Four Seasons Hotels makes customer service list ... Rockin out at the airport

The U.S.marketing firm of J.D. Power and Associates issued its second annual list of Customer Service Champions, and Toronto-based Four Seasons made the travel list.

The company singled out five hotels in the travel category: Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Hampton hotels, Hotel Indigo and Drury hotels; a nice mix. In rental cars, they gave the nod to Enterprise and Ace rental cars, the latter a company I know nothing about. They also gave three airlines the thumbs up for customer service; Jet Blue, Southwest and Virgin America; none of them having much to do with Canada (sadly).

It's nice for Four Seasons, for sure. I haven't stayed in a lot of them, but the ones I've been to were exceptional, including the hotel in Santa Barbara, California and, shown at right, the Four Seasons Hong Kong. I had a drink with a guy from a major European-based hotel chain a year or so ago and we were talking about major hotel groups.

"I don't know," he said. "I think Four Seasons has lost their way."

J.D. Power and consumers appear to disagree...

The J.D. Power survey found that 52 per cent of consumers said they'd return to the customer service champion companies, and 58 per cent said they'd recommend them to friends. According to USA Today, only 37 per cent said they'd return to companies that didn't make the list, while only 38 per cent said they'd recommend them to friends.

Stuart Greif, vice president and general manager of Global Travel for J.D. Power, said customers preferred companies that provided value for the price, came up with innovative ideas and had friendly staff.

"If you just satisfy someone, it's not enough," he said. "It's really beyond satisfaction. It's being able to delight passengers and guests."

ROCKING OUT WITH AIRPORT TUNES

It seems a lot of American airports are getting into the music biz. An item in USA Today this week talked about how both Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports play music on the p.a. system; everything from rock to jazz to folk. They'll even toss in boogie-woogie piano tunes and the odd polka classic, which is kinda fun.

Austin, Texas goes one better, with 15 live performances a week by local bands in a city famous for music.

I think this is a great idea. I mean, we know Jann Arden (at left with the now-famous dog) doesn't like taking the train, so maybe she can do live performances at Pearson?

There's certainly no shortage of Canadian tunes that could be played on the sound systems at Canada's airports: The Guess Who, Neil Young, Sarah McLachlan, The Barenaked Ladies, Rush, Celine Dion (not for me, thanks), Blue Rodeo, The Tragically Hip, Drake. The list could, pardon the expression, go on and on.

WOW - OLYMPICS COMING UP FAST

London 2012 organizers say the first completed Games-time apartments in the Olympic and Paralympic Villages were unveiled today as the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) announced plans to deliver ‘gold medal standard’ athlete accommodation.

"The Village will be able to house up to 16,000 athletes and team officials during the Olympic Games, and 6,200 athletes and team officials plus 1000 referees and umpires during the Paralympic Games, from more than 200 teams around the world," officials said.

 

T.O. tops Canada charts, but we love to visit New York, Vegas and Chicago

You want a cheap hotel in a Canadian city? Try Cambridge, Ont. Looking to blow your budget? Camp out in a hotel in Kananaskis, Alberta.

The folks at hotels.com have issued their Hotel Price Index report for Canada and North America, and there's some cool stuff in there. For example, they found that the average hotel room in stunningly beautiful Kananaskis cost $244 last year, up 20 per cent from 2010 (why, I don't know). Rooms in Sun Peaks, BC saw prices jump a whopping 35 per cent; the highest increase in the country. Both were considerably pricier than the average room in Lake Louise, which was a relative bargain in 2011 at $209 - a drop of three per cent from 2010. Blue Mountain Ski Resort rooms in Ontario averaged $205, while rooms in Mont Tremblant, Quebec averaged $198.

But there are bargains o'plenty to be had. You won't get the same views, ahem, that you would in Kananaskis, but you can get a room in Cambridge for just $98 a night - the cheapest in Canada. Next cheapest was Campbell River, BC ($99), Welland, Ont. ($100), Langley B.C. ($101) and Bowmanville ($102). Personally, I'd spend the extra four bucks and stay in Bowmanville versus Cambridge, but I'm a guy who likes to live on the edge.

The Hotels.com folks also looked at the most popular Canadian destinations for folks to book a room. Tops was Toronto, followed by Montreal and Vancouver. International visitors, however, chose Vancouver over Montreal for second spot. Rooms in Toronto last year jumped five per cent but still come in at the cheapest of the big three, averaging a very modest $142 a night. Vancouver prices increrased three per cent last year to $144 average, while Montreal hotels climbed to two per cent to average $151. Still, those are all pretty close, and a good deal compared to many international cities.

If you look at the Hotels.com study, it seems more Canadians are booking rooms for the U.S. than they were in 2010; perhaps holding back on international travel in favour of something more affordable. In 2010, there were six cities outside North America in the top 20 for Canadians to book for a hotel stay; London, Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, Barcelona and Tokyo. Only four cities outside North America were on that list in 2011, with Barcelona and Tokyo dropping out.

New York was number one last year, followed by Las Vegas. The big news, perhaps, is that Chicago jumped to number three for top U.S. destination last year; a leap from the number 10 position in 2010.  That's pretty good, but we've been hearing tons of great things about Chicago lately.

