Hotel deals for Canada this summer and Europe later in summer, says HotWire

It looks like a pretty decent time to book a hotel in Canada, even around Canada Day. But if you're thinking of Europe, you might want to aim for August or September.

I met yesterday with Pierre-Etienne Chartier, vice president of operations for HotWire.Com. Chartier is based in San Francisco but is from Montreal so he understands the Canadian market and HotWire is one of the better companies at keeping tabs on what's happening with travel trends north of the border.

Chartier told me average hotel prices around the world have gone up about 15 per cent in the last year, but he said he's finding some very good deals for Canada, partly because the strength of the Canadian dollar has a lot of folks from up our way taking trips to Boston, Chicago, New York and other American cities.

"There's a decreased demand for the Canadian market in Victoria and Banff and Niagara Falls," he said, "So prices are good. Even to mid-July there are good deals in Banff, but it gets busy after that."

Chartier said even Montreal and Toronto, although relatively expensive, have good deals, while Vancouver has some "fantastic" bargains.

"In the big cities, we've seen four-star hotels going for $85 and five-stars for as little as $135."

With HotWire, you don't see what hotel you're booking but you know the area and some details and the category (number of stars). Chartier, for example, was staying this week at the Sheraton in downtown Toronto for a measly $85.

With so much attention focussed on the London Olympics, starting in late July, Chartier said he expects good deals in Paris and other European cities after the Games.

"The demand for hotels is never what folks expect" around the Olympics, he said, adding that prices haven't necessarily dropped yet but that they might in July for travel in August or September.

Closer to home, he suggests looking at summer travel in cities that do a good deal of convention business and might not be so full in non-peak times. That list includes Orlando, Dallas, Las Vegas and San Diego.

In Vegas, Chartier said you can find a four-star property for as little as $40 and a place on the strip for $70. A five-star hotel might cost you just $120 in Vegas this summer.

Car rentals don't get a lot of press in terms of pricing, but Chartier said rental firms are selling their used vehicles for a pretty good price these days, which translates into longer usage of cars and somewhat reduced rates. So you might find some good deals on your rental car.

I've found a wild swing in car prices over the years. I usually pay about $160 a week in Florida and maybe a little more than that in California. But it's often quite a lot more in some places, especially in Canada.

It's not all good news, of course. While hotels are reasonably priced in some locations, air fares right now are quite high.

"Travel has recovered very well, and airlines haven't added much capacity, so right now air fare are the highest we've seen in a while."

 Just for fun, I went on HotWire.com today and checked prices for a pretend trip to Vancouver June 8 to 11. I found a five-star property in downtown Vancouver for a ridiculously cheap $112, and one near the airport (close to public transit) for $79.

 

 

Off to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia ... A naked vacation conference in Vegas

Taking a day off today to get ready for a big trip.

On Saturday I'll be in St. John's getting a story ready for Star Travel. The weather doesn't look as good as last time I was there, when it was something like 16 degrees and rainy the first day but then hot (20 degrees plus) and sunny for an entire week.

It was one of the best trips of my life. I loved St. John's and also loved Twillingate, with its icebergs and colourful characters and stunning scenery.

I won't get that far this time, but still I'm looking forward to Signal Hill and George St. and perhaps a trip over to Cape Spear.

After that I'll be down the south shore of Nova Scotia in Lunenburg and environs, then up around Annapolis Royal and Wolfville. So that'll be great; an area I know very little about.

NUDIST CONFERENCE IN SIN CITY

I got this press release today from folks organizing a "Nakation" conference in Las Vegas next month.

"You don’t have to shed your threads to enjoy a Nakation when attending the Nudist Clubhouse Nudist Expo 2012 in Las Vegas this June 1st and 2nd.  But what you will need to do is pay a nominal admission fee of $20 for a 1 day pass which can be purchased at the door or $25 for both days. The 2 day pass must be purchased in advance online.

Exhibitors from nudist resorts across the country, travel agents specializing in Nakation travel and nude cruises, the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR.com) and numerous other affiliated groups will have materials and knowledgeable resources to share information on the benefits of wholesome nude recreation. Attendees will also have a chance to win several give-aways of Nakations to participating nudist resorts."

