tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1242601225530045242024-03-05T11:09:16.050-05:00Hospitality and Travel NewsThe best industry-related news gathered from around the internetAdirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.comBlogger1531125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-68763382830606816272011-11-19T07:03:00.002-05:002011-11-25T15:19:14.235-05:00We've Moved!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lewp.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/weve-moved.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://lewp.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/weve-moved.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We've changed our website and moved to a new address! <a href="http://hospitalityandtravelnews.weebly.com/">Click here to visit us</a> at our new site!!Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-90587013275682069432011-11-18T12:26:00.000-05:002011-11-18T12:26:47.558-05:00NYC Steakhouse Workers Arrested for Fraud<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2011/Reviews-Chicago-Cut-Steakhouse-and-Mastros/C201102-T-Chicago-Cut-Steakhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2011/Reviews-Chicago-Cut-Steakhouse-and-Mastros/C201102-T-Chicago-Cut-Steakhouse.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Steakhouse-Waiters-Busted-Identity-Theft-Ring-Stolen-Credit-Cards-134090479.html">NBC New York:</a> More than two dozen current and former waiters and their associates from some of the city's top steakhouses have been arrested in an alleged identity theft ring, accused of stealing credit card numbers from wealthy customers, NBC New York has learned.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Several suspects are from top city restaurants like Smith and Wollensky, Capital Grille and Wolfgang Steak, as well as Morton’s in Stamford and the Bicycle Club in New Jersey, sources said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The alleged scam targeted customers who often paid with American Express Black cards and other high-limit credit cards, according to sources.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Law enforcement sources said some restaurant workers used handheld scanners to copy the credit card information as they walked away to process the bill. Later, that information would be sent to leaders of the alleged fraud ring, who would forge new credit cards with the stolen information and test them out on taxis.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">If the cards worked, the suspects would go on major shopping sprees, buying up expensive goods like Chanel goods and Jimmy Choo shoes. The thieves would then re-sell the luxury brand items for cash.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Officials estimate profits totaled at least $1 million, sources said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">NYPD officials and District Attorney Cy Vance were expected to announce details of the case Friday. Many of the suspects are also expected to be arraigned in Manhattan criminal court. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">An NYPD spokesman declined to comment Thursday, as did a Vance spokeswoman.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Managers at Smith & Wollensky, the Bicycle Club and Capital Grille restaurants declined to comment. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">A manager at one Wolfgang’s restaurant said he believed all workers on the schedule Thursday had arrived and was unaware of any law enforcement allegations against any worker. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">A manager at Morton's also referred calls to its corporate headquarters.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Officials stress restaurant operators had no knowledge of the alleged crimes by the few employees.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-58341994650145454772011-11-18T10:01:00.001-05:002011-11-18T10:01:21.901-05:00Volcano Eruption Sparks Tourism<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/11/14/1321294042497/The-Nyamulagira-volcano--002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/11/14/1321294042497/The-Nyamulagira-volcano--002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Nyamuragira </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="articlelead1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2011-11-18-volcano-eruption-sparks-tourism/">Mail and Guardian</a>: Its status as the battleground in "Africa's world war", and possibly the worst place on Earth to be a woman, makes it arguably the world's most counterintuitive holiday destination.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<br />
<span class="articlebody1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Yet tourism in the Democratic Republic of Congo's ravaged east is doubling by the year as intrepid travellers set out to witness its natural wonders. </span></span><br />
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<span class="articlebody1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">From a standing start of zero in 2008, when war was still raging, Virunga National Park's visitor numbers climbed to 550 in 2009, then 1 800 in 2010 with an expected 3 800 for 2011. As a result, this year the oldest national park in Africa expects to raise more than $1-million.</span></span><br />
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<span class="articlebody1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Among the attractions on offer are an overnight trek to the eruption of the Mount Nyamuragira volcano and tracking through forests to glimpse critically endangered mountain gorillas.</span></span><br />
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<span class="articlebody1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In a sign of growing confidence, Virunga is also due to open its first tourist lodge on January 1, with guests paying $200 a night in 12 bungalows boasting lava-rock walls and thatched roofs.</span></span><br />
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<span class="articlebody1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"Clearly it's not Spain we're trying to sell," said Cai Tjeenk Willink, the park's business development officer. "The good thing is we have high-quality attractions here: the mountain gorillas, the active volcanos, safaris with elephants, lions and leopards, the lake, a lowland forest and one of the highest mountain ranges in Africa. We have a lot to offer."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="articlebody1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Willink said that most visitors were from Belgium, the former colonial power, and about one in 10 is British.</span></span><br />
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<span class="articlebody1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The Nyamuragira volcano began erupting on November 6 and has several lava fountains spewing up to 200m into the air, with lava flowing slowly north into an uninhabited area of the park.</span></span><br />
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<span class="articlebody1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The park, a Unesco world heritage site, has set up a tented camp in a safe area close to Nyamulagira, where visitors can stay overnight.</span></span></span>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-22825595976708352812011-11-18T09:52:00.000-05:002011-11-18T09:52:39.662-05:00Let Delta Haul Your Christmas Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_SpDZMKYRdcTNjGvh4BZmg6aW1hYfKh1pHbnpWfi7nOVYQ2V7KZtceQPnlcvbtUEDNcD9WRPHAwviS56SAMOsq8VTY1Uvy27ItASpNG5sdObpYbNuSmK0AD2cMEZ6TmZBWPT_fyWmnCe/s1600/delta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_SpDZMKYRdcTNjGvh4BZmg6aW1hYfKh1pHbnpWfi7nOVYQ2V7KZtceQPnlcvbtUEDNcD9WRPHAwviS56SAMOsq8VTY1Uvy27ItASpNG5sdObpYbNuSmK0AD2cMEZ6TmZBWPT_fyWmnCe/s400/delta.jpg" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/11/18/6619/8099/travel/Delta+is+Happy+to+Ho+Ho+Haul+Your+Christmas+Tree+This+Season+">Jaunted:</a> If you’re off to grandma’s house next week to celebrate Thanksgiving and you want to bring a Christmas tree back home with you—no problem! Delta will gladly carry your tree under the belly of the plane, and in fact, they’ve been doing this for a few years now and are the only domestic carrier to do so—we think.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Delta is hardly an extension of Santa's sleigh, so obviously <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">there’s some special rules and regulations when it comes to checking a Christmas tree</span>. First, we’re thinking that you might need to remind the agent at check-in that this is totally normal, as this is probably not one of Delta’s most widely used policies. Next, be sure to get ready for plenty of stares from fellow passengers and well as those TSA folks that seem to always be hanging around.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Once it's time to check the tree just remember that <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">freshly cut trees are considered limited-release baggage, so that pretty much means you just need to accept whatever damage might occur</span>. So please don’t flip out when there’s a couple pine needles missing once you get home. It’s a domestic option only, so no American trees overseas please.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Just like its fellow cargo companions, your tree is subject to all sorts of size restrictions and baggage rules. We guess the tree counts as you first checked bag, so be sure to carry-on if you’re dreaming of bringing a tree along as your traveling companion. Finally, you might need to make a quick trip to Home Depot or the local garden center, as <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">your tree needs to be wrapped up in burlap or something similar for its holiday flight</span>.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-28994799701948806652011-11-18T09:18:00.000-05:002011-11-18T09:18:01.165-05:00Hotel Dispenser Systems<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.nevistas.com/ul/4/2011/07/tb072711s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://www.nevistas.com/ul/4/2011/07/tb072711s.jpg" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/11/17/84445/225/hotels/At_These_Five_Hotels_Every_Day_is_a_Tommy_Bahama_Kind_of_Day">Hotel Chatter</a>: To dispense or not to dispense? We're talking about hotel toiletry dispensers, that is. We (and a few of our readers) have said before that dispensers are cool so long as there are some good products in them. Fortunately, if you are visiting these hotels along the West Coast, you'll be encountering some good "tropical" stuff from <a href="http://www.essentialamenities.com/tommy.asp"><span style="color: blue;">Tommy Bahama</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Acqua Hotel, Hotel FIVE, The Maxwell Hotel, University Inn, and Watertown Hotel have all added gallon dispensers of Tommy Bahama toiletries to their guestrooms in an effort to be eco-conscious. But Kurt Helmke, the general manager of the Acqua Hotel, outside of Marin in California, knew that not any old brand would work in the dispenser. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A lot of hotels have started moving to dispenser systems, but the Tommy Bahama products make us stand out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Tommy's amenity line, distributed by <a href="http://www.pineapplehospitality.net/"><b><span style="color: blue;">Pineapple Hospitality</span></b></a><span style="color: blue;">,</span> includes the Exotic Coral Shampoo, Protective Conditioner, Liquid Soap, Hand and Body Lotion and Bath and Body Gel. The amenities are all natural, have never been tested on animals and exude a clean, fresh aroma. No Hawaiian shirts needed!</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-63062678803214723152011-11-18T09:09:00.000-05:002011-11-18T09:09:45.880-05:00Man Sues Airline for Expired Drink Coupons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/pointofview/airline--drinks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://www.cbc.ca/news/pointofview/airline--drinks.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #292727; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-illinois-man-sues-southwest-saying-he-is-owed-45-free-drinks-20111117,0,4122570.story">Reuters</a>: <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Southwest Airlines Co.</span> was sued by an Illinois man over the discount carrier's decision to stop honoring coupons for free alcoholic drinks, which it had given to select travelers and which lacked expiration dates.<br />
