WebProNews

Tag: Hotels

  • Last-Minute Travel Deals for New Year’s Eve Available

    Last-minute travel deals for New Year’s Eve or after-Christmas visits are available for travelers who are willing to do things a bit differently.

    Consumer Reports offers some tried and true tips for those seeking those last-minute travel deals.

    Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday are typically the least expensive days to fly. Flexible travelers typically score the best last-minute travel deals.

    The Travel Channel reports that traveling on a holiday–for example, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day–often results in last-minute travel deals of up to 50 percent off the price of flights.

    Flying in or out of an alternative airport can often result in big savings on airfare. Again, flexibility is key when scoring last-minute travel deals. If you’re willing to drive a few extra miles to catch that fly, those miles can translate into big savings. Be sure to check multiple airports when looking for flights.

    Consumer Reports writes, “Check prices (on flights) at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday; that’s when the greatest number of cheap seats might be available. But bargains can appear at any time, so keep searching and set up alerts that will send you an e-mail or text message when prices on your route drop.”

    In a recent survey conducted by Consumer Reports, only 28 percent of travelers haggled with hotels for a lower rate or an upgrade. Of that 28 percent, however, 78 percent scored that upgrade or lower nightly rate. Don’t be afraid to haggle when seeking those last-minute travel deals.

    Are you looking for a few days away now that Christmas is over? Where might you fly off to when scoring your last-minute travel deals?

  • Borgata Babes Can Be Fired for Gaining Weight, Court Rules

    In 2005, Atlantic City hotel and casino Borgata issued a controversial policy involving its servers, known as the Borgata Babes.

    If your appearance changes too much, you’re fired.

    Borgata’s policy specifically bars any cocktail server from gaining or losing 7% of their body weight – and not losing/regaining it within a few month period. Violation of this rule can result in termination.

    In 2013, a New Jersey court ruled that the casino can in fact fire its Borgata Babes for putting on a few extra pounds. The ruling came after 22 former Babes took legal action against the company. They claimed that they were told to take laxatives before mandatory weigh-ins and told to stop taking medications that cause weight gain, according to the lawsuit.

    Now, an appeals court has upheld the ruling.

    “This is a significant victory for Borgata,” said Joe Corbo, Borgata’s vice president and legal counsel. “We have long held that Borgata’s personal appearance policy is fair and reasonable. We are pleased that the three appellate court judges agreed with prior rulings that our policy is lawful and non-discriminatory to women. As the court noted in its ruling, Borgata’s policy was fully and openly disclosed to all costumed beverage servers, male and female, and all of the litigants voluntarily accepted this policy before they began working for us.”

    The decision stated that while Borgata’s policy is legal, the lawsuit should be returned to a lower court so that it can be determined whether or not the plaintiffs were treated fairly in the commission of said policy.

    As you can see, the Borgata Babes are an integral part of the company’s marketing strategy:

    According to Borgata, only two servers have ever been fired pursuant to the policy.

  • Netflix Makes Hotel Room Deal With Marriott

    Netflix Makes Hotel Room Deal With Marriott

    Netflix has partnered with Marriott International to enable Marriott Hotels guests to subscribe to or sign into Netflix by using the Netflix app on the rooms’ internet-connected TVs. While Netflix has partnered with various pay-TV operators, this is the first time it’s made such a deal with a hotel chain.

    While many have turned to their mobile devices and laptops to view Netflix in their hotel rooms while traveling, many will no doubt find the Netflix-ready TV a nice perk. Hotels and motels have long tried to entice guests with free HBO, guests with queues of content already saved on their Netflix accounts will find this to be an added benefit.

    “Our collaboration with Netflix responds to changing consumer preferences in the way our guests access and watch content, while recognizing the leading role Netflix is playing in driving this transformation,” said Matthew Carroll, vice president brand management at Marriott Hotels. “Because consumers are choosing to take their streaming content with them when they travel, Marriott Hotels is making the industry’s first rollout of Netflix a priority.”

    “Our members tell us they want to watch Netflix anytime, in any place where they have an Internet connection,” said Bill Holmes, global head of business development at Netflix. “Through our partnership with Marriott, they’ll get to watch their favorite movies, TV shows and Netflix originals on big screens just like they do at home.”

    The service is already available at six properties with six more coming this summer. By the end of the year, it should be available at 100 locations, and in nearly all of its locations in the U.S. by the end of next year. It’s currently available at: New York Marriott East Side, San Jose Marriott, Princeton Marriott, Newport Marriott, Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana, and Bethesda Marriott Suites.

    Next up are: Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, San Francisco Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Dayton Marriott, San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, and Anaheim Marriott.

    The service is also available in over two dozen U.S. hotels representing other Marriott brands, and will expand more broadly to the other brands in the future.

    Later this year, Netflix itself will launch in three new international markets: Spain, Italy, and Portugal.

    Image via Netflix

  • Netflix in Hotels? Marriott Tests New TV Service

    Netflix in Hotels? Marriott Tests New TV Service

    Vacancy. Indoor Pool. Free … Netflix?

