Starwood's Cyber Monday online promotion

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  A big thank you to all you readers and followers.  Here’s wishing you have a great break with friends and family.  Gobble gobble!

Now how about a Starwood deal?

Starwood is quickly positioning itself as a web savvy company.  In addition to its plethora of social media tools and sites, Starwood is now offering a special promotion for Cyber Monday.  For those who aren’t familiar with what that is, think of Black Friday but in the context of online shopping from your office desk next Monday.  Why should the brick and mortar retailers have all the fun?

Here’s the scoop on the online Starwood Cyber Monday promo . . .

For just three days starting on Monday, November 30 and ending on December 2, book a stay at one of the 50 Starwood resorts at savings of up to 45% on stays from Jan. 1 through April 30, 2010.  Here’s the link that you want to keep handy for next Monday:  http://www.starwoodexclusiveoffers.com/cybermonday-preview

The cancellation policy looks tough on this Cyber Monday promo though.  It looks like there’s no refund on cancelled reservations so make sure you’re definitely going or get trip insurance.

Just in case the 50 or so upscale Starwood resorts  just aren’t what you’re looking for, there’s always Hotels.com and its holiday sale.  Hotels.com was perhaps the industry pioneer of marketing online promotions specifically for Cyber Monday and Black Friday.  For the third year straight the website will hold online sales on both dates that will include over 200 properties in more than 100 locations selling at 50% off regular rates.

Just saw that Expedia is also having a Black Friday / Cyber Monday sale.  Get $25 off a hotel booking of $150 or more, book before Nov 30, and travel by Dec 21.

Reise übers Internet buchen wird immer beliebter.

Hier zwei Gutscheine für Expedia.de, einmal einen Gutschein bis zu 50 Euro auf Skireisen und einen Allgemeinen 10 Euro Gutscheincode

Expedia Gutschein

Today’s Featured Cause:
Saving Animals At Risk – Animal rescue group based in Nova Scotia is a federally registered Canadian charity. Our mission is to rescue unwanted, homeless and abandoned animals and to provide education and support for owners.

Save yourself some money with coupon codes and and support Saving Animals At Risk by shopping with Donation Street. Today’s top money saving offers:

Expedia- U.S. Vacations: Book early and save! Air + 4 nights from $291.
Ross-Simons- Save up to 25% off plus extra 5% at checkout only
Puma- 20% off PUMA Employee Favorites. Sale Items Excluded.
Blindsgalore- Save 20% & get free shipping on ALL orders, NO MINIMUM required,
The History Channel- Save $5 when you spend $30
Entertainment Book- 20% off + Free Shipping when you buy your 2010 today!
FoodSaver- 40% Off the FoodSaver w/SmartSeal Technology! Pay $109.49 & free shipping
Radio Shack- Save $50 on the Kodak® EasyShare M1093 IS 10.0MP Camera (Red)

Am Freitag wurde die Kooperation von Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN), die White Label-Lösung von Expedia, Inc. und Nokia bekanntgegeben. Das ist der erste Deal dieser Art, der die Frage aufwirft, ob diese Partnerschaft Auswirkungen auf die Reisebranche haben wird? Immerhin schließen sich zwei der größten Unternehmen aus ihrer Branche zusammen, um das Expedia-Hotelportfolio samt entsprechender Buchungsfunktion in das Ovi Karten- und Navigationssystem von Nokia zu integrieren.

Man muss sich zunächst vor Augen halten, was zurzeit im Bereich Mobile- und PC-Internet passiert. Der PC-Internetriese Google bietet mehr und mehr Dienste (Android, m.google.com) für das Mobile Format an und Nokia geht den umgekehrten Weg und bietet mehr und mehr Dienste (ovi.com für Maps, Mail, Bilder, Kalender etc.) für das PC-Format an. Das Mobiltelefon (welches ja eigentlich schon ein Smartphone ist) und der PC bilden eine Einheit, die durch eine Synchronisation mit einander verbunden sind. Die Vision: das Smartphone ist die mobile Ergänzung des PC und umgekehrt.