<br />
The plaintiff Adam Levitt said Southwest had for years awarded customers like him, who bought tickets through its premium-priced "Business Select" program, hundreds of thousands of coupons for the drinks, which would otherwise cost $5 each.<br />
<br />
But on Aug. 1, 2010, Southwest changed its policy, and said Business Select passengers may use their coupons only on the day of travel printed on them. Some other passengers were given more time.<br />
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"In an industry where the competition is always knocking (or banging) on the door and where watching the bottom-line is more important than ever, we owe it to our employees, customers, and shareholders to find ways to operate smarter," Mike Hafner, vice president of cabin services, wrote on a company blog.<br />
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Levitt, who lives in the Chicago area, said the policy change amounted to a breach of contract. He attached to his complaint copies of 45 coupons for free drinks, which he said he had accumulated and which the change left worthless.<br />
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"Southwest decided that it would make more money -- improve its 'bottom-line' -- by choosing not to honor the coupons that consumers had already paid and bargained for," said the complaint filed Wednesday in Chicago federal court.<br />
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The lawsuit seeks class-action status for Southwest customers in the United States with unredeemed drink coupons. It seeks compensatory damages and other remedies.<br />
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Southwest had no immediate comment. A lawyer for Levitt did not immediately return a call seeking a comment.<br />
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U.S. carriers are reducing services and cutting expenses as fuel costs rise and an uncertain economy threatens to reduce demand for travel. Southwest, based in Dallas, has long been among the healthiest major U.S. carriers financially.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-34139613382380941322011-11-18T09:02:00.000-05:002011-11-18T09:02:07.513-05:00TLC & Southwest Team Up for Reality TV Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://flowerblossoms.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/southwestairlinesmishap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://flowerblossoms.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/southwestairlinesmishap.jpg" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/16/8847158-southwest-tlc-team-up-for-reality-tv-project">MSNBC</a>: Americans seem to have an insatiable appetite for reality shows. They also seem to be endlessly fascinated with the good, the bad and the ugly about their flight experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Now, it seems, the two will be mixed for the television public – again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">TLC, the television network that is part of Discovery Communications, announced Wednesday that it is starting production on a new series that will take viewers behind the scenes of the modern air travel experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The network has ordered 13 half-hour episodes, which will be produced by ITV Studios America and based on unprecedented access to Southwest Airlines.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“We were interested in working with Southwest,” said Dustin P. Smith, vice president of communications for TLC, “as it is one of the largest airlines in the country and is known for its exuberant corporate culture and for having refreshing and personal customer service that is regarded as unique in the industry.” Those qualities, combined with an in-depth look at the hurdles of traveling, would create a dynamic show, he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Ashley Dillon, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, said the airline was chosen also because of its tradition of transparency, which relies heavily on the use of social media, blogs and other media.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“We’re always telling people what we’re doing behind the scenes. Why not put that on TV?” she said “That makes us an attractive airline for a TV show.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Southwest’s daily operations were previously the subject of a television series in 2004-2005 when “Airline” ran for three seasons on A&E.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“Customers loved that show,” Dillon said. “Airline”aired on Monday nights, and on Tuesday mornings there would be a surge of people applying for jobs, as the show reflected the important role that employees played at the airline, Dillon said. And even six and seven years later, employees featured on the show are stopped at airports by travelers seeking autographs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“We found people loved behind-the-scenes views.” Most travelers, she said, do not know about all the challenges of flight – from getting all the bags boarded to landing safely.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The new series “will be fresh and new and different,” Dillon said. The earlier show focused on customer service at the airport, but the current production will be broader and will include many more employees: maintenance workers, providers of drink and food, pilots as well as attendants.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“Employees will be the storytellers,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The series will also feature stories of real travelers – beginning with the purchase of tickets at their homes and continuing for the duration of their journeys. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">What’s the appeal of a show based on such a mundane occurrence?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“Airlines are a fascinating business,” said Henry H. Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and co-founder of the Atmosphere Research Group, a market research company. “It's an industry known for attracting 'characters' in certain roles, especially like pilots and flight attendants. Non-airline employees see the industry as somewhat 'glamorous' thanks to the ability to see so much of the U.S. (and abroad) either for free or on deep discounts. Some mistakenly believe that there is a lot of hanky-panky on crew layovers, though that couldn't be further from the truth.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Harteveldt said other recent shows to profile the industry include "Fly Girls", a series that “capitalized on the popularity of reality shows, presented against the background of a fun, young, hip airline like Virgin,” and “Pan Am,” “a scripted show that is trying to capitalize on the popularity of the 'go-go' time frame of the 1960s when the economy was stronger and so much was new and possible. It's a clear rip-off of 'Mad Men,' and a bad one at that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Harteveldt said he was not surprised that Southwest was chosen as the focus of the TLC series.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“Southwest is a well-known national airline with a reputation for friendly, and a bit off-beat, customer service,” he said. In addition, Southwest is careful about the people it hires, and has a distinct corporate culture which adds to the appeal. “Its employees are generally happy to work there, so you're less likely to hear negative comments from employees.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A title for the series and a firm date for the premiere have not yet been set, but it is expected to debut sometime in the spring of 2012, Dillon said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Production is scheduled to begin this coming weekend at Baltimore Washington International Airport and Denver International Airport, with additional airports to be added in coming weeks.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-78830240723084447442011-11-17T13:42:00.000-05:002011-11-17T13:42:04.283-05:00New Website Offers Deals on Last Minute Getaways<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2ikZRhAa9ERW5P_JSLCz-Bs9P0QZFDRXbRy860G_mmaRXOGOYpjAAPJ3rhbgzD68GlHUrxDdYZivKEZidS0QeG09Gvaw2w7Ma_18glbbfc63UCoDxSD5RWPN1_V6mMHwEGZUn5eNv6cT/s1600/instantescapes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2ikZRhAa9ERW5P_JSLCz-Bs9P0QZFDRXbRy860G_mmaRXOGOYpjAAPJ3rhbgzD68GlHUrxDdYZivKEZidS0QeG09Gvaw2w7Ma_18glbbfc63UCoDxSD5RWPN1_V6mMHwEGZUn5eNv6cT/s400/instantescapes.jpg" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://travelkit.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/17/8856148-livingsocial-offers-deals-on-last-minute-getaways">MSNBC:</a> First came LivingSocial Escapes, which offers customers discount vacation packages.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Now comes <a href="https://www.livingsocial.com/escapes/p/instant-escapes">LivingSocial Instant Escapes</a>, launched Thursday, which offers customers last-minute travel deals up to 55 percent off.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Doug Miller, senior vice president for LivingSocial’s new business initiatives, told msnbc.com that he’s seen a lot of interest from customers in last-minute travel. While most LivingSocial Escapes packages can be booked several months out, Instant Escapes deals are aimed at travelers who don’t have plans for the upcoming weekend. “Our focus is on creating demand,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Customers can find these last-minute deals on the current LivingSocial Escapes website or mobile app or sign up to receive weekly e-mails. New deals will be posted on Wednesdays, focusing on destinations within driving distance and are good for either that Thursday, Friday or Saturday night. Most deals are one-night stays, Miller said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The first Instant Escapes deals include:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">- $139 per night at the Larkspur Hotel in San Francisco, which also includes a $15 credit to the on-site Bar 1915 and a $75 credit to rent a luxury car; <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">- $265 per night for a room at The Hudson Hotel in the Hell’s Kitchen area of New York City, as well as free WiFi, late check-out and continental breakfast for two; and<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">- $84 per night at Washington, D.C.’s Hotel Madison with a complimentary room upgrade and late check-out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Since launching a year ago this month, LivingSocial Escapes has sold nearly 600,000 room nights at more than 800 different properties around the world. It was quickly followed by Groupon Getaways, which launched over the summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Carroll Rheem, director of research for PhoCusWright, said the challenge for deal sites is to drive incremental bookings, not undercut the price for a customer who was already planning a trip. She sees last-minute escapes as a niche market.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“If you’re kind of bored for the weekend, that’s a very different experience than ‘I know I was going to take a trip,’” she said.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-91043425642530947982011-11-17T13:32:00.003-05:002011-11-17T13:36:08.802-05:00Airline Passengers Told to Pay Extra for Fuel<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Hundreds of passengers on a Comtel flight from India to Britain were stranded for six hours in Vienna when they were told they had to pay extra to buy more fuel. </span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The charter service asked them to kick in more than 20,000 pounds ($31,000) to fund the rest of the flight to Birmingham, England. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">In the video below a Comtel cabin crew member tells passengers, "We need some money to pay the fuel, to pay the airport, to pay everything we need. If you want to go to Birmingham, you have to pay." <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Some passengers said they were sent off the plane to go to cash machines to get the money.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Video:</span></div><center><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0" height="245" id="msnbc93cb9f" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" /><param name="FlashVars" value="launch=45335387&width=420&height=245" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed name="msnbc93cb9f" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" width="420" height="245" FlashVars="launch=45335387&width=420&height=245" allowscriptaccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object><br />