    The Marriott hotel chain is testing new video offerings in a handful of locations. The new TV service apparently allows guests to stream Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora in their rooms.

    “We have invited leading technology companies and content providers to work with us to design the next wave in in-room entertainment focusing on on-demand programming,” Marriott spokesman John Wolf told Bloomberg. “We are currently offering guests in eight test hotels the opportunity to stream their content through our high-definition TVs whether it is Netflix, Hulu or Pandora.”

    According to some Twitter users who have seen the new system in action, it looks like you have to log in with your own Netflix or Hulu account. Marriott just provides the interface on its in-room TVs.

    Of course, as long as you have your laptop/iPad and Wi-Fi, you could just stream Netflix yourself – without Marriott’s help. But this new system allows you to stream Netflix in all its HD, big-screen glory. Plus, access to reliable Wi-Fi is not a guarantee – especially when we’re talking about Marriott.

    This is just a test and it’s possible that the structure of the service could shift. Instead of letting people log-in to their own Netflix accounts, hotels could provide generic access. It could be built into the cost of the room, or Netflix access could be a separate add-on. Netflix could get a piece of that action.

    It’s easy to imagine a future where hotels tout Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime as premium offerings to attract guests. And if you’re Netflix, why wouldn’t you want to be inside millions of hotel rooms across the world?

    It’ll be interesting to see how quickly Marriott expands this “test” and if other hotel chains jump on board. I’m guessing the answers to those questions are very, and you bet.

    Image via Greg Turner, Flickr Creative Commons

  • Amazon Reportedly Getting Into Travel

    Amazon Reportedly Getting Into Travel

    Amazon is reportedly getting into the travel business, because why wouldn’t it?

    Travel industry news site Skift reports that the company is getting ready to launch its own travel service, which would feature booking at independent hotels and resorts near major cities. It would be called Amazon Travel (fittingly) and feature a “curated selection of hotels within a few hours’ drive from New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle”. It’s expected to launch on New Year’s Day.

    Skift, which spoke with representatives of a handful of hotels appears to have a lot of details about how Amazon Travel will work, so it seems pretty legit. It reports:

    Properties would load their room types, availability, pricing information, and photos into an Amazon extranet and would pay a standard 15% commission to Amazon for the prepaid bookings, the hoteliers at the independent properties said.

    The properties would get notified by Amazon via email of bookings, hoteliers said, and they would update calendars on the extranet. The hotels would generally list their properties at rack rates, but would be free to discount, one hotelier said. Hoteliers would receive their payments from Amazon for the stays in two installments and could obviously attempt to negotiate a lower commission than the standard 15%.

    Amazon isn’t commenting on the matter, but you should definitely check out the report for additional details.

    Meanwhile, in New York, Amazon just signed a 17-year lease for a building across the street from the Empire State Building, where it will reportedly launch a brick-and-mortar store/distribution center.

    In California, it’s been working with taxis, but on package delivery as opposed to transportation.

    Image via Amazon

  • What Happens When You Charge People For Negative Yelp Reviews

    Historic hotel Union Street Guest House learned a harsh lesson this week, which should serve as a cautionary tale to those worrying about their Yelp reviews a little too much. Reviews on Yelp and other sites are controversial for a variety of reasons, but businesses going to extreme lengths to keep negative reviews away are bound to only draw more of them.

    How far would you go to maintain a positive Yelp presence? Let us know in the comments.

    In case you missed it, the hotel in question had posted a policy on its website indicating that it would charge guests $500 for not only negative online reviews of its establishment, but for such reviews by other people. I’ll allow the text of said policy to explain:

    Please know that despite the fact that wedding couples love Hudson and our Inn, your friends and families may not. This is due to the fact that your guests may not understand what we offer – therefore we expect you to explain that to them. USGH & Hudson are historic. The buildings here are old (but restored). Our bathrooms and kitchens are designed to look old in an artistic “vintage” way. Our furniture is mostly hip, period furniture that you would see in many design magazines. (although comfortable and functional – obviously all beds are brand new) If your guests are looking for a Marriott type hotel they may not like it here.

    Therefore: If you have booked the Inn for a wedding or other type of event anywhere in the region and given us a deposit of any kind for guests to stay at USGH there will be a $500 fine that will be deducted from your deposit for every negative review of USGH placed on any internet site by anyone in your party and/or attending your wedding or event If you stay here to attend a wedding anywhere in the area and leave us a negative review on any internet site you agree to a $500. fine for each negative review. (Please NOTE we will not charge this fee &/or will refund this fee once the review is taken down). Also, please note that we only request this of wedding parties and for the reasons explained above.

    As you can imagine, once the media (including reddit) caught wind of this, all hell broke loose. The negative reviews came pouring in both from people claiming to have stayed at the hotel, and those admitting they hadn’t. There was a common theme: these people suck because they charge people fees for negative reviews – a worrisome business practice indeed.

    Yelp agreed that the business practice was not a good one, but also said it wouldn’t allow reviews from people who hadn’t actually been to the hotel.

