Travel Smarter 2012: Tips for finding a better hotel room

by McLean Robbins on

It’s a simple goal – travel more for less in 2012. In this tight economy we’re all searching for ways that we can travel better, smarter and cheaper in 2012, and here at Gadling Labs we’re bringing you information about how to get the best hotel deals possible. Here’s how you can get started.

Scour Social Media
You’re already aware that hotels offer specials on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

2012 Twist: If you make yourself known before arrival and have some social media clout (or Klout, as the case may be), you may even snag yourself an extra upgrade or discount – like HARO founder Peter Shankman’s surprise dinner at Morton’s.

Stephanie Gravalese-Wood, marketing coordinator and social media “voice” behind The Red Lion Inn, says that they monitor their social channels and regularly check in with guests to see how their stay or experience was. “For anyone mentioning that they are looking to stay, we direct them to our Last Minute Specials page as well as to our social media travel specials.” It’s helped draw a minimum of 50 clicks on the first day and more than 100 each week.

You can also try checking in on location-based apps like FourSquare, where you may score extra points or specials. SPG members, for example, get extra points for checking in with linked accounts.

Travel “Smart”
You know apps on your iPhone or Android can make travel easier.

2012 Twist: Mobile booking, particularly at the last minute. Use apps like Priceline’s “Tonight Only Deals” tool, or the aptly named program Hotel Tonight to score up to 60% off reservations for that evening. Sometimes being a procrastinator pays off – we’ve seen hotels for up to $50 less than the best available price on their website through the app. You may not know which hotel you’re booking until you’ve paid, but we’ve yet to see a hotel that’s not of the quality advertised.Pick the Best Room
You know how to ask for a corner room or higher floor.

2012 Twist: Seeing your actual room, via a site like Room 77. Just how good is that upgrade? Sites like Room 77 tour individual hotel rooms to show you exact views, distance from the elevator and more. If you’re a light sleeper, need to get work done or just want to know if the upgrade is worth the cash, we’d suggest you check this out.

Read Reviews Carefully
The days of picking the top-rated hotels on TripAdvisor hotel are over.

2012 Twists: We’re not saying to discount TripAdvisor entirely – the site is still our best way to see real-time trip reviews coming in from travelers. But, in recent months news has shown that the site may not be the most accurate reflection of a trip. Instead, we’d suggest turning to social reviews or checking out the property’s social media profiles – honest feedback is often posted by travelers in the comments section.

Try Something New
Don’t go for the big chains just ’cause.

2012 Twist: We’ve long been fans of boutique hotels for their smaller size, more personalized service and often better costs. Still, we see the advantage of knowing what you’re getting, particularly when it’s a place you haven’t visited before. Not sure where to find a property? You can always turn to reputable member organizations like Five Star Alliance, Relais & Chateaux, Leading Hotels of the World, Preferred Hotels and more for databases.

If booking boutique is out of your price range or isn’t an option, we’d suggest searching for a newly-opened property. Sure, all of the kinks might not be worked out yet (the spa or all restaurants might not be open) but you can almost always find rates of 20 to 30% off the normal price, a bonus for being one of the first to book. Plus, everything is shiny and new! Keep up with us – we’ll tell you about all of the best hotel openings and where to book.

Research, Research, Research
Skip the travel agent.

2012 Twist: Okay, we’re not saying to hate on travel agents entirely– there are many companies that do a great job. But we’re pretty sure that most travelers out there now are old pros at that thing called “The Internet” (after all, you’re reading a blog) so take matters into your own hands. Try combining flight and hotel costs on Expedia.com or Orbitz.com. Search Kayak and take advantage of their flexible flight search and newly integrated TripAdvisor reviews. Check a new favorite, FlightFox, for great airfare deals. Scan the hotel website for deals. See if social media will score you an extra discount.

Flash Sale Savvy
Find the best deal site for you.

2012 Twist: You know sites like Jetsetter, SniqueAway and RueLaLa travel exist. So USE THEM. We can’t always say you’ll get the best deal – we’ve seen rates that compare on the hotel’s website or via other OTAs, but if you plan ahead and watch your email alerts, you can often score great deals on hotels that you otherwise couldn’t afford. Cities like Las Vegas, New York and Washington, DC, have regular and wonderful deals as well as Caribbean and European destinations. If you’re looking for something cheaper, consider Groupon or LivingSocial’s travel verticals, great for getting away for a night or two close to home. Of course, if you refer friends (on the off chance that they’re not already using these sites), you can even earn credit towards your next trip.

