Posted by libertees on May 18th, 2010 | No Comments »
Author Donna Barnes Is The On-air Expert For ABC News What Would You Do? & VH-1s Rock Of Love Charm School. Her Ebook Is The Only One To Empower Singles To Make Better Choices, Be Their Best & Take Healthier Action So They Can Attract A Healthy Partner. ABC News Expert – How To Get & Keep A Wonderful Man.
Posted by libertees on May 8th, 2010 | No Comments »
The goal of this article is to educate the general public so they can get the best hotel rates and to teach those who read this article about the different types of room rates that exist in the industry. Theses tips I present have the potential to save you several hundreds of dollars on you or your friends, and families’ hotel rooms from now on.
To get the best hotel rate, tip number one should be that you ignore and blacklist using all highly advertised websites like Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity from obtaining your services. Once you do this you are open to more options and better deal that you can get elsewhere. These Internet agencies spend millions of dollars every year on advertising so you will hear about them and when you do, they present themselves in a magazine, commercial, or paid advertisement at the top of the search engines with their written or spoken string of brainwashing keywords they choose to advertise and target the general public with.
What these Internet travel agencies offer is an abusive and exploitative situation they control by brainwashing the uninformed that read, listen, and pay attention to their commercials. Internet agencies are not even considered true travel wholesalers according to certain industry professionals who have been in the game for 20 years or longer. The hotels are approached by the Internet agencies that do not even purchase the rooms from the hotels. Instead they propose that they will sell a certain number of rooms for the hotel with no time constraints and they are to be given rooms by the hotel at the Net Rate, which is a bulk travel wholesale amount in the industry. Travel wholesalers and consolidations have to prepay for the bulk amount of rooms they buy from the hotels so they can resell them, so why shouldn’t these Internet sites have to?
Here is where the exploitative situation on the general public begins, and nobody can seem to do anything about. Once the Internet sites are given their own inventory with rooms to mark up at their control they go ballistic. They mark their prices 60% to 80% from the net rate and in some cases over 100% when you tie in all useless services charges, fees, and taxes the add on top of everything. One would think that the Internet agencies and the prices they sell would remain comparative, competitive, and would be able to back up their hyped-up keywords you read and listen to repetitively in their promotions as they feed them to the general public the through millions of dollars of advertising, but they do not.
All the hotel requires in return is the amount of the net. The hotels are fully aware of this exploitative situation that the majority general public is unaware of. The hotels do not support this, but they are simply forced into doing so because they cannot keep up the advertising dollars the Internet sites spend; otherwise they would sell every single room every day of the year by themselves. The only time you might be getting the best hotel rate when you use one of the Internet sites is when the discount price is 30% to 50% off and then the price begins to be reasonably comparable to what is being sold on the vendors website. Other than that you are being sold a bunch of keywords that are all over inflated.
The second tip is the secret to finding the best hotel rates and saving the most towards your vacation falls back to the traditional method of using a travel agent, and the key is to find one who does not charge booking, service, or transaction fees of any sort. You might wonder where all the travel agents are at these days. The reason why you do not see swinging doors to for agencies anymore is because the airlines cut commissions years ago and over 200,000 agencies who occupied business space were forced to either shut down and shut their doors and moved to the internet where they could work from home. This is a big reason why travel agents make up the largest sector of the home based business industry.
Using an industry professional it is and always will be the best way to save money on hotel rates and just about anything you buy in life. As an industry professional we operate semi-automatically because it is usually requires membership logins and passwords, along with proper industry credentials to gain access to certain databases that are filled with premier discounts. Home based travel agents have the ability to obtain numerous different rate types and specials they can offer to the general public or to their clients at such incredibly low deals on such a consistent basis. Premium deals cannot be posted to any public booking engines. They must be sold privately.
The third tip that shows you how to get the best hotel rates is to understand the different type of rates that exist. The GDS is the Global Distribution System is the standard room rate and traditional hotel inventory. These are found on the hotel website and the ones they sell over the phone at the hotel or in the reservations call center. Sometimes the reservations desk will be selling rates cheaper than the call center but they are still GDS rates in comparison. Agents use the GDS to determine how special the other rates are in their overall inventory of multiple rate types they are able to access.