    A spokesperson for the company told us, “For 10 years, Yelp has existed as a platform to alert consumers of bad business behavior such as this. Reviews that are found to be in violation of Yelp’s Terms of Service or Content Guidelines, including those that are not based on a first-hand experience, may be removed from the site.”

    Another Yelp representative told us, “For ten years (this month), Yelp has provided a platform for people to exercise free speech and warn consumers about bad business behavior such as this. Yelp fights to protect free speech for consumers and against efforts to intimidate or stifle it. Trying to prevent your customers from talking about their experiences is bad policy and, in this case, likely unenforceable anyway.”

    “We encourage people to share their first-hand experiences; reviews that are contributed as a result of media attention and do not reflect first-hand experiences run counter to Yelp’s Terms of Service and will be removed from the site,” they added.

    A day later, it would appear that some of those reviews have been removed, and the hotel’s rating has gone up to one and a half stars (it was at one-star on Monday).

    Still, the questionable reviews continue to roll in. The top one right now is five-stars, and comes from Hitler:

    Union Street Guest House appears to have removed the practice from its policy – at least on the website. The part about charging people for negative reviews has disappeared. It’s unclear whether it’s still in the contract. The establishment has not been talking to the media.

    The moral of the story is that no matter how much you may hate Yelp and online reviews in general, the last thing you should do is try to actually charge people who post negative ones. It will absolutely destroy your online reputation.

    The flood of reviews may die down as the story fades from memory, and Union Street Guest House may be able to work its way up to a more positive Yelp presence, but getting rid of all the articles written about this incident may not be so easy – unless, of course, the “right to be forgotten” becomes a thing here in the U.S.

    The hotel is lucky it hasn’t faced any apparent repercussions from Yelp, especially since Yelp is supposed to be alerting consumers about businesses who cheat on reviews. I don’t see a warning on Union Street Guest House’s page.

    Do you think Yelp should have taken down reviews related to this? Should the hotel’s page have a consumer alert? Given the above Hitler example, is Yelp even effective at policing its policies? Let us know what you think in the comments.

  • Union Street Guest House Charges Guests $500 For Negative Yelp Reviews

    Union Street Guest House Charges Guests $500 For Negative Yelp Reviews

    The Union Street Guest House in Hudson, New York has a strange policy. It charges guests who book weddings $500 for any negative reviews left on websites like Yelp by the wedding parties’ guests.

    On the hotel’s Events & Weddings page, there’s a section called “Reviews,” which says:

    Please know that despite the fact that wedding couples love Hudson and our Inn, your friends and families may not. This is due to the fact that your guests may not understand what we offer – therefore we expect you to explain that to them. USGH & Hudson are historic. The buildings here are old (but restored). Our bathrooms and kitchens are designed to look old in an artistic “vintage” way. Our furniture is mostly hip, period furniture that you would see in many design magazines. (although comfortable and functional – obviously all beds are brand new) If your guests are looking for a Marriott type hotel they may not like it here.

    Therefore: If you have booked the Inn for a wedding or other type of event anywhere in the region and given us a deposit of any kind for guests to stay at USGH there will be a $500 fine that will be deducted from your deposit for every negative review of USGH placed on any internet site by anyone in your party and/or attending your wedding or event If you stay here to attend a wedding anywhere in the area and leave us a negative review on any internet site you agree to a $500. fine for each negative review. (Please NOTE we will not charge this fee &/or will refund this fee once the review is taken down). Also, please note that we only request this of wedding parties and for the reasons explained above.

    Yep.

    It’s unclear how long this policy has been in effect, but it was brought to the world’s attention on Monday thanks to a piece from The New York Post’s Page Six, which says:

    For any bad reviews that do make it online, the innkeepers aggressively post “mean spirited nonsense,” and “she made all of this up.”

    In response to a review complaining of rude treatment over a bucket of ice, the proprietors shot back: “I know you guys wanted to hang out and get drunk for 2 days and that is fine. I was really really sorry that you showed up in the summer when it was 105 degrees . . . I was so so so sorry that our ice maker and fridge were not working and not accessible.”

    Union Street Guest House currently has a one-star rating on Yelp. This is likely attributable to a slew o freshf one-star reviews slamming the establishment for its policy. A few samples:

    This Guest House follows despicable practices of charging $500 for a negative review on Yelp. Shameful.

    …Oh, and the proprietors are mentally disabled. They’ll blame you (and even charge YOU $500) for every thing that goes wrong with other guests stays. Seriously, spend your money elsewhere.

    …Think about it this way; forget the bad service, etc. why would you want to stay at a place that has a policy of fining a guest $500 for any bad review about their experience? Do you like having your freedom of speech censored?

    There are many, many more where those came from. Among them, a Jonathan S. of Hudson, provides the following five-star review:

    That’s funny. Yelp doesn’t publish real reviews I’ve gotten that are positive but they’ll publish all these negative reviews from people that have never been to the establishment.

    It looks like it’s gotten quite a few one-star ratings on Facebook too:

    The real question is how could this business expect something like this not to happen with such a ridiculous policy in place?