Be Polite
You know check-in is at 3 PM.

2012 Twist: Know not to throw a fit when your room isn’t ready if you arrive at 11. If you know you’re arriving early, call ahead of time and ask if your room is available or can be made ready for your arrival. Yes, hotels are in the service industry, but front desk employees still like to be treated nicely.

Stay Loyal
Leverage your benefits.

2012 Twist: Loyalty programs once only benefited the business traveler and the jetsetter who stayed frequently enough to accrue huge amounts of points. Not anymore – programs like SPG’s now only require 50 or 75 nights a year to accrue major status (easy for the moderate to heavy traveler) and your credit card can even earn you rewards. Some programs, like Kimpton and Delta, even give you extras like free internet just for signing up to be a loyalty program member – before even your first night’s stay.

Have another tip we haven’t listed? Share it in the comments, below.

[flickr image via Wolfgang Staudt]

Gadling gear review – Wordlock luggage lock

by Scott Carmichael on

Hands up if you ever arrived at your destination (or back home) and couldn’t remember the 4-digit combination to your luggage. Wordlock is a product that could finally make locking and unlocking your luggage a lot easier.

The lock uses 4 letter dials to protect your luggage instead of dials with numbers. The lock has 10,000 possible combinations (same as with numbers) which means you can pick words like TEST, BYTE or HATS to safeguard your items.

The locks support the Travel Sentry key system, which means TSA inspectors will be able to open the bag without pulling out their bolt cutters.

Each lock is made of sturdy vinyl coated metal with a 1 1/2″ shackle. The locks are available in 5 colors (seen above) and retail for $9.99. The locks are are available directly from the Wordlock site and in store or online at several major retailers.

What to pack: Going light doesn’t have to mean going without

by Kraig Becker on

Jeff White had a love for travel, that much we all knew. But he also love to share his experiences, and the wisdom he gained while traveling, with the rest of us. I enjoyed reading everything Jeff wrote, but I especially loved this post in which he shared his packing tips. It seems no matter how much you travel, you can always pick up a few new handy tricks to make your next trip a bit easier. That’s what this post meant for me, and I appreciated Jeff’s insights. I hope you will too, and remember him the next time you’re packing your carrying on bag.

Given all the fees airlines are levying against passengers for baggage these days, it’s never been more important to think about how you pack and look for ways to go lighter.

Indeed, baggage fees are probably the best thing to have every happened to the one bag, carry-on movement. Even if people slim down their packing just to save money, they are bound to realize what die hard like packers have been saying for years: Lightening your load will keep you more flexible on the road and improve your travel experience. Once you go light you won’t go back.

But does going light have to mean going without?

Ultra-minimalists would say yes, because they’re goals in terms of packing are a little different than your average traveler. They go super light and super small (in terms of luggage), which they maintain gives them the maximum amount of freedom on the road.

I respect these types of travelers, the kind who travel months on end with only a change of clothes (I’ve even done this myself). Most people, however, are not ultra-light packers and often worry when they read the packing lists of one, viewing such lists as a little unrealistic.

You can afford to bring a few more things and still feel comfortable that you’re going light. The key is to pick good gear that is functional and versatile.

Here is what I pack for a standard one-month trip, where I am out of cities just as much as in them. All this fits easily into one carry-on bag, with room to spare. This list is also flexible enough that I barely tinker with it going between cold and hot climates. If I was traveling for a few months or a year, the list would still look the same.

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Here’s what I bring:

  • 1 day pack
  • 1 fleece jacket
  • 1 rain jacket
  • 1 pair of shoes (wearing)
  • 3-4 techwik t-shirts (wearing one)
  • 4 shirts (wearing one): 2 wrinkle free cotton oxfords | 1 nylon long sleeve shirt | 1 nylon short sleeve shirt
  • 3 pants (wearing one): 1 nylon cargo pant | 1 nylon regular pant | 1 pair of khakis
  • 1 lightweight sweater
  • 1 toiletry kit
  • 1 waterproof pouch for notebooks, pens, travel documents, etc.
  • 1 iPod + small speakers

I’m also likely to pack a navy blazer if there are a lot of cities on my itinerary.

