Subscribe in a reader
Planning your family vacation? Travel deals come in all sizes this summer
Wooo hooo! This is so exciting!
Families, we have a plethora of deals and trips to choose from. Many hotels have started “Kids Stay Free” campaigns and it’s looking very enticing on my end.
If you are in the midst of booking your family vacation, be sure to outline all of the perks that are important to you and your family. For me, it’s AMAZING guest relations and never ending amenities. Today’s article will help you get your thinking caps on for planning your summer getaway.
The Today Show via MSNBC.com
Planning your summer trips advance will help get you the best deals — of which there are boundless choices for families this summer. Whether you are looking for the educational excursion, a beach pampering, or a city exploration, there is something for every family. And one very important thing to keep in mind when searching for the best deal is that you want to look at the overall value package — which means that finding the best deal isn’t necessarily just about finding the “cheapest room rate,” but rather finding the packages that give you the most for your money, where you will not be nickle-and-dimed for every subsequent thing you do on your vacation apart from sleep.
Here are some of Conde Nast Traveler’s favorite family summer deals that will give you the biggest bang for your buck:
1. Look to your favorite hotel chains for company-wide deals
One of the best ways to find deals for the summer is to consult your favorite hotel chains to see what company-wide deals they may be offering. This can give you the opportunity to visit any of their properties around the world for significant discounts. (READ MORE)
Lazy river and twisting water slides offer weekend fun at most resorts and hotels this summer
Spring is here!
I love the spring and all of the beautiful flowers that come along with it. Usually, this is the time when many of you begin planning your summer trips. There are some great deals out there, and today’s post tells you which hotels and resorts offer the most water fun for the little ones.
FamilyTravel.com | Lynne O’Rourke Hayes
Diving boards and the deep end have been replaced by slippery slides, raging waterfalls and lazy rivers. Today’s resort pools and water parks offer enough excitement to keep the kids engaged for a weekend or longer. Here are five cool pools worth the plunge.
1. Grand Wailea Resort, Maui, Hawaii.
This island haven may be most famous for its beaches, but don’t pass up the chance to explore what the resort has to offer. The whole family will be eager to explore the 25,700-square-foot area that includes nine free-form pools. Travel via a “river” to check out the slides, waterfalls, caves, water elevator, swim-up bar, rope swing and more that are part of this water wonder. The tropical, 40-acre resort also includes an infant pool.
Contact: 1-800-888-6100; www.grandwailea.com
(READ MORE)
More hotels entice guests to ‘pay it forward’ to earn deep discounts
Times are still financially tight for the travel industry, and many consumers are taking advantage of all the steals and deals out there. Now, hotels are taking things a step further by asking its guests to pay for their stay, in advance, to receive some 30 percent off.
I’m always a little reluctant to pay in advance because once you’ve paid your money, there’s really no incentive to ensure great customer service/relations. I’ve found this to be true not just in lodging, but in life. It seems once you’ve put everything on the table, it’s like an open door to be taken advantage of. I would say, parents, use your better judgement. If you’re a loyal fan of a particular hotel brand and you’ve come to know what to expect, then, go ahead, get that discount.
Here’s the story…
More hotels offer ‘pay before you stay’ discounts
USA TODAY | Kitty Bean Johnson
No-fly list among airlines has doubled following the attempted attack in December
Airport security news has been slow. Nothing major to report, which is a good thing. I did find out that the Transportation Security Administration has doubled the no-fly list since the arrest of Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab. The list has gone from about 3,400 people to about 6,000 people.
I wonder how accurate the list is, and does knowing this information give consumers a piece of mind when flying the friendly skies. You tell me.
Avoid travel scams when booking your next vacation
I’ve mentioned before that with all the online booking sites popping up, it’s a great idea to use a travel agent when you’re shopping for a family getaway. Although many booking sites offer great deals or money back, I say set a limit to what trips you are willing to book online. By limit, I mean dollar limit. For trips over $1,000., call an agent.
Travel Zoo’s Senior Editor, Gabe Saglie shares with us the travel scams that are prowling around looking for its next victim, and how you can avoid being a statistic.
abc7 News.com
5 steps to verify a deal just like the pros from Travelzoo’s Senior Editor Gabe Saglie:
- Do Your Homework: Call the travel provider and ask for details on final pricing, including all taxes and fees. Also, compare that final number against other market pricing to the same destination to make sure the offer is really a deal.
- Know Exactly What Is Included: Does that free three-night stay come with a requirement to attend a high-pressure 90-minute timeshare sales pitch? Does that drastically reduced rate come with a pricey daily “resort fee?”
More and more, hotels are tacking on additional fees such “resort” or “housekeeping” fees that aren’t included in the featured price of a deal. Also, double check that the destination you are flying into doesn’t have a “departure tax” at the airport. While typically minimal, better to be prepared before arriving at the payment desk.
(READ MORE)
TripAdvisor.com reveals top 10 movie hotels
The Roosevelt Hotel in New York, where the movie "Maid in Manhattan" was filmed. The film's star, Jennifer Lopez worked as the maid at this hotel.
In the spirit of the Academy Awards on Sunday, we at FTS thought it would be fun to post today’s story.
If you’re like me, you don’t give much thought into the hotels that are in the movies.
I do remember being spooked when my neighbors told me that they were staying at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where the movie The Shining was filmed.
If you’re into lodging at famous movie hotels, then, today’s post is just for you.
Reuters Life | TripAdvisor.com
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – While most travelers can only dream of getting an Oscar or being on the silver screen, anyone can pretend to be star at U.S. hotels where countless movie scenes have been shot.
