Posts Tagged ‘hotel’

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Holiday Inn offers human bed warming service

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Holiday Inn has decided to launch a novel bed warming service to its customers in the U.K. The idea is extremely simple and involves a member of staff jumping into your bed and warming it up for you. The Holiday Inn human bed warmer will be dressed from head to toe in an all in one body suit and will stay in your bed until it is nice and warm. The service is gratis and as of next week will be offered to customers staying at the Kensington Holiday Inn in London.

The human bed warmers may well be in popular demand as weather forecasters predict a continuation of freezing temperatures, ice and snow. Jane Bednall, a spokeswoman for the hotel chain said that having a member of staff hop into a customer’s bed for a few minutes was a bit like having an enormous hot water bottle.

Director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, Dr. Chris Idzikowski suggests that there is more to the new Holiday Inn’s human bed warming service than just being a fun gimmick. He explains that getting in to a cold bed can actually inhibit a person’s ability to get to sleep. He points out that if the bed a person is getting into is already at body temperature then the process that allows our bodies to slip into a slumber will begin more quickly. He said that the service would be particularly useful right now when people’s bodies would be taking longer to warm up because of the freezing temperatures outside.

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Briton dies on Chamonix ski slopes

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Severe Alpine weather has claimed the life of a British skier who is thought to have been caught in a small avalanche on Christmas Day. The forty-three-year-old man has been identified as Londoner, Nigel Jackson. He was holidaying in La Tour in Chamonix with his girlfriend and two other friends over the Christmas period. Although there were weather warnings issued for Christmas Day by officials at Chamonix the group decided to risk going out on the slopes. It is thought that Mr. Jackson was trying to ski between two of the pistes at La Tour when he was knocked down by a small avalanche. Officials say there would have been zero visibility on the slopes because of blizzards.

Mr. Jackson’s friends alerted the authorities when he failed to return to the chalet they were renting. A search party was sent out but the search had to be called off because of the weather. Mr. Jackson was not wearing a transceiver. At 3pm on Boxing Day Mr. Jackson’s body was discovered. Mr. Jackson’s parents have flown to France to deal with the police and arrange for the body to be returned to the U.K.

The search still continues for another Brit who has gone missing at a Swiss ski resort. Twenty-three-year-old Myles Robinson disappeared last Tuesday in Wengen. His disappearance occurred in the early hours of the morning after he left the Blue Monkey Bar to walk a friend back to her hotel. Although he was staying at another hotel just a couple of hundred yards away there is no trace of him.

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Hotels drop room rates worldwide

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

A new report has shown that across the world have been forced to slash in order to attract customers as the global recession takes its toll on the travel industry.

The survey compiled by Hotels.com showed that rates in Sydney are on average 30 percent cheaper than a year ago, rates in Auckland have tumbled 40 per cent, while in Singapore they have fallen by 35 per cent and New York by 30 per cent.

The biggest slump in accommodation rates was seen in Moscow, with the average price of a room dipping by 52 percent, whereas rates rose by 12 percent on the resort island of Capri.

David Roche, president of Hotels.Com said he was expecting 2009 to be a year of dramatic price reductions across the world and, so far it has been.

On the other hand, the massive cuts have had an impact on stimulating the tourism industry, as long-haul travel is on the rise.

Hotels.com Asia Pacific managing director Johan Svanstrom said that long-haul inbound travellers would see lower hotel rates to help offset the perceived expense of getting there.

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Survey reveals more Brits opt for long-haul holidays

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Long-haul destinations have been experiencing strong increases in currency sales this summer as more Brits travel beyond the eurozone for better value holidays.

Research undertaken by the Post Office this week shows a new trend of Britons increasingly booking holidays to long-haul destinations including Kenya, South Africa, China and Indonesia.

Britons have been travelling to Kenya in growing numbers since the riots that followed the December 2007 elections.

Budget packages to Bali and Thailand have resulted in the sales of the Indonesian Rupiah by 54 percent and the Thai Baht by 26 percent this summer.  One travel company was offering two weeks in Cha-am in Thailand for £539 including return flights.

China has also begun to reap the rewards of its Olympic investment, with Britons purchasing 27 percent more yuan than last year, when hotels saw record rate rises.