<div style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center; width: 420px;">Visit msnbc.com for <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153) !important; border-bottom-style: dotted !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(87, 153, 219) !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;">breaking news</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153) !important; border-bottom-style: dotted !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(87, 153, 219) !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;">world news</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153) !important; border-bottom-style: dotted !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(87, 153, 219) !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;">news about the economy</a></div></center>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-60506561566934479672011-11-17T10:47:00.000-05:002011-11-17T10:47:50.471-05:00AAA: Thanksgiving Travel Up 4% Over 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://herlifetravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ThanksgivingTravelTips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://herlifetravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ThanksgivingTravelTips.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.clickondetroit.com/money/Crowded-highways-expected-for-Thanksgiving/-/1719116/4775340/-/9j11jiz/-/">Click on Detroit:</a> More Americans are hitting the road this Thanksgiving holiday, despite higher gas prices, according to the motorist group AAA.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The American Automobile Association projects 42.5 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles during the Thanksgiving weekend, an increase of 4 percent from the 40.9 million people who traveled last year.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But gas prices are also up, making the drive more expensive this year. The nationwide average price of unleaded gasoline was $3.39 per gallon on Thursday, compared with an average of $2.88 a year ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The high cost of gas might be why travel was flat for Memorial Day and actually decreased, compared to last year, during Independence Day and Labor Day. But the Americans who have been staying home to save money are shrugging off their financial concerns for Turkey Day, according to AAA.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"Driving AAA's projected increase in the number of Thanksgiving travelers is pent-up demand from Americans who may have foregone holiday travel the last three years," said Bill Sutherland, vice president of AAA Travel Services, in a prepared statement.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"As consumers weigh the fear of economic uncertainty and the desire to create lasting family memories this holiday, more Americans are expected to choose family and friends over frugality.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Driving will be the dominant mode of transportation during Thanksgiving, while forecasts for air travel are mixed. AAA is expecting air travel to increase by nearly 2 percent, but the Air Transport Association of America is projecting a 2 percent decrease.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">AAA defines the Thanksgiving weekend as the period from Nov. 23 to Nov. 27.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-17726486571897472032011-11-17T10:09:00.001-05:002011-11-17T10:10:01.627-05:00New York Tops December Hotel Searches<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://annacruise.cruiseblogs.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/christmas-tree-rockefeller-center.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://annacruise.cruiseblogs.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/christmas-tree-rockefeller-center.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/11/kayakcom-most-popular-hotel-searches-december-travel/567119/1">USA Today</a>: Where are travelers most searching for hotels this December? New York tops the list, according to Kayak.com's analysis of two years of hotel-search data.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Big Apple, after all, does a fantastic job of decking itself out for the holidays. And each year, tourists from the Tri-State area - and around the world - flock to the city to soak up the atmosphere.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last week, workers were busy hanging gigantic snowflakes from wires high above Fifth Avenue. Visitors also love to photograph the spectacular Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, which will be lit this year on Nov. 30, and take in other festive sights - including hotels adorned with decorations.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So what about the four other cities that made Kayak.com's Top 5 list? </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They're all warm-weather destinations.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It makes you wonder if Northeast residents rushed to book December trips after the freak, Oct. 29 snowstorm pounded the region and left millions without power for days.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The full Top 5 from Kayak:<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">New York<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Las Vegas<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Orlando<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cancun<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Miami<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Top 5 cities that experienced the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">biggest increases</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> in hotel search volume for December travel on a year-over-year basis:<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Miami<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">San Francisco<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">New Orleans<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fort Lauderdale<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">New York<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On the flip side, Kayak.com also looked at cities that fell out of favor this year compared to 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Deal seekers may want to scan this list of Top 8 cities where hotel search volume </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">decreased </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the most on a year-over-year basis because they could have better luck in these destinations finding hotel bargains in December:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Barcelona<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Los Angeles<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">San Diego<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Boston<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nassau, Bahamas<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Punta Cana, Dominican Republic<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">San Juan, Puerto Rico<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chicago</span>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-12575554522422191482011-11-17T08:47:00.000-05:002011-11-17T08:47:43.034-05:00Developer Says S. Florida Could Be Bigger Than Vegas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://media.casinogamblingrules.com/pcaintro-cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://media.casinogamblingrules.com/pcaintro-cards.jpg" width="312" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/mh-genting-gambling-las-vegas-20111116,0,5011875.story">Sun Sentinel:</a> The developer behind a plan to build the world's largest casino on the Miami waterfront predicts gamblers will spend more in South Florida than they do in the Las Vegas Strip, the kind of grand transformation that now has the mayor of Miami rethinking his support of the project.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The Malaysian-based Genting Group released a one-page summary of an economic study it commissioned saying the addition of three 5,200-room casino resorts would generate as much as $6 billion in gambling revenue a year. The Vegas Strip, long considered the hub of American gambing, generated $5.7 billion last year, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The striking numbers come on the heels of a letter by Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado to Genting Chairman K.T. Lim that rolls back the mayor's previous embrace of the company's planned Resorts World Miami casino resort on the city waterfront.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I believe that your proposed project may be one of the best things that ever happened to our community -- or the worst,'' wrote Regalado, who in June presented Kim with the key to the city shortly after Genting paid $236 million for the Miami Herald's waterfront headquarters. "It is too early in its planning to tell." <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The mayor's Nov. 8 letter calls for both Miami and Genting to "stop and think and work together, carefully and unrushed, to avoid any problems that may develop" with the massive project, which would include 5,200 rooms and nearly four times as much gambling space as the largest casino in Vegas. Genting issued a statement Wednesday saying it was "working closely with authorities at all levels of government" as it moves forward with the proposed development.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Genting hired Spectrum Gaming Group to prepare an economic study on bringing three casino resorts to South Florida. On Wednesday Genting released a one-page letter by Spectrum stating three casino resorts would generate between $4.5 billion and $6 billion in casino winnings a year. The letter does not make the Strip comparision, but Spectrum managing director Michael Pollock said it's reasonable to imagine South Florida eclipsing Sin City.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"You've certainly got the population,'' Pollock said. "You've got the tourism infrastructure. You've got access to multiple markets -- many of which are untapped by gaming, such as Latin America."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pollock said the study was based on three resorts the same size as Resorts World Miami. That would mean world's three largest casinos would operate in South Florida. The letter was released the same day Genting executives made their case in front of a Senate committee considering a industry-backed bill that would allow three casino resorts to open in South Florida.