Apparently it's a real conference, with coffee and pastries (or is that pasties?) and the whole bit. Where one pins one delegate badge, I shudder to think. But apparently lots of folks go fully-clothed. Actually, now that I read the agenda, you're supposed to be fully-clothed.

Rats. But apparently there is a nude hotel in Vegas. And there are plans for naked barbeques (ooh, watch those coals) and other fun events.

 

 

 

 

Canadians vote Pearson voted worst airport in country in FlightNetwork polling

I had intended to write about Chicago today, but bad weather at O'Hare yesterday meant another bad flight. This time I got delayed five hours and didn't get home until 1 a.m. Plus there's a fun item here on Pearson, so I'll save Chicago for tomorrow and later in the week....

A poll of Canadians by FlightNetwork.Com, released today, says Pearson is widely, and I mean WIDELY, regarded as the WORST airport in Canada.

The poll, taken online, found that Pearson was deemed worst by 36.6 per cent of respondents. That's up from 27.6 per cent in last year's poll, the first by the folks at Flight Network.

Second-worst in Canada, the poll found, is Montreal Trudeau (Dorval) at 17.7 per cent, followed by Edmonton in third at 9.9 per cent.

Poor Pearson. They've tried. They really have. They've added free wi-fi and lots of new food options and new terminals. But there's little they can do about security lineups and customs/immigration lineups, two of the biggest sources of pain for travelers.

Of those polled, 57.2 per cent cited slow security as the number one criteria for Pearson's ranking. Bad service was cited by 53.5 per cent and lack of dining spots by 49.8 per cent.

I suspect, personally, that Pearson isn't much worse than Dorval/Trudeau. It's just that not as many folks use Trudeau as Pearson. I could be wrong, but I suspect familiarity breeds some contempt in this case.

Not that I don't get pissed off by lineups or by being forced to pay $2 for a luggage cart or waiting endlessly for my bags to show up. They were pretty good yesterday, but then again I DID arrive at 11 p.m. on a Sunday night after yet another long delay at departure.

I was slated to fly out of Chicago O'Hare at 5:40 p.m. Chicago time on Sunday, but there were major storms and I didn't leave until 9:45 or so. I was lucky enough to be able to use the lounge at the United Club, spending a lot of time watching the Amazing Race.

But I have to say the United Club personnel were downright rude. I twice asked one woman at the desk about my Air Canada flight and all she would say was, "It's NOT our flight. Go ask Air Canada at the gate."

Geez, lady. How about "I'm sorry, but it's an Air Canada flight. It's got our number on it, too, but it's really their flight. I wish I could help but you'll have to go down to the gate to check. I"m sorry about that."

Is it really that hard, folks?

Anyway, I'm back home and that's what really matters. Still, five hours at Pearson and then a cancelled flight Thursday, followed by three hours sleep and an early Friday flight, followed by six hours at O'Hare on Sunday isn't my idea of the romance of travel....

Mind you, a flight attendant on my flight from Chicago said they had sat on the tarmac at Pearson for four hours prior to taking off. And she said she heard a flight from Montreal to Chicago had flown in on Sunday but was put in a holding pattern over O'Hare, only to be sent to Windsor. They apparently touched down in Windsor and sat for an hour or two or three, and then finally took off - for Montreal. She said the passengers and crew spent something like eight or nine hours on the plane and ended up right back where they started. Now THAT'S brutal.

Getting back to the Flight Network poll, one they found that Los Angeles International is rated by Canadians at the worst in the U.S. (25.9 per cent), followed by O'Hare (20) and JFK in New York 17.6). Again, those are probably three of the busiest airports Canadians use.

I don't mind O'Hare. It's busy, but it's a pretty good airport. I try not to fly in and out of Chicago in winter just to avoid weather issues, but that's another story. JFK I don't know much at all.

Los Angeles is not great but the folks at LAX are spending billions to give the place a major overhaul...