    Yelp’s policy makes it clear that users can’t always withdraw the content they create, meaning that once those negative reviews are up, they can’t always be eliminated, so anyone fined by Union Street Guest House could have a hard time getting their money back. Something tells me this policy will soon go away after this though. For the hotel, however, it might be too late to recover any semblance of a positive rating, unless Yelp gets rid of all the recent slams.

    The hotel isn’t commenting to any media outlets so far. We’ve reached out to Yelp for clarity on its own policy on this type of business behavior, and will update accordingly. We know they restrict compensating people for reviews. It seems like that should include negative compensation.

    Either way, the policy has done plenty to quickly ruin the business’ online reputation. In addition to all the new negative reviews, they also get the added benefit of all the articles about the policy showing up in search results. I wonder if all the money they’ve collected from negative reviews has been enough to offset the irreparable damage they’ve caused themselves. I’m guessing not.

    Update: Here’s the statement we got from Yelp: “For 10 years, Yelp has existed as a platform to alert consumers of bad business behavior such as this. Reviews that are found to be in violation of Yelp’s Terms of Service or Content Guidelines, including those that are not based on a first-hand experience, may be removed from the site.”

    Update 2: Yelp sent us a second statement:

    For ten years (this month), Yelp has provided a platform for people to exercise free speech and warn consumers about bad business behavior such as this. Yelp fights to protect free speech for consumers and against efforts to intimidate or stifle it. Trying to prevent your customers from talking about their experiences is bad policy and, in this case, likely unenforceable anyway.

    We encourage people to share their first-hand experiences; reviews that are contributed as a result of media attention and do not reflect first-hand experiences run counter to Yelp’s Terms of Service and will be removed from the site.

    So it sounds like all the fresh reviews knocking the hotel’s policy won’t be sticking around. So far, they’re still up, as is this new, glowing five-star review:

    5/5 stars, came here to enjoy a nice wedding. I came expecting a modern high end hotel. instead it was “historic” which is a synonym for “old and overpriced.” They claim their furniture is “hip and would be found in many design magazines.” I think i spotted a nice chair in the lobby that I had seen at a flea market before. Luckily my stay was paid for so as they say, free is five stars!

    apparently this hotel fines 500 dollars for negative reviews. I’m not quite sure how Union Street Guest House plans to enforce this policy, but it seems fair that 5 star reviews should receive some sort of compensation.

    If you are reading this USGH management, please send 500 dollars as a reward. You can message me for the payment terms. I accept cash or bitcoin

    Thanks!

    Another five-star review says:

    I’ll give you guys 5 dumb stars, for being SO dumb.

    Hope you’ve figured out by now how the internet works.

    Best of luck.

    Please send me $500 for writting a positive review.

    Thanks.

    Images via Yelp, Facebook

  • Popular Las Vegas Hotel Deals For Spring

    Popular Las Vegas Hotel Deals For Spring

    If you are planning a trip to Vegas, one of the first things you do is look for a great hotel. Vegas has hundreds of hotels to meet the needs and budgets of everyone.

    While many people are concerned about the cost of a hotel room ,others want to stay in popular, well-known hotels that offer a lot of amenities and are in a great location. Unfortunately, these hotels aren’t necessarily the cheapest.

    If you want to stay in a popular Las Vegas hotel but want to stay on budget, try one of these great hotels that offer rooms under $300 a night.

    The Bellagio is a well-known hotel that offers exquisite rooms, amazing amenities and food that is to die for. It offers just the right amount of luxury at an affordable price.

    Caesar’s Palace is another hotel and casino that is a popular choice for many Vegas visitors. The hotel is constantly creating new amenities and making sure that visitors are comfortable during their stay. Caesar’s Palace also offers great shows and a busy casino.

    The Mirage has been featured in many movies and television shows and is one of the most popular and familiar hotels in Last Vegas. It offers amazing rooms and amenities and some of the best shows and attractions along the strip. Spring deals are available now, so check them out.

    If you want to go home after your Vegas trip and brag about your hotel, choose one that people are familiar with and have heard of. Not only will you have the pleasure of staying in a luxurious and popular Vegas hotel, but you won’t have to worry about overpaying.

    Here are a few more Vegas hotels and hotel deals you might want to check out.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • All-Inclusive Resorts Making A Comeback

    All-Inclusive Resorts Making A Comeback

    All-inclusive resorts are making a big comeback from the days of simple accommodations, mediocre food, and long buffet lines. Today’s all-inclusive can be anything from an adult-only spa themed resort to a family-centered playland with waterparks and babysitters. And luxury is not hard to find.

    Back in the 1950s, when all-inclusives had their start with Club Med, the focus of the industry was on singles, young couples and honeymooners on a shoestring. But now, that is not so at all.

    “Historically, there has been a stigma attached to this industry — that it is limited to middle-market consumers,” says Scott D. Berman, a principal at PwC and leader of the firm’s U.S. hospitality and leisure practice.

