Gotta Fly? Now’s the Best Time to Book

For travelers looking forward to take flight in the coming months now is the time for you to book that flight. Airfares for many routes haven’t been this low for at least a year. Some fares have even dropped less than half as compared to prices last winter. Also, they are far less than they were last summer.

As the airlines are more eager to fill their seats during recession, now is the best time for bargain-hunters to grab the lowest fares they have been looking for. The question, however, is how long the discounts will last or whether cash-strapped consumers have enough money to take advantage of them. According to Aviation consultant Michael Boyd, since airlines are cutting flights, travelers will be able to get best bargains if they “book now and book quick”.

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Economy Won’t Stop You From Taking a Spring Break!

The slow economy hasn’t stopped students from planning a spring vacation to their favorite hotspots. According to travel companies, the spring break bookings are continue to gain momentum as the students plan their once in a lifetime trip. Jason Chute, director of operations for StudentCity.com said, “A lot of times kids will go no matter what.”

Cancun and Jamaica are some of the most popular student spring break destinations, while Acapulco is a top pick for students and sun-downers who love to hang out late till night. Demands for trips to Asia and Australia are on a rise amongst those looking an adventure vacation.  Panama City Beach, Fla. Continues to be a top destination among college crowds and is once again the beach hosts mtvU’s Spring Break party March 8-21.

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Stay in Style at an Upgraded Hotel Room

Forget checking-in into a basic hotel room when you might be able to get a free upgrade? In today’s economic situation, many hotels are upgrading their customers to expensive rooms that too without an extra charge. These upgrades are based on availability and granted by desk clerk at the time of check-in.

The idea for providing guests with an upgraded room is to make the guests happy so they’ll return to the same hotel in better times. Some hotels are offering these upgrades to frequent guests only while others are still restricting who gets a free upgrade.

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Hilton Brings Another Extended-Stay Hotel Brand

Hilton Hotels has recently announced that it’s launching a new brand, Hilton Hotels, especially for the young travelers looking for a budget extended-stay accommodation. According to the Homewood Suites, the new ‘Home2 Suites’ is a more affordable offshoot of Hilton’s existing extended-stay chain, Homewood Suites.

The hotel has been aesthetically designed for today’s younger, more design-conscious travelers. The hotel room rates would be around $100 a night in comparison to $120 at Homewood Suites, whose rooms are about 30% larger.

Make the Most of the Broadway Discounts

Broadway shows are fun and entertaining. Not only adults, kids love them too. The suburban New Orleans fifth-grader was so taken with the music from the Tony-winning “In the Heights” that he asked his mom to film him performing one of the songs so that he could post it on YouTube. Broadway shows not only amuse kids but these musical are also powerful.

Despite the economy giving everyone a rough time, you and your little fan can enjoy a Broadway show without spending too much. The Broadway League has recently announced a rewarding Kids’ Night on Broadway program.  This program will enable the kids to 6 to 18 to see a participating Broadway show free with an accompanied adult, will now be available year-round  on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of every month. Tickets also include great discounts such as restaurants and special parking rates for ticket holders.

So, if your child is a Broadway show fan, don’t miss the first Kids’ Night on Broadway, premiering February 3 with a pre-theater party at Madame Tussauds in New York.

Budget Hotels: Check Out Newer and Better options

Most chain budget hotels offer travelers with great amenities as well as are located in the main suburbs, often close to the major chain hotels in the area offering you the best value for each dime spent on booking. In order to pull more travelers budget hotel brands such as Microtel Inns & Suites, Red Roof Inn, Days Inn etc. are offering travelers with better amenities and rewarding policies to make their stay more pleasurable!

Microtel Inns & Suites for example has come up with a chain-wide policy to “surprise and delight” those who check in. Other budget hotels too are offering guests with updated rooms and increased emphasis on personalized service. At a growing number of economy lodgings, free Wi-Fi and breakfast are also being offered. Budget hotel brands like Motel 6 and Red Roof Inn, also are renovating, giving a ’boutique approach to budget lodging,’ says Red Roof CEO Joe Wheeling.

