December 3, 2008

Hertz Expands Simply Wheelz Rental Program

Hertz has expanded Simply Wheelz, its low-price car rental service to Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami and West Palm Beach airports, with its latest addition—Las Vegas—that launched Dec. 1. The program was first introduced in Orlando in September 2007.

"Following the consumer popularity of our pilot program in Orlando, it's only natural we expand Simply Wheelz into additional leisure destinations," said Hertz CEO Mark Frissora.

Simply Wheelz renters book at SimplyWheelz.com, at major online agencies or through travel agents, where customers can choose among a limited vehicle selection that includes minivan, convertible and SUV options.

Renters use a self-service kiosk at the airport to print out the rental agreement before proceeding to their vehicle. Kiosk users can purchase add-on items such as a car seat, GPS device, fuel-purchase option and collision coverage.

"While there are numerous economic headwinds facing the American public, people continue to travel," Frissora added. "Trip dynamics are evolving, and Simply Wheelz targets the 60 percent of leisure travelers who now book their car rentals online, as well as those primarily focused on price."

For more information visit, www.SimplyWheelz.com

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November 26, 2008

Southwest Airlines Launches Rapid Rewards Dining Program

Southwest Airlines has launched Rapid Rewards Dining, a program enabling customers to earn frequent-flyer credits when dining at more than 9,000 establishments across the U.S. and Canada.

The free program allows members to register up to five major credit and/or debit cards to track all their purchases. Members receive a quarter-credit after the first $25 spent as an enrollment bonus, and then a quarter-credit for every $100 spent at participating restaurants thereafter.

The program does not require members to carry cards, print coupons or remember numbers. Instead, members will have access to an online account center to manage their credit/debit cards, view recent dining activity and see the current accumulated balance being applied toward future credits.

"We are extremely pleased to bring this service to all of our Rapid Rewards Members," said Ryan Green, Southwest Airlines Director of Customer Loyalty. "With this program, our Members can accumulate Rapid Rewards credits as they go about their daily lives. They just have to register their regular credit/debit card—and of course, there are no fees to join!"

To register, visit the www.rapidrewardsdining.com or call 800-771-7579.  

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November 19, 2008

St. Regis Opens in Mexico

Situated at Bahía de Banderas in the state of Nayarit in Mexico, Starwood Hotels and Resorts worldwide has opened The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort. Located just 50 minutes from Puerto Vallarta International Airport, the resort spans 22 acres and has 120 rooms, and is the first St. Regis property in Latin America.

The resort boasts three infinity pools with private cabana service, a fitness center, a private beach club, tennis courts, a Remede Spa and two Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses.

Each guest room features Remede bath amenities, flat-screen televisions with cable and high-speed Internet access and 24-hour, in-room private dining.

The St. Regis' three restaurants are Las Marietas, featuring Mexican cuisine; the Sea Breeze Beach Club, a relaxed bistro serving contemporary California cuisine, and Carolina, a Mediterranean-style restaurant highlighting seafood dishes.

For more information, visit the Starwood Hotels website

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November 12, 2008

SBE Opens SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills

Luxury brand SLS Hotels has opened its first property, the 297-room SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills. The hotel—a refurbishment of the former Le Meridien Beverly Hills—features designs and custom furnishings by renowned designer Philippe Starck, as well as a dining and retail area called the Bazaar by Jose Andres. The Tres restaurant, led by the Spanish chef, is part of the Bazaar, while lighter fare is served at Altitude, the panoramic pool deck.The SLS brand is owned by SBE, a Los Angeles-based company founded by entrepreneur Sam Nazarian. SBE also owns the Sahara Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, South Beach Ritz Plaza in Miami, Katsuya restaurant in Los Angeles, several nightclubs in Southern California including Hyde Lounge and S Bar, and the event production companies Bolthouse Productions and Element Films."With SLS, we are examining and rethinking every possible aspect of the luxury hotel experience to create an entirely new paradigm that is truly in tune with what sophisticated travelers want today," said Nazarian.

