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.

 

 

When will hotels get the free WiFi argument? ... Ireland price drop/Blue Jays!

No surprise to me here, but a recent hotels.com survey found that hotel guests would much rather have free WiFi than a fancy espresso coffee machine or an iPod dock or video game systems or, duh, workout equipment.

Maybe it's because us North Americans work too much, but it's no surprise that the free WiFi argument has so many converts. I don't mind paying a little extra for a hotel, but I HATE being forced to pony up some OUTRAGEOUS amount of money to get hooked up to the Internet, which increasingly is something we absolutely have to have. I've said it before, but if you're going to charge for the Internet why not have a towel surcharge or a hot water fee for the shower? They're all an essential part of the hotel experience.

Taylor L. Cole, director of public relations and social media for Hotels.com, put it nicely. "Given the explosion of mobile use in the past few years," he told USA Today, "it's no surprise that travelers are requiring free and fast WiFi. Many guests never travel without their tablets, smartphones and laptops. It's as intuitive as packing a toothbrush."

Shortly after posting my blog this morning, I got an email from Delta Hotels.

"We are now offering free base high speed Internet access in all of our guestrooms (43 hotels) across the chain," said Sandy Indig, head of Delta public relations here in Toronto. "As well, we also announced a newly enhanced upgraded Internet offering in 17 of our properties...called InternetXL, it's the fastest Internet service available in any full service hotel chain in Canada, and 20 times faster than household high-speed Internet. We're offering InternetXL free for a limited time."

So there you go, folks; check out Delta if you want a nice hotel and free Internet. Other hotels offer good or free Internet deals, so be sure to do your research. If you join Fairmont's Presidents Club you don't have to pay for Internet charges, so it's worth signing up. I believe other hotels also reward frequent travelers with reduced or free Internet, so join all the hotel clubs you can.

There were a couple interesting items in the hotels.com survey that went beyond the WiFi issue. For example, 45 per cent of folks said their favourite new amenities are happy hours, wine tastings or other activities involving free food and drinks. Of course we want a free drink - we want to forget about having to pay $15 for the Internet.

Thirty four per cent of women said they liked complimentary bottled water in the room, but only 24 per cent of male travelers thought it was important.  Yeah, we'd rather have the free Scotch.

GET THEE TO IRELAND, BUT MAYBE NOT SPAIN

Interesting Wall Street Journal story today talks about how menu prices have dropped as much as 20 per cent across Ireland in the last three years as the country struggles with an economic crisis and with being tied to the Euro.

This apparently is true more outside Dublin than in Dublin itself. Still, it could be a deal for travelers.

At the same time, the story says some places have cut back. The fabulous Kings Head pub in Galway, for example, now less less-expensive fish on the menu and have gone from having five-piece bands playing to just two-piece groups. Which is a shame.

Bad news in Spain for travel types, as Iberia airline pilots staged a one-day strike on monday. They grounded 150 flights in what Reuters said is the first of 30 one-day strikes to protest the startup of low-cost carrier Iberia Express.

Hmm. That sounds awfully familiar to anyone who flies Air Canada. Not the one-day strikes (not yet, anyway), but the anger/concern over the startup of a cheap alternative to the main Iberia line.

Pilots say the new Iberia Express is a threat to jobs and working conditions. Management, oddly enough, disagrees, saying the project is vital to increasing their profitability.

I don't think this argument ends well...

NEW YORK HOTEL OPTION

Conrad New York has opened its new hotel in the fresh and "vibrant" Battery Park City neighbourhood. Rising 16 stories along the Hudson River waterfront, the 463 all-suite luxury hotel is the first New York address from Conrad Hotels & Resorts, the global luxury brand of Hilton Worldwide, officials said.

Lower Manhattan has been an area on the upswing for several years, and it's an area we profiled last summer in Star Travel. There are some lovely parks and great bars and food places, including Stone Street, where you can take your beer or wine and food out in a pedestrian-only street and have some al fresco fun.

BLUE JAYS OPENER

Apropo of nothing in regard to travel, I gotta say I'm rather skeptical about the Blue Jays. I mean, a great season in Florida means squat, folks. The Jays didn't do well in the spring in the years they won the World Series, as I recall.

Spring is only meant as a tune-up for the real season, and with Sergio Santos out there doing a great imitation of Nuke Laloosh (from Bull Durham) it's gotta be making Paul Beeston stop and think a little bit about his closer options. I mean, how many actual balls did Santos throw that hit the strike zone in the ninth inning on Monday night? Four?

I'm not suggesting it's already time for the Jays to take out an ad in the paper to apologize to fans, but Santos had better come around fairly quickly if this club is going to make any kind of a playoff run. That or it's back to bullpen by committee or, maybe Beeston gives Susan Sarandon a call....