There are different segments of the GDS that include traditional Standard, Rack, Promotion, Government, Military, Corporate, Senior Citizen, and my client’s favorite of all, Premium rates. Premium rates are negotiated rates that hotel provides to travel agencies that reward them for their superior booking history with them. Typically the premium type will save clients 25% to 30% off from the standard GDS Rate. Promotion rates are like having to have the promotional code to receive a discount if the hotel is offering one to the general public. The rest of the GDS are self explanatory if you have the proper credentials to buy them.
The next type of rate is the most rewarding for clients. As I mentioned earlier in the first tip on how to get the best hotel rates, I defined the meaning behind a Net rate as a wholesale rate. Wholesalers and consolidators will purchase a bulk number of room’s usually in large amounts from the hotel vendors and receive a low wholesale price for doing so. The same concept applies a company who sells their products to wholesale suppliers in bulk. The more purchased from the hotel, the better the chances of the consolidators receiving a lower Net rate from the hotel.
Wholesalers then will throw a small markup on top of the Net rates so they can make a little profit and then they we resell the Net rate and distribute them back in to various hotel supplier databases so travel agents can sell them to their clients and to the general public. Net rates are special travel agent rates that are usually prepaid and nonrefundable. They must be booked at least 3 days prior to the clients’ arrival date. Booking a hotel reservation using a premier and Net rate through a home based travel agent who does not charge for fees for their services is how to get the best hotel rates in the world.
Tip four explains how to make a travel agents job easier so they can find you the best hotel rates. Spend some time preparing your itinerary for your agent. They need to know the desired check in and checkout dates as well as the city you wish to stay in. Providing the zip code you want to stay in is even better so they can focus on a certain area so you can be as close to where you want to be. Include the number of rooms and number of beds you need and how many people you are traveling with.
By all means be sure to include a small list of choices you are interested in staying at. If the do not charge a fee for their services, try to be prepared them to work more efficiently for you by giving them all the correct information the first time. If you are traveling with children you will need to tell how many there are and their ages. As stated in the beginning of this article my goal is to educate the reader on how to get the best hotel rates that exist, and if you allow the industry professional to do the work for you, your results will increase tenfold with the success you receive on saving money each and every time you, or your family and friends want to go somewhere.
Posted by libertees on April 28th, 2010 | No Comments »
Excellent Brand New Guide ‘Key To Success’ By Dave Jobs. No Fraud! No Scam! Dedicated To All Those Who Have Begun Searching For Online Business Opportunity And Are Confused At The Thousands And Thousands Of Choices… Key To Success.
Posted by libertees on March 25th, 2010 | No Comments »
www.choicehotels.no The Comfort Hotel Union Brygge was set to become Drammen’s new, trendy urban hotel. The hotel opened February 1st, 2010 with 140 new, tasteful and modern rooms and four excellent suites. The hotel has three colorful conference rooms, training facilities and a large lounge. We serve fresh baked bread for breakfast with organic choices. Our guests will be able to work, sleep, train, meet, rest and relax in a modern, urban and efficient environment infused with new elegant solutions, attended by bright and service minded staff. The hotel is located along the river, Drammenselven in the city centre close to restaurants, shops and culture attractions. The train and bus station is within walking distance.
Posted by libertees on March 21st, 2010 | No Comments »
Tips for Choosing the Best Hotels in Spain
When planning a trip to Spain, one of the most important things you need to do is determine where you will stay during your visit. With the Spain tourism continually growing in popularity, you will find that there are many different hotels in Spain as well as other types of accommodations for you to select from. With so many choices, how is a visitor to decide where to stay while visiting this beautiful country? By keeping these simple tips in mind, you will be able to determine which of the many hotels in Spain is the best for you.