Here's a look at the top 20 hotel-city destinations for Canadians (outside of Canada) for 2011:

1. New York (anything you could want)

2. Las Vegas (and more)

3. Chicago (second city - not any more)

4. Seattle (great culture and scenery)

5. Orlando (no surprise)

6. San Francisco (scenery, food, wine, culture)

7. Boston (history, great walking city)

8. Los Angeles (much more than movie stars)

9. London (Olympics ratcheting up the tourist trade)

10. Paris (still the best place in Europe)

11. San Diego (best weather in California)

12. Miami (fun, fun, fun)

13. Honolulu (beaches, sure, but also great food and culture)

14. Newark (a surprise to me)

15. Rome (so many great places to see)

16. Fort Lauderdale (a gem on the Atlantic coast)

17. Anaheim (mostly Disney)

18. Hong Kong (one of the world's great cities)

19. Washington DC (great food, neighbourhoods)

20. Atlantic City (also a surprise, unless you're a gambler, I guess)

There's tons of other great stuff in the hotels.com world study. They found that the most expensive countries in the world to visit were the Maldives at $541 per night, followed by French Polynesia ($374) and the Seychelles ($372). The most expensive "cities" were Bora Bora (really an island, not a city) in French Polynesia at a whopping $699, followed by Cap Estate, St. Lucia ($473) and Paynes Bay, Barbados ($472).

Think room costs spiralled in your favourite city? Hotels.com says prices jumped an incredible 71 per cent in Florianopolis, Brazil, rising to an average of $223. Average rates across Brazil rose 12 per cent last year to $222. Double digit price hikes also took place in Chile and Peru.

On the positive side (for consumers), prices in Cambodia - already a cheap destination - fell 20 per cent, while hotel rooms in Egypt and Jamaica fell 13 per cent. The study found the average hotel room in Jamaica last year was $160 - only $58 a night more than Bowmanville. And the beaches in Jamaica are just a little better, too.

Looking for affordable, five-star luxury? Hotels.com says the best deal on the planet last year was Warsaw, Poland (see photo at left), with a five-star hotel room costing an average of $148. Hey, that's 50 bucks more than Cambridge! Second was Marrakech, Morocco (and that's pretty exotic) at $166, followed by Brussels, Belgium at just $168. Five-star luxury in a city with the architecture and style of Brussels for just $168 is pretty impressive, I'd say.

More of a four-star person? I've been saying this for months, but it's interesting to see you can get a four-star hotel in Bangkok for just $98 a night and one in Warsaw for an average of $99. Willing to slip to a 3-star? That'll cost you just $50 a night in Bangkok - $20 less than what I paid for a cab ride from Pearson to 1 Yonge St. the other day.

 

 

 

Vancouver rocks the Trip Advisor 2012 hotel awards ... World hotel prices rising

Either nobody who uses Trip Advisor comes to Toronto, or our hotels really suck in this town.

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. And I know that we have some mighty fine hotels in the T-dot. But, hoo boy, does British Columbia ever take us to the woodshed on the new Trip Advisor Travelers' Choice hotel ratings for Canada. Ditto for Quebec.

The newest ratings, out a couple days ago with little fanfare, show the top-rated hotel in the true north, according to Trip Advisor site users, is L'Hermitage in Vancouver (see photo below right). "Sublime," wrote a woman, Laura C., from Calgary. "Everything seems to be on a more human scale. The rooms are excellent. The service is brilliant. Nothing is rushed.”

In second spot was Auberge Le Vincent in Quebec, followed by Echo Valley Ranch and Spa in B.C. and Sonora Resort on Sonora Island in B.C., which apparently you reach by helicopter (la and dee and dah). Gotta admit I'd never heard of it, but it looks impressive on paper/web.

B.C. took the 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 spots in the top 10. Quebec had #2 and #10. Ontario? Our first mention was way down at 16, the Harbour House in Niagara-on-the-Lake (which always seems to get top ratings for some reason). Next from Ontario was Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, a deserving number 18, followed by the Cambridge Suites in Toronto in the 21st spot. It's not fancy, but the rooms are big and it's RIGHT downtown; an ideal family spot. Next was the new Ritz Carlton on Wellington, perhaps the top hotel in Toronto but not affordable for many folks, at #22.

And that was it. No Hazelton. No Thompson. Nothing else for the Big Smoked. And, surprisingly, nothing else for Niagara, at least not in the overall hotel category.

Here's the full top 25 hotel for Canada in case you want to put it on your fridge - or maybe in your birdcage: 1. L'Hermitage, Vancouver, 2. Auberge Le Vincent, Quebec, 3. Echo Valley Ranch and Spa, B.C., 4. Sonora Resort, B.C., 5. Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, 6. Opus Vancouver, 7. Wedgewood Hotel and Spa, Vancouver, 8. Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier, North Vancouver, 9. Abigail's Hotel, Victoria, 10. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City, 11. Hotel Le Clos St. Louis, Quebec City, 12. Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre, B.C., 13. Nita Lake Lodge, B.C., 14. Shangri-La, Vancouver, 15. Four Seasons Whistler, 16. Harbour House, Niagara-on-the-Lake, 17. Magnolia Hotel and Spa, Victoria, 18. Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, Toronto, 19. Brentwood Bay Resort and Spa, B.C., 20. Sundial Boutique Hotel, Whistler, 21. Cambridge Suites, Toronto, 22. Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, 23. Hotel Quintessence, Tremblant, Quebec, 24. Hotel Le Crystal, Montreal, 25. W Hotel, Montreal.

For those keeping score at home, that's 15 for B.C., six for Quebec and four for Ontario. Notice there's nothing for Banff or Jasper or Calgary/Edmonton and nothing for the prairies in general and nothing east of Quebec City.

I do wonder about these things. I understand the fancy spots such as the Ritz are going to suffer from a site such as Trip Advisor, which is built on mass appeal. And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's kinda refreshing that they also do budget hotels and other categories. It's just that it seems awfully skewed, in this category, to Vancouver and B.C. Great places but there's not a chance that they have 60 per cent of the top hotels in Canada. Fifty eight or fifty nine? Maybe. But not 60.

