrival.

Here is yet another reason to think twice about pre payment for hotels. This sad story was printed by USA Today out of Hawaii about a Canadian couple who lost their pre-paid vacation because the hotel went under. As opposed to Third Party travel sites (which would re-book you somewhere else), there is no recourse when your chosen hotel goes bankrupt. With the elevated number of loan defaults and bank foreclosures lately, there is a greater chance of this happening than any time since the Great Depression.

IN my opinion, if you are pre-paying one night only, it might be OK to risk losing your money. But for this couple having paid for a MONTH? And now losing it all?

Not worth the risk in my opinion. But if you DO decide to take such a rosk, I always suggest you consider travel insurance and make sure your policy covers bankrupt hotels, etc.

2010 Air Fare Sales from SFO

An excellent present for 2010 was offered by Virgin America recently - low, low sale fares not only through Jan 31st, but for only $10-$20 more, for ANY date in 2010. The only restriction is no travel on Friday or Sunday.

But for those hankering to go to Boston next summer, how about $119 each way? Or only $39 to San Diego until Jan 31st? LA and Orange County are only $49 ALL YEAR after Jan 31st - only $39 until 1/31.

It looks like some airlines are not going to fool around trying to convince everyone they mean business this time and raise rates grudgingly for only a month at a time. Virgin will likely only be the first to slash fares for all of next year. I would suggest however that there are likely only limited seats so it isn't as if you could wait until June to book a end of June flight to N.Y. at only $119 - I suspect those seats will be gone BEFORE the Spring thaw.

But for those who plan ahead and know when they need to go AND are flying out of SFO, check out the sale here.

More Comedy

It's Christmas week and no one seems to do much of anything between Christmas and New Years, so what better time of year than now to regale my audience with humor. As an equal opportunity offender, I try to offend any and everyone, so don't take it personal!

Three older ladies were discussing the problems of getting older. One said, 'Sometimes I catch myself with a jar of mayonnaise in my hand, in front of the refrigerator, and can't remember whether I need to put it away, or start making a sandwich' .

The second lady chimed in, 'Yes, sometimes I find myself standing on the stairs and can't remember whether I was on my way up or on my way down.'

The third one responded, 'Well, I am glad I don't have that problem; knock on wood, 'as she rapped her knuckles on the table. She looked up and said, 'That must be the door, I'll get it!'

On the Sunday before Christmas Reverend Billy Graham was walking down Highland street in Mt Holly, North Carolina on his way to see a parishioner.  However, he wanted to post a parcel urgently so he asked a young boy where he could find the post office.  When the boy had directed him, Reverend Graham thanked him and said, 'If you'll come to the Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to heaven.' 

The boy replied, 'I think I'll give your sermon a miss. If you don't even know your way to the post office, how will you lead me to heaven?'

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.

Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl.

We should have known... ONLY women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

Grandpa decided that shopping for Christmas presents had become too difficult.  All his grandchildren had everything they needed, so he decided to send them each a cheque (check).

On each card he wrote:

    'Happy Christmas Grandpa'

P.S. 'Buy your own present!'

While Grandpa enjoyed the family festivities, he thought that his grandchildren were just slightly distant. It preyed on his mind into the New Year.  Then one day he was sorting out his study and under a pile of magazines, he found a little pile of cheques for his grandchildren.  He had completely forgotten to put them in with the Christmas cards.

Travel Agent Jokes for Christmas

 
Act of kindness? Near Christmastime, a travel agent looked up from his desk to see an older lady and an older gentleman peering in the shop window at the posters showing the glamorous destinations around the world. The agent had had a good week and the dejected couple looking in the window gave him a rare feeling of generosity.

He called them into his shop and said, 'I know that on your pension you could never hope to have a holiday, so I am sending you off to a fabulous resort at my expense, and I won't take no for an answer.'

He took them inside and asked his secretary to write two flight tickets and book a room in a five star hotel. They, as can be expected, gladly accepted, and were on their way.

About a month later the little lady came in to his shop. 'And how did you like your holiday?' he asked eagerly.

'The flight was exciting and the room was lovely,' she answered. 'I've come to thank you. But, one thing puzzled me. Who was that old guy I had to share the room with?'

A New Hampshire Congresswoman asked me to book her an aisle seat on the airplane.  She did not want her hair to get messed up by being near the window.

I got a call from a Congress man, who wanted to go to Capetown over Christmas break. I started to explain that he needed a passport. He interrupted me with, 'I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts.'

Without trying to make him lose face, I calmly explained, 'Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa.' His response - click, the phone went dead.

And one that is NOT a T/A story:

The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin.'
Jay Leno

Car Rental Tips

A recent AP story ran that caught my attention. As one who rarely rents a car, I was unaware that bargains in the travel arena were not flowing into the car rental business. I DID have a warning earlier this year when a local car rental executive told my owner/boss that car rates were headed HIGHER and not lower because it was too expensive to hold onto unused cars when times were slow. So most car rental companies were cutting back on capacity and just like the airline industry, that usually means higher prices.