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In an interview, Regalado said his letter does not reflect a change in his position, and that the Resorts World Miami project would not be too large for the city as long as Genting can address traffic woes and new strains on city services.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"It could be manageable,'' he said. "But we just need to understand what kind of impact it will have."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Regalado's newest statement is "gratifying" to business leader Norman Braman who recently met with the mayor urging him to reconsider his views on gambling.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I think it gets back to the more that people really think this through, the more they realize and understand all the pitfalls that casino gambling will bring to this community," Braman said. "I don't think Tomas Regalado wants his legacy stained by being instrumental in bringing casino gambling to this community."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Braman, who recently engineered the successful recall of Miami Mayor Carlos Alvarez, said he will make it his mission to defeat the casino gambling bill and the potential of three destination resort casinos in South Florida. He said he's received an flood of calls in the last few weeks from other community leaders interested in supporting his efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I will do whatever is necessary to prevent casino gambling from coming into this community," Braman said. "People now are really waking up to what's happening.This is an assault on our quality of life."</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-53104612863950417452011-11-17T07:35:00.000-05:002011-11-17T07:35:51.051-05:00Innovative Travel Companies Recognized<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1O0hyphenhyphenoHLOSXlhwGArhoDjaOgsaF-hPKBx9ZWzT30sSiJSo7oRZ5RXq9QxO8OoC8L-iCdl5iyo6LP_OiSAFH6QAH96Kb8wLQnStjWuGhY0sSRwZNyC8MqONQrqBlDTx3TmrvujbwjN8W9z/s1600/hipmunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1O0hyphenhyphenoHLOSXlhwGArhoDjaOgsaF-hPKBx9ZWzT30sSiJSo7oRZ5RXq9QxO8OoC8L-iCdl5iyo6LP_OiSAFH6QAH96Kb8wLQnStjWuGhY0sSRwZNyC8MqONQrqBlDTx3TmrvujbwjN8W9z/s400/hipmunk.jpg" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://travelkit.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/16/8843184-innovative-travel-companies-honored-before-peers">MSNBC</a>: Travelers face no shortage of challenges, from finding the right hotel to making the most of their vacation to knowing which restaurant recommendation to trust.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">On Tuesday, 32 companies looking to make the travel experience better presented their products at the Travel Innovation Summit at this year’s PhoCusWright conference before their peers in the travel industry, a circle of critics and a panel of judges.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Among this year's winners, announced Wednesday:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://www.groundlink.com/">GroundLink</a>:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> a global, private car service that can be booked online or via mobile. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://gtrot.com/">Gtrot</a>: </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">a website that provides travelers with targeted content such as deals or things to do in a specific city, based on their friend's social media activity through sites such as Facebook or Foursquare. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://www.evature.com/">Evature</a>:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Eva, its Expert Virtual Agent, is designed to understand travel requests submitted in natural language, also known as free text.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://www.hipmunk.com/">Hipmunk</a>:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> offers a flight and hotel search that now integrates with a traveler's calendar and features a heatmap for cities throughout the world based on, for example, the density of shopping or nightlife in a particular neighborhood.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://www.reviewpro.com/">ReviewPro</a></span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">: a customer intelligence tool that hotels can use to profit from the social web and manage their online reputation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The judges also gave runner-up nods to two companies: <a href="http://www.truphone.com/en-US/">Tru</a>, a global mobile carrier, and <a href="http://triplingo.com/">TripLingo</a>, a language-learning app that includes, among other things, a Slang Slider that helps travelers find the best translation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“Travel is still very open to innovation,” Gregg Brockway, co-founder of TripIt and one of this year’s judges, told msnbc.com<b> </b>“I think we saw some companies that are answering really interesting problems.”</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-4681980580914008562011-11-17T07:23:00.000-05:002011-11-17T07:23:33.312-05:00TSA Blasted for Being "Bloated, Inefficient"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.honorfirstinc.com/product_images/l/178/TSA_Badge__11496_zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.honorfirstinc.com/product_images/l/178/TSA_Badge__11496_zoom.jpg" width="285" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/16/politics/tsa-anniversary-bashing/">CNN:</a> Ten years after its formation, the Transportation Security Administration on Wednesday got the type of birthday card no one wants to receive -- a blistering report from Republican lawmakers who said the agency is "bloated" and "inefficient" and has done little, if anything, to improve aviation security.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Rep. John Mica, R-Florida, a longtime critic who has fought to privatize TSA screening jobs, said Congress never intended the agency it created in November 2001 to "mushroom" into a workforce of 65,000 employees, "top heavy" with bureaucrats.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"I can tell you, in our wildest dreams ... no one ever envisioned 4,000 administrative personnel in Washington, D.C., making on average ... almost $104,000, and then nearly another 10,000 out in the field," Mica said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But the most scathing comment came from Rep. Paul Broun, R-Georgia.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"Americans have spent nearly $60 billion funding TSA and they are no safer today than they were before 9/11," Broun said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Pressed on the accuracy of that statement, Broun and Mica said the TSA has never stopped a terrorist attack, and gave credit to private citizens or others for terrorist plots disrupted thus far.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"Unfortunately, the focus has been diverted from security ... into managing a huge bureaucracy," Mica said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Broun concurred. "We must focus on identifying terrorists and stopping them instead of patting down grandma and children. And we must stop worrying about political correctness," he said. "TSA needs to put their resources into intelligence and technologies that can be more effective when it comes to catching highly elusive and dangerous terrorists."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The lawmakers said they are preparing legislation to reform the TSA.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">A TSA spokesman called the GOP report "an unfortunate disservice to the dedicated men and women of TSA who are on the front lines every day protecting the traveling public."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The country's aviation system is "safer, stronger, and more secure than it was 10 years ago," spokesman Greg Soule said. The agency has screened more than 5 billion passengers over the past decade, he said, and has prevented more than 1,100 guns from being brought onto passenger planes this year alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Mica and Braun released the GOP report at a news conference held in the main concourse of Reagan-Washington National Airport. Their remarks criticizing the state of aviation security were amplified over a loudspeaker, and drew sidelong glances from passengers headed to airport checkpoints.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">One day earlier, TSA Administrator John Pistole stood in the same location to discuss holiday travel preparations, touting advancements in screening technology and saying passengers are happy with changes that have reduced the number of pat downs of children.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The report released Wednesday was prepared by Republican staffers on House Transportation and Oversight committees. It is largely a compendium of earlier critical reports of the TSA, looking at its deployment of failed technology, such as puffer machines; the failure to interdict terrorists, such as 2001 "shoe bomber" Richard Reid and 2009 "underwear bomber" Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab"; and the lack of card readers for the 1.8 million ID cards issued to transportation workers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The report says the agency has grown nearly four-fold since its inception, from 16,500 workers to more than 65,000, while commercial passenger traffic has increased less than 12 percent.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But a TSA spokesman said the agency had approximately 56,000 security officers in 2002, the year it started screening, and has approximately 52,000 today.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The report by the Republicans contains 11 recommendations, saying the TSA must act with greater independence from the Department of Homeland Security, and the administrator's stature must be elevated. The TSA has become "lost" in the Homeland Security bureaucracy, Mica said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">It also calls on the agency to contract out more screening jobs to private industry. Currently, 16 airports, including San Francisco International, have "opted out" of federal airport screening and use private screeners under what is known as the Screening Partnership Program. The screeners wear the same uniforms, use the same technology and follow the same procedures.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Mica advocates the continued privatization of airport screening jobs, but administrator Pistole has been less supportive, at one point saying he would expand the program only if there was a clear advantage to doing so.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">In other TSA news, a travel industry group Wednesday said the agency's screening procedures remain "inefficient and frustrating" for travelers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The U.S. Travel Association released the results of an online survey it conducted last month of about 600 people.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">According to the survey, "four of the top five air traveler frustrations relate to the checkpoint process," including the top frustration: "People who bring too many carry-on bags through the security checkpoint." But five of the 11 options on the survey pertained directly to TSA checkpoints, and the remaining options did not include some common irritants, such as excess baggage fees.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The survey says 66.2 percent of air travelers are "somewhat or very satisfied" with the TSA's overall performance as it relates to security, 21.2 percent are neutral, and 12.5 percent are "somewhat or very dissatisfied."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But frequent air travelers are less happy, with 54.6 percent "somewhat or very satisfied."