The Cairns Motel in Summerside PEI (we wrote about it in the Star last year) came in at number one for bargain hotels in Canada. But at least Ontario was number five (the High Falls Motel and Cabins in Wawa). And Ontario was tops in the relaxation and spa category, with top honours falling (deservedly) to Ste. Anne's Spa in Grafton (see photo at left).

Ontario also fared well in the B and B/Inns category, with the two through five spots all inside the province (Britaly Bed and Breakfast, Niagara-on-the-Lake; Greystone Manor, Niagara Falls, La Toscana di Carlotta Niagara-on-the-Lake and Accomodations Niagara Bed and Breakfast, Niagara Falls).

SPEAKING OF HOTELS, MAYBE YOU SHOULD BOOK NOW

An item I spotted on travelmole.com (the European/UK edition) says global hotel rates rose by an average of four per cent in 2011. Hotels.com gathered information from 142,000 properties in more than 85 countries for their study, which shows some pretty remarkable and wild swings.

Asia, which is quite affordable in most cases already, found a two per cent dip in prices. Tunisia was down nine per cent due to political problems, while rooms in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh were down a whopping 30 per cent. Amsterdam hotel rates jumped nine per cent, while rooms in Venice and Barcelona rooms went up an average of eight per cent. Prices skyrocketed by 40 per cent in Ibiza (I have no idea why), but they fell 10 per cent in Athens.

The study said US hotel rates went up by an average of three per cent  in 2011, but the rise was steeper in some American cities, with San Francisco up 14 per cent and Las Vegas rising 11 per cent. Average prices rose 13 per cent in Australia last year and there was a 12 per cent increase in New Zealand, fuelled by the Rugby World Cup.

GENE SIMMONS ROCK AND BREWS RESTAURANT - SOUNDS TRULY AWFUL

Gene Simmons of KISS fame (horrible band, I think) is partnering with some restaurant folks and a concert promoter to develop something truly horrible sounding: Rock & Brews. It's labelled as a backstage beer garden, and I haven't a clue what that means except there's talk of capturing the excitement of rock concerts, along with "The Great Wall of Rock" with posters and rock shows on flat screen TV's.

Okay, it might be halfway decent as long as they ABSOLUTELY FORBID showing anything by KISS, AC/DC or Rush.

The first one (OMG, they may have more???) will be in El Segundo, California - south of LAX. More are planned for Denver, Atlanta, Lahaina Maui (please, no), Tokyo and Los Cabos in Mexico.

Haven't we been through all this with Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood? And don't you wonder if a place with Simmons' name on it will have tongue on the menu?

 

 

 

Everyone's after the Chinese ... Prince Charles is calling ... Atlantic City gamble

When U.S. President Barack Obama was in Florida a few weeks ago to talk about boosting tourism to his country, he mentioned Brazil and China as key markets.

When Toronto talks about hiking its tourism numbers, China often comes up.

And, this morning, there's an interesting item in the news in Australia about how the Aussies are ramping up their efforts to lure more Chinese tourists.

The Aussies, in fact, have a 10-year marketing plan for China and it paid off last year, with a 15 per cent increase in visits (up to 558,000). But those efforts are geared mostly to the big three cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, which are believed to have something like 38 million residents, and now the nation's tourism folks are doing research into China's so-called "secondary cities," many of which are larger than New York City.

The News in Australia said the research is being done on 13 secondary cities, including Shenzen (next to Hong Kong, with 13 million people), Tianjin (12 million-plus), Suzhou (11.7 million) and Hangzhou (8.7 million).

First of all, it still amazes a westerner to see so many huge Chinese cities I know very little - if anything - about. I've heard of all the above but couldn't begin to tell you where most of them are in China. I remember talking with a tour guide I had in Shanghai a couple years ago. I asked him where he was from and he said, "Oh, it's a small village a couple hours from here." I asked him how large it was and he said, "Only 100,000 or so." And that's considered a small village.

The second thing that occurs to me on a Monday morning is that it's all well and good to pursue the Chinese market, but not EVERYONE can lure 50 per cent more Chinese tourists next year. Someone is going to be disappointed if they think they can keep ratcheting up numbers. The Chinese market is immense but there still are restrictions on folks who want to travel outside the country, and the economy in China isn't in such great shape these days.

PRINCE CHARLES WANTS YOU

The Prince of Wales has agreed to be the patron for the first ever English Tourism Week, which takes place this week. Operators across England, including theme parks, stately homes and local museums, are running special activities to help promote English tourism.

It's a big year for England, what with the London Olympics this summer and 2012 being the Queen's Diamond Jubilee; a celebration of her 60th year on the throne.

A NEW BOARDWALK EMPIRE?

Atlantic City has seen some hard times. But they're betting on a huge new complex to make a difference.

A new, $2.4 billion complex called the Revel is set to open early next month at the southern end of the Boardwalk in the New Jersey city. USA Today describes it as an "ultra-contemporary, curvy glass-and-steel oceanfront complex " and says it's the most costly resort ever in Atlantic City.

It's hoped the resort will bring in a new, upscale clientele. Some 500 of the total of 1,898 rooms (not quite a boutique hotel) will open April 2, with floor to ceiling windows of the town made infamous lately by the fabulous show Boardwalk Empire with Steve Buscemi. There's a "plush casino with burlesque stage and electronic table-game pit, plus a party pool run by a Las Vegas entertainment group," USA Today said.

 

Condition normal with Air Canada ... Chicago puts on a great show in Toronto

I hate to see workers lose the right to take job action. But, faced with both a potential strike by ground workers AND a potential lockout of pilots on the Monday of March Break, I guess I can see how Labour Minister Lisa Raitt on Thursday opted to put the (air) brakes on.

