Taking off Travel blog

Ever had anything stolen from your hotel room? Or from under your nose at the reception desk? This happens to many of us each day, but it doesn’t have to. Here are ten tips that will make your next hotel stay safer.

Follow these hotel safety tips and enjoy your trip.

Travelers from 35 Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries now have to get approval through the Department of Homeland Security’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before traveling to the US. The web-based ESTA system was launched in August 2008 to determine the eligibility of those from VWP countries to enter the US. More than 1.2 million ESTA applications have been received so far, with more than 99 per cent of these approved. In most cases approval takes seconds and the permit lasts for up to two years or until the passport expires.

“We have been collecting information from visa waiver travelers for decades, and establishing a program to get that same information in advance is one enhancement that allowed us to extend the valuable benefit of visa-free travel to eight new countries in 2008,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “In addition to building business and cultural ties with our partners overseas, this is a commonsense step into the 21^st century that will improve our efficiency in screening and welcoming international travelers at our ports of entry.”

DHS says it will take a ‘reasonable approach to travelers who have not obtained an approved travel authorization via ESTA, though such travelers may be denied boarding or admission to the US or may experience delayed processing. Find more information in ESTA here. Read more »

Is it the end of an era for business travel freebies from hotels?

The next time you take a business trip, the amenities may not be quite what you are used to. A couple years ago, when times were good, business travelers could expect to take their pick of freebies, such as toiletries, free breakfast, WiFi, cable, fitness centers and much more. But that may be in the past at some hotels. With the economic slump beginning to take hold, and forecasts that show unprecedented vacancy levels in the coming year, many hotels are cutting back on the freebies they offer guests, as well as resorting to innovative ways to get some people through the door.

Bye Bye Bathroom Freebies

Florida Today reported that with a reduction of up to 10 per cent in hotel occupancy already, two hotels in the Marriott chain have stopped having lotions and shower caps in the rooms - guests have to ask for them now. Coffee is no longer available 24/7 but only in the morning and afternoon. A Holiday Inn hotel in the Space Coast area has stopped handing out free newspapers and the breakfast is no longer a buffet to prevent food wastage. Hotels in other areas are cutting back on additional services such as gyms, reducing the amount of room service available and closing business centers.

Discounts, Anyone?

Other hotels are taking a different approach and offering discounts (some of them very discreetly) to get people into the hotels. With way more hotel rooms than demand for occupancy, this is working well for some. Reducing room rates and offering free nights for extended stays are just two of the strategies being used.

The crisis isn’t just in the US, but worldwide and some luxury Caribbean hotels have taken the visitor attraction concept one step further, by allowing cash strapped hotel guests to pay for their stay in stocks. (Let’s hope they’ve picked a good one.

So business travel freebies haven’t totally disappeared; they’re just looking a bit different - and that could be good news for those planning a trip within the next year. Hotel rates are likely to fall, so it’s a good time for Stateside travel deals.

(Photo: Kevin Rosseel)

This is part three in a three-part series on using Priceline and Hotwire to get killer travel deals. See part one: The Secret To Getting Best Travel Prices on Priceline and Hotwire, and part two: Beat The System: Killer Priceline Tricks For Hotel Deals.

Priceline.com can be used to get incredible hotel deals – if you know how to work the system. But you’re taking some risks to get a good deal, the worst being unable to cancel for any reason. But you might also encounter problems at the hotel because you’re a PRICELINE guest.

I found this great post on a random website from a hotel worker, telling the honest truth about what the hotels think of Priceline customers. I’d love to attribute it but he posted anonymously.

Rule #1 — If the hotel is full, you’ll get the worst room, and if it’s oversold, you’ll be first to be relocated to another hotel (after all, you didn’t choose the hotel in the first place, did you?). Flip side, if the hotel is empty, you might be able to sweet-talk your way to a suite. Read more »