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The group said that despite the TSA's new initiatives to improve passenger screening, an "overwhelming majority" have not recognized any improvements in checkpoint efficiency when compared to the previous year. It said 81.8 percent plan to arrive at the airport the same amount of time before a flight as they did last year.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The TSA said it was pleased to see the vast majority of travelers polled believe the agency is moving in the right direction, and said checkpoint screening has gotten speedier, taking less than 20 minutes for more than 99 percent of passengers last year.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"The increased number of carry-on bags impacts our ability to further reduce wait times, but not the level of security we provide, which remains our priority," the agency said.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-60599481898786153602011-11-17T07:12:00.001-05:002011-11-17T07:12:54.378-05:00Hotels Serving Up Their Own Honey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.mnn.com/sites/default/files/honey-bees-hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://www.mnn.com/sites/default/files/honey-bees-hotel.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-bees-20111120,1,1677183.story">Los Angeles Times:</a> Thanksgiving dinner guests at Carmel Valley Ranch can expect the Central California resort to serve a honey of a meal.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The great bird will be basted to a rich golden brown in a glaze of honey, apple cider and butter. And there will be honey corn muffins and an elegant ice cream that's a delicate mix of honey scented with lavender.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Guests can give thanks for these sweet dishes to the bees of Monterey Peninsula, most specifically the 70,000 Italian bees of Carmel Valley Ranch (<a href="http://www.carmelvalleyranch.com/"><span style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">www.carmelvalleyranch.com</span></a>), which work overtime to provide honey for the upscale 500-acre resort.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The ranch's four colonies of bees are part of a new trend swarming across North America and Western Europe. It's accompanied by the buzz of millions of bees, many of them living on the rooftops of urban American hotels.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">From Honolulu to Paris and from <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: black;">Vancouver</span></span>, Canada, to the Florida Keys, honeybees have taken up residence on hotel ledges, rooftops and balconies and are busy doing what they do best: pollinating plants and making honey.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The hives are part of a beekeeping movement that has a two-fold purpose: to save the species, which has been decimated by colony collapse disorder; and to bring hyper-local honey to guests staying at these hotels.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Urban beekeeping has been growing in popularity for several years. Opéra Garnier, the Paris opera house, has kept hives humming on the roof for more than a quarter of a century.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The Obamas hopped on the bandwagon earlier this year when they served <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: black;">White House</span></span> Honey Ale, home-brewed by their chefs with honey from the White House beehive.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But the loudest buzz comes from the hospitality industry, where hoteliers have found on-site beehives another prong in the movement to localized sourcing. Hotels are adding beehives to their properties to produce organic honey for use in a variety of areas, from spa treatments to cocktails.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">At the Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah — the Beehive State — dandelion and lavender honeys are popular and are served at Buzz, the resort coffee shop (www.montagedeervalley.com).<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Eighteen Fairmont Hotels have added apiaries, mostly on rooftops. At the Fairmont Washington D.C., the hives are named Casa Blanca, Casa Bella and Casa Bianca; at the Fairmont Newport Beach, executive chef Chad Blunston works with beekeepers to extract honey for use in Bambu Restaurant; and at the Fairmont San Francisco, 50,000 honeybees produce honey to be used at the afternoon tea service.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Last month I stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver, British Columbia, where I could look down from my 20th-floor room and see six hives — and about half a million bees — in the center of a third-floor balcony herb garden. The bees quietly went about their business within 20 feet of the hotel pool and within 50 feet of the mammoth Vancouver Convention Centre. Meanwhile, I snacked on a selection of the hotel's delicate honey truffles, Bee's Knees. In the dining room, I found a small jar of honey on the table at breakfast.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Despite the interest in saving bees, their numbers continue to dwindle.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">In March, the <span style="color: black;">United Nations</span> sounded the alarm, seeking international efforts to save bee colonies, which have declined as much as 85% in some areas, particularly the industrialized Northern Hemisphere, according to a report by the U.N.'s environmental agency.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The causes: pesticides, air pollution, parasites, the loss of flowering plants and a decline in beekeepers in Europe.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"The way humanity manages or mismanages its nature-based assets, including pollinators, will in part define our collective future in the 21st century," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations' Environment Programme.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"The fact is that of the 100 crop species that provide 90% of the world's food, over 70 are pollinated by bees."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">In the greater scheme of things, the hoteliers' beekeeping efforts probably aren't "a blip on the radar for honey production or pollination input," said Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"But the promotional value far outweighs the practical application value," he added. From the standpoint of the beekeeping community, the hotel trend is appropriate because "it keeps honey bees in front of people all the time, and featured in a very positive light."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The bottom line, Flottum said: "The hotel wins, the bees win, beekeeping and beekeepers win, the local flora thrive, folks who never thought about where their food comes from get a little insight into that side of the business. It's all good."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">John Russo, the beekeeper at Carmel Valley Ranch, couldn't agree more. He runs a program there called the Bee Experience that introduces guests to beekeeping. "When people get enthused about the bees, and want to have their own hives, I feel like I've made a few more converts," he said. "That's a terrific feeling."</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-58641470536261591792011-11-16T13:44:00.003-05:002011-11-17T07:06:24.936-05:00Air Passengers Start Wearing Their Luggage<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEict1YkiNI_N3MvmsjH41L8U9vPKq_mIj3KNWZk2dahTkmRNVZDg6D_plJL2Dg_Co-RveXHxKcFH6GATWFkUYxUjw9uHuTOE9FFupAIWIxUm5Ug6T3_0szBjJD7Tm772RTSqCe61kRg6e0V/s1600/hoodie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEict1YkiNI_N3MvmsjH41L8U9vPKq_mIj3KNWZk2dahTkmRNVZDg6D_plJL2Dg_Co-RveXHxKcFH6GATWFkUYxUjw9uHuTOE9FFupAIWIxUm5Ug6T3_0szBjJD7Tm772RTSqCe61kRg6e0V/s640/hoodie.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scottevest SeV Chloe Hoodie</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://travelkit.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/10/8737521-my-what-a-nice-suitcase-youre-wearing">MSNBC</a>: In an effort to avoid checked baggage fees, many passengers now try to pack everything they’ll need for a trip into carry-on bags that can fit into an airplane's overhead bins.<o:p></o:p></span> <br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">For now, most domestic airlines don’t charge for carry-on bags or for coats, purses and other small personal items. But few travelers would be surprised if more airlines began following the lead of Spirit, Ryanair and some other budget airlines, which do charge fees for carry-ons.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">It may already be — unofficially — happening. In what George Hobica, founder of travel website Airfarewatchdog.com, terms a “relatively new trend,” some airlines are getting aggressive about weighing carry-on bags.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“Hawaiian has a 25-pound weight limit and actually weighs bags at the gate, snatching away bags that weigh more and charging a checked bag fee,” said Hobica. “EVA Airways has a 15-pound limit, and several other airlines have limits as well. It's touted as a safety precaution, of course, but it's also a sneaky way of extracting fees for carry-ons.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">For passengers not willing to take a chance at getting dinged with a last-minute charge, there’s another option: wearing your luggage.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">At the San Francisco-based chain of Edwards Luggage stores, co-owner Randy MacKenzie said the line of iPad-compatible vests, hoodies, jackets and trench coats from <a href="http://www.scottevest.com/"><span style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">SCOTTEVEST</span></a>, each with between 20 and 30 built-in pockets and compartments, is a big hit in the “luggage you can wear” category.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">"We started selling the SCOTTEVEST two years ago and we've sold hundreds. The product continues to resonate with travelers as it becomes more and more challenging to get through airport security and important to utilize valuable packing space."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">For parents trying to carry both a baby and a bulging diaper bag, the convertible <a href="http://www.gogobabyz.com/default.aspx"><span style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Go-Go Babyz</span></a> “Sidekick” is a diaper bag that doubles as a wearable baby carrier.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">And then there’s the <a href="http://www.jaktogo.com/"><span style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Jaktogo</span></a>, a carry-on bag that can be worn as a coat. (Other versions include the Dresstogo and the Ponchotogo.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Invented by John Power, an Irish-born engineer who was determined to find a way around carry-on limits imposed by the budget carriers he frequents in Europe, the Jaktogo has 14 various-sized pockets designed to hold more than 30 pounds of clothing, gadgets and gear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“It’s certainly not a fashionable item you’d wear around town,” said Power. “And we won’t be showing it off in Paris or Milan. It’s ‘boarding-gate’ clothing that’s all about practicality and thriftiness.”</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-65779456525371845432011-11-16T12:16:00.003-05:002011-11-16T13:22:11.840-05:00Ultimate Techie Hotel Room Available in Paris<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/global-observer/high-tech-hotel-room-pops-up-in-paris/635">Smart Planet</a>: Novotel and Microsoft have teamed up in Paris to create the ultimate techie hotel room. The room “3120” has been outfitted with the latest technology including a digital mirror and Xbox consoles. The prototype will only be available temporarily at the Novotel Vaugirard-Montparnasse location and visitors can book the room through February 14<sup>th</sup>.