Starwood has been contracted to manage the new SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, as a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection.

Take a photo tour of the SLS at Beverly Hills

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November 5, 2008

Hyatt to Debut ANdAZ Boutique Brand in U.S.

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts will introduce its boutique brand, ANdAZ, in the U.S. in January 2009 at the former Hyatt West Hollywood in Los Angeles. With 250 rooms—including 20 suites—ANdAZ will offer a flexible and personalized experience beginning with the arrival process. Guests are welcomed into the ANdAZ Lounge, a non-traditional multi-use social space, where they "check-in" with an ANdAZ Host.Throughout the hotel, visitors will uncover unique details of the West Hollywood culture such as quotes from local neighborhood personalities, art installations from Los Angeles artists and impromptu music performances from some of the city's up-and-coming musicians. "We are pleased to announce that the first ANdAZ hotel in North America will be in a city as exciting and vibrant as West Hollywood," said Mark Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer of Global Hyatt Corporation. "Offering a warm, genuine, and relaxed hotel experience, ANdAZ West Hollywood will provide guests with a cultural playground in which to immerse themselves in the colorful lifestyle of the neighborhood."The Southern California hotel first opened in 1963 as Gene Autry's Hotel Continental, making it the first high-rise hotel on the Sunset Strip. The hotel later came to be known as "The Riot House," due to wild behavior by members of rock groups Led Zeppelin, The Who and The Rolling Stones.Renamed the Hyatt West Hollywood in 1997, the hotel currently remains closed for renovations through December 2008.

The first ANdAZ hotel, the ANdAZ Liverpool Street, opened in London in November 2007. Next year, Hyatt plans to open two ANdAZ hotels in New York City—one in midtown Manhattan and one downtown.

For more information, visit the Hyatt website

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Emirates Inaugurates Non-Stop Flights to Los Angeles

The ever-growing, ever-popular international Dubai-based airline Emirates landed its first non-stop flight from Dubai to Los Angeles on Oct. 27. The event was marked by a $3 million extravaganza at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Oct. 29, hosted by Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank. The event included a a four-course dinner prepared by Wolfgang Puck, as well as a concert by Latin pop sensation Ricky Martin.

The Dubai-Los Angeles flights take place on a Boeing 777-200LR with 266 seats in three available classes: First, Business and Economy. Service will initially take place three times per week—Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays—with daily flight services available upon the arrival of additional aircraft.

The 8,339-mile flight—the airline's first non-stop West Coast venture—takes 16 hours and 45 minutes from Dubai to Los Angeles, and just under 16 hours from L.A. to Dubai, with enough creature comforts offered to ensure a pleasant trip for all.

The plane offers eight private suites in First Class, 42 of its latest lie-flat beds in Business Class, and generous space for 216 passengers in Economy Class. Passengers in all classes are served meals prepared by gourmet chefs, with almost 1,700 hours of individual video and audio entertainment provided by the airline's award-winning ice digital widescreens.

A roundtrip ticket on a Los Angeles-Dubai introductory flight in Economy Class costs $1,600, while Business-Class and First-Class seats are $12,000 and $18,000, respectively. First-Class passengers will also receive Dom Perignon, while Business-Class passengers will receive Henriot Champagne.

Read more about Emirates' Dubai to Los Angeles service

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October 22, 2008

Sol Meliá Vacation Club to Unveil Latest Project in Dominican Republic

Sol Meliá Vacation Club (SMVC) is opening a new project, The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in December. The resort will feature 190 one- and two-bedroom lock-off units with modern upscale design, exotic Balinese beds, private hot tubs and direct access from the lower level patio units into a spectacular lazy river swimming pool. "The growth of this new project with its exciting lazy river concept and the larger, high-end accommodations continues to put SMVC as the forerunner in this exciting destination," said Denis Ebrill, Sol Meliá Vacation Club's new Executive Vice President. "Our members enjoy the best of both worlds with the blending of amenities, services and home-away-from-home accommodations." Paradisus Palma Real's five-star amenities and services includes first-class spa treatments, a custom fitness program, championship golf course, a large, gorgeous white, sandy beach with crystal-clear water, a variety of gourmet restaurants, specialty bars, a casino and nightly entertainment, supervised children's programs, daily adult activities, concierge service and 24-hour room service.