On the international front, Canadians in the Flight Network poll named London Heathrow worst (26 per cent), followed by Charles De Gaulle in Paris (13.6) and poor Pearson (13 per cent).

Vancouver was deemed best airport in Canada, which goes without saying. Great shopping, clean, good restaurant choices, free wi-fi; even a provincial liquor outlet and a huge aquarium!

In the U.S., folks liked McCarran International in Vegas the bestm while Hong Kong got support for best international airport. I don't remember much about McCarran except the one-armed bandits, but Hong Kong is a terrific airport for sure.

Dissecting sex toys in SF, Vegas party in L.A. and Great Places Canada votes

It was towards the end of the day when I was sitting at my press table here at the U.S. Travel Pow Wow meeting. I’d spent an hour and-a-half at a desk in a kind of reverse speed-dating procedure wherein tour operators or tourism types get a chance to turn the tables on the media by approaching us and asking questions or giving information, versus the other way around.

Anyway, I was nicely busy (I was afraid nobody would want to talk to me; which is a thought that probably occurs to everyone in this situation) and then, near the end, a nice woman from the Exploratorium in San Francisco approached my table and asked to have a word. After demanding five bucks, I relented and let her talk.

She proceeded to tell me how the facility – like the Ontario Science Centre but more hands-on as I recall – will be moving from the historic Palace of Fine Arts to one of the piers on San Francisco Bay; about midway between the Ferry Terminal and Pier 39. It all sounded fine, and the photos looked lovely and all that. But then she REALLY got my attention.

“We have all sorts of events,” she said. “Sometimes we do adults-only nights and serve cocktails.”

My ears perked up at that. And then came the kicker.

“Sometimes,” she said with a nonchalant voice, “we’ll dissect sex toys.”

Only in San Francisco, folks. Only in San Francisco.

FINAL DAY WRAPUP

Las Vegas is hosting next year’s Pow Wow, and they put on a great show on Wednesday at a grand finale lunch.

They had a couple of women done up in true Las Vegas style, with skimpy outfits (gee, ya hate to see that on a Wednesday) and giant hats and all that. And a couple of Elvis (natch) impersonators playing at a volume that was WAY TOO LOUD.

Anyway, the best part was a display of some truly incredible athletic performances from a couple of Cirque du Soleil shows, including Zumanity. I never thought I’d be much of a Cirque fan but I went to see the Beatles Love show a couple years ago and was utterly transfixed. A truly spectacular, colourful, wild and wonderful show filled with great music, of course, but also awe-inspiring costumes, effects and jaw-dropping jumps and swoops and aerial spins.

They’re doing a Michael Jackson show next year. Nice music, I guess, but not something I’d go to. The guy had talent but I can’t get past his creepy lifestyle…

Things wrapped up Wednesday night with a big bash at LA Live, the entertainment/restaurant/hotel complex downtown, next to the Staples Center. It was supposed to be outside in another location but the forecast called for a heavy rain so they had to shift it indoors. The show featured a deejay as well as the band Earth, Wind and Fire.

CANADA’S GREAT PLACES

The votes are in for this year’s Great Places Canada awards. Top street award went to Queen St. in Fredericton, N.B., while Osborne Village in Winnipeg was named best neighbourhood. Top public space went to the Cape Forchu Lighthouse in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

The awards are based on online voting numbers, plus a panel of experts. While Ontario got shut out of the overall awards, it did pick up two honours in the People's Choice category, which is based entirely on voting. Winning the People's Choice for best public space was the South March Highlands in Ottawa. The People's Choice for best neighbourhood was Woodfield, in London, Ontario.

 

Las Vegas and singer Matt Goss steal the show at tourism event, NYC news!

LOS ANGELES - Leave it to Las Vegas to trump the competition.

Tuesday was day two of the U.S. Tourism Pow Wow convention here in L.A., and there was a steady parade of press conferences.

Orlando brought in some cute, fuzzy characters. Sea World had a small group of penguins to promote their new Antarctica exhibit. (They were cute, but why on earth did I see a grown woman on her HANDS AND KNEES on the floor, trying to lure a penguin over towards her and pursing her lips as if seeking a kiss? I mean, geez, lady, these are wild animals on the floor of a convention centre. Leave them alone. And do you really want fish breath that badly?)

