From the bureau of alarmist propaganda: Hotel prices

by Jerry Guo on

Normally the New York Times isn’t on the receiving end of my rants about shoddy “travel trend” pieces. But I came across one from this weekend’s travel section that simply had to be cleared up.

Their story argues that hotel room prices across the world are surging: From New York to Asia, and just about every desirable destination in between, the prices of rooms – especially at hotels and resorts favored by luxury and business travelers – are expected to rise significantly, sometimes in the double digits, analysts say.

Wow, that’s probably the dictionary definition of over-generalization, when they try to extrapolate a few data points to, umm, the entire world. If you read the article, you’ll notice that they mainly talk about New York–over and over again. They also like to bring up India and New Delhi.

Of course, there are some places where they have it right, like Beijing, though that’s a gimme since they’re hosting the Olympics next summer, when demand will obviously be high for rooms. But I think it’s misleading and a disservice to travelers to be crying higher hotel prices–of course, I don’t think NYT‘s hotel advertisers will mind too much if the paper can convince everyone to just throw more money at the hospitality industry.

Eat well in New York. You can afford it this week

by Iva Skoch on

One of the delightful things about New York this time of year is Restaurant Week. Some of the best New York restaurants offer prix-fixe lunch and/or dinner menus a “bargain” deal of $24.07 (lunch) and $35 (dinner). Over 200 restaurants participate. You shouldn’t wait to make a reservation — you can actually do it online now. The best restaurants fill quickly.

New York holds Restaurant Week twice a year – one now and one in June. I like the one in the winter better because New York relatively tourist-free an–besides–eating well is one of the better ways to survive the New York winter.

LaGuardia TSA lets passenger through without checking ID

by Grant Martin on

My girlfriend hasn’t had a valid ID for a few months now. The story has something to do with alcohol, a Jimmy Eat World concert and a giant squid (I think), but it’s something I can tell later.

In the time before she procures new identification from the great New York department of motor vehicles, she’s been using various forms of expired ID to get into bars and onto planes across the country. It’s kind of a dodgy way to go about business, but living in the financial world without a car, other things have priority.

At first she had trouble getting through security at the airport. Technically you can get past TSA without picture ID, mind you, it’s just that you have to be subjected to secondary screening at the checkpoint and bring a couple other forms of ID. Once you get used to it though, it’s really no big deal — and she’s adapted pretty well.

Passing through security at LaGuardia yesterday, she was prepared for the same questions. Instead however, in blatant disregard for protocol she just got waved through by the security officer. Nobody asked for ID. Anywhere.

Anyone else slip through security today?

Great job guys.

A virtual visit to Milan’s famed fashion show

by Jerry Guo on

Fashion week can make a pretty big dent on any city. New York’s traffic gets even worse than it is when the annual show rolls around at Bryant Park. Same with Paris and London’s. And now it’s Milan’s turn.

I’ve never ever been close to a fashion show, but I guess for some people, attending one would be a dream come true. For me, it’s simply far more fun to mock one from this blog. I just came upon a Reuter slide-show of the top fashion you’ll be seeing at this year’s Milan show.

To truly enjoy the experience, first close your eyes. Then imagine the most idiotic/absurd/ridiculous/etc outfit you can imagine. Now flip through these 53 photos. I can guarantee you they’re much more insane than whatever you thought of.

It made my day. Hope it’ll bring you too a chuckle or two.

Minor relief for those flying out of New York

by Jerry Guo on

Did I mention the relief will be minor? After months–hell, years–of resistance to a bill of rights for airline passengers, there’s been one small step in the right direction. Now if you’re flying out of JFK or LaGuardia, you have the right to “fresh air, lights, functioning restrooms and adequate food and drinking water” on the tarmac if your flight is delayed more than three hours.

The whole movement got a kick in the pants last Valentine’s Day, when a ice storm caused some passengers to be literally trapped on planes for up to 10 hours, with none of the above mentioned “amenities.”

Unfortunately for customers, the bill of rights trend isn’t sweeping the nation. Though airline employees can be dullards, airlines have made sure their lobbyists in Washington are the best and brightest. And the penalties can barely be called steep. $1,000 a pop–if the violation can be confirmed (read: lots of paperwork).

I’m waiting to see what kind of impact this will have on the two New York airports, which are infamously headaches to go through. Next summer is also gearing up to be one of the busiest seasons on record. So good luck everybody We’ll need it.