Chance to Win a $100 Best Western Gift Card
Posted October 5, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Hotels
Best Western just launched a new travel blog and are giving blog commenters a chance to win a $100 Best Western Gift Card, just for telling them what travel topics interest you most.
Check out the post at Tell Us Where Your Travel Heart Lies…And Win!.
You’ll see that I left a comment. 
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Bellagio Conservatory: Christmas 2007
Posted December 4, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Adventures, Hotels
I love Vegas.
And I was fortunate to get there for the 3rd… hmmm, maybe the 4th time this year to speak at Anik Singal’s PPC Classroom Live event being held at the West Casaurina - just a little east of Bally’s on the north side of Flamingo Road.
Holiday Inn Express - Raising The Bar
Posted October 14, 2007 by Ed Szajniak · Filed Under Hotels
On our recent road trip we stayed at three Holiday Inn Express Hotels, Whitefish Montana, Coeur D’Alane Idaho and Downtown Spokane Washington. The one that stood out in terms of service was the hotel in Coeur D’Alene.
Check-in was fast and friendly and we were given complimentary water. Shortly after we arrived in the room the desk called to see if everything was to our satisfaction. Whenever we encountered a staff member we were greeted in a friendly manner. The hotel is clean and I noticed staff cleaning the parking lot and windows around the hotel.
We noticed that they hold a movie night on Mondays and show films in the lobby.
Better yet, the evening we were there, they had a Manager’s Reception with a Free B.B.Q. dinner that included beer, wine, and soft drinks.
Holiday Inn used to have the Motto “No Surprises”, well we where pleasantly surprised by the level of service provided here.
Technorati Tags: Holiday Inn Express, Whitefish Montana, Coeur D’Alane Idaho, Spokane Washington, Holiday Inn
A Room with a View at the Banff Park Lodge
When checking into the Banff Park Lodge, I specifically asked the girl at the front desk in which direction the room faced. She pointed to the west. Being somewhat claustrophobic and knowing that the west-facing rooms had unobstructed views, I was relieved.
I knew she had misled us however as we toted our baggage southwards down the first hall and then made an abrubt right turn to end up at a north-facing room. My fears were realized when I went to the window to see that the view was almost completely obliterated by a wall, as shown in the photograph at the top left.
I promptly phoned the desk to request a room change and was informed that there were no rooms available and that we could change to another room in the morning.
“The sign outside indicates that there are still vacancies”, I asserted, to which she responded that the currently available rooms were allocated to a group arriving the following day.
“I’m here now and would like a room with a view, you can give them this room”, I told her. She responded that she would see what she could do and would call me back in 5 minutes. Having heard nothing by fifteen minutes later, I went to the front desk to see how the matter was progressing.
The nasty little fraulein rolled her eyes when she saw Ed and I approach the desk. She had a list of room numbers written down on a sheet of paper and it was obvious that their reservation system was a nightmare. We however stood patiently waiting until they sorted things out and finally got a room with a south-facing view towards Rundle mountain.
The point is - don’t accept the room with the bad view or take front desk clerks at face value. They will lie to you, and if you’re lucky enough to catch them, you will eventually get the room that you want.
Technorati Tags: Banff Park Lodge, hotel room, view, front desk
Borneo - Nexus Resort Karambunai
Posted April 25, 2007 by Ed Szajniak · Filed Under Adventures, Hotels
We were off to the island of Borneo. The province of Malaysia we were visiting is called Sabah. The Nexus Resort Karambunai was to be our home for the next ten days. The plan was to relax from the rushing around we had been doing in the cities we visited. The Nexus turned out to be the perfect place to do this. The resort has a spa and golf course both of which we took advantage of. The resort is on 3300 acres and features a 6km white sand beach.
This is one place I definitely want to return to.
Check out the adventures that you can have in Sabah
No Frills New York Pod Hotel
Posted February 5, 2007 by Ed Szajniak · Filed Under Hotels, Travel Deals
If you are planning a trip to New York you are aware that hotels are very expensive. There is a new hotel that has been open for a month called the Pod. This is a no frills hotel that offers rooms in the $100.00 a night area, some with shared bathrooms.
It has no restaurants but that isn’t a problem as it is located on 51st Street just a few blocks from the Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue shopping.
So if you are in New York to check out the sites or to shop why not spend you money on those activities rather than on a hotel room.
Travelers reviews on Expedia give the Pod a 4 out of 5 rating.
Read the article in USA Today for more information.
Ready to go reserve your room now“.
Technorati Tags: New York, Pod, 51st Street, Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller Cente, Fifth Avenue
Dirtiest Hotel in America
The list that no hotel wants to be on is the Dirtiest Hotel in America.
Five out of the ten hotels are located in Florida. The worst being the Tropicana Resort Hotel, Virginia Beach, Vir.
TripAdvisors Travelers Choice Awards for 2006 were presented to Hotels that excelled in various categories. These include Best Luxury, Best Service, Best Inns, Best for Romance, Best Pool, Best for Families, Best Bargains and Best Hidden Gems.
Unlike other awards that get comments from selected travelers these are based on the comments left by millions of travelers at Tripadvisor.com
Ros and I like to use Expedia when choosing hotels. We like to read the comments left by our fellow travelers. If a hotel is constantly getting good reviews it’s a pretty safe bet.
See all top deals and best selling offers (NO EXPIRATION)
Technorati Tags: Hotel, Florida, Luxury, Romance, Best Bargains, Expedia
Starwood Hotels: Ros Loves the W
Posted December 2, 2006 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Adventures, Hotels
I simply LOVE the W Hotels - which is a hotel under the Starwood brand. They have some of the most comfortable rooms (and especially the beds) I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy! I like to poke around in the room goody baskets and drool over the catalog, which includes their sumptuous bedding.
I’ve just started to collect points when I stay at the W and other Starwood hotels and now you can too with the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express.
Technorati Tags: the W, American Express
Expedia Deals for December 1st, 2006
Posted December 1, 2006 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Airline Tickets, Hotels, Vacations
Here are deals on hotels and flights from Expedia for December 1st.
- Fly AirTran Airways from just $63+ roundtrip (Offer good through 12/14/06)
- Take a California break and save 20% (Offer good through 12/15/06)
- Book your holiday travel and save $200 on a sunny getaway (Offer good through 12/31/06)
- Save big on your last-minute flight (NO EXPIRATION)
- Las Vegas on sale! Hotels from only $35 (Offer good through 12/11/06)
- End-of year savings to Europe! Hotels from $58, packages from $672 (Offer good through 12/15/06)
- Ski Deals! Book early and save: Flight + 3 nights from $335 (NO EXPIRATION)
- Hawaiian cruises from only $399 (NO EXPIRATION)
- See all top deals and best selling offers (NO EXPIRATION)
Technorati Tags: Expedia
Peninsula Palace - Beijing
Posted November 5, 2006 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Adventures, Hotels
The Peninsula Palace in Beijing is just that - a palace.
This was our favorite hotel of all the hotels that we stayed at during our trip to China.
Our room was spacious and featured a 42-inch plasma TV, marble bathroom, a bedside electronic panel which centralizes all control functions in the room. There is also an…
