Historic Hudson Valley Brickyard Transformed Into Luxury Resort
Posted on 07/20/2021, 7:00 AM
Pillow menus, a social hour with wine in the lobby, goldfish in guest rooms—in the last decade or so there's been an arms race among hotels over which can create the most original amenities. Then when a perk catches on, many other competitors copy it and the cycle starts anew. In the Hudson Valley, I recently encountered a fun and unique addition to this ongoing game of hospitality one-upmanship....
Malta Refuses to Accept American Proof of Vaccination, And America Could Fix That
Posted on 07/16/2021, 1:00 PM
Update, July 18: It looks like Malta has changed regulations again and now will be allowing Americans to show CDC cards as proof of vaccination—at least for now. Scroll to the bottom of this post for a message sent to us by the government of Malta.Updated August 2: Malta will be asking would-be visitors to download the Verifly app for proof of vaccination. Few nations on earth have embodied the be...
Wanna See the Future of Airport Security? Go to Vegas.
Posted on 07/14/2021, 12:00 PM
Las Vegas is famous for being a place to try out stuff you don't do elsewhere, whether that means playing blackjack at four in the morning or consuming your weight in jumbo shrimp at an all-you-can-eat buffet. So maybe it's fitting that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has chosen Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (soon to be renamed for retired Nevada Sen. Harry Reid) ...
Cruising Is Getting More and More Expensive for Unvaccinated Passengers
Posted on 07/13/2021, 1:00 PM
Carnival Cruise Line has become the latest major cruise company to announce that passengers who are unvaccinated or do not want to reveal their vaccination status will have to purchase extra insurance and pay for onboard Covid testing when cruising from Florida ports. Voyages from other ports are for vaccinated passengers only. Carnival is allowing unvaccinated passengers from Florida because loca...
Passport Processing Is Taking Forever. Here's How to Hurry Things Along.
Posted on 07/10/2021, 3:00 AM
UPDATE, July 23, 2021: The U.S. State Department has temporarily suspended its online system for booking last-minute appointments for passport centers in order to ensure that the very limited number of appointment times set aside for emergency travel go to those applicants who truly need them. Currently, the only way to schedule a last-minute appointment is by calling the National Passport Informat...
Biden's Executive Order Will Make Flying Cheaper and Less Stressful
Posted on 07/09/2021, 6:00 PM
Fa la la la la! It's Christmas in July for American travelers. President Joe Biden's just-issued Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy is a massive document that goes after monopolistic practices in U.S. industries ranging from agriculture to telecommunications to hearing aids. But it contains many gifts for travelers, too. "Capitalism without competition isn't capitali...
Hilton Drops Daily Room Cleanings at U.S. Hotels, But Not Rates
Posted on 07/08/2021, 2:00 PM
From now on, daily housekeeping as a matter of course at Hilton hotels is a thing of the past. In an update to its pandemic-inspired CleanStay program, the company announced that staff members across 18 Hilton brands will be cleaning guest rooms only in between check-ins and on every fifth day of extended stays. If you want your room cleaned more frequently than that, you'll need to make a requ...
Hertz Accused of Slapping Fees on Innocent Customers: How to Protect Yourself
Posted on 07/06/2021, 12:00 PM
Tuesday's Los Angeles Times had a skin-crawling story about Hertz, the rental car giant that just emerged from bankruptcy last week. The article tells the tale of a family who picked up a rental car, complained to Hertz staff that the vehicle didn't look like it had been vacuumed, but were blown off by being told there were no other vehicles available. Since Frommer's and other news outlets have b...
Is It Wise to Book Group Tours at This Time? Our Advice
Posted on 07/06/2021, 11:00 AM
Even in the best of times, group tours are tremendously complicated travel products. A tour company not only has to create an appealing itinerary. It must also arrange for all accommodations for the group, provide in-country transportation, pre-reserve and buy admissions to touristic sites, and hire one or more expert guides. Sometimes the company also contracts with local restaurants and hotels ...
A Taxi and Uber Shortage Is Making Airport Transfers Hard: Here's What to Do
Posted on 06/30/2021, 2:00 AM
In many American cities this summer, the line for taxis is making the TSA queue look short by comparison. The wait for rideshare services like Uber and Lyft isn't much better—and their prices are soaring. Just how bad is the shortage? In New York City, the number of taxis in operation has been slashed by more than 50%, according to the New York Times. The Las Vegas Sun reports rates for Ubers fr...