Deciding Between Hotels and Other Accommodations
One of the first decisions you will have to make is whether you want to stay in one of the hotels in Spain or you want to stay in another type of accommodation. In addition to hotels, the booming Spain tourism economy has made numerous apartments and houses available for rent as well. Often, renting one of these apartments or houses can be less expensive than staying in one of the available hotels in Spain. Furthermore, many people prefer staying in houses or apartments because they are generally more spacious and because they offer all of the comforts of home. At the same time, hotels offer amenities such as pools and onsite restaurants that may not be available with homes or apartments. Therefore, you need to weigh the pros and cons of each when determining which is the best option for you.
Choosing the Right Location
Whether you are staying in one of the many hotels in Spain or you have decided to stay in an apartment or house, the next step is to choose the location for your accommodations. If you are a nature lover or if you are looking for a relaxing retreat, for example, you might want to stay in an out of the way location that is far from the hustle and bustle of the city. If you plan to visit Spain’s many museums and other attractions, on the other hand, you might find it easier to select one of the hotels in Spain that are located in the middle of the city.
Considering Luxuries and More
Once you have narrowed down your choices according to location, it is now time to consider the amenities offered by the hotel. If you are looking for a resort atmosphere that can cater to your every need, you will need to spend a little more on your hotel. If you are looking for just the basics, on the other hand, you can get hotel for a very reasonable rate. Do some comparison shopping before making reservations so you can be certain to get the most bang for your buck.
continues to boom and draw in new tourists. Use these tips to help you select from the many houses and that are available to those visiting this beautiful country.
Paul Russell has been contributing to leading magazines for the past 10 years. He’s also an accredited researcher on the subject for leading research institutes in the US.
Posted by libertees on March 16th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Finding good lodging is among the basic necessities in a vacation. Picking an establishment that is substandard may mar the way you view your vacation, even if you’re at a pristine paradise. Good thing searching for the is quite easy. These places are found all over the internet, published on magazines and even newspapers, and some of them are well known with those who frequently travel. With some sleuthing, you can center on the most suitable establishment for your lodging needs.
Hotel Comparison Websites
Comparison websites are plastered throughout the internet and among the most popular things assessed are the world’s best hotels. These sites line up various hotels found in a particular region or country, and then compare them according to rates, features, and service. If you click on any of the hotels, you go to a page that has a comprehensive review and a corresponding rating for the establishment. Some sites don’t necessarily compare the hotels but provide comprehensive reviews. They also encourage people to comment and to provide ratings, so the site’s visitors will have a good idea on which places are considered among the world best hotels.
Hotel Magazines
Hotel magazines feature the worlds best luxury hotels, tackling the rooms, rates, facilities, and service of each. Upon leafing through the magazine’s pages, you’ll think as if you were at the hotels covered. Pictures and articles document practically everything that is offered. The rooms, hallways, dining areas, and the cuisines served are comprehensively discussed. After reading the magazine, you’ll have at least a few choices for lodging on your upcoming vacation.
Travel Magazines
Travel magazines, on the other hand, have a more general approach when it comes to covering the world’s best hotels. They focus on tourist spots and popular destinations in a particular country or region. Of course, they display the best places for accommodation. They don’t often provide the lengthy reviews found in hotel magazines, but the unique and noteworthy features of a hotel are printed, along with the rates. Since travel magazines cover several areas, the best places to stay for each are found within their pages.
Travel Agencies
What’s a Little Work for a Worthwhile Trip?
Searching for the world’s best hotels is quite an easy feat, if you maximize your resources. Yes, it may take several minutes of your time, but if that means making your vacation a definite pleasure cruise, you probably wouldn’t mind. Enjoy your trip.
Rick Carsten is a self-made entrepreneur, a well known travel consultant and internet marketer. Over the years he has traveled across the world and has numerous writings credited to his name in many renowned publications. His areas of writing include travel experiences including reviews of , luxury hotels in paris and .
Posted by libertees on February 21st, 2010 | No Comments »
Jhansi houses best hotels like Hotel Chanda, Hotel Sita and Hotel Yatrik perfect lodging places for every purpose, be it a leisure or business trip. These Jhansi Hotels provide all the essential facilities required for the comfortable, enjoyable & memorable stay of their guests like beautiful neat rooms, fabulous array of cuisines, enjoyable activities and modern business facilities and many more.