In case you somehow didn't know, Raitt on Thursday referred both issues to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, thus ending any chance of Monday madness in Canadian skies.

Her move on Thursday came just hours after Air Canada served formal notice it intended to lock out the airline’s 3,000 pilots at 12:01 a.m. Monday, coinciding with the strike date set by the machinists’ union, which includes 8,600 baggage handlers and mechanics. It would've meant chaos during a hugely popular time for travel in Canada, and Raitt said a work stoppage was “unacceptable” because it would threaten to damage the fragile economy and interrupt March Break holiday plans.

So that's one less thing to worry about. The radio this morning had an Air Canada check-in agent at Pearson saying it was business as usual. "Yeah," she said. "People are arriving at Terminal 1 for flights on Delta in Terminal 3 and they're blaming me for it. It's situation normal, all right."

MY KIND OF TOWN, CHICAGO IS

The folks from Chicago were in town on Thursday for an event at The Windsor Arms, telling us how important Toronto and the Canadian market are to them.

"We're really excited to get back in the market," said the executive director of tourism, Cathy Domanico. "It's long overdue."

U.S. Consul General Kevin Johnson said Chicagoans have for years spoken in a polite, Midwestern voice.

"That's good for people, but bad for marketing," he said with a grin, explaining how the city is now taking a much more aggressive stance about attracting visitors. 

Tourism officials say the city has a wide array of attractions and features, including:

- Thirty ethnic groups of 25,000 people or more

- Three of the top ten hotels in the U.S. and the number one (The Waldorf-Astoria, formerly the Elysian) rated hotel in the country.

- The top rated restaurant in the U.S., Alinea, which also is rated number six in the world.

- Five Tony-Award-winning theatre companies

- 26 miles of shoreline, almost all of it wide open with many great beaches right in town.

Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper, with incredible architecture. Not to mention museums, public art, parks, blues and jazz clubs and that fabulous waterfront we wish we had here in Toronto.

We know about Second City, of course, but the theatre scene also is fabulous, said Warren Wilkinson, senior vice president marketing and communications for the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.

"People ask us where to find the best theatre, and we say 'Go to 42nd St. (in New York), turn left and go 900 miles," Wilkinson said.

Food and drink are huge, of course.

"We have cuisine for the finest palettes, but you also can get a cold beer and deep dish pizza," Wilkinson said.

Domanico said Chicago attracted 39.2 million visitors in 2011 and is hoping for 50 million by 2020. International visitors are the greatest opportunity, with 3.2 million of them last year. And Canada's their biggest hope, being so close and all. And Toronto, of course, is the biggest prize in Canada.

For more information, go to www.choosechicago.com. For information on Illinois, check out www.enjoyillinois.com.

NO SIGNS OF A MEXICO SLOWDOWN?

This item courtesy of the CBC:

A recent slew of violent attacks on tourists in Mexico has done little to derail interest in the country as a favoured travel destination for winter-weary Canadians, a top Mexican tourism official says.

Last year marked a record-breaking year for tourism in Mexico, with 22.67 million international travellers visiting the country, the Mexican tourism board said.

Canada is an important source of visitors, second only to the United States, said Rodolfo Lopez Negrete, chief operating officer of the Mexico Tourism Board.

In 2005, the number of Canadians who travelled to Mexico reached 794,000, and the figure has risen every year since, according to Statistics Canada. Lopez Negrete said the number of Canadian visitors to Mexico is expected to be "scratching the 1.6 million mark" for 2011, more than double the number in 2005 and a record.

 

 

Air Canada issues notice to lock out pilots Monday: Ottawa likely to intervene

Well, that didn't take long.

Less than two hours after Air Canada said it was issuing a notice of intent to lock out pilots on Monday, the first weekday of March Brea,, Labour Minister Lisa Raitt slammed on the (air) brakes.

Raitt today said there will be NO work stoppages on Monday. Meaning no lockout of pilots, and no strike by 8,000-plus machinists and baggage handlers.

As reported by the Star's Vanessa Lu, Raitt has "formally sent the two disputes to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, an echo of a similar move last fall when the flight attendants had threatened to walk off the job.

She told reporters in Ottawa of her decision, just hours after the airline served formal notice it would lock out its 3,000 pilots at 12:01 a.m. Monday, which coincided with strike deadline of machinists’ union."

More to come tomorrow, or tune into Lu's reports at www.thestar.com.

NEW YORK HUNGRY FOR YOUR CHILDREN

Geez, they just last year passed the 50 million mark in tourism visits. And now New York City is hankering to rreach 55 million by 2015.

On Wednesday at a travel trade convention in Berlin, officials with NYC & Company, New York City’s tourism and marketing organization, said they'll be targetting the 18-29 age group in an attempt to draw another 1 million youths in the next five years as part of that Freedom 55 plan.

The city drew an estimated 15.1 million visitors in that age group last year - almost 30 percent of the City’s total visitor volume.

To reach the target, NYC & Company announced plans to launch NYC<30, along with an upcoming partnership with MasterCard to create “priceless” NYC experiences exclusive to MasterCard cardholders.

"NYC<30 encourages youth to travel to New York City with special value offers and by highlighting what makes the five boroughs a hub for young travelers. NYC<30 will be promoted through a micro-site on nycgo.com, social media and a commitment to working with the WYSE Travel Confederation, the world’s largest network of youth and student travel operators."

More details regarding NYC<30 will be revealed at a tourism conference in Los Angeles in April and then more later at a travel convention in London in November. For more information in the meantime, visit www.nycgo.com/under30.