A note on the color black: A lot of my stuff is in black. I’m not a goth. I just don’t like to stick out too much when I travel and I find things in black are pretty nondescript.

Day Pack
A day pack is key, and it’s got to be compressible. There are a few on the market. Kiva makes a good one, for example. Mine is a Rick Steves’ Civita ($24.95). It’s pretty much as compressible as Kiva’s (mine fits into a small Eagle Creek PackIt cube), has enough room for a camera, books and fleece, plus it’s got water bottle holders, and it’s one of the cheapest available.

Fleece Jacket
Mine is a Eastern Mountain Sport Stretch with Gore Windstopper ($150), but pretty much any fleece will do. You want to make sure it’s at least 200 weight, and I recommend looking for those outfitted in Gore Windstopper with at least one horizontal pocket on the chest for your passport and other items you need easy access to.

Rain Jacket
The Marmot Precip ($100) is simply the best rain jacket you can buy for the money. It’s super lightweight, packs to nothing in your bag and keeps you dry against the hardest rainfall nearly as well as Goretex PacLite I never go anywhere without mine. In fact, when someone stole mine in Montenegro last year I was out of sorts until I was able to finally purchase another.

Shoes
The perfect travels shoe is pretty much the traveler’s white whale. Does one exist? There isn’t one clear suggestion for a travel shoe, though there are certainly some ridiculous ones. I’ve gone through a lot of recommendable ones (Merrill, Keen, Clark’s) but I usually return to Timberland’s SMART line of shoes. They have bomber soles, are waterproof (I treat mine with an additional coat of NikWax) and feel great both on the trail and street. They are on the heavy side, though. If I were traveling in a hot climate, say Asia or the Middle East, I’d probably swap them for a pair North Face M Ultra 104s. They’re super light and totally waterproof (they have a Gortex membrane). You lose a little bit of the style look, however.

T-Shirts
No matter where I’m going, I pack a few non-cotton T-shirts for my base layer — and you should do the same. First, they’ll wick away sweat, dry fast and deftly handle the odor that comes with wearing a shirt a few times without washing it. Second, they give you much more freedom in what you choose to layer over them (you don’t have to necessarily ditch cotton!) My pick are Eastern Mountain Sport’s TechWick t-shirts ($25). Why? Made of 100% polyester, they’re stylish on their own, do all the things a good base layer should and are not nearly as expensive as other options on the market. For really cold weather I choose a long sleeve version.

Shirts
I’m probably one of the few who maintain that the old fashion cotton oxford shirt is the best travel shirt going. For years I wore old Gap ones — they’re amazingly comfortable (nothing beats cotton in terms of comfort) in hot and cold weather, durable and inexpensive. But travelers like to hate on cotton — it tends to wrinkle too much and doesn’t dry quickly. Luckily, I’ve found the answer: I pack two LL Bean’s wrinkle-free cotton oxfords ($29.95 each), which are comfortable, look great even having been rolled up, and are treated with a membrane that makes them stain resistant and easier to dry. I also throw in a North Face nylon long sleeve ($55) shirt for more rugged duty, and a North Face short-sleeve nylon shirt ($45) for Happy Hour.

Pants
Jeans are the absolute worst thing you can pack: they’re a lodestone on your back and take days to dry. Instead, invest in a pair of North Face Paramount Convertible Pants ($65). They’re roomy, comfortable to travel in, 100% nylon and easily zip off into a pair of shorts (which you can use as a bathing suit). I like these pants because the cargo pockets rest on your thighs, not on your side, so they’re easier to get at and the pant bottoms do not bunch at the heel like other nylon pants; they go over shoes and hiking boots very nicely (there’s even a zip flap at the pant legs to make them fit over thicker boots). I also throw in a pair of North Face Trekker Pants ($65), also 100% nylon but with a slimmer fit and no cargo pockets (they’re my day to day pants). Finally, I pack a pair of basic khakis ($29.95 at Old Navy) for evenings. I like ON’s because they’re more rugged and inexpensive.