Vegas had a briefing session of its own, but instead of making reporters schlep down the hall for a press conference, they brought the conference to the media room and staged a late morning concert with singer Matt Goss, who headlines at Caesars Palace.

Goss is a great band singer and he had a smoking hot band with him, including a horn section that practically blew the keys off my laptop keyboard. My goodness, that’s a great, great band.

Goss plays regularly at Las Vegas and, despite not being a huge Vegas guy, I’d make the trip just to hear him sing – and to hear that band again.

Las Vegas officials said they attracted 38.9 million visitors last year, their second highest-ever.

“Las Vegas is back,” said convention and visitors authority chief Rossi Ralenkotter.

Orlando boasted that it drew a record 54 million visitors last year, while New York said it set a record with 50.5 million visits.

New York also announced that, for the first time ever, Canada sent more tourists to their city than any other country, with just over a million Canadians heading to town. The UK has traditionally been top of the list, A-number-one, but slipped behind Canada last year.

Brazil is charging up the charts in remarkable fashion when it comes to New York travel. They had barely 100,000 visits as recently as six years ago but New York officials predict a million will come by the year 2015. That’s a good thing, because they tend to spend a great deal of money on their shopping trips in Manhattan, and New York is aiming to increase its tourism economic impact from about $48 million last year to $70 billion by 2015.

New York put on a big show at lunch for some 6,000 Pow Wow delegates. They had a choir of kids singing New York New York as delegates entered the main balllroom. Then, over lunch, they had songs and dances performed by cast and crew members from Jersey Boys, Memphis, Spider-Man, Sister Act and the Lion King, which was probably best of them all in my book.

Folks seated at the New York City tourism table were given CD’s from several New York Broadway shows, which was a nice touch.

These Pow Wow meetings are filled with press conferences so that cities and tourism groups can get their message out. Almost all such gatherings feature a goodie or two for the freebie-mad media. Often it’s a scarf (Sea World) or a t shirt (the U.S. Travel Association) and a USB stick with data and images. But sometimes there’s a little more. And sometimes there’s a lot more.

Vegas, naturally, topped the billing on Tuesday. They gave out black bags that had miniature binoculars, Nobu green tea, Shadow Creek golf balls, a Tryst nightclub ball cap (hey, honey, look what I got you in L.A.!), lip balm, a Cirque du Soleil CD and more.

Tuesday night was party night. California put on a great mixology event with a Los Angeles couple that makes their own liquor and their own modifiers/liqeurs, both totally organic. They also source entirely organic fruits and herbs and make their own syrups from honey and make their own bitters.

They gave a handful of media types the chance to help mix their own cocktails, as even California doesn’t allow folks who aren’t licensed to pour their own alcohol into a cocktail shaker, even at a sanctioned tourism event. Mine had homemade spiced rum, lime and lemon juice, hibiscus liqeur, lavender liqeur (I think), honey syrup (like simple syrup but made with honey instead of white sugar) and a pinch of basil. Yum.

Later there was great Napa Valley wine from Duckhorn at a Visit California event, then New York City held a party on the ground floor cocktail bar at the JW Marriott, located at the L.A. Live hotel/restaurant complex next to the Staples Center. They had a guy cooking made to order macaroni and cheese, complete with toppings that included your choice of diced veggies, Serrano ham, pancetta, caramelized onions, bacon, truffle oil and more.

Upstairs, St. Petersburg/Clearwater had an outdoor bash next to the pool on the fourth floor in rather cool and blustery conditions. Almost everyone wore white and there were fountains and huge, Vegas-like ad displays on the walls of the condos and the Ritz Carlton next door.

San Francisco, host of the 2011 Pow Wow event, put on a crazy good show. They had a huge ballroom set up with a miniature Golden Gate Bridge and a series of bars and food stations and a DJ. They also had a pair of go-go dancers clad in white mini-skirts and skimpy tops and white go-go boots, as well as young male dancers stripped mostly down to the bare essentials.

