Travel startup giving away three nights at the Wynn

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Want to score three nights at the Wynn Las Vegas? Travel startup company Off & Away wants to put you between those luxurious sheets.

Off & Away hasn’t even launched yet, but it’s willing to offer up a spectacular travel package to a lucky winner: three nights at the Wynn, tickets for two to La Reve, $200 a day in dining credits at the hotel, three days of spa access and a round of golf for two. You’ll also pick up access to the Penske Wynn Ferrari Museum, two 50-minute massages and entry to Blush Boutique Nightclub.

So, what is this company all about? It’s a new travel site (or, it will be) that will focus on “exceptional travel experiences.” Details are thin, but we’ll know more in a few weeks. So for now, take advantage of the contest.

“We are excited to offer this amazing experience with one of our key partners as a sneak preview into the types of experiences you can expect from Off & Away when we launch,” said Doug Aley, CEO and Co-Founder of Off & Away.

The contest is open through May 23, 2010 at Off & Away’s website. Spread the word via Facebook or Twitter, and you could score up to 10 extra chances to win. The winner will be announced on June 30, 2010.

UPDATE:

Having seen the comments left by our readers about the viruses, I contacted Off & Away to see what was happening. Following is the company’s reply:

For those who were affected by the virus earlier this morning, please be assured this is something we take very seriously and are taking all necessary precautions to ensure it does not happen again. Off & Away is founded and run by former Amazon.com, Expedia, Alaska Airlines, Orbitz, and Farecast.com employees. We always strive for excellence are committed to providing our customers with the best experiences possible. This was not one of them, and for that, we sincerely apologize.

The site promoting the sweepstakes was compromised. It appears to have started in our hosting environment. We’re still investigating with that firm. Malicious code was entered into our website causing a redirect to the suspicious page people encountered. Since discovering this, we’ve pulled down the sweepstakes on our site, and are rebuilding in a different environment and with a different, more secure host. The new host is the same one we will be using when we launch.

We expect the sweepstakes to be live again in the next few hours once this work is complete. Thanks to our customers for discovering this and for your patience.

Sincerely,

Doug Aley and Michael Walton

New mobile app helps you find the hippest hotels in town – StayHIP

by Scott Carmichael on

Mobiata (the company behind the excellent TripDeck, HotelPal and FlightTrack Pro) just unleashed their newest creation – StayHIP. This app is the first mobile hotel application designed specifically for booking boutique hotels.

Like HotelPal, StayHIP allows you to search and book rooms without leaving the app or having to phone in your reservation. To start a search, you pick dates, number of guests, location and what kind of hotel you are looking for. The location can be entered manually, or selected based upon your current position.

Since boutique hotels specialize in themes, you can then pick from things like artsy, beach, chic, romantic and intimate.

Hotel results are displayed with a good variety of photos (and videos), a comprehensive description, and a list of available amenities. In the next step, you are presented with all the available room types, as well as their price.

Once you have selected a room, you simply enter your personal information and payment method and the reservation is finalized. Once booked, you can even share your reservation with friends on Facebook and Twitter.

StayHIP is available for the iPod Touch, iPhone and Android devices. To get StayHIP on your Apple device, click this link (iTunes link). Android users can scan the barcode on the right, or search for StayHIP in the Android Market.

StayHIP was developed by Mobiata along with TRAVELCLICK and is free of charge.

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Fry’s Electronics and Verizon Wireless offer no-contract broadband hotspot plan

by Scott Carmichael on

The United States has always lagged in prepaid and no-contract mobile broadband plans. Especially when you compare things to Europe, where you can walk into any phone store, and walk out with a cheap USB data adapter.

As of today, we may actually be ahead – way ahead. According to an article on Phonenews.com, Fry’s Electronics has entered the mobile broadband world with a $49.95/month no-contract plan.

The plan offers 5GB of data each month, on par with all other operators. What makes this plan special is that it comes with the Verizon Wireless MiFi adapter. This mobile broadband to Wi-Fi device allows any Wi-Fi enabled device to connect to the nationwide Verizon 3G network. Best of all – the MiFI is on sale at Fry’s for just $69.95 – which is $200 cheaper than the normal no-contract price.

Access to mobile broadband at this price point is perfect for travelers, though it’ll only be interesting for those that can actually visit a Fry’s store, which rules out most of the East Coast. More information on the Fry’s MiFi can be found here, and all the information you need on the access plan is posted at Phonenews.

Five fantastic travel friendly iPad apps

by Scott Carmichael on

The iPad has been out for over a month, and it already has a decent lineup of travel friendly applications. Of course, the iPad can still run the 200,000 apps designed for the iPhone, but to take full advantage of its large screen, you’ll want to stick to apps specifically designed for the iPad.

We’ve picked the five best looking apps available for the iPad right now, and best of all – these five apps are all under ten bucks.
1. FlightTrack Pro

What happens when you take one of the best selling iPhone travel apps, and update it for the iPad? Well, you get FlightTrack Pro for the iPad. FlightTrack Pro integrates with TripIt, allowing for easy itinerary imports and trip management.