For more information, visit www.smvc.com

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October 20, 2008

Qantas Makes History with Inaugural A380 Service to Los Angeles

On October 20, 2008, Qantas became the first commercial airline to offer A380 service between the west coast of the United States and Australia when its inaugural flight landed at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The flight from Melbourne was greeted by Qantas Ambassador-at-Large and captain, John Travolta, Australian entertainer Olivia Newton-John and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The Qantas A380 is configured with 450 seats in four cabins and is being touted as an environmentally friendly airplane, as well as being fuel efficient and offering reduced noise to neighborhoods around the airport. Mayor Villaraigosa says that LAX spent $1 billion on upgrades to the airport to accommodate the A380 flights, which is the largest aircraft ever to fly commercially.

To read more on the story, click here

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October 14, 2008

A Mammoth Development

Horizon Air, part of the Alaska Air Group, recently announced a daily nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Mammoth Mountain beginning December 18, 2008. Alpine skiing enthusiasts will be pleased to have a more convenient option to access this upcoming resort in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which also happens to be approximately a half-hour drive to Yosemite National Park. In the past, visitors have been faced with a five-hour drive (sometimes up to eight hours, due to traffic and road conditions) to reach the challenging ski slopes from Los Angeles, but this new service will get them there in about an hour.

“The airport is in a great location for reliable winter operations, the new terminal building is going to be comfortable and user-friendly, they have ground transportation all worked out, and the ski resort, of course, is fabulous and more than ready to accommodate visitors who arrive by air," says Dan Russo, Horizon's vice president of marketing and communications.

This new route is expected to be a welcome boost to tourism by allowing inbound travel via LAX from airports around the world. “The addition of commercial air service to Mammoth represents a big step toward realizing our shared vision to become a destination resort community,” says Rusty Gregory, CEO of Mammoth Mountain.

The Bombardier Q400 turboprop, which will service the route, is one of the most technologically advanced regional aircrafts and features ample headroom, oversized storage bins and no middle seats. All Horizon flights feature complimentary drinks, including beer and wine from the northwest.

Horizon is offering introductory fares of $79 each way on select days, but regular fares will start as low as $99. For now, the service will extend through April 12, 2009, but sources close to the arrangement say service will likely be extended later in the year due to the lengthy ski season at Mammoth, as well as the popular summer activities at the resort and nearby Yosemite.  Additional flights and service from San Francisco and Las Vegas are also being considered for 2009.

For more information, visit www.horizonair.com

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October 15, 2008

Red and Blue Hotel Promotions Mark Presidential Election

Hotels are hopping on the political bandwagon to mark the election year, with promotions ranging from red, white and blue cocktails to election-themed room deals.

W Hotels has partnered with Declare Yourself, a national non-partisan campaign that encourages voter registration. Guests can access Declare Yourself's registration aids online or via concierges. "Declare Yourself RED" or "Declare Yourself BLUE" packages are available at select U.S. W Hotels through Nov. 11, 2008. Packages start at $399 per night, and part of the proceeds go to Declare Yourself. Guests receive lodging, an elephant or donkey T-shirt, Democrat or Republican tote bag and two cocktails (the "Obama Pama," made with pomegranate liqueur, or the rum-based "10 Cane McCain").

The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C., is serving the Palin "Pit Bull" (made with Bacardi Limón rum, cranberry juice and Red Bull energy drink). The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common offers the "O'Bama … Irish Enough" quaff (a mix of Irish whiskey and other liquors).