Quelle: Nokia

Was hat das nun mit Expedia zu tun? Ganz einfach: Google hat bereits ein funktionierendes Geschäftsmodell (Werbung) und muss es jetzt nur auf das Mobile-Internet (siehe Kauf von AdMob) übertragen. Nokia’s Geschäftsmodell hingegen, der Verkauf von Hardware, wird von Monat zu Monat schwieriger. Deshalb sucht Nokia nun nach geeigneten Geschäftsmodellen und experimentiert mit Werbung, einem App Store, Musik und Navigation. Mit Expedia kommt nun ein neues, für mich einleuchtendes Geschäftsmodell ins Portfolio, ein transaktionsbasiertes E-Commerce Modell. Nokia (mit Ovi) wird zum Online Reisebüro, auf dem PC und Smartphone. Und Expedia erschließt damit erstmalig die Mobile Welt.

Das wird meiner Meinung nach Auswirkungen auf die Reisebranche haben, aus folgenden Gründen:

1. Reisende sind immer auch Kunden von Smartphone-Herstellern, Netzbetreibern und Internet-Service-Providern.
2. Nokia hat eine enorme Reichweite, zumindest was die Anzahl der Endgeräte angeht.
3. Nokia wird sich weitere Partner für ein transaktionsbasiertes Geschäftsmodell suchen (müssen).
4. Reiseunternehmen müssen jetzt und erst recht in Zukunft, in den mobilen Kanal investieren.

Dies hat sowohl positive als auch negative Seiten zur Folge. Nokia hat nur begrenzt Kapazitäten für derart Kooperationen, aber für Reiseunternehmen besteht mit Nokia eine sehr große Chance, sowohl zur gleichen Zeit eine enorme Reichweite zu erlangen, als auch den Mobilen Kanal zu bedienen. Für Expedia ist es bspw. der erste Schritt in die mobile Welt.

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Anzeige__ Sie planen ein Mobiles Projekt? Dann klicken Sie hier.
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Andererseits gibt es nicht nur Nokia. Wer den mtiblog verfolgt, der stellt fest, dass ich sehr oft von iPhone Apps und Diensten berichte. Das Gerät hat eben zurzeit die größte Wahrnehmung und Nutzungsrate. Aber es gibt auch noch den Blackberry, Android-, Windows Mobile-Geräte oder demnächst wohl öfters erwähnenswert, den Palm Pre.

Reiseunternehmen sollten daher:

• gezielt Kooperationen mit Smartphone-Herstellern, Netzbetreibern und  Internet-Service-Providern eingehen
• andererseits aber auch diversifizieren, d.h. mehrere mobile Plattformen bedienen

Nur ein was sollten sie nicht: das Smartphone als Reisebegleiter, Informations- und Buchungskanal vernachlässigen.

Trevi Fountain -- near our hotel!

Ahhh, yes. I have just finished three article outlines, readings for an essay and nearly completed a second essay. Despite being holed up in my room all day (literally have not stepped foot outside), the day has been rather productive by most standards. And, fortunately, I still have a few hours of productivity in me before I get to sleep so I can wake up at 415A to head to the airport! Normally being up at such an ungodly hour would be unacceptable, but when one has to arise for the reason of heading to Italy, it doesn’t seem quite so bad.

So, being that our flight leaves at 730A, Lindsay and I agreed that getting to the airport a bit before 6A would probably be ideal. We’re leaving from Heathrow, a busier airport considering the big time international flights, so cutting it close is not on the agenda. Due to the fact that we live so close to Holborn station (home of the Piccadilly line), we had planned on tubing it directly from the station to Heathrow until we realized that the tube doesn’t open until 530A and doesn’t hit Holborn until 542A, which means getting to Heathrow before 6A would be impossible. Although there’s a pretty decent chance we would still make our flights, it wasn’t worth the headache. In lieu, we have reserved a cab at 4:45A to take us to Paddington Station where we can jump on the Heathrow Express (which starts outbound journeys at 510A) for 15 or so pounds. Although it’s a bit more expensive than tubing, our options were rather limited and missing our Roman holiday would have been a huge disappointment.

Also, we’re flying British Airways which works out well. Instead of the discount airlines (EasyJet, Ryan Air, etc.) where you are limited to one piece of hold luggage, we are allowed one checked bag, a carry-on and a personal item. Although we’ll likely forgo the checked bag, the carry-on + personal item bit is pretty nice. I’ll be able to take my laptop to upload pics and stay connected to the world!

All in all, I cannot wait to cross Rome off of my list of places to see! It hasn’t fully hit me yet, since I’ve been so engulfed in getting work done, but I know that I’ll feel that kid-in-Disneyland sensation when my alarm wakes me up in the morning! This time tomorrow, I’ll be sitting in a ristorante near the Trevi Fountain practicing my Italian, eating authentic Italian food and drinking Italian coffee. Meglio del sesso. That’s what I have to say about that.

