Sanibel Marriott wants your pocket change for extra night

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Pretty pissed about the proposed 2-cent increase in stamp prices? If you’re among the Luddites still using dead-tree communication, I imagine it’s pretty annoying. To get some relief from this postal madness, head on down to the Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa in Fort Myers, Florida.

Through the end of the month, for a three-night stay between August 22, 2010 and the end of September, you can book your third merely by putting your 2 cents in. Yep, a pair of pennies extends your stay. Since room rates start at a mere $159, the entire experience won’t drain your bank account. Remember to use discount code PK3 when booking online.

The world’s longest and shortest flights

by Andrew Evans on

Because you’re just apoplectic to find out how you can maximize your time on an airplane, right? We covered this a while back, but things keep changing: planes keep getting bigger, stronger, and faster, routes change based on demand and somehow, we keep increasing our tolerance for being locked up and pressurized like pringles in a can. Fortunately, the world’s many airline nerds have already done the technical legwork–we just had to fact check:

  • At present, the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight is Singapore Airlines SQ21 from Newark Liberty (EWR) to Singapore Changi International (SIN) clocking in at a whopping 18 hours 50 minutes! Thankfully, the huge all-business-class Airbus A340-500 and world-famous in-flight service makes the halfway-around-the-world jaunt from New Jersey quite bearable. (In that same time, you could drive from Newark to Kansas City.)
  • The world’s shortest regularly-scheduled, non-stop commercial flight is on Scotland’s Loganair, from the island of Westray (WRY) to Papa Westray (PSV) in the Orkney Islands, clocking in at a meager 2 minutes (so I’m guessing there’s no beverage service).There are plenty of other super short commercial flights all over the world, mostly inter-island and commuter connections. The Caribbean’s LIAT flight between the islands of St. Kitt’s (SKB) and Nevis (NEV) is scheduled at 15 minutes long but rarely takes more than 5 minutes from take-off to landing.

(Photo Flickr: William James Tychonievich)

Gaylord Opryland hotel to re-open Nov. 15 in Nashville

by Leigh Caldwell on

The clean-up work is done at the Gaylord Opryland hotel, and construction crews have moved on to the rebuilding and renovating.

Hotel officials say Nashville‘s largest hotel will re-open on Nov. 15, six months after the Cumberland River overflowed its banks and flooded the hotel’s common areas.

The photo below, which was released by the Gaylord Opryland, shows that the water also rose within a foot or so of the ceiling in some guestrooms in the hotel’s Magnolia area.

The Magnolia area rooms are getting a complete renovation (as shown in the rendering at right), with an updated, lighter look than they had before.

The Gaylord Opryland hotel is also getting a new look in the Cascades area lobby and the rotating Cascades Terrace bar, as well as in several of the hotel’s restaurants. Two new restaurants — offering Mexican and Italian cuisine — are being added during the rebuilding.

The adjacent Grand Ole Opry House, which was also flooded, is on track to reopen Oct. 1, according to Gaylord officials. (The Grand Ole Opry shows are still being performed at other Nashville venues.)

Gaylord’s price tag for all of this clean-up and renovation is estimated to top $215 million.

Illinois hotel backs out of hosting Muslim group conference

by Melanie Nayer on

A Muslim group canceled its annual U.S. conference after the Marriott hotel in Oak Brook, a suburb of Chicago, backed out of hosting the event.

American members of Hizb ut-Tahrir planned to hold their annual conference on Sunday, but according to the Chicago Tribune, the hotel sent a cancellation notice and refund to the group organizers about two weeks ago. The one-day event has drawn protesters in the past.

Conference organizer Ayman Hamed says about 1,000 people were expected. He said to the Tribune:

“We’re purely an intellectual political group,” said Hamed, who declined to discuss why he thought the hotel canceled. “We were very open when we approached the Marriott.”

According to Hamed, the group signed a contract with Marriott in May which stated that the hotel wouldn’t cancel unless there was a “catastrophic event or that conference participates were to engage in illegal activity.”

Hizb ut-Tahrir declares itself a political organization and advocates the establishment of an Islamic jurisdiction. While not on the terrorist group list in the U.S., the group is banned in Turkey and several Muslim countries.

Last year, the group held its U.S. conference at a hotel in Oak Lawn, another Chicago suburb. According to the Times, about 800 people attended the open-to-the-public event, titled “Fall of Capitalism and Rise of Islam”, but it was also heavily guarded by police and drew a handful of protesters who alleged the group was tied to terrorism.

Readers: What do you think? Was the hotel right to cancel the conference at the last minute?

Car rental tactics that will cost you money

by Laurel Miller on

There’s nothing like hitting the open road in summer, but before you get that rental car, there are a few things you should know. National Geographic Traveler ombudsman Christopher Elliot tells all in a recent CNN piece that reveals sneaky ploys rental agencies use to jack up the price-after you’ve signed on the dotted line.

According to Elliot, there are six hidden costs you may find yourself paying for, if you’re not careful. Additional driver add-ons, under 25 premiums, redefinitions in vehicle sizes, and extra charges for returning a car early are some of the things to watch out for. Most of us who have rented cars have failed to find a gas station en route to the airport drop-off at one time or another, and paid the price. Elliot says that you can now get socked with an “under 75 miles” refueling fee, as well.

With all that crude still gushing into the Gulf, it’s touching that rental agencies are punishing drivers for not burning more petroleum. Watch your credit card (and before you plunk down extra dollars on insurance, check your card policy; many provide full rental car coverage), and safe motoring.

[Photo: Flickr | Stuck in Customs]