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Novotel is a chain of hotels present in 40 countries attracting a mix of family and business clients. This high tech room is the first collaboration with Microsoft since the partnership formed in 2008.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The project is only meant to last three months, but could be prolonged according to Marine Todesco, communications chief at Novotel’s parent group, Accor. “If this room fulfills expectations and if reservations are in demand, it could be prolonged,” she said.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The room is a techie dreamland. It has an Xbox Kinect for game lovers. The SENSORIT digital mirror allows guests to check news while checking their reflection. The Windows Phone 7 and the Nokia Lumia are also available, though they won’t be commercially available in France until the end of the year.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Todesco said that the Surface interactive table is among the most surprising feature. Guests can use it to browse the Web, play online games, or even use interactive maps to plan the next day’s adventures. “Its applications are basically unlimited,” she said.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The features are largely experimental in the hotel. “It’s important to note that the innovations in the rooms are pilot versions; some of them, if they are very successful with clients, could be deployed on a larger scale,” Todesco said.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The room “3120″ is available for 199 euros a night and is located in Paris’ 15<sup>th</sup> arrondissement, with a view of the Eiffel Tower. While details aren’t available yet, Todesco said that another Novotel-Microsoft project will be unveiled next year in a to-be-announced European capital.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Video:</span></div><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8qrmppW0BX0" width="640"></iframe></center>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-10585152044011332762011-11-16T10:17:00.000-05:002011-11-16T10:17:59.230-05:00Ohio Launches Tourism Website<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://industry.discoverohio.com/media/241/482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://industry.discoverohio.com/media/241/482.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/162390/ohio-tourism-website-showcases-tv-shows-movies.html">Media Post News</a>: The Ohio Tourism Division is launching a website to showcase Ohio attractions, restaurants and destinations that have been featured in movies and on television.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The goal for the <a href="http://www.sceneinohio.com/"><span style="color: black;">“<span style="color: blue;">Scene in Ohio</span>”</span></a> site is to capitalize on the “travel-motivating factors of mainstream media,” says State Tourism Director Amir Eylon. Travelers are visiting places they have learned about from their favorite television shows and movies, Eylon says. The website makes it easy to find those places along with other nearby sites to encourage a longer getaway, Eylon adds.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The interactive site is kicking off with more than 50 locations, but users are encouraged to add to the site’s content. Listings pull photos and videos from social media networks, show Yelp consumer reviews for applicable locations, and offer social media sharing capabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The website’s main feature is a list of locations searchable by category (movie, television, and food), keyword and zip code; photos and videos from social media channels; Google maps; and Yelp reviews where available. The map feature also shows users the locations of other nearby “Scene in Ohio” sites as well as a brief highlight of stars born in Ohio or with strong Buckeye connections.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Each “On-Screen Ohioan” listing includes an overview of the star's career and Ohio connection, an interesting “factoid” and a link to their profile on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">In addition to sample itineraries for “movie buffs” or “foodies,” visitors can build and share their own Ohio itineraries. Ohioans and visitors alike can share additional movie, television and restaurant sites that may be added to the website.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Sites and experiences of all sizes located across the state range from the <a href="http://www.sceneinohio.com/LocationDetail.aspx?id=25226142-b687-4b96-9391-b9eb166f84f3"><span style="color: blue;">Ohio State Reformatory</span></a> in Mansfield ("Shawshank Redemption") to Cincinnati's <a href="http://www.sceneinohio.com/LocationDetail.aspx?id=016201d7-4717-4294-be03-2e096dd3ef49"><span style="color: blue;">Fountain Square</span></a> ("Ides of March") and from <a href="http://www.sceneinohio.com/LocationDetail.aspx?id=9d2c7ef9-7c2c-442e-aac6-490782bc80e1"><span style="color: blue;">Thurman Cafe</span></a> in Columbus ("Man v. Food") to <a href="http://www.sceneinohio.com/LocationDetail.aspx?id=7c82891a-8cc5-4b73-886e-c7eff552a6be"><span style="color: blue;">Wendy Kromer Confections and City Bake Shop</span></a> in Sandusky ("The Martha Stewart Show").<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Research has shown that tourism often increases after places are featured on TV or in movies. The <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Journal of Travel Research</span></em> cites two of the most notable increases: a 7% increase in tourism for Savannah, Ga., after "Forrest Gump," and a 300% increase in tourism for the Wallace monument in Scotland the year after "Braveheart" was released. Many restaurants across the U.S. report double-digit sales increases after being featured on Food Network or Travel Channel programs.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-7532780953163943552011-11-16T09:06:00.001-05:002011-11-16T09:06:43.866-05:00The Most Anticipated Rides at U.S. Theme Parks<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamSUyXbXIjKkR9BaqHqQgKa1uXjd1UpbXoM-CR2yU18rhsuTsFvn4gGoaQYDNXTTI1QJlqtP4g_NenuIS4ANUIYm-GSVicZPlLSCWKV6J5PepLACLdyv87qTRwOKFuHxmHTNhajdnexqv/s1600/earthquest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamSUyXbXIjKkR9BaqHqQgKa1uXjd1UpbXoM-CR2yU18rhsuTsFvn4gGoaQYDNXTTI1QJlqtP4g_NenuIS4ANUIYm-GSVicZPlLSCWKV6J5PepLACLdyv87qTRwOKFuHxmHTNhajdnexqv/s400/earthquest.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EarthQuest Adventures</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-2013-theme-parks-us-11201107,1,6357951.story">Los Angeles Times:</a> At first I thought it was too early to look ahead at the new attractions coming to U.S. theme parks in 2013, but then I realized a number of big rides have already been announced and many more are already in the planning stages.<br />
<br />
It already seems like 2013 is shaping up as a good year for ride enthusiasts and theme park fans. Big industry players have announced major projects, and several smaller parks are planning to roll out significant additions.<br />
<br />
A few projects delayed by the economic recession have been given a 2013 opening date that might be best described as tentative rather than definitive. Only time will tell. But we won't let that dampen our anticipation.<br />
<br />
Since it is still early, I'll update my top 13 over the coming months as new projects are announced. Until then, here's my list of most anticipated rides for 2013:<br />
<br />
1) Magic Kingdom - Fantasyland<br />
<br />
The final phase of the ambitious <a href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-fantasyland-disney-world-01201118,0,908299.story" title="Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom"><span style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Fantasyland</span></a> expansion at the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/disney-world/" title="Funland: Disney World"><span style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Magic Kingdom</span></a> in Florida is expected to wrap up in 2013, featuring a Seven Dwarfs mine train coaster, a Little Mermaid dark ride and a dueling Dumbo attraction.<br />
<br />
2) <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/tourism-leisure-industry/amusement-theme-parks/disneyland-park-PLGEO000001202119.topic" id="PLGEO000001202119" title="Disneyland Park"><span style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Disneyland</span></a> - Fantasy Faire<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-fantasy-faire-disneyland-princess-0820112,0,7631849.story" title="Fantasy Faire at Disneyland"><span style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Fantasy Faire</span></a> medieval village at <a href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/disneyland/" title="Funland: Disneyland"><span style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Disneyland</span></a> in California will feature princess meet-and-greet areas and stage shows at the current location of the Carnation Plaza Gardens bandstand next door to Sleeping Beauty Castle.<br />
<br />
3) <a href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-moreys-piers-wooden-coaster-11201115,0,5518669.story" title="Pier-hopping wooden coaster debuting at Morey's Piers in 2013"><span style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Morey's Piers</span></a> - Wooden roller coaster<br />
<br />
The $10-million wooden roller coaster by Great Coasters International will span two piers and dive under the boardwalk at Morey's Piers. The New Jersey seaside amusement park is considering two names for the ride: Wildwoody and Boardwalk Flyer.<br />
<br />
4) <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/tourism-leisure-industry/amusement-theme-parks/seaworld-PLENT000232.topic" id="PLENT000232" title="SeaWorld"><span style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">SeaWorld Orlando</span></a> - <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/intl/antarctica-PLGEOREG0000013.topic" id="PLGEOREG0000013" title="Antarctica"><span style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Antarctica</span></a>: Empire of the Penguin<br />
<br />
Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin will transform SeaWorld Orlando's 24-year-old Penguin Encounter habitat into a new winter-themed land with 55-foot-tall glaciers in the shape of nuzzling penguins towering over shops, restaurants and an as-yet-unannounced attraction. SeaWorld remains highly secretive about the new attraction, describing it only as a one-of-a-kind, family-friendly yet thrilling interactive ride offering varied adventures from a penguin's point of view.<br />
<br />
5) EarthQuest Adventures - New theme park<br />
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The oft-delayed $300-million EarthQuest Adventures theme park outside Houston would feature six themed lands filled with thrill rides, roller coasters and animal exhibits. Long-term plans call for a water park, retail center and hotel.<br />
<br />
6) Lake Compounce - Water park expansion<br />
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The oft-delayed $15-million water park expansion at Lake Compounce in Connecticut will feature a slide tower, wave pool, lazy river and kiddie pool.<br />
<br />
7) American Dream Meadowlands - Indoor amusement park<o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The stalled $3.8-billion mega-mall project next to the Meadowlands football stadium in New Jersey is scheduled to open in 2013. The completed 3-million-square-foot American Dream Meadowlands mall is expected to include an amusement park, water park, giant Ferris wheel and indoor ski slope.<br />
<br />
8) I-Walk Orlando - Orlando Eye<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Merlin Entertainment, the parent company of the new Legoland Florida theme park, plans to open a 425-foot-tall observation wheel in 2013. The Orlando Eye, slightly smaller than the landmark London Eye, would be part of new retail complex on <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/travel/commuting/international-drive-PLTRA000034.topic" title="International Drive"><span style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">International Drive</span></a> in Orlando, Fla.<br />