The women were dancing in a section of the ballroom sponsored by Open Top sightseeing tours of San Francisco, and their shirts had the words “It’s better on top.”

I’d like to tell you more but after three parties I didn’t feel like taking notes or asking go-go dancers if I could take their picture…

Texas also had a big bash Tuesday night but I didn’t have the energy for it.

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?

 

 

 

Adult Video Brunch in Vegas, Sci-Fi Brothel in Nevada & National Pie Day USA

     This report was filed by my secret Las Vegas correspondent. For reasons of not wanting to be embarrassed, I am keeping said correspondent's name out of the public realm. After all, we all have relatives.

LAS VEGAS - A punk rock porn star, the king of “gourmet junk food”, and Al Mancini, author of Eating Las Vegas, are teaming up for a naughty Sunday brunch to cap the annual Oscars of adult film.

Just a few days after Ricky Gervais helps celebrate the Golden Globes, they'll be doing something pretty similar in Sin City. (Ba-ding! drum/rim shot inserted here). Chef Sam “Sammy D” DeMarco has all kinds of creative dishes for the Jan. 22 “Burnin’ Angel Brunch” at FIRST Food & Bar at The Palazzo, and most have names that can’t be used in a family newspaper blog.  The menu ranges from comfort food basics like bbq pork biscuit with eggs, jalapeno hollandaise and Jameson Whiskey, to salmon caviar with smoked salmon ribbons and champagne.

 The five-course meal was inspired by Joanna Angel, “queen of alt-porn”, and other stars from her BurningAngel.com indie erotica company. Stars like Krysta Kaos (see photo) will explain their creations, such as her “gutter punk” sampler, with breakfast sliders, mac & cheese, BLT, wings, mini cinnamon-sugar donuts and hot chocolate.

     The $50 price includes appetizers, four sit-down courses and cocktail pairing, as well as a copy of Eating Las Vegas: The 50 Essential Restaurants, by food critics Al Mancini, John Curtas and Max Jacobson. Which is pretty legit.

 

     The brunch caps the annual Adult Video News awards and “world’s largest adult entertainment expo” from Jan. 18-21.  It includes a trade show, novelty show, and three-day “fan show”, which lures all kinds of gawkers and photographers to Las Vegas every Jan.  The expo is at the Hard Rock Hotel this year, just off the Las Vegas Strip.

  

    The awards -- many of which also can’t be named -- include “best parody-comedy” and “best parody-drama” categories.  Among the contestants are such films as This Ain’t Ghostbusters XXX 3D and Star Trek: The Next Generation, A XXX Parody.  Hosts this year are Bree Olson, Playboy bunny of August 2011 -- and Charlie Sheen’s last live-in girlfriend -- and Sunny Leone, Penthouse Pet of 2003. Which is nice but I guess she's gotta be CLOSE TO 30 YEARS OLD BY NOW!

 

It all sounds kinda fun. But also pretty sad when you really think about it....Still, that's Vegas for you.

 

 

ON A RELATED NOTE - HOW ABOUT A SCI-FI BROTHEL?

 

Wanna go where no man has gone before? Have you ever desired to make love to a woman dressed like Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back?

 

Well, you're about to make that jump to lightspeed, gentlemen.  A Nevada "businessman" named Dennis Hof says he plans to open a brothel some 90 miles outside of Vegas that will have a science-fiction theme. Named "Alien Cathouse," Hof says it will feature girls from around the galaxy. Think  those blue-skinned women Captain Kirk used to ogle. Or even Jabba the Hutt's dancing slave from Star Wars.

 

Nevada, you may recall, is the only state in the US of A that has legalized prositution. There are a couple dozen cathouses in all.

 

Apparently Hof not only wants to have a sci-fi brothel,but has a plan to turn the entire acreage into an Area 51-themed tourist destination. Area 69 sounds more like it...