In FlightTrack Pro, you can track the exact location of a flight, check for delays and even look up the weather at your airport. Best of all, if you are on a flight with Wi-Fi from Gogo Inflight, you can use your iPad as a replacement for the boring Airshow screens. To make a great app even better, if you have a 3G iPad or manage to find Wi-Fi on the road, FlightTrack Pro will keep you updated with information on departure gates, delays, arrival gates and more.

iTunes app store link: FlightTrack Pro
Price: $9.99

2. Kayak

Car rentals, hotels and cheap flights all in one app – that describes Kayak. The app provides easy access to the awesome multi-airline flight search system that made Kayak famous. On a single screen, you can see past searches, hotel deals and airline search options.

iTunes app store link: Kayak for iPad
Price: free

3. Couch Traveler HD Earth Explorer

Got a week where you are stuck at home? How about traveling the world from the comfort of your sofa and iPad? Couch Traveler is a really well designed app that harnesses the power of Google maps and aerial images to provide a fun way of sightseeing. It works just as well at home as on the road if you are looking for something to see.

iTunes app store link: Couch Traveler HD
Price: $1.99 (introductory price)

4. UpNext 3D cities

When Google maps are not enough, you should check out UpNext. The app currently covers Austin, Washington D.C., Boston, San Francisco and New York. Once a city has been downloaded, you have access to maps with 3D buildings – along with a powerful search system.

Need somewhere to eat? Browse the categories and navigate using the well designed 3D maps.

iTunes app store link: UpNext 3D cities
Price: free

5. PointInside for malls

We recently took the iPhone version of Point Inside for a spin – and the company behind this mall mapping app managed to be one of the first to make it onto the iPad with a dedicated new version.

As a reminder – Point Inside is a mapping and search app for shopping malls. Found yourself in a mall you’ve never visited? Use this app to find what you are looking for. The app also offers quick search access to things like restrooms, ATM’s and food.

iTunes app store link: Point Inside
Price: free

Five free and cheap alternatives to expensive hotel Wi-Fi

by Scott Carmichael on

Paid hotel Wi-Fi is one of my biggest pet peeves when I travel. I fully understood asking people to pay for Internet back in 1999, but in 2010, Internet is no longer considered an amenity – it is up there with a toilet and a television.

Unfortunately, plenty of hotels still find it perfectly acceptable to charge upwards of $10 for a day of access.

Short of finding somewhere better to stay, there isn’t all that much you can do – unless of course you read Gadling and follow our five tips.Borrow Wi-Fi from someone else

When you turn your laptop on, you’ll usually see the hotel Wi-Fi network, along with a bunch of other network names. These other networks are what you are after. There won’t be much chance of finding other networks if you are in a brandless motel in the middle of nowhere, but in most major cities, you are bound to find loads of them.

Increase your odds by staying on a high floor, and investing in a Wi-Fi boosting antenna like the Wi-Fire (reviewed here last year). Simply move the adapter to a window, and point outside.

One word of warning – never transmit personal data over a random connection you happened to pick up – install software that encrypts your traffic, or you may run the risk of others snooping on you.

Share one paid connection

Staying at a hotel with a bunch of colleagues or friends? How about purchasing one connection and sharing it with others? There is some technical trickery involved in this, but the basic procedure involves a special wireless router that can pick up one signal, and broadcast it to others.

Downsides involve getting caught, and having to share the speed of one connection with others – if one of you starts downloading a movie, everyone will suffer.

Tether your phone

Got a phone with an active data plan? Many of them can be “tethered”, which allows you to take your data connection, and share it with a laptop computer. In some cases, the process involves a one-time investment in tethering software (like PDANet), and on other phones you may need to do some hacking (like jailbreaking your iPhone).

Best place to start? Google “tether my phone”. One word of warning though – don’t overdo it! Operators don’t like tethering (unless you pay extra for it), and any massive data transfers may get some unwanted attention. Limit your surfing to we and email, and don’t do silly things like movie downloads.

Invest in a mobile broadband adapter

On the road a lot? If you regularly spend $20 on Internet access, you may want to invest in a mobile broadband adapter. These (usually) USB adapters plug into your laptop and offer access to a 3G or 4G network. These adapters often offer speeds on par with what the hotel can offer – but have the added advantage of working anywhere within the coverage area.

Be sure to pick a provider with good speeds/coverage, and remember that there may be places without coverage, or with so many people using the service that speeds grind to a halt. Expect to pay upwards of $40/month for the service.

Only need access one or two times a month? Consider a prepaid service like Verizon mobile broadband or Cricket (which can be turned on or off on a monthly basis).

Use a third party Wireless provider

Instead of paying for daily access to Wi-Fi, consider signing up for a third party Wi-Fi service like Boingo.

With Boingo, you pay a monthly fee ($9.95) for unlimited access to thousands of hotspots.

Take for example the Swissotel in Chicago – this property charges $10/day for Internet access, but Boingo subscribers can access it as much as they want, using their account – for under $10/month.

Best of all, Boingo works at airports, restaurants, cafes and thousands of other locations. When just one day of access can pay for the monthly subscription, you’ll understand why I consider this a great bargain.

Boingo subscriptions are available for unlimited use in the United States or as a global subscription for Wi-Fi locations worldwide. The Boingo service even makes the process of makes connecting easier thanks to a handy software client, available for Windows, Mac and several mobile devices.