The AP article titled Tips for Getting the Best Car Deal mentions that prices are up about 50% compared to a year ago and the article confirms what the exec told my owner - car companies were quick to downsize their fleets. Of course when the economy picks back up, if it does so suddenly and rental companies don't have enough cars to meet demand, will go even higher. (Supply and demand).

So in the year ahead, you may want to bookmark these tips if you think you might need to rent a car on a trip.

Exotic Places to Visit

Last month, a headline story on Yahoo caught my attention. Titled "Most Unique Places to Visit", the article went on to mention some truly unusual places to visit in the world that are not heavily traveled to. Granted, they are almost ALL in remote locations requiring a bucketful of dollars to get to, but if you are one of those that has been everywhere and /or seen it all, you may want to read this.

Other than salt flats in Argentina, I found the other locations very appealing. Trees that look like mushrooms, a monastery on a cliff - these are places I would love to see. Unfortunately, other than one site in Canada, none are close to home, unless you live in Bhutan or Socotra. There is even one spot in Siberia (not kidding).

If you go, send me a postcard!

The Importance of Noting Travel Details

Because this happened yet again, I feel compelled to write a post on a subject I have written on before. Not the least of which my whole Travel Tips and Advice book was written to provide this same advice. It is unfortunate that the people who NEED to read this are likely never going to. Hopefully, you will be one who doesn't make this same mistake.

I have often lamented the fact that some who travel do not print out the details of their trip and they land at the airport and start calling arounf trying to figure out which hotel they made a reservation at. Recently, I received a call from our sister hotel (same franchise) asking if I had a room for "Monroe". I said no but we had a room at an agreeable rate available so they sent the party BACK to the airport on their shuttle so the party could get OUR shuttle.

When they arrived, they insisted they had a reservation but I commented only in the sense that the other hotel had called and asked if we 1) had their reservation and 2) had a room available. It turned out that they had called 'some' number (they thought it was ours) from the airport, had reserved a room at the identical rate I had quoted and had provided a credit card number. They even had a name - Mike, who had told them he wasn't actually at the hotel but would make the reservation.

Needless to say, my name isn't Mike and even though the rate was the same, they had not made a reservation with either me or our central reservation system. (I checked) Plus, the 9 digit 'confirmation' number they had been provided was not one of our confirmation numbers for ANY hotel in our chain. They knew if they stayed with us they would be charged as a no-show somewhere else, so in the end (after 15 minutes of trying to help them) they decided to wait 25 minutes for a shuttle back to the airport and then wanted to try to determine who they had called and whether they had a reservation somewhere.

Overall, because they did not take good notes to know who they had called in the beginning, they spent almost an hour going to the (first) wrong hotel and perhaps another 45 minutes going back to the airport to then come to the second wrong hotel (ours). Now they were facing another 30 minutes just to return to square one and of course there is no telling whether they ever figured out where they were going.

As I have often advised, most mistakes made in the world of travel happen because people are too pre-occupied trying to do too many things. So it is important to write ALL the details down when facing such a situation, details like hotel name and address at the least. Had the 'Monroes' done so, they likely would have been in bed instead of sitting outside our hotel waiting to head back to the airport for a still unknown destination, which at best would require another wait for a shuttle. I'm not sure about you, but I would be furious having spent 2 hours wandering around only to end up with a undetermined outcome. But then, I know to take good notes!

An Internet Travel Site You DON'T Want to Patronize

Chris Elliott posted a story about an alleged Internet Travel Website that was fined by the Dept. of Transportation for not disclosing all pertinent charges and making it appear that flights and hotel rates were less than they really were. However, that turned out to be the tip of the ice berg and when I followed some of the complaints by consumers, I uncovered a horde of apparent rip-off schemes by not just the original site (UltimateFares.com) but other affiliated sites as well. Apparently, a past employee in the Billing Dept. was spilling the beans about the companies, which apparently were fleecing unsuspecting consumers in numerous ways. It alarmed me enough to do this post to try to warn anyone thinking about doing business with any of these companies.

I have no experience with any of them and no gripe of my own. I am simply passing along what I found on the net but it is disturbing enough to warrant my attention. People report they were overcharged or charged more than once for tickets and another complaint read in part; "Ultimate fares has a very bad reputation in the travel industry. They not only scam their customers, but also their vendors, partners and even their own employees". Not a company I want to do business with.

The Billing employee went so far as to suggest you simply google "reviews on UltimateFares.com" and see for yourself what others are reporting. This employee also mentioned 3 other companies apparently affiliated with Ultimate: Cheapflightsales.com, Arcade Travel, and Travel Services. You can find his/her review here. 

And as always, a partial solution is to get your credit card company involved, which will take months to resolve. In the end, you may just want to book directly with airlines and hotels - something I have been a proponent of in my books since the get-go.