Jhansi is a beautiful tourist destination in Uttar Pradesh. It has rich historical and cultural heritage. It also has important tourist attractions like the Jhansi fort, Rani Mahal Museum and Maha Lakshmi Temple. These landmarks of the city provide an insight into the reign of the Chandelas and the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai.
There are best hotels located in this beautiful city. These are in convenient locations to major modes of transportation. They come with basic modern facilities and offer great range of cuisines.
A few suggestions are Hotel Chanda, Hotel Sita and Hotel Yatrikare best hotels in Jhansi ideal for comfortable stay of travelers on leisure or business trip.
Hotel Chanda is located in front of Rani Laxmi Bai Park. Apart from being at close proximity to beautiful landscapes garden and parks, the hotel is conveniently accessible in the heart of Jhansi. Jhansi Junction Railway Station and Jhansi Bus Station are near to the hotel as well.
It has 28 well-furnished clean and comfortable rooms to offer. The necessary facilities and services featured in each room include a cable television, telephone, hot and cold running water, attached bathroom, safe deposit, tea/coffee maker, channel music and room service.
The in-house restaurant in Hotel Chanda is the ideal destination for a wonderful dining experience. This multi-cuisine restaurant features and serves the best of Continental, Italian and Chinese delicacies. It also offers excellent vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes to the guests. The coffee shop provides the guests with great tasting coffee, sumptuous snacks and refreshments.
Hotel Chanda addresses the needs of business guests. It has well-organized conference and banquet rooms ideal for business meetings, seminars and other corporate events. Business facilities would include fax and internet access.
It offers fitness and relaxing activities through its health club, saloon, pool and gym. There is also horse riding available on premises.
It also offers other facilities to make its guests’ stay hassle free and these include business center, banquet facilities, bar, credit cards accepted, money changer, doctor on call, car rental, parking and laundry. Hotel Chanda also provides the privilege of its guests’ pets to stay in the hotel.
And Hotel Sita is in 84 Shivpuri Road Civil Lines. The hotel is at a distance of less than 1 kilometer from Jhansi Railway Station and 3 kilometers from Jhansi Bus Terminus. Gwalior Airport is 98 kilometers away to Hotel Sita.
The hotel has 30 well-maintained beautifully decorated rooms. All these rooms are enabled of basic facilities featuring air-condition, telephone, Multi-channel color television, running Hot & Cold Water, wall to wall carpet with attached bath and 24-hour room service.
It also offers a fabulous dining experience the moment they step into its multi-cuisine air-conditioned restaurant. Various culinary delights such as Indian, Chinese, Tandoori, Continental, vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are on offered. The restaurant has also operational hours provided for the guests such as: breakfast is from 7am to 10.30am, lunch is from 12.00pm to 10.30pm and dinner is from 7.00pm to 10.30pm.While hotel’s own Coffee Shop serves the guests with variety of beverages as well as lip smacking snacks.
There are leisure shopping areas nearby. You will find there some interesting items to buy like antiques, artic rafts, books, magazines and comics.
The commendable amenities are elevator for all floors, travel counter, business center, Air conditioned banquet hall, Internet facility, fax, bar, safe lockers, credit card acceptance, foreign currency exchange, laundry, doctor on call, car rental desk, parking space and free newspaper.
Finally, Hotel Yatrik is conveniently positioned in Elite Allahabad Bank Road, opposite of Police Hospital Civil Lines. The hotel is located at a traveling distance of 2 kilometers from both the Railway and Bus Stand Terminus of Jhansi. The Gwalior Airport is at a distance of 99 kilometers to the hotel.
It is a 3-floor hotel boasting of 30 spacious and elegantly decorated rooms. Every room in the hotel has common amenities like Cable Television with remote, telephone, cold and hot running water, attached bathrooms and 24-hour room service.
Hotel Yatrik has a restaurant, which serves mouth watering Chinese, Tandoori, Continental and Indian delicacies. It also offers choices of delicious vegetable and non-vegetable dishes.