    Now, Berman and other experts can agree that the face of the all-inclusive vacation has changed for the infinitely better.

    The rebounding all-inclusive concept is therefore quickly growing in popularity, according to Forbes. Studies show that the percentage of travelers flocking to all-inclusives has risen from 8% to 14% in just the last three years, and is reportedly the fastest growing segment of the travel industry.

    Why the sudden reappearance on the radar? Well, some feel it is due to the economic downturn in our recent history. Now more than ever people just want to know up front what their trip is going to cost and want to avoid surprises. People also like the feeling of not having to carry a wallet or purse everywhere. It takes some of the care out of the way so that you can truly relax and enjoy your surroundings.

    Do you really save money going with an all-inclusive? That depends on the circumstances. No one has ever formerly done studies on the difference in cost involved, “But guests paying for inclusive packaging have the perception that they are spending less [at an all-inclusive],” says Berman. “There is a psychological comfort in knowing they aren’t going to get a bill with pages of itemized resort charges.”

    Although you may not save all that much, knowing everything up front can go a long way to helping you relax and enjoy your very precious days of leisure.

    Image Via YouTube

  • Best Value Hotels: 3 Of The Best

    Best Value Hotels: 3 Of The Best

    When you travel, you want to get the best deal possible on your hotel. While some hotels advertise themselves as value hotels, they can often be more expensive than others.

    Other hotels give you what you pay for and although they are affordable, they may be dirty, run down or offer little to no amenities.

    You don’t have to settle between cheap and unappealing or luxurious and expensive. There are plenty of hotels that fall right in the middle and are not necessarily luxurious, but are comfortable, clean and affordable. Here are a few of the best value hotels for your money.

    The Backpack
    According to Lonely Planet’s list of the top 10 best value stays for 2014, the best value hotel is The Backpack in Cape Town, South Africa. This hotel is perfect for backpackers and younger travelers who are not necessarily looking for fancy accommodations but just want a clean room, a bar and a nice play to relax and hang out. This unique hotel offers safari tents, small rooms and spacious suites. Best of all, you can book your stay for less than $100 a night.

    Hotel Museo Casa Santa Domingo
    According to the Gayot top 10 value hotels worldwide list, the hotel that offers the best value for your money is the Hotel Museo Casa Santa Domingo in Guatemala. Not only is this historical hotel beautiful and relaxing, it is also affordable. The hotel offers numerous activities and amenities and is in a great location. You can book a room at this hotel for a little as $153 a night.

    BLVD Hotel & Spa
    If you are looking for a great value hotel in the United States, the BLVD Hotel & Spa in Los Angeles, California is one of the best. Although the hotel is small, it does offer a swimming pool, spa and bar. It is also within walking distance to several major attractions and tourist spots, including Universal Studios. Room rates start at $151 a night.

    These three hotels are just a few examples of the value hotels that are available around the world. The next time you plan a trip, regardless of your destination, research the hotels carefully to make sure you are not only getting the best price, but the best value.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Las Vegas Hotel Deals : Get Them Now

    Are you ready for a spring vacation to Vegas? Right now you can get some great deals on Vegas hotels. Saving money on your hotel means you will have more to play with at the casino or spend on attractions and entertainment. If you are planning a trip to Vegas this Spring, take advantage of one of these great Las Vegas hotel deals.

    Treasure Island Hotel And Casino
    The Treasure Island Hotel and Casino is offering rooms as cheap as $84 a night. The hotel amenities include a tropical outdoor pool, award winning spa, a wide variety of dining, bars and lounges, a wedding chapel and onsite entertainment. This deal won’t last long so book fast to make sure you get in on it.

    Monte Carlo
    If you want to be in the middle of the strip, the Monte Carlo is the hotel for you. It is located close to all main attractions and right now you can book your hotel stay for as low as $51.20 when you stay Sunday through Wednesday. The hotel has several different restaurants and bars to choose from and a free tram that will take you to your desired locations in Sin City.

    Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
    If you are looking for a more luxurious hotel but still want to save money, consider booking a stay at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Right now you can get rooms as low $180 a night. Book your stay between Feb. 26, 2014 and March 31, 2014 and receive a $100 credit that can be used on food and beverages.

    You might spend a lot of money while vacationing in Las Vegas, but it doesn’t have to be on your hotel. Take advantage of Spring sales and deals to get the best price on your hotel and remember what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

    Where is your favorite place to stay in Vegas?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Groupon Expands ‘Getaways’ With 20,000 New Hotels

    Groupon announced a major expansion of its Groupon Getaways offering today with the addition of 20 thousand new hotels around the world.

    Groupon Getaways first launched in 2011 as a partnership with Expedia, but recently launched this expansion in pilot. Availability has now come to all of the U.S. and Canada.

    Groupon Getaaways includes up-to-60% off flash deals for travelers, and customers who make reservations at one of the newly added properties will get 5% back in Groupon Bucks.