As I was saying yesterday in this space (hey, I saw you sleeping in the corner, buddy; but this is important), New York is a city that's widely affordable for just about anyone if you make some adjustments; most notably on hotels. Subway and local buses are $2.25, although you can walk just about anywhere. Cabs are cheaper and more plentiful than Toronto. Many museums have free days. There's tons of cheap food around, especially if you walk a block or two from the main tourist areas and avoid trying to have lunch at the new, hip place in town. And many of the top experiences are either free or close to it; Central Park, the Staten Island Ferry, a walk through Little Italy or SoHo or Greenwich Village.

There are increasingly attractive hotel options in the boroughs, including in Queen's and Brooklyn. You can stay in fashionable places such as W hotels in the boroughs for considerably less than the same room in Manhattan, and you're a short ride from the major attractions. Increasingly, there are more attractions and fun neighbourhoods in those boroughs, too, especially places such as Park Slope, Williamsburg and DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) in Brooklyn. Check out Long Island City, too, in Queens.

A visitor can travel easily and affordably to all five boroughs by the City’s 24/7 subway and bus system. Granting access to every zone of the transit system, the fare for a subway or local bus ride is only $2.25, while a seven-day unlimited pass costs $29. The City also committed to launching a bike-share program, making it easier for visitors and New Yorkers to take advantage of the more than 1,100 kilometers of bike lanes across the five boroughs.

Last year, New York City and AT&T announced a five-year initiative to provide free WiFi in 20 parks across the five boroughs. Fourteen parks offer the free service, including Brooklyn Bridge Park, Battery Park, Central Park, Astoria Park and Clove Lakes Park. That's pretty cool, too.

BIKINI PARADE IN FLORIDA - THAT'S THE BEST WE CAN DO?

I was shocked - shocked - to see that Panama City, Florida had set a new world's record the other day for most participants in a Bikini Parade. Not shocked that a record was set, or shocked that it was set in Panama City, although Miami would've been a stronger bet had I thought about it, which I hadn't for at least a week. No, I'm shocked that the best they could do was a measly 450 women.

That's it? Sounds like a Newt Gingrich victory party crowd to me. Then again, they beat the previous record of 357in Australia last October, so I guess they should be proud....

I was thinking of trying a Speedo Parade in downtown Toronto for July sometime. I bet we could do better than 450 women in bikinis. But the show would not be pretty.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY - A DOOZY IN THE MAYAN RIVIERA

Whoa. THIS is a great deal from the folks at www.jaunt.ca (a subsidiary of Torstar, just so you know): a flight to Mexico and 7 nights at the Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda on the Mayan Riviera for just $599, plus $346 in taxes. Here's what you get:

• One-week all-inclusive accommodation at the 5-Star beach front BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
• Includes round trip flight from Toronto to Cancun, Mexico and transfers to/from airport to the resort
• Stay in a Deluxe Room, with air-conditioning, ceiling fan, 1 king-size or 2 double beds, huge spa bathroom with shower, hairdryer, TV, radio/alarm clock, coffee-maker, in-room safe, iron, balcony or terrace (maximum occupancy 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children)
• Enjoy all inclusive service with 3 meals daily plus snacks, option to dine at any of the 6 à la-carte restaurants (reservations required, based on availability), unlimited select domestic and international beer and cocktails
• On-site activities include 3 swimming pools with separate area for kids, 24hr Sports bar, two tennis courts, volleyball court, golf course, fully equipped gym, theatre and more
• $50 future travel voucher for Nolitours from Targetvacations.ca

Having just spent a week on the Mayan Riviera in February, and having paid more than twice that much for the pleasure, I can tell you this is a killer deal in my opinion. I haven't seen the resort, to be fair, but it looks terrific and I really liked the area in general.

There's tons of history nearby - ruins in Tulum and Chichen Itza and Coba, for three. The town of Playa Del Carmen makes for a fun shopping trip or a night excursion. There's great golf all around, and fabulous snorkeling and diving. And the freshwater cenotes are great for swimming or diving.

Yes, it's Mexico, but I have to say I felt perfectly safe on my trip and I don't hesitate recommending the area for a holiday. Yes, things could happen. But it's highly unlikely in what's deemed by most travel types to be the safest region in the country.

 

 

 

 

Orlando rated best value in American travel, but SF hotel prices on the way up

Thinking of your summer holidays? On a budget? The folks at Hotwire.com (based in San Francisco, and more on that in a minute) have announced their seventh annual Hotwire Travel Value Index study.

They named Orlando as the place to get the most for your holiday/vacation spending, with an overall Travel Value Index of 100 from a study that takes into account low prices for air, hotels and rental cars, discounts on those same items and affordable entertainment.

It's hard to argue with the Orlando findings. I've been a few times in the past and it seems to me you can always find a hotel for $70 or $80 a night, almost always with a pool and a shuttle to take you to the theme parks. And the parks are getting bigger and better each year, with the Harry Potter rides/park at Universal the most noted addition but also Legoland. Oh, yeah, and Disney of course.

The state of Florida did very well in this study, as Tampa (presumably including St. Petersburg and Clearwater/Dunedin) came sixth in the U.S. and Miami 10th, which is perhaps a tad surprising. Texas also did a great job, with Dallas coming third and Houston fourth.

