More travel deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Book a stay at Hawaii's Kona Village and get an $800 flight credit

Book a stay at Hawaii's Kona Village and get an $800 flight credit originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

RoomAtlas mashes Google maps with hotel prices and reviews originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Top ten alternative lodging options

Top ten alternative lodging options originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A week away is nice, but nothing beats a month. New rates from Watercolor Inn & Resort and WaterSound Beach put you comfortably on Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast for incredibly reasonable rates, and the amenities available are fantastic. Let the migration begin!

The digs you can reserve at Watercolor range from one bedroom to seven, all fully furnished and with upscale, cutting-edge kitchens and laundry facilities. And, for the workaholics, there's complementary high-speed internet access. So, you'll never have to be far from the folks who are ultimately paying for your getaway. Free bike, kayak and canoe use is available as well. But, that's nothing compared to what happens at the spa. Book a month-long retreat, and you'll be able take advantage of discounted treatments.

Golfers will be thrilled with their stays at these resorts. For only an extra $395 per month, you'll get unlimited access to Greg Norman-designed Shark's Tooth Golf Club, Camp Greek Golf Club by Tom Fazio and Love III, which was designed by Origins. That's a hell of a lot of golf at some outstanding courses.

Here's the best part: WaterColor vacation homes start at a mere $1,700 a month, with WaterSound Beach rentals available for as little as $1,200 a month. There's no reason to take off for only a week -- not with rates like these.

A month at WaterColor is cheaper than ever originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The best travel deals don't happen on Black Friday. Instead of rushing out to the nearest big box store to do battle with the other crazy shoppers, pull the trigger by November 20, and get a trip to Keystone, Colorado. Book your stay for between December 19 and 26, and you could score rates as low as $101 a night -- 50 percent off the usual rate! The deal works at Keystone Lodge & Spa and the Inn at Keystone, not to mention the condos at Lakeside, Evergreen, Soda Ridge and Aspen Ridge (from studios to two-bedroom suites).

This is a sweetheart deal. For skiers, booking a room for Christmas week by November 20 is a no-brainer, and non-skiers can have a blast, too. Ice skating, dining and shopping are available, and the complimentary Adventure Passport provides free and discounted access to plenty of activities on and off the slopes.

Keystone offers a better alternative to holiday shopping originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It took $100 million in renovations, but The Pierre is now open ... an occasion celebrated almost immediately with a AAA rating of Five Diamonds. The Pierre is now among only 113 hotels in North America and the Caribbean. Set just up from the corner of Central Park South and Fifth Ave and with amazing views of the park, The Pierre is inches from any luxury offering you could possibly want.

Heiko Kuenstle, the hotel's general manager, says, "We are honored to receive this award in our first year of re-opening," which he describes as "a tribute to our staff and our pursuit of excellence." Kuenstle continues, "Our determination, from the moment we took over management of this hotel in 2005, has always been to be recognized as among the very best hotels in New York -- which of course is tantamount to ranking among the world's best. We say that with a full understanding that our job now only gets harder and that is to live up to the five diamond rating, every day and in every interaction with every guest."

Continue reading The Pierre spends $100 million for five diamonds

The Pierre spends $100 million for five diamonds originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Tahiti's Top 5 Resorts

Tahiti's Top 5 Resorts originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Babymoons are hot. Every major resort is looking for a way to get in on the action ... and why not? Moms-to-be are carrying all that extra weight, coping with the effects on their bodies and dream of a place where they can be pampered for a little while. Pregnancy massages take up the space between fantastic meals, and mom finds a bit of bliss. The guys don't lose with this arrangement either. It's a last chance to take a vacation and focus on the people who soon will be called "the parents," even by their own friends. Dad can have a few cocktails while mom sits in the sun.

But, eventually, it comes to an end. The car comes to the resort, and the revelers return to the airport, go home and resume normal life. It's all finished far too quickly, and in a few months, life changes forever.

What's interesting is that the babymoon may be over, but the effects can linger for months. After lying dormant for a while, they provide relaxing thoughts when you need them most - right after your kid is born. My wife and I went you ours around five months ago, and I'm still feeling the residual effects now. Of all the travel I've done this year, those four days remain the smartest.

Most travel writers focus on the immediate benefits of a babymoon. That doesn't do you much good when the kid has arrived, so here are four reasons you'll be happy you went on a babymoon, even months after you've returned from it.

Gallery: Guestrooms at Curtain Bluff

Continue reading Four reasons why your babymoon matters five months later

Four reasons why your babymoon matters five months later originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If these questions make you feel ignorant, you're not alone. Michael Lynn, a prof at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, has conducted to nationwide tipping surveys and has found that a third of the respondents don't know to leave 15 percent to 20 percent of the tab at a restaurant. Throw hotels and drivers into the mix, and it's unsurprising that the rules aren't understood as clearly as they could be.

So, USA Today and I are helping you know what to tip and when. A recent article by Gary Stoller provides some good ideas, and I've tossed in a few of my own.

Continue reading Tips for tippers: it isn't what you expect

Tips for tippers: it isn't what you expect originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The chill hasn't quite crept into the air yet, but it's coming. We know it's coming. So, instead of waiting for the frost to form on your windshield, line up your next trip to the tropics now, and be ready to take off as soon as it starts to get cold. A new RockResort hotel is about to open in the Dominican Republic and is waiting for you to show up, kick back and soak in the sun.

The Balcones del Atlantico will be the second RockResort to open in the Caribbean, following the first, The Landings in St. Lucia. When it opens in February, the resort will boast 86 two- and three-bedroom villas that are integrated into the natural surroundings.