Ciao,

Also, if I didn’t mention: through Expedia’s UK site, we were able to snag round-trip tickets and two nights in a 3* hotel for 215 pounds each including all taxes! Pretty sweet deal, and we’re flying with a legit airline!

Here at VillaWarehouse.com we have started our research into twitter and it’s uses for travel industry related people.

We were amazed at how many travel people who are on their making use of the medium already! This is extremely valuable to twitter users who are looking for immediate deals rather than a villa, as the live search aspect of twitter means the most recent, freshest deals are at the top. Travel is already in the top 5 of twitter searches, so if you have a travel related industry you need to be tweeting.

We thought we would compile a list of interesting travel tweeters.

Traditional travel publishers  @LATimestravel, @nytimestravel and @TravelMagazine

Purely sales – @Expedia and @SpiritAirlines.

@jetblue @JetBlueCheeps @roaminggnome @TheNegotiator @USAirways.  @TravelGov

Airlines don’t have the monopoly though Hotels and travel associations are getting in on the act too @QueenMary @OhioTravel, @HiltonSTL,  @RaddisonTuscon,  @AlcatrazCruises,  @AirShipVentures

@TSABlogteam, @AmtrakNews

Fans of airlines appear too@klmfan. Along with the detractors @IHateEasyJet . Many follow blogging flight attendant @Heather_Poole

For travel news and information, we have compiled an alphabetical list

• American Automobile Association News – @AAAnews
• Travel Trends and trips- @BrilliantTips
• Self explanatory  – @DisneyParks
• Fodors– @fodorstravel
• Forbes traveler – @Forbes_Traveler
• Frommers – @FrommersTravel
• Seat Guru airline seating information - @SeatGuru
• US State Dept travel Adviseries – @TravelGov
• Queensland tourism profile for Queensland Australia – @queensland
• RandMcnally Maps – @randmcnally
• USA airline news – @TodayInTheSky
• Restaurant info – @zagatbuzz

There’s even a Twitchhiker – @Twitchhiker

If you want to be found in Travel industry, it looks like a twitter account is an essential tool.

VillaWarehouse.com Admin Team

Of all the dot-com superstars that appeared in the ’90s, shone brightly and then disappeared from sight, few have been granted a second act. One exception is Priceline (s pcln), which 11 years after it was founded — and 10 years after its stock price collapsed — is quietly thriving. It’s no superstar now, but it’s an interesting case study of how an online company once written off for dead can in fact age gracefully.

At its peak, Priceline’s “name-your-own-price” business model created a stir. Its founder, Jay Walker, trumpeted the idea as a revolution that would upend the travel industry, and a lot of smart people bought it. George Soros and Paul Allen invested their money, and the stock surged to a $15.7 billion market cap, larger than most airlines. Forbes called Walker a “modern-day Edison,” and Priceline expanded into new markets like gasoline and groceries.

The revolution was over before it began. Priceline’s stock peaked nearly a year before the Nasdaq did, and it just kept falling: By the end of 2000, its market cap had shrunk by 99 percent to $220 million. Forbes regretted its praise for Walker, admitting he “hasn’t lived up to our label,” and Walker left the company soon after. Priceline backed out of the gasoline and grocery businesses, retreating to online travel, where it faced increasing competition from Expedia (s expe), Orbitz (s oww) and others.

But writing off Priceline as another failed dot-com also proved premature. Its approach wasn’t revolutionary after all, but neither was it a bad idea. Somewhat ironically, it took another market crash for Priceline to begin to deliver on its promise. Its stock, which has risen 265 percent in the past year, has joined the S&P 500 — the market’s way of saying you’ve finally arrived. Its capitalization is back above $7 billion, making it larger than Expedia.

In the first six months of 2009, Priceline booked $4.3 billion in travel services, an increase of 12 percent during a period when overall bookings declined by 8 percent. The company will update those numbers for the third quarter next week, and analysts are expecting bookings to grow by more than 25 percent, faster than many of Priceline’s online rivals.

What changed for Priceline? Its management avoided the hype about the revolutionary potential of naming your own price. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy did refer to it in commercials, but Priceline waited patiently for the concept to take root — the way Amazon (s amzn) has been patient about free shipping, or Netflix (s nflx) has been about streaming movies online with no extra fee. The company has also expanded piecemeal, buying up smaller companies like Bookings.com when it could, and expanding abroad. It now offers travel in 78 countries.

