Tagged: hotels

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…

A New Website Sells Off Non-Refundable Hotel Reservations at Deep Discounts

Often, if you want the cheapest hotel room price, you have to consent to a non-refundable rate, and that makes it impossible to change plans without eating the cost. But a newly…

A New Online Travel Agency Allows Users To Hold Airfares, Without Full Payment, For Up to 21 Days

It was only a matter of time, it seems, before someone applied the rules that have long governed the “art” of Wall Street trading to the highly unstable airfare market. That…

At Westin, If You Decline Housekeeping, They'll Give You $5 to Spend

If you're cheap, you will now benefit from being a slob, too.Westin, an upscale-ish branch of the giant Starwood group of hotels, has a new idea. If you do something "great for…

Hilton Is Killing Room Service at Some Large Hotels, And Look at The Replacement

Last spring, Hilton cemented a new trend among major hotel brands when it killed all room service at its 2,000-room New York Hilton Midtown, Manhattan's largest hotel, joining its…

Rooms for $100 in New York City During 'Hotel Week NYC', coming January 3 to 12

Once again, many New York City hotels have banded together and chosen a low-season week during which to knock rates down to approachable levels. The next "Hotel Week NYC" as they…

Offended by Political TV in Your Hotel Lobby? Your Hotel Manager Chose The Channel

Hotel companies spend millions of dollars creating warm-and-fuzzy feelings about their brands and crafting the sensation that a stay there will make customers feel welcome and…

3 Sneaky Ways To Save Money on Lodgings When You Hit the Road

Sometimes you have to get creative, and perhaps even bend the rules, when looking to save money on travel. That’s particularly the case for lodgings, as hotel rates have increased a…

Scrimp vs. Splurge: When Does Spending More Actually Improve a Vacation?

Several years ago, an author I’d hired to do a chapter in a guidebook returned it to me with a major tourist sight missing from the text. He explained that he’d left this particular…

The Elimination of Room Service, Top Sheets, and More: Worrisome Changes Coming to a Hotel Near You

Those over the age of 45 will remember when flying was a glamorous, or at least an amenity-laden activity. Attractive flight attendants would flit up and down the aisles, delivering…

While You Were Out, Your Hotel Covered Your Bathroom Mirror with an Advertisement: Okay or Not?

Tonight, Instagram user @ZachHonig tweeted this image of his hotel room at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown Los Angeles. It seems that while he was out, the…

Plan Ahead or Do It On the Spot: The Conundrum of Modern Vacations

United Airlines caused a stir two days ago when it announced that travelers could now “subscribe” to its fees. Pay one lump sum in advance—$349, so that’s one big lump sum…

Add this Website to Your Vacation Planning Bookmarks: Hotel Coupons.com Can Halve the Going Rates

Think about the times you have been on a road trip and you pulled over for a quick meal at a chain restaurant. You know those piles of free booklets piled by the door of seemingly…

Israel Unveils a Sweeping 18% Tourist Tax. Will the Additional Costs Deter Visitors?

Israel is already the 8th most expensive country on the planet to visit, according to the World Economic Forum. But a new 18% tax on car rentals, hotel rooms, private guide services…

Recent Changes to Hotel Loyalty Programs That Travelers Should Know About

Here’s news that will likely keep travelers up at night: thanks to recent changes, it’s going to take significantly more loyalty points to redeem free night stays at the majority of…

That's Ridiculous! Cruise Lines and the Passengers They Carry

The complaints started pouring in even before the storm had subsided. Passengers were outraged -- outraged! -- that their ships had operated even with a hurricane approaching in late…

That's Ridiculous! The Gas Price Bait and Switch

Cheaper isn't always better. On a recent trip to Bend, Ore., I discovered that cheaper can actually mean more expensive. The scam was perpetrated by a service station selling unleaded…

Travel Troubleshooter: Are Lax Rules Slowing Down Airline Ticket Refunds?

Kathleen and Eugene Bianucci paid $5,770 for a pair of round-trip tickets between San Francisco and Dublin, Ireland, this year on Virgin Atlantic Airways. A few days before their…

The Able Traveler: Through Redwoods on a Wheelchair-Accessible Train

Although most long distance trains feature some type of wheelchair-access, that's not always the case with small excursion trains. Fortunately that's not the way things work at…

Three Nights in Los Cabos, from $739 with Air

Apple Vacations (tel. 800/517-2000; www.applevacations.com) is offering a sale on winter 2013 vacations to warm destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico, including this air-inclusive,…

Staying Online Abroad: 5 Tips for Saving Money On Global Roaming

Four hours into my trip to Spain, I got a scary message from T-Mobile (www.t-mobile.com) customer support. "You have already spent $50 on data," the text said. I immediately turned off…

Where to Ski this Winter: U.S. Resort Upgrades & Improvements

Ski resorts from coast to coast were busy this summer with all sorts of upgrades and improvements on-mountain and in the villages below. From newer and faster lifts to bigger and…