Live Blogging Hurricane Sandy: Current Hotel Closings And Special Offers

by McLean Robbins on

Reporting live from your Storm Team headquarters in Washington, D.C., we’re aiming to bring you the very latest on Hurricane Sandy and its associated hotel and travel related closings and special offers.

We’ll update this so long as we have power, so check back in for updates throughout the storm.

HOTEL SPECIALS
The Setai, New York
By using their backup generator, the hotel has a complimentary charging station set up on the corner of 5th and 36th. (h/t The Setai Facebook)

Kimpton Hotels (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.)
Use rate code SANDY for 20% off the best available rate at ALL Kimpton properties in the Northeast and Mid Atlantic. This rate is available through 10/31. Book here or call 1-800-KIMPTON for reservations. They have also waived cancellation fees for all properties (updated 10/30).

The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. and Pentagon City
The Washington, D.C. and Georgetown properties are offering a $229 special including Wi-Fi and parking. The Pentagon City property is offering a $299 rate, but the attached Fashion Center at Pentagon City is closed Monday.

The Jefferson, Washington, D.C.
The Jefferson hotel is catering to hurricane-stranded (or powerless) travelers with rates starting at $295 for standard guest rooms and $595 for suites. At 6 PM, guests will meet with the managing staff as the storm intensifies. Guests will enjoy complimentary muffins and coffee in the morning, hot apple cider in the afternoon, and a light supper of hors d’ouerves and cocktails in the evening as part of the room rate.

The Four Seasons, Washington
The hotel is fully operational and offering special rates for locals with a Maryland, D.C. or Virginia ID. Please call the hotel directly at 202-342-0444 to book.

Hyatt Regency Washington
The hotel has rates from $179 for stranded or powerless travelers.

The Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C.
The hotel is fully operational (including a movie room with snacks!) and rates start at $335. The hotel also allows for two pets (up to 40 pounds each) so you can even travel with Fido or Fifi.

Hyatt Hotels
Hyatt Hotels and Resorts have waived cancellation fees at many of its East Coast properties, the Hyatt blog reported.

Park Hyatt Washington, D.C.
The hotel is offering a special “neighbor”rate of $229 this week for those stranded because of Sandy. It includes overnight parking in our garage and free WiFi. They’re pet friendly and it is a one time fee of $150, no weight limit. h/t Elizabeth Thorp of Poshbrood.com, a curated catalog of upscale, mom-tested family-friendly accommodations and Virtuoso travel advisors.

Willard InterContinental
The hotel has space, electricity and are dog/pet friendly. Rates begin at $259 a night. They are also offering some fun activities for families today and tomorrow:

  • Willard: cooking demonstration with 3-Michelin star chef Antoine Westermann at Cafe du Parc from 5:30 to 6:15.
  • Pumpkin carving contest – guests will judge at Round Robin Bar from 5:30-7:30
  • Free movie with dinner ordered through room service. (h/t Elizabeth Thorp)

The Fairmont
The hotel is offering a $225 Hurricane rate. Happy hour until midnight, and a family movie with popcorn, sodas and candy. Call 202.429-2400 and ask for the Hurricane rate. (h/t Elizabeth Thorp)

HOTEL CLOSINGS

Sandals Grande Riviera Beach and Villa Golf Resort & Beaches Ocho Rios
The Sandals is closed for new arrivals until November 2, and Beaches will postpone its planned re-opening until November 15 due to hurricane damage, Travel Weekly reports.

New York Marriott Downtown & Ritz-Carlton Battery Park
The hotel has been closed due to evacuations as a precautionary measure against potential flooding, Hotel News Now and USA Today report.

Atlantic City
Casinos in the city have been closed since Sunday afternoon, the Press of Atlantic City is reporting.

Le Parker Meridien New York
Evacuated earlier today. h/t Barbara Delollis.

AIRPORT CLOSINGS

We’d suggest you check directly with your airport or airline for closures and delays, but many airlines are offering waived cancellation and change fees or travel refunds for those affected by the storm.

[Image credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video]

Would You Let A Website Choose Your Travel Destination?

by Jessica Festa on

Set to launch November 1, GetGoing is a new website that takes the hassle out of trip planning and budgeting while giving sizable discounts.

Travelers simply input their travel dates and what kind of trip they want, and the site searches hundreds of destinations, including ones they may not have thought of that could be a great fit. Users can input information about the region, like Europe or Asia, or interest, like history, beach or culture. From the generated list of 10 possible trips, users then choose their top two choices, as well as times, stopovers and prices. GetGoing will then choose one the trips and handle the booking.

So, why would one use this service? Along with less thinking on your part, GetGoing promises airfare discounts of up to 40% when you use their services.

Still sound crazy? Not to co-founder and CEO Alek Vernitsky, who explained to NBC News, “Giving somebody the option of selecting two destinations instead of one fits with how people think about vacations. People naturally think in terms of options – do I want to go here or there?”

Using the flip-a-coin philosophy, the company is able to leverage the fact their clients aren’t married to certain dates or destinations, allowing them to get great deals on remaining seats. For now, GetGoing will offer flights from 12 U.S. airports and trips to about 2,000 destinations. Future goals include adding similar offerings for accommodations and local getaways.

Would you use GetGoing’s new travel service?

[Image via Shutterstock]

Yelp Uses Public Shaming To Dissuade Fake Reviews

by Jessica Festa on




While social travel review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor can be helpful for trip planning, one constant criticism is how easily it is for business owners to write or pay for fake reviews of their establishment to boost its rating. In Yelp’s latest effort to discourage this kind of manipulation, they will be publicly shaming these businesses by displaying warning signs to readers (shown above).

The travel site is putting on their detective hats and watching for suspicious activity by business owners. For example, if many reviews are being submitted from the same Internet Protocol (IP) address, this can be an indicator. Once they find these “rogue solicitations,” they warn users. According to Digital Trends, the alert will stay active for 90 days and will be removed after this period, as long as the business quits gaming the system.

“We want to make sure consumers are making informed decisions,” said Eric Singley, Yelp’s VP of Consumer & Mobile Products. “Yelp’s automated review filter is working around the clock to flag these types of biased reviews, and we believe that you deserve the right to know when this type of activity is taking place behind the scenes.”

Although this new idea has only been in place for a couple days, it’s already working. For example, a Texan business owner who had purchased 200 positive online reviews was caught in Yelp’s filter due to its overly “impressive results.”

Mr. Singley notes that, while Yelp does have to be aware of these scams, for the most part their travel community is full of honest business owners.

For more information, check out Yelp’s official blog post on the new initiative.

[Image via Yelp]

Video Of The Day: ‘Half The Sky’ Visits Cambodia’s Toul Kork Road

by Jessica Marati on

Watch Meg Ryan Visits Cambodia’s Toul Kork Road on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

“Half the Sky” is more than a four-hour PBS documentary series; it is a movement to turn oppression into opportunity for women worldwide.

The documentary, which premiered earlier this month, is the film manifestation of the best-selling book by New York Times writers Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It follows Kristof and six American actresses as they travel to different countries in the developing world to explore issues facing women, from gender-based violence in Sierra Leone to sex slavery in Cambodia (featured in this clip).

The film swings from inspirational, to horrifying, to unspeakably sad. But while watching it will undoubtedly be a heavy experience, it will also be one that hopefully impels you to action – or at the very least provides a greater awareness of the things you witness in the places you travel.

The full documentary can currently be viewed only on PBS, but selected clips are available online.