 

 

Trip Advisor scolded by UK watchdogs, Trump TO ripped & Halifax loses NYC

Very interesting development out of Britian today, as a government watchdog group has cast serious doubt on the veracity of Tripadvisor ratings, at least in the UK.

The consumer affairs reporter for the Telegraph, James Hall, wrote a solid column today stating that the Advertising Standards Authority conducted a four-month investigation and "found that it was possible for 'non-genuine content' to appear on Tripadvisor, which is designed to allow holidaymakers to share tips and opinions on places they have visited."

(Jim B here: Non-genuine content? Isn't that a great lawyers' phrase?)

"The advertising watchdog said that because reviews can be posted on the site without any form of verification, Tripadvisor must no longer claim that all of its reviews are honest, or even from real people," Hall wrote.

"In a strongly-worded ruling, the ASA told Tripadvisor 'not to claim or imply that all the reviews that appeared on the website were from real travellers, or were honest, real or trusted.'

The ASA’s ruling applies only to Tripadvisor’s UK site, Hall said, explaining that the investigation follows a complaint last year from two unnamed hoteliers and a website called Kwikchex, which helps companies manage their online reputations.

"They argued that wording on Tripadvisor’s website - claiming that the site contained 'reviews you can trust' and 'honest' opinions from 'real travellers' - was misleading as Tripadvisor could not prove that the reviews were genuine," Hall wrote.

He quoted Chris Emmins, co-founder of Kwikchex, as saying there are a “substantial” number of fake reviews on Tripadvisor, which is being “abused by fraudsters."

Strong stuff. It'll be interesting to see if there's any fallout here in North America. But I doubt it. The U.S. isn't bad at regulating the travel business, but we see precious little of this sort of pro-activity from the Harper government in Ottawa, notwithstanding their sudden decision to get rid of airfare dvertising that doesn't include taxes and extra fees; charges that often turn what looks like a $400 fare into something upwards of $1,000.

THIS AND THAT

American Airlines will drop Halifax from its route map this spring, according to the Chronicle-Herald in Nova Scotia. American affiliate American Eagle currently flies two daily round-trip flights between Halifax and New York JFK, but AA will pull down the service on April 3. Too bad .... Check out Chris Hume's column today on the new Trump Hotel in Toronto. He absolutely hates the design and the way the building fails to integrate into the downtown core. They had a very soft opening at the posh Trump building at Bay and Adelaide on Tuesday, which is so very un-Trump like when you think about it. Some of the hotel's top features aren't yet fully open, so apparently they chose to keep things simple, at least for now. Personally, I'm looking forward to the BIG opening. I mean, that's what Trump is all about, right? ...Show tunes at sea? USA Today's Gene Sloan reports Oceania has teamed with Royal Theatrical Productions to feature "Now and Forever — The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber" on board the soon-to-debut, 1,250-passenger Riviera. With 10 singers and dancers, the show will boast tunes from such Webber classics as Cats, The Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar. Riviera also will have a show featuring the music of Elton John and Billy Joel, as well as a '60s music review.  Sounds pretty good to me. Maybe we'll get different renditions of some of John's most popular songs. "Don't Let the Ship Go Down On Me" would be good, especially if someone can dress like the Costa Cruise captain. Sorry about that...

Great Places in Canada: vote now ... Caribou antler snow goggles for Will & Kate

There's only a month to go in the "Great Places in Canada" contest, and communities across the land are vying for attention.

Among the categories up for grabs are favourite street, favourite neighbourhood and top public space. And there's competition from all over Canada.

Folks down in Niagara-on-the-Lake, usually a tad reserved you know, are pushing for Queen Street to be named Canada's top street. I think it's ridiculous to suggest a highway should be known as a great street, but Alberta folks are suggesting Icefields Parkway should get some votes. Come on guys. Even in Alberta you understand what an urban street is, right?

Other streets making a mark in the voting, I'm told, are High Street in Grand Falls-Windsor Newfoundland, Yonge St. here in Toronto (too easy), Main Street in Summerland, B.C. and the Niagara River Parkway, which falls under the same, if less spectactular, category as the Icefields Parkway in that it's not really an urban street.

I'm surprised not to see Main Street Vancouver or Fourth Ave. in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver in the running. But perhaps folks out there are too busy weeding their tulip patches, or gunning to stop the Kitimat pipeline, which sounds increasingly like a worthy environmental cause the more I read about it.

Toronto's Parkdale is currently in first place for top neighbourhood.

"Parkdale is the dynamic and inclusive community I am proud to represent," said city councillor Gord Perks, who's a very earnest and decent chap as I recall from my days at City Hall. "The secret is out ... it's one of the best places in Canada."

