Articles

Tagged: hotels

Hilton To Charge More To Let You Cancel?

Remember last fall, when Hilton started testing a mandatory $50 fee for cancellations no matter how early they were made?Yeah, well, the hotel company finally picked up on what…

Meet Hilton's New Affordable Hotel Brand

Hilton has launched yet another hotel brand—the 12th in its current portfolio— by announcing that it intends to push this one to being its largest in terms of nationwide room…

Hilton's New Mandatory $50 Cancellation Fee

The giant Hilton hotel brand is piloting a new way to make life miserable for travelers: It has started charging $50 for cancellations, no matter when they're made.Under the new…

Hilton Yanks Adult Movies

Not like you ever rented one, but porn movies are being eliminated from all Hilton hotels' in-demand movie selection.Said Hilton in a statement, as if it was something you might…

Poof! Kimpton Loses 7 Hotels in San Francisco

Back in December, when the hotel conglomerate InterContinental Hotels Group purchased boutique hotelier Kimpton, the executives behind the change painted a smiley face on the…

Airbnb Now Recruiting Professional Vacation Home Companies—Is it Moving Away from the "Sharing Economy"?

Airbnb search results in Florida displaying two properties not by homeowners but by established companiesThis summer, Airbnb began slipping a new type of homes into its…

Beware the Hotel Room Pizza Delivery Scam! They Could Steal Your Credit Card Info

You just arrived in town after a hellish 10-hour battle with the U.S. airlines. You're worn out, you're hungry, and all you want is an easy bite to eat before bed. Good fortune!…

The Hotel Mini-Bar Is Dying Out. New Figures Reveal a Chill in Its Popularity

When was the last time you bought something from the hotel mini-bar?For most casual vacationers who aren't billing hotel charges to a business expense account, the answer…

Free Wi-Fi at All Hyatts Now (With a Catch)

Another hotel brand, Hyatt, has decided it should change the way it approaches Wi-Fi access. Everyone staying at any Hyatt hotel after today can access the Web for free.But…

Drop That Towel! Hotels Get Serious About Foiling Linen Thieves

Is hotel check out about to become a much more emberrassing ritual?It might if you're one of the 5 to 20 percent of hotel guests who steal towels, robes and other linens each…

Marriott Gives Up Trying to Block Your Wi-Fi—Other Hotels Better Not Try, Either

Marriott tried very hard to get the government to allow it to block your Wi-Fi signal. The hotel brand attempted to justify the act as a "security" measure, but in practice, doing so…

Adorable Hotel Brand Kimpton Sells Out

Travel can fill you with wonder or it can break your heart. Yesterday we learned that Kimpton, one of our favorite boutique hotel brands, has sold out.It now melts into the…

The World's Most Obscene Hotel Wi-Fi Charge

What would you do if you signed on to the Wi-Fi in your hotel room and saw a bill for €300 (US $391) the next morning?According to the Telegraph, that's what guests of the…

Is Last Minute, Spontaneous Travel Now a Thing of the Past? Yes....And No

It’s been a good several years since the airlines offered regular last-minute deals. According to a study of 180 million ticket sales by the Airline Reporting Corporation (the…

Hilton and Marriott Announce Strict New Fees for Last–Minute Cancellations

Just as Cinderella had to high tail it home before the stroke of midnight, from January 1st on, travelers heading to a Hilton or a Marriott property will have to remember to…

Rooms in New York City and Los Angeles Reduced to $100 to $200! Here's How and When to Book

A well-known travel industry public relations firm has once again announced the deals in its annual Hotel Week promotion, which drums up business for its clients during low…

Marriott Urges Guests to Tip Housekeepers to Overcome the Shortfall of Inadequate Wages—Say What?

Marriott is placing pre-printed envelopes in 160,000 rooms to encourage guests to express "gratitude" to its workers in the form of cash. The initiative, called The Envelope Please,…

A Two-Step Procedure, Ending With a Direct Phone Call to the Hotel, Is Probably Your Best Way to Obtain the Lowest-Priced Accommodations for Your Next Trip

The evidence seems stronger every day that the best way to get a well-priced, low-cost hotel room is to place a direct phone call to the hotel itself.  But you should do…

What to Expect from Hilton's New Room Selection App and How It Will Change Hotels

Okay, travel nerds, here's what I predict will happen soon.Bustling new websites will be devoted to which specific hotel rooms are the best ones to book. Travelers will…

Finally! This Site Shames Hotels with Lousy Wi-Fi

One of the great annoyances of hotel stays today is that although nearly all properties boldly advertise they have Wi-Fi, not all of them prove to be truly high-speed once you check…

Southwest Airlines Boots Family Over a Complaint Tweet About Gate Agent: Businesses Strike Back Over Online Reviews

Last Sunday, a man was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight because, he claims, he left a bad review of a gate agent on Twitter.The man, Duff Watson, was upset because he…

Sochi Hate: Olympics Attendees' Mockery of Russia's Infrastructure Reveals A Lack of Travel Compassion

People have asked me what surprised me the most here in Sochi. It's this. Without question ... it's ... THIS. — Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski)You might have seen a…

In an Exhaustive Analysis, A Colleague of Ours Has Concluded That Booking.com is by Far the Best Website for Finding Hotel Rooms

Now, mind you, we're not expressing our own opinion.  We have yet to do a thorough comparison of all the hotel booking sites.But when someone of the stature and…

Pay-As-You-Use Budget Hotels: Growing Worldwide, But Still Foreign to Americans

Tune Hotel Asoke, BangkokA few years ago in Europe, a new breed of budget hotel began to emerge, epitomized by Lindemann's hotels in Berlin. Although it was a generally…

Valet Padding: Another Trick Hotels Use to Suck More Cash Out of You

Fairmont Newport Beach: One of many hotels with mandatory valetPretty much everyone thinks resort fees are slimy. Yet the consumer uprising against them has merely simmered for…