    “Searching for a hotel can be a very time-consuming process, with most travel sites showing hundreds of listings for each destination. We’re providing travelers with only the best options at the best prices, so they have no reason to go anywhere other than Groupon,” said Simon Goodall, VP and GM of Groupon Getaways. “By expanding our selection, we’re giving travelers literally tens of thousands of reasons to check Groupon first.”

    “Searching for a hotel on Groupon is also ideal for mobile, which is becoming one of the most popular ways for consumers to book travel,” said Goodall. “When paired with Groupon’s outstanding mobile experience, travelers can now book the perfect trip and get the best deals nearby – all at the same time.”

    Last year, Groupon acquired Blink, the “last-minute” travel app, and further integration of that into Groupon’s services is reportedly next on the agenda for Groupon’s travel-related efforts.

    Image via BusinessWire

  • Cristina Fernandez Accused of Funneling Taxpayer Money

    The president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez, has found herself under fire recently due to accusations published in investigative news reports in an Argentine newspaper. The article accuses president Fernandez of funneling taxpayer money into expensive resort hotels owned by an old friend named Lazaro Baez.

    Lazaro Baez is a former business partner of president Fernandez and her late husband, Nestor Kirchner. Accusations that the relationship between Fernandez and Baez has lead to profits for Baez are not a new occurrence; under the office of both Kirchner and Fernandez, Baez’s corporations, such as “Austral Construcciones,” have won many public works contracts. The current accusations, however, do not focus on public works projects; instead, they center around Fernandez and her husband’s private business.

    Investigative reports by the Argentine newspaper “La Nacion” have put forth the idea that the tax money given to Baez for public works projects may have been funneled into the private hotels that Kitchner and Fernandez owned. The official books kept by Baez’s company indicate that one third of the rent for the rooms in these hotels were payed for by Baez’s company, whether or not they were filled. The failing government airline for Argentina, Aerolineas, was also accused of reserving one third of the hotel’s rooms. If these allegations are true, it might explain the tenfold growth the presidential couple saw in their personal wealth since taking office.

    In response to these allegations, president Fernandez sent her presidential secretary, Oscar Parilli, to speak about the rumors on public television. The statement had this to say: “The false reports by the daily La Nacion, later repeated incessantly once again by Clarin… try to put in doubt the legitimacy, legality and honesty of the private economic acts of the Presidents Nestor Carlos Kirchner and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.” Though she vehemently denies the claims made by the newspaper, it is unclear whether or not any further research will be done, or if a formal investigation will take place.

    Image via this YouTube video.

  • Bing Partners With TripAdvisor To Offer Hotel Info, Reviews In Search Results

    Bing Partners With TripAdvisor To Offer Hotel Info, Reviews In Search Results

    Before you leave on any trip, it’s probably wise to search for hotels ahead of time. You might even want to book a room while you’re at it. It was already easy enough to do so with the numerous online tools at your disposal, but it will even easier for Bing users thanks to a new partnership.

    Bing announced today that it has partnered with TripAdvisor to offer hotel information, reviews and more directly in search results. By using the recently released Smart Search on Windows 8.1, Bing users searching for hotels will be greeted by not only locations on Bing maps, but information pulled directly from the TripAdvisor app as well.

    Here’s what it will look like:

    Bing Partners With TripAdvisor

    To see TripAdvisor information in Bing Smart Search, you’ll have to install the TripAdvisor app for Windows 8. You can grab it here.

    If you don’t use Windows 8 or just prefer the Web version of Bing, you’ll probably be pleased to know that TripAdvisor information has been worked into Bing for the Web as well. Whenever you search for hotels on Bing.com, you’ll see information from TripAdvisor on the left.

    Here’s what it will look like:

    Bing Partners With TripAdvisor

    With this new partnership, Bing obviously hopes that you’ll make all your trip-related searches through its services. Its hopes might not be fully realized on the Web, but Smart Search in Windows 8.1 may just be the golden ticket it needs to get into the lives of more people.

    [Image: Bing Search Blog]

  • Google Hotel Finder Finally Gets Ability To Book Reservations From Your Phone

    Google launched Hotel Finder back in 2011, and now, they’ve finally added the ability to book hotels from your mobile device. This seems like a pretty key feature to have in such an offering, but better late than never, right?

    Now, if you go to google.com/hotels on your phone, you can search, filter your results and book your hotel through one of Google’s partners.

    Google Hotel Finder

    “You can filter the search results by price, hotel class, user rating and distance,” says product manager Maciek Nowakowski. “Select a hotel to learn more: photos, hotel amenities, reviews and its location on a map can all be conveniently accessed from the same page. You can also save hotels that appeal to you into a short list for easy comparison by pressing the star.”

    You can use Google Wallet to book the reservation if you find the “Buy with Google” button, but if you don’t use Wallet, you can still just enter your payment info.

    While Hotel Finder is available in over 100 countries, the new booking capability is only available in the U.S. for now.

    Image: Google

  • Groupon Buys Blink, Rebrands It With The ‘Groupon’ Name

    Groupon announced on Monday that it has acquired Blink a “last-minute” travel app from Europe, which lets users find deals on same-day hotel bookings.