 

 

ON A MORE WHOLESOME NOTE, IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE AMERICAN PIE

 

Okay, enough adult nonsense. I'm happy to report that Jan. 23 is National Pie Day in the U.S. They'll really be partying down in Rockland, Maine, which was dubbed "Pie Town U.S.A." by the Food Network when chef Bobby Flay visited for a pie smackdown they had in town. (Hey, those little old ladies can get pretty vicious. Almost like Wheels.ca smackdown artists Norris McDonald and Mark Richardson).

 

Not content to rest on its pastry laurels, Rockland on Jan. 23 will feature its eighthn annual Pies on Parade Tour. There will be more than 50 (FIFTY!!!!) types of pies at restaurants and inns. They even have wine and pie pairings and special museum tours, and they're giving proceeds to charity.

 

I did a little research on this today (sadly, at home, and not in the field) and discovered that there's actually something called The American Pie Council. I bet that's one of the great lobbying jobs in Washington. I mean, who wouldn't want to lobby Newt Gingrich for tougher laws against foreign pastry or lowering the tarrifs on Crisco? And you'd almost HAVE TO order pie for dessert after every power lunch. How cool would that be?

 

GORDON RAMSAY TO VEGAS

 

Back to Vegas for a minute. USA Today is reporting that "hot-tempered Gordon Ramsay will be unpacking his knives in Las Vegas — the latest in a long line of celeb chefs to open a restaurant there.

The Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares star, whose self-titled three-star Michelin London eatery launched more than a dozen other eateries around the world, plans to open the 274-seat Gordon Ramsay Steak in the Paris Las Vegas resort this spring. He joins former employers Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon, both with outposts in Sin City.

Ramsay, 45, says he felt left out "with every top chef in the world there," but waited for the right opportunity. His steakhouse will have a London feel, and serve UK favorites such as fish and chips and shepherd's pie in addition to prime cuts of beef."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Petti Fong checks out a Welsh coal mine ... and a TravelAlerts deal for Vegas

THIS GUEST BLOG ITEM WAS FILED BY STAR TRAVEL CORRESPONDENT PETTI FONG, THE STAR'S WEST COAST BUREAU CHIEF

BLAENAVON, WALES  -- “This ain't Disneyland,” warns the tour guide as the rattling elevator door pulls shut. There is a slight jerk upwards then the cage slides down slowly, first 50 feet, then 100, 150 and so on until we are 300 feet below ground.

Before our tour begins, we are told to empty our pockets of everything metal from watches to matches and lighters, cell phones and car keys. Sparks are the worry. Anything that can strike into a spark could cause an explosion. Even in an empty mine closed for decades, the worry remains.

“Fillings,” someone murmured.

“What about zippers?” asked another concerned visitor.

The Big Pit National Coal Museum in southern Wales is a human construction carved in a unique landscape that had become an industrial complex. This area is a designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO in recognition of its international importance to the process of industrialization through iron and coal production. From a distance and at only a glimpse, the heather-clad moors of Blaenavon looks like the typical verdant valleys that line the Wales countryside.

But look more closely and the scars of centuries of coal production emerge, not as a geographical mark but a very visible reminder of the impact of industrialization. Big Pit was closed in 1980 after 120 years of producing coal and producing generations of miners.

Martin Jones, the guide, was one of those miners, his heavy black boots worn and beaten.

For 18 years, he worked in the mine before it shut down during the Margaret Thatcher era. She broke the mining unions. Consider Jones' easy smile and confident awareness of how far back he can trace his family's ability to work hard in tough conditions, and there is no doubt that he is not broken.

Jones started as a miner but he won't die one and none of his grandchildren will know what it's like to work in one. But the lessons he learned still governs his life. Always walk behind someone shorter than you (the shorter person succumbs first to poisonous fumes) and always wrap your sandwich in newspaper not tin foil.

“Think about it. Try using tin foil on your you know what and you'll understand what I'm talking about,” Jones explains.

He had it better than his father who had it easier than his grandfather.

“My father thought I was lazy because I didn't come to work at the mines until I was 16,” he says.
“My grandfather thought my father was lazy cause he didn't start working at the mines until he was 15. That was the way it was. Kids today have a gap year after school. I had a gap weekend.”