There’s a lesson in Priceline’s riches-to-rags-to-riches story for other Web companies. A lot of people watching tech companies — especially ones like me who write about them — get all antsy about their ability to deliver on their promise. This comes up when we talk about companies like Facebook not being public yet, or Twitter looking for revenue.

But often, consumers move at a much slower rate. It can take years to grow comfortable with a new business model. There is a lot to be said about moving quickly in a fast-evolving industry. But there’s just as much to be said about being patient with the people who are going to make you money.

Behind the scenes of a recent online shopping trip, Blue Kai , a startup company that collects Internet user data, was tracking when a Web surfer browsed for electronics on eBay, searched for cruises and checked out snowboards. It also tracked when a Web surfer researched Chevrolet sport utility vehicles on auto site Autobytel and priced flights to Durham, N.C., at travel site Expedia.

After collecting that kind of information, Blue Kai groups Web visits into categories of consumers. It then immediately auctions off the data from some of the sites to marketers and Internet companies, which in turn use it for consumer research and ad personalisation.

The Web companies make money for selling the data about visitors to their sites, and Blue Kai takes a cut. The advertiser gets its coveted targeting.

Full Story: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704328104574515423992819230.html#mod=todays_us_marketplace

-At Iconoculture, we still believe It Sucks to Fly, but trip planning might suck a little less since Expedia has dropped its fee for booking flights over the phone. Broadband-challenged consumers can now save a few bucks and spend some quality time on hold.

-What happens when blind justice stumbles into the ethereal abyss we call the Web? That is, Can The Rule of Law Exist in the Virtual World? Well … can it?? This is about more than forcing bloggers to reveal their advertising alliances, people.

-This interactive map shows voter turnout by block. Love thy neighbor, track thy neighbor, shame they neighbor, whatever.

-2010 is prophesied to be the year of the woman. Some evidence to the contrary: Women are voluntarily shrink-wrapping themselves in spandex to make for a $750 million market! Christina Hendricks et al wear actual girdles for up to 17 hours. I believe her when she says they’re “superuncomfortable” but at least she’s getting paid for it.

-”There is no reason to keep pretending that the Copyright Wars involve matters of morality or principle—they don’t and never have. The Copyright Wars and their predecessors have always been about one thing and one thing only—a fruitless effort to resist, to the end, the very nature of capitalism, which is a dynamic, creative force by which new innovations and business models replace old ones.” IP is so 2003.

-Kids’ books. Xers. Bad parenting. Rage. Helicopter parents.

-We’ve covered vertical gardens, upside-down gardens, roll-out-a-mat-and-just-add-water gardens … These crocheted containers bring the, erm, spoils of the garden inside and if you’re handy with a hook they’d be a good holiday gift in the spirit of deconsumption.

Expedia.es, portal de viajes integral low cost muy recomendable

Expedia.es, es un portal de viajes low cost, tiene millones de tarifas con descuentos en más de 500 líneas aéreas, un directorio de más de 80.000 hoteles en todo el mundo, con filtrado de servicios y opiniones de clientes (importante), se puede también alquilar coches, dan facilidades de pago sin cobrar por el uso de la targeta y aseguran el precio más bajo devolviendo sino la diferencia. Es un portal muy recomendable para ahorrar en tus viajes con un servicio integral.  Más info en http://www.expedia.es

Siden 15. oktober har Choice vært utestengt fra de to store hotellbookingsløsningene Expedia og Hotels.com.

Uenighet om avtalevilkår førte til at verdens største bookingselskap dumpet Choice, som er verdens sjette største hotellkjede. Choice Hotels Scandinavia har betegnet Expedias handling som uprofesjonell.

Det er gjennom en avtale Choice Hotels International i USA har hatt med Expedia, at Choice i Skandinavia har vært tilstede på bookingsplattformene til Expedia og Hotels.com.

Etter bruddet har en rekke mindre hoteller med franchiseavtale med Choice, ønsket en direkteavtale med Expedia.

Choice Hotels Scandinavia, som styres av investoren Petter Stordalen, får rundt én prosent av totalomsetningen sin gjennom bookingløsningene til Expedia.
 
Torsdag 22. oktober var salgsdirektør Sven Jensen i London. Under sitt opphold der hadde han møter med Expedia.