Aside from this, the hotel provides internet access, copier service and fax facility to the business guests. Hotel Yatrik has also other amenities which include coffee shop, bar, business center, travel desk, doctor on call, car rental, credit cards accepted, laundry and valet.
For more information on and .Please visit our website.
Posted by libertees on February 19th, 2010 | No Comments »
There are many advantages to being able to make last minute hotel deals, chief amongst these is the fact that huge amounts of money can be saved. There is an entire world of hotel possibilities available when making last minute hotel deals and people have been known to save as much as 70% discount of booking . The choices are staggering, with thousands of hotels, time share resorts, B&B’s cabins, villas and chalets. All of these types of accommodation can be obtained through last minute hotel deals.
How to Book Last Minute Hotel Deals
Although booking last minute hotel and travel deals has in the past been relegated to the auspices of the travel agent, these generally worked out more expensive than booking long term travel. Times have changed quite dramatically with the advent of the internet. There are many online companies that book last minute travel deals for tourists and they don’t charge them a fee for this. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, these companies make the booking; secure it with a credit card and ensure that the traveler receives the best possible price.
Abut Last Minute Hotel Deals
Booking last minute hotels, generally means that the traveler has to decide to go somewhere and books two weeks or less prior to departure. While they might not be able to get their hotel of choice by booking in this way, last minute hotels will generally be of the same standard that the traveler is used to. There are tens of thousands of these hotels and other accommodations available, not only in the US, but literally worldwide, and the savings that are passed on to the traveler are phenomenal.
Which Hotels Participate in Last Minute Hotel Deals?
Both major chain hotels and independent hotels are keen to allow last minute hotel deals. This is due to the fact that it is the business of a hotel to get occupancies to their rooms. They might hold out for a certain amount of time to try and obtain the highest rates. But when occupancies are low, they will offer a lower rate in last minute hotel deals to increase their occupancies. After all it is better to have someone in the room paying something than no one in the room paying nothing. Not only do hotels participate in last minute travel deals, but there are time share resorts and kinds of self catering properties available. There are even last minute travel deals available on cruise liners. Any out of town trip is able to be accommodated by last minute travel deals, whether you want a weekend in New England, a Hula in Hawaii or a visit to the . Last minute hotels will be sure to save you money, and you might find that you are able to afford far more stylish accommodation than you ever anticipated would be possible on the budget you have for your travel needs. Last minute hotel deals afford the traveler with the opportunity to make bookings at short notice and enjoy large savings on accommodation costs.
Posted by libertees on February 14th, 2010 | No Comments »
So, you want to go on a cruise! It’s exciting, it’s fun and it’s your way of enjoying the great life. But how do you make the choice of where to go, when and with whom? There are so many choices with respect to cruising nowadays that it can be very confusing. Here are a few tips to consider helping you decide which cruise is right for you.
Listed below are few examples of the types of cruise you may wish to take:
1. Mediterranean cruise
2. Caribbean cruise
3. an Alaskan cruise,
4. a cruise down the Amazon or Panama Canal
5. a Transatlantic ocean crossing
6. South Pacific or Hawaiian Island cruise
7. River cruises (the fjords in Norway, the Danube in Europe, the Nile in Egypt, the Mississippi in United States)
8. Polar cruises to see the penguins in the Antarctic
9. Russian waterways cruises
10. Galapagos Island cruises
11. New Zealand or Australia
Each can be very appealing but are also very different.
1. The first thing to consider in taking one of these cruises is when you want to go—the time of the year can dictate the type of cruise. Some cruise ship lines do not offer cruises to the Mediterranean in the winter months, but transfer their ships to the warmer waters of the Caribbean. Alaskan cruises only run in certain months also due to weather conditions. Ocean crossing cruises (Transatlantic) take place only as the seasons change so that cruise ship companies can reposition their ships to match the high seasons’ tourist industry.
2. You also have to decide on the length of your cruise. A typical choice is a 7-night cruise, but you can take cruises from 3-4 nights to over a month in length, or more. The length of your vacation time available may limit you, but taking a cruise for the first time may also be a consideration. Limiting your cruise to a manageable shorter cruise may help you decide whether a longer cruise at another time may be more advisable. In other words, do you get seasick? Do you like the variety of visiting different ports? Do you wish to simply stay at one destination and relax? Do you like the busy atmosphere of the many activities on a ship?