Read out what’s new at chain budget hotels…

‘Travel + Leisure’ announces World’s Top Hotels

Travel + Leisure announced its annual list of the world’s top 500 hotel properties chosen by the readers. And the top 25 in amongst these are undoubtedly the familiar names that include: Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Oberoi, and Taj. There are also other familiar places: former maharajah’s palaces in India, chic hotels in the U.S., and the game reserves in South Africa all making it to the top.

Along with these familiar hotels, the list also includes a couple newcomers: the luxury log-cabin retreat of Triple Creek Ranch, in Darby, Montana; and the rustic-yet-posh Treetops Lodge and Estate, set on the volcanic plateau of Rotorua, New Zealand. Others appearing in the list include; Singita Sabi Sand resort in Kruger National Park Area, South Africa; Domaine des Hauts de Loire, Loire Valley, France and Alvear Palace Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

See the Slideshow of Top 25

2009 Travel Trends and Predictions

The year 2008 has not been such a good year for travel. The slows and downs made travelers to rethink or scale down our vacation plans. But, what’s in store for 2009? Will traveling resume its earlier shape or its time for travelers to take an alternate route. What’s going to happen? Nobody really knows.  But, concluding all that what happened in 2008, traveling will be somewhat different next year. Here are some of the predicted travel trends for 2009:

Taking the Road Less Traveled

Visiting smaller, lesser-known destinations can be more affordable, though offering equally enriching, vacation experience. For instance, taking a trip to Birmingham, England instead of London; or vacationing in Calgary, Canada instead of Toronto.

Staying Closer to Home

With rising travel costs more travelers are expected to stay closer to home. This means that travel to domestic destinations is expected to increase in the upcoming year.

Package Travel Likely to Rise

It seems that package travel is undergoing a mini-renaissance, specially the all-inclusive category. More and more travelers want to cut back the risks involved with booking packages with additional taxes and don’t want the uncertainty of a mounting extras bill, not to mention meals and eating out. Cruises are likely to o well in such a situation.

Tried and Trusted Destinations

In the coming year, travelers are expected to return to destinations they had already enjoyed. Not only its risk free but will allow travelers to plan their trip more thoughtfully. In case of hotels too, loyalty will be the trend of the coming year.

Vacation Rentals and House Swaps

Vacation home rentals, villas and house swaps will continue to gain popularity in the coming year. These alternate lodging options offer a good value for money alongside making you feel more at home.

Solo Travel

Due to advantages of Solo travel, it is expected that solo travel will be another travel trend in the coming year.

Taking Flights this Holiday Season: It’s Good to be Prepared!

The Air Transport Association expects comparatively less number of holiday travelers to take flights this holiday season. But, if you are one of those intrepid holiday travelers, planning to get away from it all, it’s better to be prepared for every worse situation. Holiday travel itself means more rush at the airport and those usual flight delays. And if the weather goes bad, it’ll all get worse in a hurry.

According to FlightStats.com, the airlines’ on-time performance, which had topped 90 percent on Thursday and Friday, plunged to less than 50 percent on Sunday. Even the shrinking air-traffic remains affected by bad weather and those who are still flying this holiday season should be prepared for the worst and take the usual precautions – online check-in, reserving parking in advance, getting to the airport early alongside keeping yourself aware of the latest twists in air travel.  Read On

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth 2 reaches Final Destination

Britain’s most famous luxury cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2, reached its final destination Dubai on Wednesday. The ship is all set to be turned into a floating hotel moored off an artificial palm-shaped island. The ship was greeted by a police marching band and fireworks, when it arrived at the Persian Gulf.

In its 40 years long journey the ship has sailed 6 million miles, carrying close to 2.5 million passengers. The ship has crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times. According to Manfred Ursprunger, the chief executive of Nakheel’s QE2 Enterprises, it will take two to three years to redesign the ship. The new design would include dozens of rooms, several restaurants, a performance theater and a spa. Some of the cruiser’s famous quarters, like The Queen’s Room, The Captain’s Quarters and The Bridge will be preserved in their original form.

Airport Employees Prepare to Deal with Stressed-out Travelers

Peak travel time is already here. And as expected travelers would have to face some delays, fuller  flights and packed airports. In such a situation, stranded traveler’s main target will be the poor airport  employees, who have to face their wrath and resentment. The employees at the Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark are undergoing a special a crash course to deal with such stressful moments.

