New Bill in U.S. Congress Would Squash Hidden Resort Fees. Here's How to Help
Posted on 09/26/2019, 12:15 PM
A new bill introduced in Congress today will spell the end of hotel resort fees. Maybe. The Hotel Advertising Transparency Act of 2019 would classify the nondisclosure of resort fees (or "cleaning fees" or "urban fees" or any other mandatory fee) as "deceptive" advertising. Most of us would agree that's an accurate description—one that matters because the bill would allow the government to crac...
Free Parking in Las Vegas Returns As a Resort Breaks Ranks
Posted on 09/19/2019, 3:00 AM
For many years, the ability to park for free at most Las Vegas casino-resorts was a beloved perk, and it was one that made visiting the spread-out desert city much more affordable, practical, and welcoming. But in 2017, starting with MGM-owned resorts, that privilege was snatched from guests. Just to visit a restaurant or a shop, with a few minor exceptions (Treasure Island, Venetian-Palazzo) gue...
A Battle Royal is Raging Between Airlines Flying to Hawaii, Writes Arthur Frommer
Posted on 08/21/2019, 3:00 AM
The fight is on. The battle rages. In March and April just past, Southwest Airlines began flying from San Jose and Oakland, California, to Honolulu and Maui. It will soon add daily flights to Hawaii from Sacramento and San Diego. And because these routes are among the chief money-raisers for the long established Hawaiian Airlines, the terms of each airline’s fares and policies ar...
Museums Across the USA Will Be Free on Sept. 21—Here's How to Get Your Tickets
Posted on 08/16/2019, 12:00 AM
A big reason why Washington, D.C., is one of the world's best cities for museum-going is that the Smithsonian Institution's attractions—including the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History (pictured), the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and many more—charge no admission to see their impressive collections. On Saturday, September 21, museums ...
You Can Now Rent Hertz Cars in Europe with a Debit Card—but Should You?
Posted on 08/08/2019, 11:45 AM
Rental car company Hertz and the two brands under its corporate umbrella—Dollar and Thrifty—have begun accepting debit cards as a payment option for car rentals in Europe. Previously, a credit card was required, but that is no longer the case at Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty locations in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovakia, mainland Spain, and ...
How to Figure Out the Name of That Anonymous Hotwire Hotel
No need to agonize over clues like Sherlock Holmes to deduce the name of a mystery hotel in Hotwire's Hot Rates. These elementary tricks are all you need.
Find the Name of That Secret Priceline Hotel with This Canny Tool
Priceline hides the identities of its best hotel deals, but there's a browser extension that pinpoints the property you're bidding on before you buy.
High Boarding Group Number? Don't Panic—The Airlines Are Messing with You
Are you in Group 7 again? No need to fret. The airlines are trying to stress you out so you'll pay more.
An App That (Almost) Guarantees the Lowest Hotel Rates
Posted on 05/31/2019, 7:00 AM
It’s said there are no guarantees in life. But does that apply to travel? For hotels, a relatively new app may offer the closest thing to a guaranteed low price that I’ve seen. It’s called Pruvo, and it promises that if you tell it your hotel price, you won’t be undercut. Here’s how it works. The consumer goes hotel shopping, using any online travel agency they like—Booking.com, Expedi...
Arthur Frommer: Seaweed is Invading the Mexican Caribbean, But There's a Bright Side
Posted on 05/30/2019, 7:00 AM
Among the current important news of travel is a sudden and mysterious drop in tourist traffic to the so-called “Mexican Caribbean” (Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Isla Mujeres, Tulum, the Mayan Riviera), an area which usually accounts for half of all tourism to Mexico. After several speculative guesses as to what is happening, scientists and Mexican officials have agreed that the cause is “sa...
Florida Finally Gives Tourists a Way to Avoid Rental Car Rip-Offs on Cashless Roads
After years of paying extortionate fees from rental car companies to use cashless toll booths, tourists finally have a solution—if they know about it.
L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art Getting Rid of Admission Fees
Posted on 05/22/2019, 8:45 PM
Pretty soon, it won't cost you a penny to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. The institution announced it is reducing its $15 general admission fee to $0, a move made possible by a $10 million donation from the president of MOCA's board of trustees, Carolyn Clark Powers. You'll still have to pay for special exhibits, however. Speaking to the New York Times, museum dire...
Thanks a Lot, Instagram. Horseshoe Bend Now Has an Entry Fee
Posted on 04/22/2019, 7:00 PM
Many of the world's most beautiful places have become victims of their own Instagrammability, with hordes of selfie snappers causing congestion, safety concerns, and strains on infrastructure. As a result, officials at photogenic locales across the globe have introduced measures aimed at thinning crowds—or at least shifting some of the financial burden for upkeep onto tourists. The latest examp...
Arthur Frommer: The British Outlawed Deception by Hotels. Why Won't America?
Posted on 04/15/2019, 9:00 AM
A British organization that regulates hotels—it’s called the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)—has just taken steps to prevent U.K. hotels from using deceptive sales tactics. Its approach should surely be adopted by our own Federal Trade Commission. The Brits have won adoption of the new anti-deception rules by several gigantic hotel-booking organizations that publish hotel vacancies...
This Spring, It Will Never Be Cheaper to Fly to Hawaii, Says Arthur Frommer
Posted on 04/10/2019, 9:00 AM
The biggest news in travel is the recent start-up by price-cutting Southwest Airlines of a massive number of flights from the U.S. west coast to the islands of Hawaii. Travel to those popular resorts will never be the same again. For several decades, the airlines serving Hawaii have zealously maintained the highest possible price level for flights there. Vacationers paid as much as $60...
Arthur Frommer: Decent People Will Avoid All Contact with Brunei
Posted on 04/08/2019, 9:00 AM
It is highly unlikely that many of our readers will travel as tourists to the nation of Brunei on the island of Borneo in the South China Sea. The economy and currency of that nation are so strong (based on oil and natural gas reserves) that prices there are forbidding. Accordingly, Brunei doesn’t react to threats of tourism boycott, and enjoys very little tourism in any event. One recent visi...
Tipping in Costa Rica: A Gratuities Guide for Hotels, Restaurants, and Tours
Some tips on tipping to follow while checking out Costa Rica's cities, beaches, and jungles
When Should You Book Airfare and Hotels? A Huge Study Reveals the Current Answers
Posted on 04/03/2019, 1:00 PM
The Airlines Reporting Corporation’s annual Travel Pricing Outlook study (conducted in partnership with Expedia) arrived with very little fanfare this year. Which is odd—and not so odd. Odd because it is, by a factor of a gazillion, the largest study of the year, for the size of the numbers being crunched. And not so odd because this 2019 study, the fifth annual one, doesn’t really break much n...