3. Next, the ports that you wish to visit can be a great part of which cruise is the right choice for you. Have you always wanted to visit Tortugas, the Bahamas or Cayman Islands? Here is your chance to get a taste of it. Make sure that one of your chosen destinations is on your cruise itinerary, and there are endless choices of various itineraries available. Cruises are great ways to experience various places. Then you can decide which destination you would like to see more of on a future vacation.
4. Another consideration in choosing a cruise is the amount of time you wish to be “At Sea”. For a Transatlantic voyage you are at sea for many days at a time, which limits you to being within the confines of the ship at all times. This can be a bonus if you don’t want the hustle and bustle of visiting different ports, but it can also be a downside if you want a lot of variety on your vacation. Some cruises offer very little time at sea, being in a different port every day, and this flurry of activity can be too overwhelming for some vacationers. I would recommend a bit of both—for a 7-night cruise a good happy medium would be 2 days at sea with the other days stopping at various ports of call.
5. Once you have narrowed down your choice of cruise to when and where you wish to visit, the next hardest choice is the cruise line and size of ship you want to use. The size of ship can dictate the cruise line, as some cruise lines offer significantly larger ships than others. Some cruise lines only use smaller, more intimate ships for smaller groups of people. Other cruise lines offer huge ships with passengers in the thousands. You must decide whether you like a small personal touch or like the larger groups. (We found that even on a larger ship, there were still areas where we could go to get away from the crowds. Crowding on the huge ships was not a problem at all.)
6. Fitting the cruise line to your individual personality is perhaps the most important factor in determining your cruise enjoyment. There are many different types of ship lines that cater to varying personalities. Of course, the Disney Cruise Line caters to families, but others such as Carnival Cruises cater to more of a party atmosphere for adults, or Norwegian focuses on a more conservative group. Discuss with your travel agent which cruise line fits you best. Cruise lines also offer themed or special interest cruises, such as an art collectors cruise, golfer’s cruises or culinary class cruises. These may be great to fit in with the interests in your life-style.
7. Once you have found the best itinerary for you on the cruise line that suits your personality, at the best time of year for you, there are still other choices you need to make. Some cruise lines offer “freestyle cruising”, which simply put means that you don’t have a set dinner time at a set table, but you can choose to eat whenever you wish. On most cruises, however, you have a preset dinner time at an assigned table. You can choose an early dinner (usually around 6-6:30) or a later dinner time (7:30-8:00). In choosing your dinner time, take into consideration your off-ship excursions. You don’t want to have to rush back from your shore excursion just to get back in time for dinner. You also usually have a choice of how many people you wish to sit with (usually from 4 to 8 -10 people at a table.) Our travel agent suggested a table of 8 on our cruise—she stated that if you were at a table for 4 and you didn’t get along with the other couple you were stuck, but a table for 8 offered more chance of finding congenial soul-mates.
8. Shore excursions can also be a major part of your cruise experience. There are many different shore excursion packages available, from visiting butterfly farms, swimming with dolphins, exploring ancient ruins, to snorkelling or scuba diving. Of course, if you wish you do not need to go on any shore excursions. You can simply choose to stay on-board and take advantage of the ship’s amenities, or you can simply walk around and visit or shop in the port-of-call.
Choosing a cruise can seem overwhelming, but the main point is to suit the cruise to what you want to get out of the experience. If you want a whirlwind of activity choose a party cruise line with that in mind. If you want a more relaxed atmosphere, choose more time at sea. If you want to sample various cultures, choose a destination-rich cruise. Different types of cruises offer at of those things, and more. Hopefully the above has given you an idea in the choices you need to make to get the most enjoyment out of your cruise. Happy cruising!
Denny Phillips has created several articles inspired by her love of cooking, travelling and art. Read other articles by Denny on her websites: www.goodcookingcentral.com and www.vacationtravelquest.com