The biggest losers have been in Europe, with sales of Hungarian, Czech and Bulgarian currencies falling by up to 33 percent.

Hoteliers in continental Europe have also reported falling occupancy levels as travel operators, including Inghams, have scrapped all of its city break programmes.

The best performers in Europe have been Turkey and Croatia which are benefitting from the high cost of the euro, as British holidaymakers look to holiday at resorts along the Turquoise and Dalmation coasts rather than Balearics, Costas and Canaries.

It is predicted that holiday packages to destinations like Thailand, Egypt and Kenya will be popular for the winter holiday season.

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New EU legislation to cracksdown on credit card charges

Monday, August 31st, 2009

Holidaymakers who return from holiday to discover that they have been overcharged for hotel or car hire could be able to claim back some or all of the cost of the purchase when new EU legislation comes into force this Autumn.

The changes would be applied to transactions where the final amount is not specified at the point of payment, and covers situations like car hire or hotel room payments where a deposit is required.

The new terms that come into effect from November 1 state that anyone who receives a credit card bill that ‘exceeds the amount the payer could reasonably have expected in all the circumstances’ has eight weeks in which seek a full refund from their provider. N

Potentially, a claim could be made where a car hirer returns a car without a full tank but later discovers that the credit card had been charged more than perceived as necessary for the additional fuel.

Cardholders could be forgiven for thinking this is too good to be true, as banks and credit card providers will be able to interpret the rules the rules in their own way, and must make a refund or justify a refusal within 10 days of the claim.

In the event of a claim being refused, the cardholder can take the matter to the Financial Ombudsman.

The body which regulates payment companies, the UK Payments Administration said: “We are going to have to see how it pans out. But the fact that an answer has to be reached in 10 days means it is quite a quick process, which is good for the consumer.

“Banks are going to be a bit nervous about it but they will have to justify any refusal. It will be interesting to see how they handle it.”

Thanks to The Times for the above quotes.  For more information on this article visit their website.

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Companies cutting back on business travel

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

American Express has said corporations continued to tighten travel spending and frequency in the second quarter as airlines faced heavy competition in a reduced market for business travellers.

Airfares across the globe dropped on average by 19% to a four-year low during the second quarter as businesses encouraged their employees to fly economy class rather than business.  Domestic airfares within the US also dropped by 18 percent to $212, the lowest it has been since at least 2003.

The statistics were obtained from the purchases information at American Express’ business travel division.

The data also showed that hotel rates went up by 6 percent as European cities also had increased occupancy during the second quarter, but dropped by 12% a year earlier.  In the US, a 2 percent decline was recorded in paid rates in the quarter, but remained steady from the year before.

American Express also noted that the average price of car rentals has decreased by 3 percent in both the second quarter and for the year.

The company collected the data on mean prices for air, hotel and car rental services by major cities and classes of service through aggregate analysis of its worldwide database of purchase information.

Thanks to CNN for the above quotes and figures.  For more information on this article visit CNN.com

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Briton spends lonely night in town hall by mistake

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

A British holidaymaker spend a night locked in a village hall in the east of France after mistaking the building for a hotel, said the local mayor this week.

The young woman in her thirties was travelling alone when she wandered into the building after seeing a sign for the ‘Hotel de Ville’, which translates as ‘town hotel’ but in French means town hall.

“Some local association staff were holding a meeting there that evening,” said Paul Rumbach, the mayor of Dannemarie, population 2500.

“On their way out they heard a noise in the bathroom, but thought nothing of it and locked the door behind them.”

Upon realising her error, the woman hoped to draw attention by switching on the lights, to no avail.

She finally posted a message in the door in pidgin French which said: “22.08.2009. I am locking here (toilet). Is possible door of to open?”, before curling up to sleep on a chair in the entrance lobby.

A pharmacist noticed the message on Saturday morning and released the tourist, who explained she had assumed that ‘Hotel de Ville’ was a hotel.

“She asked me where she could find a real hotel. I gave her directions and she set off, looking pretty sorry for herself,” said the mayor, who is thinking of having the Dannemarie town hall sign posted in English and German.

Thanks to the Age newspaper.  For more information visit their website.