Travel firm TripAdvisor (www.tripadvisor.com) has come up with a list of the top 10 famous movie hotels, according to its editors. This list is not endorsed by Reuters.
“While many travelers enjoy in-room movies as part of a relaxing hotel stay, these star-studded properties offer guests an actual connection with some classic movie scenes and famous characters,” Christine Peterson, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor, said in a statement.
1. The Fairmont San Francisco, San Francisco, California
This grand hotel, set atop the steep incline of Nob Hill, has reached equally great heights on the silver screen. Ever since Alfred Hitchcock shot “Vertigo” at the Fairmont in 1958, the hotel has become an iconic part of San Francisco and many movies, including “Towering Inferno,” “Sudden Impact,” “Junior” and “The Rock,” in which Sean Connery’s character enjoys a lavish suite at the property.
2. Bellagio Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Boasting almost 4,000 guest rooms and suites, a renowned casino and world-famous dancing fountains, this hotel is no stranger to the silver screen. The fountains alone have made countless Hollywood cameos and the hotel may be most famous for its parts in both “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Ocean’s Thirteen.”
(READ MORE)
FAA finds no humor in child tinkering with air-traffic control
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) learned that on February 17, an air-traffic controller brought his son to work and allowed him talk to pilots from John F. Kennedy International Airport’s tower. I guess what you do for one, you have to do for the other. The next day, he then brought his daughter to work and let her have a turn instructing pilots.
I’m all for kid-friendly work environments, but this is no laughing matter. There are thousands of lives at stake. Kudos to the FAA, they suspended the father and his supervisor for such child’s play.
I even have the audio of the little boy instructing the pilots. I must admit, it’s cute, and I’m sure this is an experience that the children will never forget.
AUDIO: Child directs pilots
USA Today in the Sky | Thomas Frank
WASHINGTON — An air-traffic controller who let his son talk to pilots at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s tower also brought his daughter to work the next day and let her instruct aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday.
The unnamed controller and his supervisor were suspended after audiotapes surfaced on the Internet of the boy speaking to departing flights on Feb. 16, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said. The agency later discovered that the girl had come to the tower the next day, it said in a statement.
“This lapse in judgment not only violated FAA’s own policies, but common-sense standards for professional conduct,” Babbitt said. “These kind of distractions are totally unacceptable.” (READ MORE)
Worst case scenerios when traveling overseas and how to handle them
Spring is around the corner and that means family travel plans are in full gear for many of you.
Have you ever stopped to think about what you would do if your luggage got lost in Paris, or if for some reason, you couldn’t get through customs.
Today’s article is a good resource to tackle those trivial questions that may arise when traveling across the pond. If you have any tips that have worked for you, please share them with us.
In the meantime, here’s what to do if you lose your passport, break a leg or even get arrested overseas.
By Eric Lucas | Bing Travel
The Bucharest baggage carousel stopped twirling. All of the other passengers had plucked their luggage from it. Even my suitcase, checked through three flights from Seattle, had arrived. My wife’s bag, however, was a no-show. Now what?
Social media dare not be the substitute for quality guest relations
We get a few calls per week from hotels and travel companies needing a publicist/social media maven to build their Facebook fan page or simply manage their Twitter and Facebook accounts. At Republic Media Intl, we’re always happy to take on this new way of doing business, but we always ask the potential client, ‘What do your guests say about your service?’
Great customer service done on a consistent basis is so important. I really don’t have to go down this road. If you’re an avid reader of this blog, you already know how passionate I am about customer service…especially when it comes to families.
Today’s article shows that the word is getting out there that having 2,056 fans on Facebook or 56,000 followers on Twitter doesn’t substitute for treating your guests well.
The Miami Herald | Bridget Carey
We are in the age of social media arrogance.
Companies are banking on Twitter and Facebook to be the saviors of their customer service and marketing. Self-appointed social media experts spend days praising each other’s success stories and validating their jobs by spewing lofty answers as to why every company needs to hire experts to manage Twitter and Facebook accounts.
But are companies losing perspective? Is there more to making customers happy than counting Facebook Fans and Twitter followers?
It’s a point that online marketer Tara Hunt was preaching to a packed house of 350 at last week’s Future of Web Apps conference in Miami Beach. It was a conference for entrepreneurs to learn best practices from one another.
Our weekly column strives to help the business community practice good online etiquette and use social media effectively. But when you just hear about good business examples from Twitter, it can give a false impression that Twitter alone can save your sales numbers.
The truth is, balance between real world and online solutions is key. (READ MORE)
Luxury travel company creates online booking site for families
This is starting something BIG! I’m so excited about this new site that’s just for us: families who travel. FamilyGetaway.com is the ultimate spot to book your next trip. It searches for the top amenities like programs for the kids and on site laundry and sitter services. Gee, I’m promoting this new booking engine and not even getting compensated for it, that’s how wonderful it is.Give it a try. The FTS team is always excited to learn about innovative ways to make the lives of families who travel, easier.
Budget Travel | Nina Willdorf
I meet with PR folks all the time in my office, in town to share their news and happenings. Rarely do I get as unabashedly excited as I did yesterday, talking to the team behind LuxuryLink.com about their latest site: FamilyGetaway.com.
Despite the obvious disconnect between Budget Travel and the name of the parent company, LuxuryLink is very much in our world. We covered the discount vacation auction site in our October 2009 issue; at a time when discounting came into vogue, LuxuryLink saw a 91 percent jump in its number of listings in second quarter ‘09, compared to the same period the year before. Clearly, the 13-year-old company is on to something. (READ MORE)