Dagen før møtet sa kommersiell direktør Roar Ingdal i Choice til Reiselivsavisen.no at det kunne være aktuelt for den skandinaviske delen av hotellkjeden å inngå en egen avtale med Expedia, uavhengig av Choice Hotels International.

- Hva gjorde Sven Jensen hos Expedia i London, Ingdal?

- Vi har fra tid til annen møter med Expedia for å oppsummere vårt forretningsforhold og for å informere om våre produkter, sier Ingdal.

Han sier møtet ikke kom i stand etter at Choice i Skandinavia ble dumpet av Expedia.

- Men, dere har sagt at en direkteavtale vurderes. Var det et tema på møtet?

- Choice Hotels International er de som har dialogen med Expedia om en ny avtale, og det er de som fører forhandlingene. Når det er sagt, så må jeg si at vi klarer oss utmerket uten en avtale med Expedia, sier Ingdal.

I går skrev Reiselivsavisen.no at også Best Western International har takket nei til en sentral avtale med Expedia, fordi vilkårene er for dårlige.

Men, kjedens hoteller er ikke kastet ut fra Expedia, da bookingselskapet allerede har direkteavtaler med medlemshotellene til Best Western.

Hotellbestillingsportalene Expedia og Hotels.com kastet ut Choice fra sine systemer nylig, etter at verdens sjette største hotellkjede nektet å godta en ny forretningsavtale med Expedia.

I Choice er man oppgitt over Expedias framferd og måten de dikterer sine krav i forhandlinger på. Nå ser det ut til at Choice kan ha fått en mektig alliert med seg mot Expedia.

Best Western-kjeden har aldri hatt en sentral avtale med Expedia, men hvert enkelt hotell har inngått sine egne avtaler direkte, noe Best Western sentralt har støttet.

I motsetning til Choice, så driver ikke Best Western egne hoteller. Kjeden er en medlemsorganisasjon for selvstendige hoteller. De kan benytte Best Westerns merkenavn, reservasjonssystemer, sentralt forhandlede avtaler, markedsføring og kvalitetskontroller.

For en stund tilbake startet Best Western forhandlinger med Expedia for om mulig få på plass en sentral avtale hotellkjeden kunne anbefale sine medlemsbedrifter.

Daglig leder Hege Ramm i Best Western Hotels Norway var i forrige uke i USA i møte med sine kolleger internasjonalt, og ble orientert om forhandlingene med Expedia, som nå har strandet.

- Best Western har valgt å takke nei til en sentral avtale med Expedia og Hotels.com, på grunn av betingelsene vi ble forespeilet i avtaleutkastet, sier Ramm til Reiselivsavisen.no.

Hvor mange Best Western-hoteller i Norge som har avtale med Expedia har ikke Ramm oversikt over. Det er opp til hver enkelt hotelleier å inngå avtaler på egenhånd. Ingen Best Western-hoteller er stengt ute nå, slik Choice er, siden avtalene er lokalt forhandlet.

- På det internasjonale møtet var det enstemmighet om at vi ikke kunne akseptere de betingelsene vi ble tilbud, og da er ikke Expedia interessant for oss, sier Ramm.

Hun berømmer samtidig Expedia for å ha vært tidlig ute med gode reserverasjonssystemer på internett, men at kunnskapen om dette har blitt mye bedre i de enkelte kjedene de siste årene, og at man derfor kanskje ikke er så avhengig av Expedia fremover.

There has been a lot of discussion about the Choice Hotels/Expedia issue, and I’d like to lend some rational thoughts toward what has happened thus far, and what the future implications might be.

In an effort to be fair and balanced, let’s first remember that Expedia exists for the sole purpose of making decisions that increase shareholder value. Expedia profits rose 23% in the last quarter as a result of cutting fees and introducing promotions, so somebody over there is doing something right, at least for the short term.

Let’s also not forget that Expedia is popular with consumers because of what it does for them: it makes it easier to shop for and compare flights, hotels, and rental cars. Most consumers aren’t familiar with the term “OTA”, let alone the relationship between OTAs and hotels. As long as their hotel room is ready for them when they arrive, they don’t care who it was booked through. OTAs are a convenience, if you’re a consumer. A lot of people aren’t hotel snobs—they just want a nice/affordable/conveniently-located/etc. room, depending on the particular circumstance of a particular trip.