At its peak, 1,300 miners worked here and they got to leave at the end of their shift while the 72 horses remained below ground only going above ground when they were about to die. The last horse to work in the mine was brought up in 1972. Their stables remain, as does one last canary kept in a large sealed-off room overlooking the tool workshop.

We follow the light of the 5-kilogram lamp on our helmet as it cuts just enough of the darkness to see our footsteps.  Jones knows each corner of the mine and we follow him through door after door.

Doors are an important thing in a mine-shaft. Ventilation and drafts are controlled by doors which were, in turn, opened and shut by children as young as five working in the dark whose job was to pay attention to the signal to close doors and open them again.

It was a cycle. The horses had it worse than the miners, the canaries suffered more than the horses, the teenage miner had a better life than the children. No human or animal thrived working in the mine. But the lucky ones survived working there.

Asked what his grandfather would have thought of him being a tour guide, Jones paused for a long time. The light on his hard hat forms a ring of white on the dark dirt ground while he looks downward and we continue walking.

“He probably never thought there would be an end,” says Jones. “Just never imagined it would.” 

TRAVEL ALERTS DEAL FOR LAS VEGAS - WOO HOO!

Need a little Sin City in your life? Check out this deal from travelalerts.ca. For $419, $561 with tax, you get a roundtrip flight from Toronto to Vegas, departing Feb. 6 and returning (sorry about that) Feb. 10. The deal includes transfers in Vegas and you'll get four nights at the ooh-la-la FIVE-STAR Paris hotel in  the heart of the strip.

Travelalerts (www.travelalerts.ca) also has deals for the Flamingo and Luxor at different price points, so check them out.

 

Travel habits of the Canadian elite ... Anyone up for a week's holiday in Iraq?

Interesting item from the folks at HSBC. In a survey of Canadians with investable assets of $100,000 or more, they found that well-off Canadians aren't all that different from you and me in terms of their travel preferences.

The USA was named the favourite destination, not surprising given our border, with 78 per cent of folks confirming they've travelled to the U.S. in the last three years. (I'm surprised it's not higher, actually).

Although the US got the lion's share of visits, the CITY that rich Canadians visited most was London (see photo), at 15 per cent. Next came Paris at 12 per cent, then New York (nine), Las Vegas (eight) and Rome (seven).

The study also talked about travel habits of well-off Canadians from a regional perspective. They found that affluent Montreal folks spent 2.4 months out of the last three years outside of the True North Strong and Free, compared to just 1.8 months for folks in Vancouver and two months for Torontonians. I'd have to think weather has a lot to do with that. If I lived in Montreal and had money to travel, you'd be damn sure I'd be out of town three to four weeks every winter.

VACATION IN IRAQ?

USA Today is reporting there's a slew of new hotel developments in Iraq. They're mostly in the north, an area that rebelled against Saddam Hussein long ago and is now a hive of oil and gas activity.

Which means they need hotels for travelling execs and workers. So it makes sense. And it's apparently quite safe, as well as beautiful.

Best Western is building a couple hotels in the city of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, while Hilton and Marriott also are active in the area. I don't know how representative it is, but I found this picture on the web of an apartment complex being advertised in Erbil, and it looks pretty damned nice.

There appear to be some fine public buildings and fountains in town and some interesting, old forts out and about in the nearby hills.

"If you look at the strong demand that will come from business and leisure travelers, and that there's a shortage of supply of hotels … that makes this appealing to us," David Kong, Best Western International president and CEO, was quoted as saying in the USA Today story.

Kong says the company is considering deals for two other hotels in Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk, also in Iraqi Kurdistan.

"This is a very positive sign of the potential Iraq has to offer," said Victoria Berry, senior strategist of FutureBrand North America, a brand-consulting firm. Still, she said, "the perceptions of safety, especially in terms of war, corruption and crime, as well as the lack of modern infrastructure, are key areas that could impact negatively on Iraq's ability to appeal to a base of leisure tourists."

Exactly. It's probably fine for biz folks, but I can't see too many Canadians heading off to the Erbil Hilton for a vacation.