Sweater
I observed the sheer versatility of the Banana Republic Cashmere-Silk V-neck Sweater ($100) long before I owned one. My brother swore by his, wearing it everywhere from the beach after a swim (with wet trunks) to a hike to dinner to the theater. I can now say that it is the world’s best travel sweater: Ultra functional, thin and versatile, it keeps you warm in cold weather and is just about perfect for a cool evening in a warm climate. If you want to go less expensive, look for marino wool. If I’m going someplace really cold, I’ll swap this out for a beefier wool sweater.

Toiletry Kit
We’re talking shaving oil, razor, electric razor, toothbrush and deodorant — all of which fit easily into a small Eagle Creek PackIt cube. The rest I buy wherever I am.

Portable filing cabinet
I use a large Eagle Creek PackIt sack as a roving filing cabinet. It’s waterproof, so I put my notebooks, maps, travel documents, paperbacks and even my laptop, if I’m bringing it, in there and it keeps everything together.

Gadgets
I am not a gadget guy, and I honestly don’t understand those who insist on traveling with all the cords, adaptors and chargers that gadgets require. I make an exception for an iPod (or any MP3 device), easily the most useful gadget you can have for forging connections with different people. I throw in a very small, cheap set of portable speakers ($7), which work surprisingly well on just a few batteries. If I am traveling on assignment and have to take a laptop, digital camera and voice recorder, my small amount of accessories fit into a Eagle Creek toiletry case.

Did I leave out anything essential?

No discounts for rental cars

by Tom Johansmeyer on

There’s still money in rental cars, according to the latest from the New York Times. In May, the average rental rate (airport) for a compact ride was $345.99 for a week – as long as you booked it seven days in advance. That’s an increase of 73 percent from $199.65 in May 2008, according to Abrams Consulting Group, which watches this stuff. As of mid-June, the 2008-to-2009 change was narrower: $210.38 to $347.44 (up 65 percent).

The price increases, it seems, are our own fault. Demand is down 15 percent, which forces the rental car companies to cut their fleets back – ultimately engineering a shortage that pushes up prices. So, if we were renting more cars, they would be cheaper.

One of the side-effects of this dynamic is that cars are staying in the rental fleets longer. Remember when you’d never see a rental car with more than 30,000 miles on it? Well, don’t count on that threshold any more. The average rental car’s age is now up to 11 months – that has to be forever in dog years – as companies try to extract as much value from each ride as possible.

There are a few ways you can find a cheaper rental car, which you can learn after the jump.

Start looking early. If a rental car company isn’t sold out for when you want it (always a possibility), you’ll pay a fortune for the little remaining inventory.

Skip the airport lots. You could wind up paying an extra 30 percent that way. Head into the local city instead – or even better, the ‘burbs. A friend of mine used to manage a rental car location outside Boston and used to tell me just how accommodating they would be: discounts, pickup and drop-off and so on.

Don’t be afraid to upgrade. The last thing you want to do is sink even more money into this endeavor, but a few extra dollars can go a long way, especially if you need to be comfortable on a long road trip.

Want more tips? Read the original article in the New York Times.

Airline baggage fees continue to climb

by Scott Carmichael on

What started with a single airline charging passengers to check their second piece of luggage has slowly evolved into a massive money making scheme netting some airlines as much as $1 Billion in additional cash.

The state of airline travel now means there are just a handful of airlines that do not charge for additional bags, and those airlines that do charge you, are getting so greedy that they are actually raising their prices again.

At the moment, United Airlines and US Airways charge $15 for the first checked bag, and $25 for the second – that fee is about to go up an additional $5 for passengers who do not prepay to check using the airline website.

Delta and Northwest (the same airline now they have completed their merger) will be charging an insane $50 for the second checked bag on international routes.

The only major airline that has (so far) resisted the urge to charge for checking bags, is Southwest. This low cost carrier has even launched a massive TV advertising campaign promoting the fact that they offer free checked baggage on their flights.

Bottom line is that a family of 4, each carrying 2 bags will pay as much as $500 if they fly abroad on some airlines. The only solution to the problem is to bring less stuff, or try and stuff as much as possible into the overhead bin.

A well maintained airline baggage fee chart can be found over at the site of Airfarewatchdog.com.

What strange things have been found on planes?