Cyber Monday: not just for retailers any more

by Tom Johansmeyer on

After four days off, the world will slide behind its desks again on Monday morning. They’ll try to get back into the swing of work life, but it won’t be immediate. So, as they ease back into productivity, many will push into the shopping world they dodged three days earlier on Black Friday. The hotels will be waiting for them, with more than 60 of them pushing deals to try to get in on the holiday shopping action.

Around 69 million people are expected to jump into the Cyber Monday fray, with workers aged 18 to 24 seen as the most likely to shop at work. Overall, 54 percent of people with internet access at work will start to take care of their holiday season obligations on Monday.

According to a Shop.org survey, 87 percent of the retailers surveyed plan to get deals out in front of online consumers this holiday season, up a tad from last year’s 83 percent. So, it’ll be tough for the hotels to stand out, but this won’t keep them from trying.

Fifty of Starwood‘s resorts will be offering deals during a three-day sale that starts on Monday, with discounts of up to 45 percent. But, you’ll need to travel between the beginning of January and the end of April. Seven Affinia Hotels properties are offering 15% off a 2010 stay at properties in New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. The James Hotel in Chicago is offering a 100% bonus on gift cards purchased.

Enter to win jetBlue’s Jet and Drive Giveaway

by Katie Hammel on

I love a good travel contest, especially one that requires little effort to enter. So I’m excited about the jetBlue and Hertz Jet & Drive Giveaway, which runs now through through January 31, 2010. To enter, all you need to do is surf on over to the website, complete your free registration and then enter your email address. Easy, peasy.

For that minimal effort, you could win some pretty cool prizes, depending on the number of entries for the day. Yes, that’s right – the prizes will vary according to how many people have entered for the day, and you can enter every single day of the contest. If 2,500 people or less enter on a given day, the winner gets a $100 Hertz rental card. With 2,500 or more entries, the card’s value goes up to $250. But if 5,000 people enter, the lucky winner gets a $500 jetBlue gift card!

There will also be up to five grand prizes given away, one each time the total number of contest entries reaches another 50,000 milestone. The grand prize includes airfare to one of five destinations, Hertz rental car, and accommodations at a designated Starwood or Marriott hotel for two people. Destinations include New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando and Aruba.

Can’t afford a nice hotel in New York? Stay in New Jersey.

by Annie Scott on

You often hear New Yorkers joke that the best thing about New Jersey is that you can see New York really well from there — well, why not take advantage of that?

Luxury hotels in NYC are super expensive (really, all hotels are super expensive), so do what so many young families and artists in New York do when they get tired of paying prohibitively high rent: Head across the Hudson.

In particular, The Westin Jersey City Newport (the view from a bathtub there is pictured) is a good bet — it’s luxurious, it has two restaurants and a bar, and best of all? It’s just ten minutes from midtown Manhattan. It’s one of those things few people think about when they’re booking a trip to New York: You don’t have to stay in New York to visit.

The Westin Jersey City Newport currently has three promotions going on:

  • Room Rates Equal to Your Birth Year Package – Don’t worry, they don’t mean you’ll have to pay $1,970; with this deal, you pay full-price the first night (starting at $229) and then you get your second or third night for the price of the second two digits in your birthday. The older you are, the cheaper your room! Finally, a reason to age. Code: BIRTHYR
  • Better Tomorrows Package – With this offer you pay half price every other night, so if you’re staying an even number of nights, that’s gonna come out really well for you. Code: ZBT
  • Best Rate Guaranteed Offer – If you book a room and then find a lower published rate within 24 hours, Starwood will match that rate and raise you a ten percent discount or give you 2,000 Starpoints. This actually applies at all Starwood hotels: Westins, Sheratons, W Hotels, etc. Click here for the instructions.

Know what else is in Newport? A waterfront and tax-free shopping centers. It’s kind of like what I assume heaven must be like. Kidding aside, the hotel really is gorgeous and just opened up in February — check it out! Staying at a luxury hotel in New Jersey for the same price as a junky hotel in New York is totally worth it. Call 1-866-924-8746 to book.

(Visit the website for terms and conditions of the above packages.)

Gadling hotel review – Aloft by W Hotels

by Scott Carmichael on

This hotel review will give you a closer look at one of the newest brands in the Starwood chain. The Aloft hotels are touted as a “vision of W hotels”.

The Aloft hotels are smaller than W hotels, located outside the city center and offer rooms at a substantially lower rate. That said – the vibe and general “hipness” created in W Hotels is most certainly still present.
There are currently 25 Aloft hotels ready for guests, with 40 more opening by the end of 2009. This shows that Starwood really is committed to the brand, but it also means fans of Aloft hotels will have an easy time finding one for any upcoming stays. The Aloft concept is offered all over the world.

The hotel provides rooms with queen or king beds, no suites or executive style rooms. The rooms themselves are surprisingly well designed and a real departure from the usual blandness of most airport hotels.

The bed is up to the usual high standards found in most Starwood properties – a good mattress, good linens and of course, a hip alarm clock.

Each room is furnished with a decent size desk, cordless VOIP phones, flat panel TV. The smart designers built a desk/table over the otherwise ugly window AC unit. On the desk is a nifty docking station – more about that later.

The bathroom area is equally well designed, and offers Bliss amenities, a walk-in shower and a frosted window providing natural light in the shower area.

In the bathroom area is also a coffee/tea maker, a complimentary bottle of water as well as several blends of tea and coffee. Above the coffee maker is a rack with magazines (Wired, New Yorker, Spin and Dwell). I found the magazines to be a really nice touch, and much better reading material than the usual stuff left in hotel rooms.

