Hilton hands out weekend passes to January stays

by Melanie Nayer on

Hotel deals come and go, but some are worthy of packing your bags. Case in point: Hilton’s weekend pass sale. Book a weekend at any Hilton in North or South America through the end of December and get 33 percent off select weekend rates; travel to Asia, Europe, Middle East or Africa and get 50 percent off the weekend rates.

Here’s the deal:

The weekend pass sale is available at participating Hilton hotels within the Hilton Worldwide network in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and the United States, including Puerto Rico. You must book your travel by Jan. 31, 2010, but you can stay on weekends through Dec. 26, 2010.

The full payment will be required when you book and the discounts vary based on hotel:

Hilton and Doubletree hotels: 33 percent off best available Bed & Breakfast rate
Hilton Grand Vacations Hotels: 30 percent off best available Bed & Breakfast rate
Hilton Garden Inn: 20 percent off best available rate
Hampton Inn & Suites/Homewood Suites: 30 percent off best available rate
Embassy Suites: 15 percent off best available rate

Choose from over 200 Hiltons in the UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia and get 50 percent off weekends through Dec. 2010. Book your rooms, pack your bags, and get traveling! At these rates, you’ll have plenty of spare cash to buy yourself a little memento from the trip.


The Burj Dubai is now open!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Looking for new ways to get high? Skip the local street dealer, and book your flight to Dubai. Today, the Burj Dubai is open to the public, and the views from its 124th floor observation deck can’t be beat. Now the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai captures the spirit of its hometown – you know, trying to make Las Vegas look small and humble. Also, in true Dubai style, money gets you to the front of the line: pay a little more than twice the normal ticket price to get up to the observation deck faster.

If you want to stay in the tower, you’ll have to wait a little loner, though. The Armani Hotel Dubai – a luxury property which represents the collaboration between Giorgio Armani and Emaar Properties – won’t open until March 18, 2010. This will be the first in a series of Armani properties that will include hotels, resorts and residences around the world. Expect demand for these rooms to be palpable, so if you want to be among the first to stay in these rooms, book your stay in late January, when reservations will start to be taken.

The Burj Dubai opens on Monday as the tallest building in the world

by Scott Carmichael on

On Monday morning, Dubai developer Emaar Properties will take ownership of the tallest building in the world. Despite a brutal economic climate, and the very real chance that Dubai will soon be bankrupt, this 2,683 feet tall structure was completed in six years. With 160 stories, the Burj Dubai towers over every other building in the city.

Monday is also the first day that the general public will be able to visit the observation deck on the 124th floor. According to the developers, most of the spaces in the building have been sold. Just 37 of the 160 floors are for office space, the rest will house new Armani residences, and an Armani hotel will open later this year. A total of 12,000 people can live and work in the tower, though it is obviously unclear whether the current economy will force many would-be owners to change their plans.

As you can see from the video posted above – this building is immense. To put things in perspective – the Sears Willis Tower in Chicago is a mere 1450 feet tall, with just 108 stories. Skidmore, Owings and Merril are the architects behind the Burj Dubai, the same ones that designed the Sears Tower back in 1973.

(Via Luxist)

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Homesick Indian man locks himself in airplane bathroom for a free trip back home

by Scott Carmichael on

An Indian man working as an airplane cleaner in the Saudi city of Medina was feeling so homesick, that he locked himself in the bathroom of an Air India plane for a free trip back home.

The man was discovered 30 minutes into the flight, most likely when the flight attendants unlocked the bathroom door to allow passengers to relieve themselves. The 25 year old man was not carrying his passport, as the cleaning firm he was working for, had taken it away from him (most likely to prevent an incident like this).

Air India points out that there was no real reason for concern, as the man had to clear airport security before he could go to work. Once in India, he was arrested and booked under several sections of the passport law. It is very unlikely that they’ll send him back, since he is an Indian citizen. The procedure for getting the plane ready for passengers only involves an announcement asking ground crew to leave the aircraft, and not an actual check that they do so.

Man ignites small bomb on U.S. bound plane

by Sean McLachlan on

A Nigerian man is under arrest after igniting a bomb on a plane bound for Detroit yesterday.

Abdul Mudallad, 23, used a powder strapped to his leg mixed with a syringe containing some sort of liquid to set off a small explosion on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam as it made its final descent into Detroit.

While the mixture did explode, the explosion was very small and the ensuing flames only harmed Mr. Mudallad, giving him third-degree burns on one leg. Passengers quickly tackled him. None of the other 278 passengers or 11 crew were injured. One passenger described the explosion as a “little pop”. The flames needed to be put out with a fire extinguisher.

President Obama has ordered increased security for air travel and the Department of Homeland Security has added extra screening measures.

The bomber was on a U.S. government database for having “a significant terrorist connection” although that did not qualify him for the “no-fly” list. Why someone with a significant terrorist connection can fly on a U.S. airline will doubtlessly be a major question in coming days.

Under questioning after the incident, Mr. Mudallad claimed he has connections with Al-Qaeda and got the chemicals for his bomb in Yemen.

Some reports state Mr. Mudallad is a student of University College London, but a search of the university’s online directory did not reveal his name. The directory, however, only lists students and faculty who have publicly available contact information.

UPDATE, Dec. 27 1242GMT: This post was made shortly after the incident occurred and was correct according to the latest reports at that time. Two details have emerged that should be addressed. The man’s name is now said to be Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and University College London states that he was a mechanical engineering student, but he is not currently enrolled. I felt it was best not to change the original post, as it is now of historic interest in showing how breaking news stories can change fundamentally over time, but since two later posts link to this one I felt I should update the name and university status. More details will doubtless emerge and be covered in later posts.