Here's the full list with scores:

1. Orlando, 100

2. Atlanta, 98

3. Dallas Fort-Worth, 97

4. Houston, 93

5. Phoenix, 92

6. Tampa, 91

7. Denver, 84

8. Charlotte, 80

9.Albuquerque, New Mexico, 79

10. Miami, 79

If you're looking for summer holidays, I'd probably avoid most of these cities except Orlando, which is great for the kids (and a lot of adults) and possibly Tampa or Miami as at least they have the beach. The other cities are pretty darn warm in the summer, aside from mile-high Denver, which is a pretty good city to visit due to great restaurants, brewpubs and some fun shopping districts. Not to mention the nearby mountains and historic sights.

Of course, a lot of this is based on affordability. Which isn't necessarily the same thing as value. One of the glossy travel magazines I read regularly, it might have been Lonely Planet, rated New York and the U.S. northeast as one of the best values in the world a few months ago. It sounds silly in a way, but it's also kinda true. If you're in Toronto, New York is cheap to get to, especially with AIr Canada, WestJet and Porter in an airfare/public relations war over New York City. Hotels are more expensive than Orlando, for sure, but you still can find reasonable deals in the city for less than $200 a night. Theatre can be expensive, but there are plenty of lower-cost options. There are a billion inexpensive Italian and Thai and other restaurants all over Manhattan, some of the museums offer free days or discounts, and last time I checked it was free to walk through Central Park (see photo at left) and stroll up and down Fifth Avenue or gaze at the cast-iron buildings in SoHo or walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and check out the increasing hip areas on the other side of the East River.

Any big city can be cheap outside of perhaps Scandinavia. London has a slew of hotel rooms for $100 or less, some of them pretty decent in reasonable parts of town. Paris can be quite reasonable if you go a little away from the major tourist spots or don't mind a small room at a Best Western Hotel, almost all of which are clean and include breakfast. So check out the Hotwire list, but be sure to cast your eyes all over this wonderful world of ours. There are deals aplenty if you look around a little.

SAN FRANCISCO PRICES ON THE WAY UP?

On the other hand, I spotted an item in the San Francisco Chronicle the other day that said hotel owners are quite happy and that more good news is coming.

"Anything in San Francisco is in demand," Al Reay of Atlas Hospitality Group, a hotel industry research group, told Andrew Ross of the Chronicle.

Reay said hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area have enjoyed the largest revenue increases in the country during the recent recovery. The Chronicle story said sales volumes and dollar amounts being posted by SF hotels haven't been this good since 2007. Reay said the average increase last year was a solid 15 per cent and that numbers could be even rosier (for hotel people) in 2012.

"Rates are nowhere near maxed out," he said.

Just for fun, I went to one of the major websites this morning and looked for rooms in San Francisco for four nights, beginning Friday June 13th (heck, why not?). I found a room at the Handlery Union Square (pretty busy area but the room reviews were pretty decent) for $189. The Westin on Market Street had only limited rooms available but it was listed on Expedia for $204 per night; pretty good value. The Serrano, run by the high-end Kimpton group, had rooms for $239.

I like to occasionally steer adventurous folks (especially if you have a car) to the Seal Rock Inn, just steps from the beach and the wonderful Cliff House restaurant. I don't know what their vacancies are like right now, but in summer you can get rooms starting as low as $125.

It's an old-time, funky spot that bills itself as the city's only oceanfront, motor inn. I stayed there for a wedding a few years back and it was delightful, with a great little cafe and, wait for it, free parking. That's gold, Jerry, gold!

STARWOOD'S LUXURY HOTEL SPREE AND EUROPE BOOM

The folks at Starwood this week announced they'll open 25 new hotels in Europe this year. They just opened a W hotel in Paris and a Le Meridien (we have one in Toronto, the King Edward) in Istanbul, and they're planning a big push in Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.

Perhaps more interesting is that officials say Starwood has grown its luxury room count around the world by 75 per cent in the last four years. In 2012, more than 60 per cent of their new hotels will be in the luxury and "upper-upscale segment," and, yes, that's the first time I've ever typed out the phrase "upper-upscale." I mean, what's lower-upscale or medium-upscale? Worse, what's lower-lowscale?

The W hotels have been a big boon for Starwood all over the globe. They just opened the W Paris - Opera (see photo above left) and also have hotels in London, Barcelona, St. Petersburg and Istanbul. They'lll open the new W Milan this year and also their first ski resort, the W Verbier Retreat and Spa in Switzerland.

 THANKS TO WASHINGTON D.C. AND VIRGINIA BEACH

Oops, don't want to forget to say thank you to the tourism folks from Washington D.C. and Virginia Beach. They joined forces with Porter Airlines this week to throw an incredible, and I mean incredible, dinner at Le Germain Maple Leaf Square to celebrate Porter's soon-to-come flights from Toronto to D.C. (starting April 16).

Virginia Beach is a fun and lively spot a couple hours from D.C., with lots of great hotels and miles of beach for the kids. And D.C. is always an incredible destination, a real cross between the north and south with history galore, great shopping, fine hotels and an embarrassment of tourist sights; everything from the White House to the remarkable Smithsonian Institution to the powerful Lincoln Memorial. I always enjoy strolling and dining in Georgetown, which has a great waterfront (see photo above right).

An overlooked city, in some ways. But a definite must-see for Canadians and Americans alike.

 

 

 

 

Chicago: elephant in the room for Illinois tourism ... Folks scared of cruising?

It's a great problem to have. But still something of a problem.

The folks from Illinois tourism made a touchdown in Toronto on Monday to spread a little love in their largest foreign market. The U.S. ambassador to Canada was there, as was the consul general and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, an amusing speaker who has a touch of Mel Lastman whimsy about him but with more substance, I'd say.

It was all part of an effort to shine a light on the darker corners of Illinois, the ones that get perpetually shaded by the shadow of the Chicago elephant. I mean, think about it. I bet maybe five per cent of Canadians could name two cities in Illinois.