<br />
9) Skyvue Las Vegas - Giant Ferris wheel<br />
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The 500-foot-tall Skyvue giant Ferris wheel, taller than the London Eye, will feature more than 40 gondolas, each holding up to 25 passengers. The mini amusement park on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip across from Mandalay Bay will include several roller coasters.<br />
<br />
10) Waldameer - Thrill ride<br />
<br />
Waldameer has promised a <a href="http://waldameer.blogspot.com/2010/04/planning-for-thrillingly-delicious.html" title="Waldameer blog"><span style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">new thrill ride</span></a> for the area next to the merry-go-round. The Pennsylvania park last added the Mega Vortex spinning Disk-O thrill ride in 2009.<br />
<br />
11) Water Magic - Water attraction<br />
<br />
The $40-million Water Magic water-powered funhouse sounds like a cross between a water park and a children's museum where visitors will get wet but won't wear bathing suits (body driers will be available). The 40,000-square-foot water attraction near Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., will feature a walk-on-water illusion, hands-on water symphony, water mirror maze, bubble room, deep-sea diving experience and water sculptures.<br />
<br />
12) <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/tourism-leisure-industry/amusement-theme-parks/busch-gardens-williamsburg-PLREC000049.topic" title="Busch Gardens Williamsburg"><span style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Busch Gardens Williamsburg</span></a> - Oktoberfest revamp<br />
<br />
The Oktoberfest section of Busch Gardens Williamsburg has undergone a multi-phase renovation over the last couple of years, with the addition of the Mach Tower drop ride (2011) and the Verbolten multi-launch coaster (2012). A third phase of the Oktoberfest renovation is expected to be unveiled by the Virginia park in 2013, according to <a href="http://www.screamscape.com/html/busch_gardens_williamsburg.htm" title="Screamscape: Busch Gardens Williamsburg"><span style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Screamscape</span></a>.<br />
<br />
13) <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/six-flags-inc.-ORCRP013991.topic" title="Six Flags Inc."><span style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Six Flags</span></a> Magic Mountain - New ride<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/six-flags-magic-mountain/" title="Funland: Six Flags Magic Mountain"><span style="color: #2262cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Six Flags Magic Mountain</span></a> recently shuttered the 1971 Log Jammer water flume to make way for a new ride in 2013. The wooded 6-acre parcel in the center of the California amusement park includes a sizeable man-made lake that could play a role in the new attraction. Will it be another water ride, a terrain coaster or a thrill ride that somehow interacts with the lake? </span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-55961407838059221472011-11-16T08:06:00.000-05:002011-11-16T08:06:21.193-05:00Waitress Says She Was Fired for Wearing Tea Party Bracelet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.augustine.com/images/staugustine_business/original/outback_steakhouse_sign_5x3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.augustine.com/images/staugustine_business/original/outback_steakhouse_sign_5x3.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.nwherald.com/2011/11/14/woman-says-she-was-fired-over-tea-party-bracelet/aga530m/?page=1">Northwest Herald</a>: Tea party members, conservative bloggers and radio hosts are rallying in support of a Woodstock (Illinois) waitress who says she was fired from the Crystal Lake Outback Steakhouse for wearing a political bracelet and admitting tea party sentiments.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Twenty-three-year-old Megan Geller of Woodstock said that a couple dining at the restaurant in early October took offense to a bright yellow bracelet with the words "Don't Tread On Me" imprinted on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Outback's Chief Legal Officer Jospeh Kadow said Geller was fired for her inattention to customers that evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"Megan Gellar was not let go because of her tea party bracelet," Kadow said in a statement to the Northwest Herald. "On the night in question two separate tables complained about her lack of attention."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">When the manager spoke to Geller about these complaints, she responded by yelling at him with a hostile attitude and that led to her termination, Kadow said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Geller says she told the diners her mother, Tonya Franklin, gave her the bracelet after Franklin received it at a tea party event. Those last three words incensed the couple, who then asked for the manager, Geller said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Holding signs, and waving American flags and yellow "Don't Tread On Me" banners, a weekend protest outside the restaurant was held against what demonstrators called a violation of Geller's free speech rights.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Conservative bloggers and radio hosts also have spread Geller's story.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"They stirred up the wrong hornet's nest and messed with the wrong mama," Franklin said at the protest Saturday. "When mama's get mad, mama's get to work."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Megan said she feigned ignorance when the customers questioned the bracelet's meaning.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"I didn't want to talk politics at work," she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Geller claims she wore the bracelet "for months" with no prior warning from restaurant management and was never asked to remove the bracelet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"She was not fired because a customer complained about her bracelet," Kadow said. "That would have simply been handled by asking her to take off the bracelet."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Documents from the Illinois Department of Employment Security provided by Geller state that she was fired for misconduct, but she should not have been denied unemployment benefits<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"The evidence shows the claimant was discharged from [Outback Steakhouse] because they received a couple complaints from customers since she was wearing a bracelet with a political point of view," according to documents from the state agency. "Since the claimant's action, which resulted in her discharge was not deliberate or willful, the claimant is not ineligible for benefits."<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Outback did not challenge Geller's unemployment claim, or submit any information regarding her claim, Kadow said.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-87992239722940295392011-11-15T13:57:00.001-05:002011-11-15T13:59:16.404-05:00New Website Lets Hotel Workers Complain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqj9guCJjVifq4W6s8OU_fP6X8bbhuAugVJ8nyRC3fvVaKJkSo32vJ9-frlayr1FuGgqHc7RXpmJNp1Hn-4jvNXj8DvearTn3VKPePEuPK00dwyvaxzsgC9uSlvTgwb-xI1FTrqRthl5jO/s1600/hotelworkers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqj9guCJjVifq4W6s8OU_fP6X8bbhuAugVJ8nyRC3fvVaKJkSo32vJ9-frlayr1FuGgqHc7RXpmJNp1Hn-4jvNXj8DvearTn3VKPePEuPK00dwyvaxzsgC9uSlvTgwb-xI1FTrqRthl5jO/s400/hotelworkers.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/15/travel/joey-quits-website/index.html?hpt=tr_c2">CNN</a>: With so many means for guests to leave feedback on hotels worldwide, it's easy to take those opportunities for granted. But what would workers in the hospitality industry say if they were asked to comment on their employers?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">We'll soon find out, thanks to a new Tumblr page that lets hotel employees share stories of demanding bosses, long shifts and finicky guests.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The inspiration for "<a href="http://joeyquits.tumblr.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Joey Quits</span></a>" comes from a likely source: Joey DeFrancesco, who became a <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/24/living/marching-band-resignation/index.html"><span style="color: blue;">viral video sensation and working-class hero</span></a> in October for posting a YouTube video of him resigning from his hotel job accompanied by a marching band.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">With more than 2.8 million views in just over a month, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A4UGtM4hDQ" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">the YouTube video generated more than 4,000 comments</span></a> and even more e-mails, Facebook messages and cell phone texts, DeFrancesco said. Much of the response came from current and former hotel workers who said they related to DeFrancesco's complaints of struggles with management.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"We did not expect to get all this attention. But when we did, we knew we had to do something with it," the 23-year-old Rhode Islander said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Websites such as <a href="http://www.hotelworkersrising.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Hotel Workers Rising</span></a> are backed by unions and address conditions from a labor standpoint. But "Joey Quits" appears to be one of few forums dedicated exclusively to letting individuals air grievances.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The site's masthead bears a screen grab from the YouTube video of DeFrancesco's triumphant face next to messages in Spanish and English urging users to submit stories about their hotel workplace.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"Inspired by the success of the 'Joey Quits' video and responses to it from other hotel workers, we created this site to collect stories about unjust working conditions in the hotel industry," the site says, also in Spanish and English.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The feed, which launched this week, had 10 entries as of Tuesday morning, including videos of DeFrancesco and other former employees of the Renaissance Providence, the site of DeFrancesco's famous resignation. The rest are anonymous or come from users claiming to be former hotel industry employees. CNN could not verify their claims.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The goal is not to encourage boycotts of the accused hotels but to hold them accountable by raising awareness of undesirable conditions, hopefully paving the way to stronger labor laws, DeFrancesco said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"The site is intended for workers so they can read it and know they're not alone, that others are experiencing the same things as them, creating a sense of working-class identity and hotel worker identity that's crucial to transforming the industry and forming unions," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"The other audience is the public that's visiting the hotels, so they know how bad conditions are and let their disapproval be known with their wallets until things change."</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-27279703332722565242011-11-15T13:39:00.000-05:002011-11-15T13:39:16.045-05:00New York To Have 90,000 Hotels Rooms by 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/126/387606063_408c203f6c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/126/387606063_408c203f6c.