‘Pressure causes people to behave in a certain manner’, says Belfon, a 27-year-old customer service representative for US Airways. And as the anger cools down, people didn’t believe that they actually acted that way. And later they apologize for their misbehavior. And this stress is even higher at the peak travel times including Thanksgiving and Christmas. To help employees cope, Newark Liberty is offering a customer service program called “Resiliency Edge”.

The program was designed by Tom Murphy, an experience aviation trainer and head of the Human Resiliency Institute in Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education. About two dozen people got a first look at his presentation Wednesday on the concourse inside Terminal B and around 500 other employees are scheduled to undergo this 90-minute training program.

Malaysia Airlines: First Asian Carrier to Allow Cell Phones on Flights

Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 Aircraft

Malaysia Airlines has recently unveiled a new service, allowing passengers to carry cell phones on-board. Travelers flying with the airline will now be able to send and receive text messages, and use their Blackberry-type devices to send and receive e-mails.

The airline has teamed up with AeroMobile, a British company, to emerge as the first Asian carrier to offer in-flight mobile phone and data services to its passengers. This new system will help the passengers to use their PDA’s in-flight, without disturbing the aircraft systems and ground telecommunication networks.

This service will be available to passengers on a single Boeing 777-200 aircraft, that flies to select European, Australian and Asian destinations.

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B&Bs Aiming for More Guests with Frequent-Stay Plans

Kendall Tavern Inn, Freeport, Maine

Over the years B&B’s has emerged as a nice and pocket-friendly lodging alternative for travelers on a tight budget. A number of B&Bs are now coming up with programs for rewarding the guests with frequent-stay plans. The Blue Door on Baltimore B&B, recently unveiled it’s a Frequent Traveler Program, one of a growing number of frequent-stay programs offered by B&Bs and inns. For every seven nights at the Blue Door, guests get a free weeknight.

As opposed to earlier, B&Bs are gradually emerging as a preferred destination for business travelers too. Roger Eberlin, the co-owner of Blue Door on Baltimore B&B estimates that around 40% of the guests staying at the B&B are business travelers. That’s not all!  By offering the lucrative Frequent-stay program to guests, they are also aiming at more repeat guests.

Along with  Blue Door on Baltimore B&B, there are many other B&B’s and Inns, trying to achieve much similar results. Following are some of them:

1. Jabberwock Inn, Monterey, Calif. – Get a free night for 10 paid nights

2. Kendall Tavern Inn. Freeport, Maine – On sixth stay, $25 off or $25 restaurant discount

3. Walnut Street Inn, Springfield, Mo. – Get $100 discount for 6 stays

4. The Texas White House, Fort Worth – Guests never pay more than rate paid for first stay

5. The Inn Above Onion Creek, Kyle, Texas – 50% discount every fifth stay

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Airlines Say Holiday Season Bookings Still Strong

Many airlines expect that this holiday-season, the planes will be as full or fuller as last year. The reason for this is not the increase in the number of bookings but rather it’s the capacity cuts by the airlines, a decision that was made when fuel prices were soaring. In fact, travelers who haven’t reserved their seats for the holidays could find it more difficult and expensive than usual to find the flights they want, when they want them.

As opposed to earlier, fuller planes does not mean the rise in the number of passengers flying. Although several hotels are making lucrative offers to holiday travelers, it seems that it may be a real challenge for ski resorts and sunny vacation destinations to attract travelers who have now turned more budget-conscious because of the uncertain economy.

According to Arne Haak, chief financial officer of AirTran Airways, ‘AirTran Holdings Inc. — has not seen a slowdown in bookings over the holidays’. The situation is much similar with the Atlanta-based Delta whose domestic advance bookings for the holidays show stronger occupancy rates on a year-over-year basis.

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Domestic Airfares Likely to Drop in ‘09

The American Express Co annual business travel forecast for 2009 predicted that a weaker economy may lead to slower growth in demand for air travel in North America, making a slight decrease in air fares possible. The weakening demand and the occupancy rates along with restrictions on business travel by companies may also lead to a hike in the hotel rates.

American Express predicts that short-haul economy-class air fares in North America in 2009 could fall up to 3 percent or rise by no more than 5 percent, and that international business class fares will rise by between 1 and 6 percent. The forecast expects mid-range hotel rates in North America to rise by no more than 6 percent or fall by up to 1 percent.

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