    “Based in Madrid, Blink works with more than 2,000 hotel partners in eight European countries, and will strengthen Groupon Getaways to even better serve customers’ travel needs,” a Groupon spokesperson tells WebProNews. “Experiences will span select hotels across the globe, all-inclusive travel packages and full-service tours in popular destinations.”

    Blink

    Blink will be rebranded as “Blink by Groupon,” and will operate separately, we’re told, as the team develops “an integrated experience that leverages the full breadth of Groupon Getaways global travel offers.”

    “Groupon Getaways, launched in 2011, works with hotels and other partners to provide curated travel deals and experiences in 48 countries,” the spokesperson notes.

    This is not the first acquisition for Groupon under CEO Eric Lefkofsky since he was officially appointed to the role in August. Shortly after, the company acquired Plumfare, a social gifting service.

  • John Hammons Dies; Hotel Developer Was 94

    Hotel developer and philanthropist John. Q. Hammons has died at the age of 94.

    According to a statement released by Hammons’ company, he died “peacefully” at his home in Springfield, Missouri on Sunday.

    Hammons grew up in Fairview, Missouri and attended Missouri State University before becoming a middle school teacher in 1939. During World War II, Hammons served in the Merchant Marines. Following the war, Hammons began building houses in Springfield.

    In 1958, Hammons began his famed career in the hotel industry, investing in ten Holiday Inns with Roy E. Winegardner. He and Winegardner started the Winegardner & Hammons Incorporated development company, which built dozens of hotels in the 60s.

    In 1969, Hammons struck out on his own, founding the John Q Hammons Hotels company. The company now operates 78 hotels in 24 states.

    In addition to his hotels, Hammons was known for his philanthropic efforts. He and his wife, Juanita, founded many projects throughout Missouri, including the Hammons Heart Institute at Springfield’s St. John’s Regional Health Center, a performing arts center at Missouri State University, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

    “Hammons was a giant in the hospitality industry and was unwavering in his commitment to exceptional quality and service and to giving back to the community,” said Jacqueline Dowdy, CEO of John Q Hammons Hotels & Resorts. “He was a great mentor and friend and will be missed by all who came to know him, but his legacy will live on forever.”

  • Electronic Locks Aren’t Very Effective Against A Hacker

    I can appreciate that hotels now exclusively use key cards to open doors. They can be deactivated if lost and can’t be picked like a traditional lock. Safety is the name of the game here and hotels are the safest place you can be – or so we thought.

    Cody Brocious, a software developer at Mozilla, showed off his latest hack at the Black Hat Security Conference in Las Vegas. He has found a way to hack over four million hotel rooms that are locked by Onity programmable key cards. What’s even worse is that the hack only costs a little under $50 in supplies.

    So how does this particular hack work? Brocious has identified a 32-bit key that identifies the hotel’s “sitecode.” The worst part is that every Onity lock has this key. By reading the key back to the lock, the lock opens. The hack is so simple that he’s surprised more people haven’t found out about it yet.

    Like most hackers, Brocious doesn’t intend people to use this information maliciously. He exposed the security flaw to make Onity change the locks. When an electronic lock can be opened so easily, it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens.

    Brocious has created a hypothetical scenario that we hope never happens:

    Given the ability to read the complete memory of the lock, it is possible to gain access to the master key card codes. With these — in combination with the sitecode for encryption — it is possible to create master cards which will gain access to locks at the property.

    Let’s look at a hypothetical situation:

  • An attacker uses the beforementioned vulnerabilities to read the memory of the lock
  • Attacker uses the sitecode and master key card codes to generate one or more master cards
  • Attacker uses a master card to enter a room
  • Attacker murders the victim in the room
  • Attacker escapes

    • During the course of investigation, it’s quite possible that the criminal investigators may look at the audit report for the lock, to see who entered the door at what time. Upon doing so, they will see a specific member of the staff (as the key cards are uniquely identified in the ident field) using a master key card to gain access to the room near the time of death.

    Such circumstantial evidence, placing a staff member in the room at the time of death, could be damning in a murder trial, and at least would make that staff member a prime suspect. While other factors (e.g. closed circuit cameras, eyewitnesses, etc) could be used to support the staff member’s case, there’s no way we can know whether or not the audit report is false.

    Will this happen? Probably not. It’s all just a hypothetical scenario to get security experts to replace these locks with better ones. If it’s electronic, it can be hacked. I think I’ll stick with my old fashioned keys for now. At least I can protect against lock pickers.

    [h/t: ExtremeTech]

  • Expensive Internet Charges Still Plague Hotel Patrons

    A little under a year ago, a report was released discussing how high-end hotels further gouge their customers by charging them an excessive amount to connect to the establishment’s Internet. Surprisingly, this behavior was staunchly defended by people who essentially said, “it’s fine to pay a premium for Internet access when I’m staying at five-star hotel because I get such good service…” or something similar.

    Defeatist thinking aside, it appears as if expensive hotels aren’t the only ones who enjoy sticking it to their customers who would like to surf the web from their hotel room. As pointed out by the Frequent Business Traveler, the top hotel pet peeve remains “Expensive Internet.”