So, while the hotel industry might want to consider Expedia to be Goliath and Choice Hotels the David during this skirmish, that perspective really depends on whose side of the fence you’ve invested in. The Expedia/Choice negotiations had reportedly been taking place since 2007, and finally broke down. As I understand it, Choice Hotels wanted franchisees to control their inventory, while Expedia wanted more control than Choice was willing to give.

You can’t blame Expedia for asking for whatever it was they asked for. If you were on the other side of the fence, you might have done the same. As much as hoteliers want to paint it as such, this wasn’t about stealing profits or putting hotels out of business. There is certainly evidence of OTAs having a negative effect on ADR and hotel profits on the whole, due to the way they’ve changed the hotel shopping habits of now price-centered consumers, but remember: nothing made hotels participate in OTAs, other than the pressure they felt to do so by their own industry. We might consider OTAs as “necessary evils”, kind of like unions and lawsuits and other things that might annoy us during a given moment.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Choice sticking up for themselves in the negotiations, but it’s not as if they had much of a choice; the alternative would have been making franchisees upset or ultimately harming their own business if the costs ended up greater than the benefits. Does this mean other hotels should end their relationships with OTAs? Not out of principle, unless they too determine it’s no longer in their interest to continue the relationship. Expedia better be careful out there, since their value as an OTA decreases when they no longer have as diverse of a selection of services to offer. There is life after OTAs, but there’s life after each individual hotel as well–nobody is completely safe.

Frankly, I’m surprised we’re all so surprised by this. It is (and was) unrealistic to think a static relationship would remain between hotels and OTAs. Something had to break eventually. While OTAs and hotels have enjoyed a mostly symbiotic relationship, it’s been shown to have the potential to turn antagonistic in the past, and this is no different. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over the long-term in terms of the effects on brands as a whole, and the short-term in terms of profits. For now, Choice might need Expedia more than Expedia needs Choice, but it’s not impossible for the tables to eventually turn.

What do you think?

Tomorrow I’ll talk about the study that came out of Cornell last week about the effect of being listed on Expedia on reservations coming directly to the hotel. There was an interesting result.

(Image Courtesy of Leaders We Deserve)

Hello, everyone! Last we met, we dished on planning the honeymoon of your dreams. Now that you’ve figured out how much you’d like to spend on your first vacation together as man and wife, here comes the fun part – deciding on your honeymoon destination. Whether the debate lies in how far you’d like to travel or what climate you’d like to vacation in, there’s always a location for anyone and everyone. So, sit back and let us at Yazzie & Co. give you the lowdown on the best places to honeymoon at.

(Image Courtesy of the Frias Properties of Aspen)

If you want to stick around in the good old USA, you can easily find a variety of locations to spend your honeymoon. We at Yazzie & Co. highly suggest that you look into booking your vacation in Hawaii, which is the number one American location to relax at – according to About.com. The ultimate paradise within the fifty states, it boasts tons of perfect beaches, floral fresh air, and wonderfully warm weather. What’s more, you both will be able to enjoy the local cuisine favorites such as fresh mahi-mahi and homemade kettle chips. Whether you’re staying in Maui or Oahu, you both can rent a car and explore the natural beauty of the island. However, if you’d rather honeymoon in a cooler climate, then we suggest that you vacation in Aspen, Colorado. Long known as America’s skiing capital, there are plenty of things that you both can do to occupy your time. About.com suggests that you take up fun activities such as horseback riding or biking while there. Not only will you get to enjoy the breathtaking mountain view, but you’ll be at one with the clean and crisp air. Whether you decide to stay at a resort of rent a cabin, you’re guaranteed to have a great time.

(Image Courtesy of the Giltedge Travel)

Then again, if you’d prefer to leave the States, you’d have more opportunity to visit locales that you wouldn’t generally find in the fifty states. The sky would be the limit for you both, which is why Yazzie & Co. thinks that this would be the perfect time to have that once-in-a-lifetime trip overseas. If both of you are up for a honeymoon of sightseeing perfection, you should definitely visit Italy. Whether you’re in the mood to take in the ancient architecture of Northern Italy in Turin or immerse yourself in the modern glamour of Rome, there’s something for everyone in this lovely country. If you’d like to take a chance by traveling to the other side of the world, why not consider South Africa as a honeymoon destination. You’d be able to go on safari in the game preserves at Sabi Sabi’s Earth Lodge at the internationally renowned Kroger’s National Park outside of Johannesburg while viewing some of the most beautiful plants and wildlife in the world. However, if you’re more into spending your honeymoon in the fast pace of nightlife and shopping, you both can head over the Cape Town for activities that range from relaxing on the beach to tasting the country’s wines. About.com also recommends checking out the Cape of Good Hope to see both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans clash in what is sure to be an unforgettable experience!