It's interesting to note, however, that not so long ago San Francisco was often tagged - especially by esteemed San Francisco Chronicle columnist extraordinaire Herb Caen - as "Baghdad by the Bay" because of its exotic nature and cosmopolitan charms.

TORONTO PEARSON NOT SO SOCIAL

Finally, an intriguing item on Facebook's list of most social airports. A study was done of Facebook users and it was discovered that more people in the world are present at Los Angeles International Airport than any airport in the world.

Second was Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, followed by Chicago O'Hare, San Francisco and Dallas/Fort Worth. The top international airport (outside the U.S.) was Sydney, in the seventh spot. Poor Pearson was way down at 21st, the only Canadian airport in the top 25.

 

 

Prince Harry's favourite Vegas spots unveiled ... Europe travel holding up well

Okay, let's get to the juicy stuff first. Reports suggest Prince Harry, the younger, irascible brother of the wife of the Duchess of Cambridge, has been partying quite solidly in Las Vegas.

For those who've been watching the Parliamentary Channel to see what colour tie the Prime Minister might be wearing during Question Period, let me explain that Harry is temporarily stationed in the southern California-Arizona border region as he undergoes military helicopter training. Why they couldn't have found him a safe place in, I don't know, Oklahoma or Arkansas I can't quite explain. I mean, his base isn't anywhere near Hollywood or anything but he's obviously close enough to LA and to Vegas that he can get away. And the guy IS a chopper pilot, so I assume he can bypass highway traffic easily enough.

Prince William found a military station in the quiet of north Wales. Harry? He goes on military assignment within spitting distance of Las Vegas and L.A.. Hmm.....a coincidence?

Anyway, it seems Harry was doing his best on the weekend to invigorate the Vegas economy. Writing in USA Today, Kitty Bean Yancey (isn't that a great name for a reporter?) quotes People magazine as saing the prince "took in Cirque du Soleil's O aquatic extravaganza at the Bellagio resort" before "partying at the hot XS nightclub at Steve Wynn's Encore resort."

People claims he lost $300 gaming and was amazed that he got free drinks while at the tables. I remember being 21 in Reno once and I went into a casino with my Mom and Dad for a few minutes. After a half hour or so, my Dad came over and asked how I was doing at the slots. "Pretty good," I said. "Some lady came by with drinks but I didn't want to get ripped off so I didn't get one." I was feeling pretty proud of myself until my Dad replied, "Uh, Jim, the drinks are FREE if you're gambling." Doh.

As for Harry, apparently he also twisted the night away at Tryst nightclub, drinking Grey Goose vodka with tonic and dancing with, wait for it, "a young mystery woman." Of course.

EUROPE HOLDING UP WELL?

A report from Germany suggests European tourism is holding up well under the economic strains of the Euro these days.

The ITB World Travel Trends Report says international trips to Europe rose to 671 million from January to August of this year, a 4.5 per cent increasefrom the previous year. That's pretty impressive given the European troubles and the general health (or lack thereof) of the world economy.

It also appears European residents aren't afraid to come out of the house. A September survey of travellers from 13 European countries found that 43 per cent of folks plan to travel as much in 2012 as they did this year. 27 per cent said they would travel more, and only 20 per cent said they'd be on the road less.

That's excellent news for the European economy, and most certainly for airlines and hotels. I keep reading about growth in Asia, and there's no doubt it's a huge market. But one should never discount the enduring appeal of Europe.

I remember a couple years ago my oldest son was chatting with my daughter about her plans to travel to Europe after graduating from university. He'd been to Europe twice and also had recently travelled throughout Southeast Asia. He was telling his sister about how wonderful it was in Thailand and Laos and how cheap it was and that she consider that instead of Europe.

Nothing wrong with Asia, she felt, but she'd grown up reading books about London and Paris and seeing photos of Greece and Rome, and there was no way she was going to miss it. And that's pretty common for most North Americans who are lucky enough to travel. We don't care how many people have done it before, almost all of us want to see the Eiffel Tower for ourselves and sit on the Spanish Steps and gaze up at Big Ben or the Swiss Alps.

As long as that's the case, Europe should do just fine.