Urbana-Champaign is home to the University of Illinois and sounds appealling,with beautiful grounds and a real old-time college feel. Springfield is the capital and home of Abraham Lincoln, of course. I read about Cairo, Illinois in Huckleberry Finn, I think. It's where the Mississippi and the Ohio rivers meet, and it's always sounded somewhat exotic, although the photos I saw on the web make it look like folks There are not unfamiliar with the phrase "hard times."

I once drove through Rockford, a pretty area with rolling hills north and west of Chicago. But I'm as guilty as most Canadians, who probably define Illinois as that part of Chicago that's outside the downtown loop. I don't recall hearing it mentioned very often, but the slides they showed of the town of Galena, tucked way up in the northwest corner of the state, made it look awfully nice (see photo at right).

From the sound of things, we're missing a great deal. For example, there are 583 miles (count 'em) of Illinois frontage on the Mississippi River. I wouldn't have guess more than 200, and I'm a person who lies awake at night reading the atlas for fun.

The state also is home to more bald eagles than any other state in the U.S. except Alaska, and, according to Quinn, is an excellent place for bird-watching. (Actually, Quinn made this point several times in an entertaining speech that made me think the guy is quite smart but likes playing up the image of a good old boy hunkering for a tasty snack at the Bar-B-Q Barn in Harrisburg, complete with a country fried steak and a big old Coke (no liquor license, from what I could see; too bad).

Illinois also has the largest native American burial ground in North America. And the southwestern part of the state is hard by St. Louis, which Quinn said means you can go up the giant St. Louis arch and gaze back down on Illinois in all its glory. And there's a lot to look at, as Illinois is larger than Greece or Portugal.

Not only is Illinois home to the greatest American president, Lincoln, it's also home to a certain Barack Obama. And it's the state where Ulysses S. Grant was born, not to mention Ronald Reagan.

Quinn said Reagan was a lifeguard as a kid in Dixon, Illinois and saved 87 lives. "They were all women," he said with a grin. "Mostly the same one over and over."

Dixon also is the Petunia Capital of Illinois, and worth a visit for that reason alone, especially on Fourth of July for the annual Petunia Festival.

A couple other fun bits about Illinois. The ice cream sundae was invented in Evanston, apparently as a way for folks in the Prohibition era to enjoy a post-church experience without liquor. They didn't want to call it a Sunday as that would be a slight on the Lord, so it was named a Sundae. (Kinda like in When Harry Met Sally and Billy Crystal asks Meg Ryan about her days of the week underwear and she explains there's no pair of knickers for Sunday "because of God.")

Also, and this sounds tasty, you can go to Springfield, Illinois and get a horseshoe sandwich; any heaping helping of meat on a piece of toast, topped with french fries and cheese. If you're not hungry, you can order a half-sandwich, which is called a pony.

Of course, you can't come to Toronto and ignore Chicago completely. Chicago, after all, is where the famous Route 66 began. You can go today and find signs explaining it all, and they're aiming to have an interactive booth of some sort up and running this spring.

There's also incredible theatre, world-class architecture (much better than doughty Toronto), a top-notch waterfront (ditto), deep dish pizza, a fabulous ballpark in Wrigley Field (strike three to T.0.) and lots more.

For more information, visit www.enjoyillinois.com

COSTA INCIDENTS SCARING OFF CRUISERS?

In January, in the aftermath of the Costa Concordia cruise tragedy, SodaHead.com, billed as "the web’s largest opinion-based community" - ran a poll  to determine if the general public was “less likely to take a cruise given the incident.”  At that time, according to the SodaHead poll, 27% of respondents said "YES, they are less likely to cruise."  After the recent fire on the Costa Allegra, SodaHead once again polled its member and the results showed that a startling 47% of respondents were now less likely to cruise based on these incidents, a 20% jump in less than two months.

 

The age of the respondent played a factor in the results, as 53% of those over 65 are stating that they are now less likely to cruise, while 31% of those between 25 -34 are having second thoughts about getting on a ship, SodaHead officials said in a press release.

Pretty scary stuff if you're in the business. But I've been saying for some time that it's a great time to find a cruise bargain; especially if it involves a stop in Mexico. Sad to say, but that's the truth. Whenever there's a well-publicized disaster it often makes for a great travel bargain...

 

ANGKOR WAT REPLICA IN INDIA

This item courtesy of travelmole.com

India is to build a replica of one of the most famous tourist sites in the world, the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia.

A Hindu trust is sponsoring the project, which will cost an estimated $20m and take 10-years to build on a 40-acre plot in the eastern state of Bihar, on the banks of the River Ganges.

A foundation-laying ceremony has been held for the project, which will become the world's largest Hindu temple.

Secretary of the Bihar Mahavir Mandir Trust, Kishore Kunal, told the BBC that the replica of the UNESCO World Heritage site would be slightly taller than the original. He said it would be known as Virat Angkor Wat Ram temple but will also house other Hindu deities like Radha-Krishna, Shiv-Parvati, Ganesh, Surya and 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

"We'll make this temple the pride of the Hindu temples in the world and I've started it on the occasion of the 100th year of Bihar state's foundation."

Lonely Planet rates best countries in the world for food (what, no USA?)

I'm often chiding U.S. tourism folks or websites for being too Ameri-centric. Here's an instance of things going the other way around, though.

Lonely Planet has published a list of the 11 top countries in the world for food, and the USA didn't make the list. No, in all likelihood the Lonely Planet folks were writing for Americans who want to travel to other parts of the world. Still, you'd think they might slip the US in there somewhere, given the magical array of fresh and inventive dishes on display in California, New York, Chicago and Miami alone, not to mention the barbeque of Texas or Tennessee and the remarkable Cajun/Creole cuisine of Louisiana.