Paul Toner, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of RockResorts and Vail Resorts Hospitality, says, "Building on the tremendous success of The Landings St. Lucia, A RockResort, which opened two years ago, we were eager to expand in the Caribbean region." He continues, "We look forward to managing this island resort and sharing with our guests the iconic beauty of the Dominican Republic, and the exceptional guest service that RockResorts is known for at all of our properties."

Gallery: Balcones del Atlantico, RockResorts

RockResorts set to arrive in Dominican Republic originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As excitement for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver builds, most people who haven't planned ahead are looking for last minute accommodations for the event and finding rates to be quite pricey. During the Games, costs will be as high as the demand, but it seems that in the weeks leading up the event, there are plenty of deals to be had.

Right now though December 17, Whistler-Blackcomb, the official Alpine Skiing venue for the Games, is offering the third night free at many of its best resorts and hotels. The average nightly rate with the promotion works out to just $66 (CAD) for many properties in Whistler Village. Package deals that include two nights of lodging and two days of lift tickets start at $103 per person per night through December 21.

Travelzoo has put together a comprehensive list of the other discounts available in the area and the deals don't stop at accommodations and skiing. Flights, shuttles, and activities like snowmobiling are also on sale.

The games run February 12-28, and chances are they'll be even more discounts announced between now and then. So if you've got your heart set on a winter wonderland vacation in Vancouver but don't have a fortune to spend, plan your visit just before the Olympics to take advantage of these great deals.

Score deals to site of 2010 Olympics now originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Prevention is really the only course of action at your disposal. Otherwise, you're left waiting for someone else to notice the problem and pull you out of your rut. For lone road warriors, unfortunately, regular exposure to anyone is rare. Clients are most likely to realize the situation, but that's more likely to result in a call to your boss than to you. Your extrication from the perils of solo business traveler life thus could come at the cost of a ding to your career. To avoid this, you'll have to be, as the management gurus say, "proactive."

Your sanity and livelihood are on the line. Fortunately, you're inherently equipped to protect yourself, and the travel environment offers much that you can use. However, both your mind and the hotel offer plenty in the way of temptation, so try to stay on an even keel.

Here are six ways to ward off hermitdom for the solo business traveler:

Continue reading Don't become a hermit: eight tips for solo business travelers

Don't become a hermit: eight tips for solo business travelers originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The message is clear: shape up or ship out.Up to 300 Holiday Inn hotels could be booted from the brand if their owners don't get their respective acts together. Intercontinentals Hotel Group has told them they need to get on board with an enormous improvement plan by February 1, 2010.

Does 300 sound like a lot? It is. In fact, it's 12% of the 3,300 hotels that fly the Holiday Inn flag. The holdouts haven't begun to play ball with the brand's requirements, which include new bedding, pillows and towels -- not to mention modern music, a renovated lobby and green uplighting on the exterior. The total package is expected to cost around $1 billion.

Kevin Kowalski, brand chief for Holiday Inn, made clear how flexible the mother ship is willing to be: "We're not changing the timing." So, he told the owners of these 300 hotels, "If you have a quality problem, fix it." Not doing so by the deadline will garner the hotel owners failure letters. Sound relatively harmless? Their banks will get them, too, which could trigger some hefty consequences.

IHG to 300 Holiday Inns: put up or shut up originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What's the happiest place on Earth? Well, Disney claims that title, but here's the problem: Utah does, too. If they were in different countries, no conflict would exist, but since they do, we have to sort this out.

A Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index recently released ranks Utah highest among all states in happiness. And, if that's not enough, Men's Fitness magazine ranked Salt Lake City fittest in America. So, the endorphins are firing, and Utah is thrilled. Want to get a little taste of this happiness?

The Gold Medial Podium Package celebrates Salt Lake's Olympic legacy. Skiers and snowboarders can hit the slopes while taking advantage of some great deals. Book a four-night vacation by December 15, 2009 -- including a Ski Salt Lake Super Pass -- at any of the 22 participating hotels, and your fourth day on the slopes and your fourth night in the hotel are free.

Eat, drink and ski happy in Salt Lake this winter originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tied to a chair and robbed in a five-star hotel originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Friday the 13th: a lucky day for booking a hotel reservation originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New England was made for the holiday season. Sure, it's a bit chilly up there in the winter, but bundle up, and it's impossible not to be sucked in by the charm of one of the oldest corners of America. If you're looking for a great way to maximize your spending power this Christmas (who isn't?!), check out five great ideas from New England Inns and Resorts. There's plenty of variety ... but little room for Scrooges.

Cut your own Christmas tree
This is a tough one if you're traveling any distance, and trying to cram a fir into the overhead bin will not help you win friends and influence others. But, if you're within driving distance, check out The Beachmere Inn in Ogunquit, Maine. The holiday package gets you two nights in an ocean view room and a fresh-cut Christmas tree from nearby Bragdon Farms. Fortunately, they'll wrap it and fasten it to your car. Back at the inn, you'll also get two hot chocolates and use of the sauna and spa - you'll need this to warm up a bit; Maine gets pretty cold.

Shop 'til you drop
At the White Mountain Hotel & Resort in North Conway, New Hampshire, you'll be close to the outlet stores (famous to anyone who grew up in an adjacent state). The package includes discount coupons to make the savings even greater, and you'll also get breakfast every morning (two-night stay required). So, instead of cramming into the local mall, dash off to do your shopping this year, and make it an experience worth remembering.

Continue reading Five ways to make a dollar go further in New England this holiday season

Five ways to make a dollar go further in New England this holiday season originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kimpton Hotels makes it personal with "MyStory" member profiles originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tourism experts say discounts, economic upturn will make 2010 a good year originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.