Natasha Bedingfield joins Hotel Indigo in “Locals Know Best” competition

by Melanie Nayer on

The Hotel Indigo chain is launching a national campaign with pop singer Natasha Bedingfield to entice travelers to reconnect with their hometowns.

From now through Aug. 15, Hotel Indigo is asking people who live near its 30 hotels in the USA to share their picks for the best places to visit in their hometown. The best answers win prizes, including the possibility of appearing in an ad with Hotel Indigo in People Magazine, and the chance to meet Bedingfield.

The “Locals Know Best” campaign was set up as a way to tell frequent travelers that they can rely on Indigo hotels to reflect the unique culture of that specific town. In an interview yesterday from Atlanta, Bedingfield said she jumped at the opportunity to team up with Indigo “because it’s all about the local people, which is something that really resonates with me.”

The contest officially launched at Hotel Indigo’s Midtown Atlanta hotel and featured a few songs from Bedingfield.

Want to join the competition? If you’re the unofficial tour guide of your city and know the best places in town, check out one of Hotel Indigo’s live auditions or enter online.

[via USA Today]

Hotel employees nailed in $20 million airline ticket scam

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The feds just threw down indictments against 38 people accused of pushing fraudulent airline tickets at hefty discounts. They were slashing between $100 and $200, usually, from the normal price of a (real) ticket. And at least two of them worked in hotels, where they were accused of swiping credit card and debit card information to keep the con afloat. Among the charges are: conspiracy, credit card theft and identity theft. The rings appear to have begun in 2001.

How did it work? In Los Angeles, according to USA Today:

The government’s 25-page indictment against Jason Burks and eight other defendants says that Raun Lauderdale Jr. was one of the people who would obtain stolen credit card and debit card information and sell it to Burks, who would then use it to fraudulently buy airline tickets. Lauderdale worked at an unidentified hotel in Long Beach, Calif. On one particular day in September 2009, Burks allegedly used a stolen American Express card number to buy $3,466.03 worth of airline tickets – an Alaska Airlines ticket from St. Louis to Los Angeles, and three US Airways tickets for travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans, records show. Prosecutors say this ring operated from July 25, 2007 to May 14, 2009.

And in Atlanta:

The government’s 31-page indictment against Steven James Palmer, based in Brooklyn, and nine other defendants based in cities such as Orlando, Los Angeles and Atlanta names another hotel worker. According to the document, Alexander Lewis, 25, of McDonough, Ga., stole credit card and debt card numbers from his jobs at unidentified Atlanta hotels. Lewis also went by an alias: “Mike Gotti,” the indictment says. Prosecutors say this ring operated between August 2008 and March 27, 2010.

The alleged scammers would pick up the tickets online with stolen credit card info and use text messages or e-mail to push discount codes to their customers, which could then be parlayed into boarding passes. To stay under the radar, the bookings were kept close to departure times. Advertising was kept to a minimum, and word of mouth was used to generate new “business.”

[photo by abardwell via Flickr]

Summertime, and the maggots are easy

by Alex Robertson Textor on

It’s summertime, which means that for people in many parts of North America, certain types of vermin are particularly well-represented in kitchen cupboards, bathroom corners, basement nooks and, heck, just about everywhere. Mosquitoes, cockroaches, water bugs, and other little flying and scurrying insects make their presence especially well known across North America during the summer.

But maggots? Maggots, thankfully, we see less frequently than garden-variety mosquitoes and water bugs.

Passengers on US Airways flight 1537 on Monday from Atlanta to Charlotte were not so lucky as the rest of us. Flies and maggots materialized in the cabin before take-off. Some passengers were even rather terrifyingly rained on by maggots after more decaying flesh. Entomophobes everywhere will certainly find the cell phone video of the experience, taken by a passenger, to be seriously stomach-turning.

Apparently some rotting meat was responsible for the presence of maggots and flies on 1537. Thankfully, the airplane did not take off as scheduled. Passengers were removed from the plane, and a cleaning crew then boarded to scrub the overhead luggage areas clean. The plane then flew on to Charlotte, where it was fumigated. As disgusting as the event originally was, it appears to have been dealt with properly by US Airways.

Beyond the mere curiosity of the event, there is some irony in the fact that it comes during one of the best weeks for press for the airline in recent memory. US Airways has gotten great coverage this week for its ultra-cheap Twitter-publicized fares.

(Image: Flickr/asrusch)

Ritz-Carlton gives Cadillac a lesson in customer service

by Melanie Nayer on

The car industry has certainly weathered its fair share of storms this year. From recalls to repairs, car owners have been dealt just about every blow. But things are about to change in the car world, if the Ritz-Carlton has anything to say about it.

Bloomberg News reports that automotive giant General Motors is bringing in hospitality specialists from the Ritz-Carlton to teach GM employees the importance of customer service. That’s right car buyers — the next time you walk into a dealership, your experience might just be a little more luxurious (and a lot friendlier).

Ritz-Carlton employees are taught to go the extra mile to make their guests feel welcome. The result? Repeat guests. Repeat guests equal repeat dollars, but can the same equation hold true for the car industry? GM is about to find out.

According to reports, the Ritz-Carlton has already held training sessions in New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles with more than 1,800 dealership owners and salespeople. Rumor has it Cadillac has already taken a tip from Ritz-Carlton and created their “credo” card for employees to carry around in their pockets, which has customer service tips.

In addition to the customer service tips Cadillac is taking from Ritz-Carlton, Bloomberg reports the car lots are going through a mini-makeover, as well. Since GM cut its dealer ranks earlier this year, there’s more room to update the look of its dealerships and make a few luxury improvements.

Have some customer service tips for the employees of GM or Cadillac? Put yours in the comments section below and who knows, maybe your tip will end up on a customer service credo card.

Atlanta’s Glenn Hotel joins Marriott’s Autograph collection

by Melanie Nayer on

Marriott’s latest addition to its boutique brand is something of a Southern Belle. The Glenn hotel is now part of the Autograph Collection, a group of independent hotels representing upscale and luxury properties with distinctive personalities.

Glenn is known for its southern hospitality and friendly ways. The hotel’s motto, “stay with a friend,” comes from the hotel’s promise that staying with Glenn is as comfortable as being a house-guest at the home of a good friend.

Originally opened as office space in 1923, the building became a hotel in 2006. Guests walk into a cozy living room (instead of a formal lobby) and are greeted by a hotel host with a welcome drink (we’re assuming it’s some kind of julep) and hosts remain on-call until guests check out. Guests can dine at the hotel’s restaurant or hang out on the rooftop bar, which offers great views of downtown Atlanta.

According to a release from the hotel, Glenn hotel began accepting reservations as a Marriott property on May 17 and joined the Autograph Collection on June 10. Guests staying at Glenn will be a part of the Marriott Rewards program, making them eligible to earn and redeem points at over 3,000 Marriott hotels worldwide.

Thinking about staying at the hotel? If you’re name is “Glenn” or “Glenda” and book a stay through June 17, you’ll get a free cocktail and be entered to win a night in the penthouse. All other guests can book rooms starting at $159 per night. .