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Venice hotel mistakenly offers 1c romantic weekends

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

A four-star hotel in Venice mistakenly offered a 1 euro cent romantic weekend in the Italian lagoon city.

The Crowne Plaza, 15 miles from Venice, received bookings for 1,400 room nights at the rate posted on its website, and the hotel chain may honour them.

The hotel believed that the offer was posted by a hacker, said sales manager Fulvio Danesin on Friday, but turned out to be a human error at the Intercontinental Group’s head offices in Atlanta.

The offer advertised on the website was supposed to be for a two-night stay for half price.

The 1-cent rate was on the website on Sunday night for a short period of time, but long enough for travellers to book dates from October this year through to 2010, Danesin said.

The hotel is expected to lose $129,000 from the error.

Media relations manager for the hotel, Monica Smith said that some 228 guests made reservations for the equivalent of 1,400 room nights while the error was visible on the website and that the reservations would be honoured.

“Although a pricing error, IHG is committed to honoring the 1-cent rate for guests who have a valid confirmation,” Smith said. She added that rooms booked at the low rate “are non-transferable.’

Thanks to Associated Press for the above quotes.  For more information please visit their website.

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Thomas Cook increase holiday prices by 8%

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Travel giant Thomas Cook have increased holiday prices by about 8%, which works out to be £140 extra on a typical family getaway.

The company has taken advantage of recent wet weather in the UK, leaving those looking for last minute bargains with fewer deals.

The increases in prices work out to be about 8%, which is roughly £35 to 450 per person, helping to boost profits following the impact of swine flu and also by cutting the number of holidays its sells, by almost a million per year since 2007.

Following the collapse of travel giant XL and competitor TUI also cutting the number of packages, Thomas Cook’s move has meant that there are about 2.5 million holiday packages for sale compared with two years ago.

Many travel operators have reported a surge in last minute bookings, with Egypt and Turkey being popular destinations for families.

Thomas Cook have 9% fewer holidays than the same time last year, allowing it to raise prices to offset some of the impact that has been caused to travel by the swine flu outbreak, with losses already at about the £12 million.

The travel company had sold around 90,000 holidays to Mexico before the swine flu outbreak, with many choosing to cancel their break or to choosing to book at the last minute to destinations closer to home.

Many hotels still have their doors closed in Mexico, with Thomas Cook anticipating annual losses of £20 due to swine flu.

In spite of the losses, Thomas Cook remain confident that profits will be around £430 million, and believe that the number of ‘staycationers’, those choosing to holiday at home due to the recession, is exaggerated.

Quotes thanks to the Mirror.  For more information on this article please visit their website at www.themirror.co.uk

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Holidaymakers to sue Thomas Cook

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Travel company Thomas Cook is facing legal action after more than 15 holidaymakers experienced ‘hellish’ trips to Egypt earlier this year.

Those who stayed at the five-star Hauza Beach Hotel in Nabq Bay, Sharm El Sheikh claim that under-cooked food led to them suffering from severe gastric problems.

Legal action has already started against Thomas Cook, Directline Holidays, Lowcostbeds.com and Ramsey travels while investigations are underway against three other companies.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, representing the holidaymakers, describe the five-star Egyptian hotel as an ‘insect-infested hell-hole’.

British couple David and Judith Harle from County Durham are among those taking legal action after paying over £2,000 for their holiday which left them feeling ill and with severe stomach ailments.

‘My symptoms were so bad and left me so dehydrated that I had to get an injection from the on-site clinic.’ Mr Harle said.

‘We were both then stuck at the hotel, just watching other people falling ill around us.’

A partner at Irwin Mitchel said: ‘We have received enquiries from more than a dozen other holidaymakers who travelled with several different travel companies and whose stories are similar to Mr Harle’s.’

‘We can’t stress enough how important it is for travel companies and hotels to take the health and safety of their guests seriously.

‘We have now started legal action against three different travel companies on behalf of a number our clients and we would urge these companies to accept liability quickly so that our clients can put this ordeal behind them.’

Thomas Cook claims that reports of illness are taken seriously and the matter is being fully investigated by their hotels and resorts team.

Quotes thanks to the Daily Mail.  For more information please visit their website.

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