Kimpton Hotels also has a campaign cocktail roster at the bar at the Topaz Hotel in Washington, D.C. that includes the "Double-Down Donkey" (citrus vodka, blue Curacao, sour mix and Champagne), "All-In Elephant" (rum, Amaretto, grenadine, lime, cranberry and orange juice), "Independent Player" (vodka and aloe juice) and "The Undecided Flight" (a bit of each). And starting Nov. 2, 2008, at Kimpton's 70 park avenue hotel in Manhattan, guests checking in can choose a complimentary Republican Red or Democrat Blue cocktail.

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October 8, 2008

Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel Opens

The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, the largest hotel in Arizona, has now opened following two years of construction.

"We are fully open and operating. The restaurant's open and we've already had a few people check in," said Steve Spivak, the property's director of sales and marketing.

The new hotel has 80,000 square feet of meeting space and a fitness center that was developed in partnership with Core Performance, an organization that trains elite athletes. Other amenities include an outdoor pool and sundeck, lobby bar and restaurant/lounge with outdoor seating.

The 1,000-room property is the first newly built hotel to open in downtown Phoenix since 1976, said a representative of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, a company which owns the Sheraton brand.

The hotel is located one block from the Phoenix Convention Center and five miles from Sky Harbor International Airport.

October 1, 2008

Beginning January 1, 2009, anyone who visits a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort theme park on their birthday in 2009 can gain free entrance.

The move is part of Disney Parks' "celebration vacations," which reflect a family travel trend that has seen Americans hitting the road to celebrate milestone occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and reunions.

"Birthdays are the one occasion that we all share every year," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "We thought a free birthday ticket would be the icing on the cake as we extend this new 'celebration vacation' trend to Disney Parks."

In addition, visitors will be able to customize their birthday celebrations in advance and can order everything from special dining, princess tea parties and yacht cruises to treasure hunting on a pirate sailing adventure, a quiet trail ride or parasailing thrills.

Add-on experiences that guests can choose to customize their "celebration vacation" include custom bakery cakes and signature desserts, sweetheart dinners for two, family portraits, personalized souvenirs, and a stay in a resort guest room decorated with confetti and banners.

For more information or to book a Disney "celebration vacation," visit www.disneyparks.com, or call (407) W-DISNEY.

Australia's flagship airline, Qantas, has received the first of 20 ordered Airbus A380s at a ceremony in Toulouse, France.

"When we ordered our A380 in 2000, we said that in addition to giving us the opportunity to reinvent our product, this revolutionary new aircraft offered capacity and operating savings, as well as environmental improvements. Everything we have seen since our initial order has reinforced this view," said Qantas Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon.

Internationally renowned designer Marc Newson created Qantas' A380 cabin. Typically, the A380 seats 525 passengers in three classes; however, Qantas' cabin is extra spacious with 450 seats (14 in First, 72 in Business, 32 in Premium Economy and 332 in Economy).

"The A380 sets the standards for the twenty-first century," said Airbus President Tom Enders. "More than three hundred eighty patents on board underline the aircraft's leadership in eco-efficiency and innovation and will allow Qantas to continue to grow whilst reducing its impact on the environment. We appreciate Australia's iconic airline sharing the A380 vision with us from the very beginning."

The four Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines will each deliver up to 72,000 lbs of thrust, contributing to the aircraft's overall fuel efficiency of less than three liters of fuel per passenger per 100 kilometers.

In related news, Qantas plans to expand its code share agreement with Alaska Airlines and its Horizon Air subsidiary in October. Qantas said it would begin code sharing on Alaska Air flights between Honolulu and Seattle and Anchorage.

With Horizon Air, Qantas would begin code sharing on Horizon's flights between Los Angeles and Flagstaff, Arizona; Boise, Idaho; and Reno, Nevada.

UPDATE: Qantas made history with its inaugural A380 flight to Los Angeles on October 20, 2008. Read more on the story here.