(Image Courtesy of the Hamilton’s Official Website)

Wherever you decide to travel for your honeymoon, you can easily book a package through your local travel agent. If you’re seeking a great deal, your best bet is to book your trip on a website such as Orbitz or Expedia. However you decide to plan this, plan it effectively so that you can guarantee yourselves the most unforgettable and wonderful experiences in your new life together.

Until Next Time,

The Yazzie Blogger

I love it when there are ways to make the world a better place while patronizing the travel industry. Expedia (cue voices to sing “dot commmm“), in addition to making shopping for travel bargains easy from your computer, has also, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, created the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism.

Their mission is clear, and strong (from the website): “We believe that everyone has a part to play in the conservation of our global heritage.  That’s why we work with travelers, members of the travel industry, government groups, non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations to protect and preserve World Heritage sites and promote local communities.

The World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism is a global community committed to the conservation of World Heritage sites and the well being of local people.

We are people protecting places.  Thousands of individuals support our cause by pledging to travel responsibly and by donating to fund community projects in and around World Heritage sites.”

From Stonehenge to Machu Picchu, the Statue of Liberty to Niagara Falls, Yosemite to the Okavango Delta, there are 890 World Heritage Sites in 148 countries around the world. These are the places we and our children and their children and beyond do and will create some of our greatest memories. These are the spots for once-in-a-lifetime moments, and assuring they are protected is everyone’s responsibility.

Consider becoming a World Heritage Alliance member, donating, and pledging to be sure that in your own travels, you respect and honor the places you visit. As the Alliance says: We’re not asking you to save the world. Just its greatest places.

Back in July when I started hunting for, and finally booked my Thanksgiving flights there were several friends who thought I was booking way too early, that the airfares would go down if I waited.  These friends pretty much laughed at me.  It was such a nightmare to try to find convenient flights that when I found ones that worked I snapped them up.  I will admit to hesitating just a bit before hitting the “purchase” button, but I did it anyway.

The past couple weeks there have been several news stories about holiday flights – how the flights are becoming non-existent, and when you find them you’re paying a hundred or more dollars for the flights.  Not that I ever really doubted the news stories, but every now and then the newscasters and reporters do exaggerate things a bit.  Never so much that the news is incorrect, just enough that it is more intriguing.

Because I’m not feeling well and am in need of a laugh, or at least a good feeling, I decided to search for my flights to see how much they’d cost me if I were to book them today.

First up, Expedia.  I almost fell out of my chair when only two airlines showed up on their schedule as opposed to the six last July, and only one of them, US Airways, had flights available.  These available flights started at $225 more than I paid for my flight!  The second airline, United (the one I’m on), didn’t have any flights!!

Undeterred I zipped over to United’s website where lo and behold, my flights showed up as available as long as I was willing to pay more than 2.2 times the amount they cost in July.  If I were to buy them right now I’d be paying four figures, not three, and all of those to the left of the decimal point!!!

Let me rephrase that…if I were trying to buy the tickets right now I’d be staying put for Thanksgiving!  I love my family but…

I bought my tickets four months before I would travel and parted with my hard earned $$ long before I would use what I purchased.  But, not only did I NOT lose more than a penny or two’s worth of interest on the hard earned $$, but I am on the flights that are most convenient for me and I have been flight arrangement worry-free for the past four months.

So folks, who’s laughing now?

Carte invitation Lookotel.com

On the 17th November we are happy to launch Lookotel.com, if you are in Paris that evening or can come – then call us and reserve. It’s free and it’s going to be fun.

We’ll be going over what we are doing with Lookotel.com to give hoteliers a fighting chance in the current internet reservation space.

It couldn’t be more appropriate, with the recent Expedia news.

Vincent and Serge Ramelli, and the entire WIHP team are happy to invite you to the launch party of Lookotel.com

Come and discover around a cocktail how Lookotel is changing the online reservations in an innovating way.

RSVP: +33 1 53 46 10 60

If you are a hotelier, you can sign up on lookotel.com right here: http://www.lookotel.com/adminHotel

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