One of the (geeky) highlights of the room is the multimedia docking station on the desk – instead of trying to reach behind the TV for its inputs, Aloft provides a nice box with HDMI, VGA, Component and audio, as well as several power outlets. My suggestion – bring the cables you need for your laptop, and lie in bed enjoying a DVD or movie off Hulu instead of trying to find something decent in the channel lineup.

That said – the TV channel lineup was quite excellent. The hotel offered almost 100 different TV channels, including most of the ESPN content, Showtime and a surprisingly good “wake up channel” which is a really nice way to wake up in the morning, thanks to the wake feature in the TV.

Unlike normal hotels where the services guide is provided in a tattered binder, all the hotel information for Aloft guests is provided through the TV or the welcome page when you log in to their (speedy) wireless. The hotel information options also offer local weather and some other interactive features. Of course, you can also order the usual lineup of overpriced Lodgenet movies.

One other surprise was when I called for a rollaway bed (for my daughter). Instead of the rusty old folding bed most hotels provide – Aloft delivered a bright orange duffel bag to the room. The duffel is part of “Camp Aloft” and contains a twin size Aerobed and a Hungry Caterpillar comforter. Needless to say that this was a huge hit.

If you happen to be traveling with a pet, you’ll be happy to know that you can bring your four footed friend along with you – in fact, Aloft welcomes them with their “arf” program. Dogs get their own special bed, a bowl and a doggie bag with complimentary treats.

The entire ground floor is one open and spacious area. It is home to the lobby, pantry, “w xyz bar” and several very comfortable seating areas. Around the seating areas are loads of board games, as well as a pool table! Despite the loud remixed music, the whole space feels very welcoming and comfortable.

The pantry is open 24/7 and offers a decent variety of soda, juices, sandwiches and other snacks. The pantry is also where you’ll be able to buy breakfast, as the hotel does not have its own restaurant.

Rooms come with their own unstocked small fridge. The front desk sells an assortment of handy items, including various painkillers, allergy relief, stain removers, intimacy kits and even several board games.

Given its close proximity to the airport, you’ll be happy to learn that Aloft caters to passengers with several handy tools – the hotel WiFi page offers a direct link to online check-in services, the lobby is home to 2 touch screen computers with printers and a large flat panel TV with departure information for O’Hare – brilliant. Of course, the hotel also provides a complementary shuttle service to and from the airport.

This particular location (Chicago O’Hare) offers self parking and valet. Self parking is $18/night with full in/out privileges. To get in and out of the garage requires you to have your ticket validated at the front desk, which is a bit of a pain if you are coming and going a lot. The hotel has a heated/cooled skywalk, which is perfect for the cold Chicago winters or the blistering summers (though summer this year has been quite lousy).

The hotel is also home to a swimming pool and fitness center, and guests can relax in the outdoor courtyard while getting some work done or enjoying a drink from the bar.

All in all a very hip place to stay – without being too pretentious. The whole atmosphere is cool, yet welcoming. I’ve stayed at W hotels quite a bit, and often felt they were a little too hip for me. The Aloft concept feels great, though it does take a little getting used to being greeted with “Aloha!”, but the smiling staff do a great job of making you feel welcomed. Their positive attitude towards pets and kids is a breath of fresh air, and a very good reason to pick Aloft over other hotels at your destination.

The only minor issues I had with the hotel are its lack of a restaurant and the complex parking procedure.

Rooms at Aloft hotels start at just $79, though these rates are of course only valid on certain dates/days of the week. Summer rates for the Chicago O’Hare Aloft hotel appear to be higher during the week and drop to just $79 during the weekend.

You can book a room at an Aloft hotel through your favorite hotel site, or directly through the Aloft web site.

One final tip for people visiting the Chicago Aloft location – within walking distance of the hotel is the fabulous Muvico movie theater. This multi-screen theater is one of just a handful of all-digital theaters in the nation. If you really like movies, you’ll love the Muvico Premier – a private level of the theater offering food, alcoholic beverages, reserved seating, free popcorn and complementary valet parking. Best of all (for adults) – the Muvico Premier level requires all guests to be 21 or older.

Travel to lose 200,000+ jobs

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Nearly 200,000 travel-related jobs were lost in 2008. Another 247,000 are forecasted for 2009. And, the financial crisis is still developing. While we lament the loss of six- and seven-figure investment banking jobs, let’s not forget what those big money gigs mean for the travel industry.

Consider your average Wall Street titan. He’s still pulling down more than $1 million a year (somehow). So, he’s sitting on the couch in his rather large Chelsea apartment, wondering, “Do I need to take that golf trip down to Naples for the weekend?” For him, it’s throwaway. If he doesn’t head out for a few days, his life doesn’t change much.

Now, multiply this by several Wall Street titans for that weekend. Most of them decide to stay at home. Who suffers?

Well, an empty restaurant is a waiter’s nightmare. It’s also rough for the spa therapists, housekeepers and everyone else along the “travel supply chain.” Eventually, the companies have to cut back, and we see how that 247,000 projection becomes a reality.

For this reason, 10 of the largest hotel companies in the United States have urged members of Congress to remember the importance of business travel when developing legislation and regulations that may “unintentionally hinder economic recovery and cost American jobs.”

The hotel companies are: Carlson, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels Group, Loews, Marriott, Starwood and Wyndham Worldwide.