I was talking with a friend at work the other day, and he surprised me by defending Americans for not spending as much time out of their own country as do Canadians or Brits or Aussies or other folks in the world.

"They've got just about everything you can imagine in the U.S., so it only makes sense to stay," he said, or words to that effect. It IS pretty remarkable that in one nation you can find everything from some of the highest mountain peaks in the world - permanent zones of ice and snow and black rock - to tropical flowers on a sweeping beach lined with palm trees to vast, painted deserts and mesmerizing cities and bayous and backwoods lakes and rolling hills and misty rainforests.

From a geographic standpoint, the U.S. pretty much covers it all. Culturally, of course, it's another story. There's nothing in the U.S. to resemble Quebec City, and there aren't many places in the U.S. where you get the feelilng you're in another country.

Anyway, notwithstanding the U.S. issue there's some solid thought behind the Lonely Planet list. There's a huge, tasty world out there and they've pretty much nailed some of the top spots in my book. These have numbers assigned but the LP folks said they weren't ranking them; just mentioning their top 11

1. Thailand. The crossroads of China, Oceania and India. Remember when we only had a few Thai joints in Toronto? Now there's one on almost every block in some neighbourhoods.

2. Greece. Oven-fresh bread, rosy tomatoes and fish fresh from the Mediterranean.

3. China. Incredible regional variety and a real balance of yin and yang; sour and sweet, salty and fresh. A no-brainer for any top food list.

4. France. No kidding. Worth it just for the cheese alone. I don't know if it's true, but I once saw a quote attributed to former leader Charles DeGaulle that went something like this: "How do you expect me to run a country that makes 763 (or something) types of cheese?"

5. Spain. Excellent food but always a little hard to define Spanish cuisine in my opinion. When you think Italy you know what comes to mind. Ditto for Greece or Thai. Spanish food is a little harder to put into a box, but it's still excellent. Full marks just for inventing the tapas bar, too.

6. Mexico. You wouldn't know it by staying at some all-inclusives, I suppose, or by trying Tex-Mex joints iN Toronto. But Mexican chefs do remarkable things with fish, chocolate and other foods. Kind of a marriage between Europe and new world, I think.

7. Italy. Also remarkably varied. Risotto and game meats in the north, couscous in western Sicily, pasta and fresh veggies and seafood just about everywhere. Hell, even folks in Arkansas who've never been outside of the state like Italian food.

8. India. Hear, hear. So rich and flavourful and exotic and varied; with huge disparities in style from one region to another. I had some dynamite Keralan cuisine my last day in Delhi a year ago.

9. Japan. Inventive and classic and such attention to detail. There's plenty to love, even if you don't like sushi or even if you don't like any kind of fish. Also, a fine Japanese meal is an exquisite, beautiful experience.

10 and 11. Malaysia and Indonesia. I don't see as many of these restaurants in Toronto as I used to. I loved Ole Malacca up on St. Clair, and there used to be a fine rijsttafel (Dutch for 'rice table') place downtown for Indonesian food. Again, a real crossroads with traces of India, China and more.

It's not quite top 10, but I will say that British food has come a long way in the past 20 years. And I'm quite partial to the fish in Hawaii, where they use a mix of world cuisine styles to make wonderfully fresh and inventive food. I haven't been, but I heard they make a mean steak in Argentina...

 

 

Air Canada shows off the new Boeing 787 - that's one dreamy airplane

As part of their 75th anniversary celebrations, Air Canada invited some media types and elite fliers up to Pearson today to check out Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

My verdict? Definitely worth the drive to Malton, notwithstanding the $70 cab ride back downtown (and when did it start costing quite that much?)

The new plane is making its first-ever visit to Canada, and Air Canada made quite the show of it, with balloons and cake and flash and a fashion show (had to miss that, sorry) and, best of all, a chance to check out the plane.

While Airbus has gone crazy with the A-380 super jumbo, Boeing is taking a different tack with the 787, which seats from 210 to 290 people and is designed to fly a moderate number of people on long-distance flights. The plane isn't all metal but instead the hull has a great deal of composite material in it, which reduces fuel consumption by a whopping 30 per cent. That means Air Canada could use it fly from, say, Toronto to Chengdu, China or perhaps a secondary city in Europe or Latin America that wouldn't be economical on a fuel-burning 747.

"It's not economical to fly a half-full or two-thirds full 747," one official from Air Canada told me at the big do. "This plane gives us a lot more options."

"We can explore more mid-range city pairings and look at new routes" with the 787, said Craig Landry, vice president of marketing. "The 787 is a big part of Air Canada's business strategy."

It's also designed to be much more comfortable for passengers. Because there's so much composite material used, they don't have to worry as much about rust. That means they can hike the humidity on board to something like 12 per cent; roughly double or more what most planes have now. The cabin pressure also can be reduced, which means more blood flow for folks strapped into a seat for hours on end.

The windows, which are 30 per cent larger than most, don't have pull-down shades but instead have an electronic "dial" that allows passengers to fly in almost total shade or full light, with a variety of settings. Even the overhead bins have been thought out, making them deeper and capable of holding more stuff but also at a rakish angle that keeps folks from bumping their heads. And there's cool mood lighting designed to make things more pleasant, as well.

Air Canada has committed to purchase 37 Dreamliners with first delivery in 2014.

They're still tweaking their design for the interior, so the plane on display yesterday isnt' the same as what AC passengers will ride in.

"There are going to be some surprises," Air Canada chief Calin Rovinescu told me.
"There are going to be good surprises."