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/money/york-city-set-a-record-number-hotel-rooms-year-article-1.977634">NY Daily News:</a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">New York is on its way to having a record number of hotel rooms this year — and a good many of them will be in the outer boroughs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The city will have 90,000 rooms by the end of 2011, Mayor Bloomberg said Monday, as tourism continues to grow despite a weak economy. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The number of rooms in the city has grown 24% since 2006, according to City Hall. New York is also set to surpass last year’s record of 48.8 million visitors.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Speaking at the opening of the Z NYC Hotel in Long Island City, Queens, Bloomberg said the record number of rooms show how the city’s tourist trade is expanding beyond Manhattan.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“Our tourism sector employs 323,000 people, and those jobs are now increasingly located outside Manhattan as tourists want to visit all of the city’s great neighborhoods,” Bloomberg said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">About 40% of new hotel openings will be in outer-borough areas including trendy hotel-hotspot Long Island City, which now boasts 17 properties and has another five on the way.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-41421286040205080602011-11-15T12:03:00.001-05:002011-11-15T12:04:20.397-05:00Miami Touirism Hiring Rebounds -- Still Soft in Las Vegas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwuuV-aSO_0htZ-Mo8S3_VqPRsesEyIgUDeClUFATlG7Lzrm4Z0ajQ014CtWG3XBJNRpB-3Gnu1m_GxMnv21wkpwwhhj-XmcKwDu6EPSU2JianL31wG-LaHQy-wKb13W7CoogXl3kss9hY/s1600/graph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwuuV-aSO_0htZ-Mo8S3_VqPRsesEyIgUDeClUFATlG7Lzrm4Z0ajQ014CtWG3XBJNRpB-3Gnu1m_GxMnv21wkpwwhhj-XmcKwDu6EPSU2JianL31wG-LaHQy-wKb13W7CoogXl3kss9hY/s400/graph.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/14/2502137/tourism-hiring-rebounded-in-miami.html">Miami Herald:</a> The recession hit South Florida hard, but Las Vegas got clobbered. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">By many measures, Sin City’s economy sunk deeper than Miami’s did. Among all of the major metropolitan areas in the country, Vegas has the highest unemployment rate: 13.6 percent. Property values sunk 58 percent from their peak in the housing crash, compared to the 49 percent drop in South Florida. Vegas also leads the nation in foreclosures.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">So perhaps it’s not surprising that Miami’s tourism industry bounced back much faster from the recession than did the tourism industry in Vegas. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Vegas relies much more heavily on conventions than South Florida does, and the meetings industry got hammered in the recession as corporations scaled back on anything that looked lavish. Spending on gambling also took a dive during the recession. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">These Vegas-Miami comparisons, of course, are taking on new importance as Florida considers allowing a law that would bring mega casinos to South Florida. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">While Vegas is essentially a one-industry town, South Florida thrives on economic activity from tourism and construction — two Vegas staples — it also can count on international finance, trade, and a sizeable professional services industry to provide jobs and spending power. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Gambling opponents point the region’s tourism statistics as proof South Florida doesn’t need gambling, since the hospitality industry appears to be strong without it. But gambling supporters also point to the region’s economic diversity as an argument for bringing in casinos, since they would serve as an extra outlet for hiring and development — not the only one. </span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-29808904404284002792011-11-15T10:15:00.003-05:002011-11-15T10:18:11.007-05:00Getting Wet and Wild in Las Vegas<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/11/14/Splashcanyon_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/11/14/Splashcanyon_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Splash Canyon Water Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/2011/11/14/18618/139/vegas-travel/Vegas_Is_Going_To_Get_Wet_and_Wild_Again_Cept_It_s_Not_Wet_n_Wild_nor_On_The_Strip">Vegas Chatter</a>: Back in the day, it wasn't a Vegas vacation without a stop at <a href="http://www.wetnwild.com/"><b><span style="color: blue;">Wet N' Wild</span></b></a> on The Strip. Right next to the <a href="http://www.vegaschatter.com/tag/sahara"><span style="color: blue;">Sahara</span></a> and before the reign of the Vegas day pool scene, the mega-waterpark was the cool place to get cool... at least until it turned off the spigots for good back in 2004.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Now, a new water attraction is about to make a splash, but don't look for it on Las Vegas Boulevard. <a href="http://splashlv.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Splash Canyon</span></a> will keep the wet and wild times about 15 miles southwest of The Strip. Scheduled to open next Memorial Day Weekend, the H</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Cambria Math","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">₂</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">O complex will feature the requisite wave pool with 3-foot-high waves and Lazy River as well as 20 slides, a kids play zone, cabanas, picnic areas, restaurants, and probably a gift shop ready to teach us a lesson about forgetting sunscreen, our sunglasses, or Chapstick in the hotel room.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">But, we know what you really want to hear about is the rides -- and if you'll be taken for one to get in. The water slides will include two 7-story Speed Slides, a six-lane, head-first Mat Racer, and a three-slide, multi-rider Tube Complex where 2 to 3 people can get drenched at once. Unlike Wet n' Wild, the inner tubes will be free here. We can't remember how much we forked over to get in back then, but Splash Canyon will charge us a top ticket price of $29.99 for adults or really tall kids. Tykes under 48 inches will get in for eight bucks less as will seniors and the military. Children under two will be free.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">If you come to Vegas a lot, the best option, though, is a special $99 season pass available "while supplies last." Once those are gone, they'll go up by $40 bucks. Of course, tourists will need to factor in a rental car, too, or a really expensive cab ride for a day of fun in the sun off The Strip.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124260122553004524.post-76406846633523632592011-11-15T09:10:00.003-05:002011-11-15T09:12:55.828-05:00Delta In-Flight Ad Spurs Backlash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/9/7/1252331468961/File-photo-shows-Delta-Ai-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/9/7/1252331468961/File-photo-shows-Delta-Ai-001.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ColdandFlu/delta-flight-ad-spurs-backlash-flu-vaccine-advocates/story?id=14934441#.TsE7f_Ig_MZ">ABC News</a>: A <span style="color: #336699;"><span style="color: black;">vide</span></span><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="color: black;">o</span> commercial </span>(since removed from YouTube) sponsored by a non-profit, anti-vaccine organization now playing on Delta flights has come under fire by a pediatrician organization, prompting the airlines to review its approval process for in-flight programming. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The nearly three-minute public service announcement put on by the <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">National Vaccine Information Center</span> (NVIC) describes alternative methods to preventing the flu besides getting the flu shot. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The video also includes a statement by the president and co-founder of NVIC, Barbara Loe Fisher, saying the flu shot doesn't effectively protect against nearly 80 percent of flu cases. </span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">In a letter to Delta, the American Academy of Pediatrics president, Robert Block, urged the airline company to consider removing the ads. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Displaying NVIC's message on Delta flights is, "putting the lives of children at risk, leaving them unprotected from vaccine-preventable diseases," Block wrote. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 49,000 Americans die from flu-related complications each year. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">According to ABC News' chief health and medical editor, Dr Richard Besser, the ad leaves out the importance of the flu vaccine. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"Flu vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the flu," said Besser. "This was not made clear in the ads from the National Vaccine Information Center." <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">In a response to the AAP, Delta conceded that the video does not point to vaccines as the primary source for flu prevention. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"Therefore, we have changed our internal review processes and procedures to help ensure that submitted content is vetted differently going forward," Delta's general manager of occupational health, Barbara Martin, wrote in response. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Delta declined to comment to ABC News on specific changes it plans to make to its review process. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Fisher told ABC News she was shocked to hear that Delta is reviewing its approval method. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"This is the first time I've heard about it, it's a little concerning to me," said Lowe, who added that the airline initially approached her organization about creating the PSA for its flights. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"I really feel that when you see this video, it doesn't tell people not to vaccinate," said Lowe. "It talks about becoming educated." <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The video led to an <a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-delta-to-stop-putting-their-passengers-health-at-risk" target="external"><span style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">online petition</span></a> calling for removal of the ads. The petition has received more than 2,000 signatures. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">According to the petition, "Putting travelers onto an airplane, where they are put in close proximity, if not direct contact, with other travelers for extended periods of time while discouraging them to do everything possible to protect themselves and each other is simply irresponsible at best, and downright dangerous at worst." <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The paid commercial will run on Delta flights through November, which complies with the two parties' contract. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">This is not the first time NVIC has come under fire for its public service announcements. In March 2011, the AAP wrote a letter asking CBS to remove NVIC's video ad that played on the station's Jumbotron in Times Square. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">In December, the vaccine advocacy group <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN3MxAVf2p0" target="external"><span style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Every Child by Two</span></a> will display its PSA on Delta flights calling for everyone 6 months and older to get the flu shot. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"What concerns me is that there's an attempt to demonize consumer advocates and to isolate and eliminate us from the public conversation about an important public health topic," said Lowe.</span></div>Adirondack Towels and Scrubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03715092186321007587noreply@blogger.com0