    To reach this conclusion, FBT conducted a survey that had over 750 participants, as well as participant in an online discussion at FlyerTalk.com. The culled conversation had over 300 comments and close 40,000 overall views. Voluntary response biases associated with surveys aside, the findings concerning hotel pet peeves are about what you’d expect, with Internet access cost winning the day. The finding were presented in an HTML table format, of which, screenshots have been taken:

    Hotel Pet Peeves

    As you can see, aside from holding down the top spot, Internet use represents two of the top three issues travelers face, and unlike last year’s report, this survey didn’t just focus on the expensive luxury hotels. Or, as the Frequent Business Traveler article pointed out:

    Over 750 readers participated in the survey, and their top peeves – expensive Internet, inaccessible/insufficient electrical outlets, and weak/slow Internet – were all tech related. These results speak to business travelers’ priorities these days, as they try to stay mobile and work on the go.

    The question is posed about why is it so difficult for these businesses to provide reliable Internet service for their customers, preferably for prices that are reasonable, if not free*. Unfortunately, no answers or solutions are provided, meaning the best way to combat such price gouging is to let your wallet speak for you. That is, don’t order the Internet service from hotels. Go find a restaurant or Starbucks that has free WiFi instead.

    *Instead of free, hotels could, quite easily, alter the way they charge for Internet access by building these charges directly into the price of staying at the hotel. Add an additional surcharge to every bill, something along the lines of two or three dollars on each bill, which, in turn would allow every patron to access the Internet, whether they use it or not. Considering the way other hotel charges exist to assist in the upkeep of the facility, an additional surcharge to ensure quality Internet access doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

  • Hotel Guests Want Free Wi-Fi More Than Anything

    Hotel Guests Want Free Wi-Fi More Than Anything

    Back in the days before the Internet became an integral part of our lives, a hotel was simply a hotel, where not many criteria was involved, other than it having a bed to rest on overnight while traveling a long distance. Now, with our lives and occupations having to be plugged-in (so to speak) into the Internet all the time, there is a necessity for wireless internet being in the hotel.

    According to a study performed by Hotels.com, 38% of hotel guests chose free wi-fi over any other amenity provided by the hotel they were staying in. This amenity succeeded at the top, where free breakfast (25%) and free parking (18%) fell right below it.

    (image)

    This premise makes perfect sense, because the common medium that helps people stay connected to their business, family, and friends is the Internet. This is even more validated with the use of smartphones and tablets dominating the tech industry.

    I do have to say, when I travel around the country, a hotel that offers free wi-fi is definitely part of the criteria where I stay overnight.

    To show how important free wi-fi is at hotels, I provided some tweets from the Twitter community that are microblogging about their hotel’s wi-fi connection.

    (image)@imdg
    imdg    All I want to do right now is download the Electric Daisy Carnival documentary to watch on the plane tomorrow, but the hotel wifi is bogus.(image) 5 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@shaylez
    Shayla Skotniczny ?    the wifi at this hotel is so perf I’m tearing up a bit.(image) 5 days ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@thesharkdude
    Josh Tan Tan    Finally has a hotel with WiFi lol. @ Traders Hotel, KL(image) 6 days ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@yeahthereshewas
    Victoria    Hotel has free wifi. SCORE.(image) 6 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Is free wi-fi a priority for you when choosing a hotel? Let us know below in this post’s comments section.

  • TripAdvisor and Facebook Team Up to Help You Plan the Trip of Your Dreams

    TripAdvisor and Facebook Team Up to Help You Plan the Trip of Your Dreams

    TripAdvisor has been teaming up with Facebook to help millions of travelers plan the best trip of their life by featuring recommendations from their FB friends.

    The decision was based off of a Nielsen research study,”U.S. Advertising Spend and Effectiveness,” which found that recommendations from “personal acquaintances was cited as the most trusted form of advertisement by U.S. Internet consumers (76%). Forty-nine percent said they trusted consumer opinions posted online.” This makes a lot of sense. If you know that you like a lot of the same things as your bingo buddy Sally, then you are more likely to purchase the same Sandals resort package in Jamaica that she did versus what some stranger suggests.

    TripAdvisor launched its Trip Friends product in June 2010. The places that a user’s friends and associates have been is highlighted on the Cities I’ve Visited Facebook app. They can also see this information on the FB Timeline. People can also view hotels that their FB friends have rated on TripAdvisor and they are listed first in the company’s hotel rankings section. This was made possible through the travel site’s continued integration with Facebook.

    Adam Medros, vice president of global product for TripAdvisor stated in a recent press release that “we are excited that 100 million travelers have had a personalized experienced on TripAdvisor, making TripAdvisor the world’s best site to plan a trip using the wisdom of your friends.” He went on to explain that “providing travelers with a social trip planning experience will continue to be a strategic focus at TripAdvisor, and we look forward to having even more travelers see their friends’ travel recommendations on TripAdvisor.”