Victoria Park in Kitchener currently is one of the top ranked nominations for Canada's Great Neighbourhood, as is Plateau Mont-Royal in Montreal; a very worthy nominee. Roncesvalles Village is getting some votes, too, which makes sense. I just spotted a story in the paper this morning on The Ace bar on Roncesvalles, and it looks like a spot worth trying.

Mayor Gregor Robertson of Vancouver is pushing the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese garden as the top public space. Also gunning for that honour is Botanical Beach in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park near Renfrew, B.C. Oooh - a B.C. bun fight!!

There are 33 nominations so far, and they've collectively received some 3,400 votes. Nominations can be made until Jan. 31, and voting takes place until Feb. 29. Judges will decide on semi-finalists in early April and announce the winners in late April of this year. People's Choice awards also will be made in each of the three categories.

Go to www.greatplacesincanada.com to make a nomination or vote, or simply to follow along.

WEIRD GIFTS FOR ROYAL COUPLE

I love these stories about strange gifts that people give to visitors. None are better than what Will and Kate got when they made their trips to Canada, Australia and New Zealand after their marriage in 2011.

Someone in Australia (I presume with a sense of humour) gave Prince William a jar of vegemite, and how awesome is that? In Canada, the prince and the Duchess of Cambridge were given a pair of "caribou antler snow goggles," surely perfect for a night on the town in London. Someone gave Kate a tartan fascinator, which I think Don Cherry might want to wear some night on Coach's Corner. The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also gave Kate three pairs of shoes, although I can't imagine why. The governor-general gave her a quilt, which seems a little more practical.

In a touching note, folks in Christchurch gave Prince William some rubble from the Christchurch earthquake, as he visited following the earthquake last February.

Prince Charles went to Portugal last year and got a bottle of port (I'm sure he used it quickly), and four bottles of olive oil. The Spanish government gave him a cured ham, which he undoubtedly had trouble getting past British Customs owing to the UK Ham Protection Act, which designates that "only hams made in Berkshire by Englishmen of certain heritage who swear the European Union is the sworn enemy of mankind may be allowed to be consumed within the borders of glorious Britain. Said Englishmen also must agree that it's remarkably improper for the Americans to have let Meryl Streep make a movie in which she dares to play the role of the Most Dearly Beloved Margaret Thatcher, and by the way any self-respecting Brit could tell the accent's dead wrong."

PORTER GOES TO WASHINGTON

Good for Porter Airlines for announcing a sixth U.S. destination on Wednesday. The aggressive, Toronto-based airline says it will begin flying from Toronto's Billy Bishop Island airport to Washington Dulles International on April 16.

"Greater Washington is a region that our passengers have told us is their number one priority for new Porter service," Porter president and CEO Robert Deluce said in a press release. "We expect great interest for both business and leisure trips and look forward to bringing competition to the route."

Amen to that.

JAUNT.CA DEAL

Jaunt.ca is offering a great deal for an overnight getaway to the lovely Fairmont Chateau Montebello in Quebec. For $119 you get a night's stay, plus a $25 spa credit.For $238 enjoy two nights, a $25 spa credit, a $25 Food and beverage credit and a $25 activities credit (good for snowmobile, ATV (All-terrain vehicle) and curling).

The deal is valid Jan. 15 to April 30 but some blackout dates apply. See www.jaunt.ca for details on this and other getaways, including downtown Toronto and Niagara, where you can go check out what the fuss is all about with Queen Street.

 

 

 

 

Expedia expands into Trip Advisor reviews ... Toronto Island Airport surges

Interesting that Expedia is trying to change the landscape when it comes to hotel reviews.

I use Trip Advisor as a general guide to properties and sometimes restaurants, but I've never completely trusted the source of the reviews. Now, Expedia has revamped its "Expedia Verified Reviews" program, which will allow travelers to do all kinds of cool searches to find hotels near a particular site, such as a hockey arena. Officials say all reviews - both good and bad - will be written by Expedia customers who actually booked AND STAYED at the hotel.

Certainly, more information in the hands of us consumers is a good thing, so I look forward to checking it out.

Trip Advisor recently was spun off from Expedia, so it's not like these are two enemies going at it.

As for Trip Advisor, they're departing 2011 with a wee mistake. I noticed they sent out an item this week listing 15 Destinations on the Rise for 2012.

Sadly, they're all American, although perhaps they have a more worldly offering elsewhere on their site or in the works. Not that it's a cardinal sin, as all those long coastlines do tend to look a bit alike, but I notice that their section on Santa Cruz, California shows a photo of Highway 1 down in Big Sur. It's a good 80 or 100 miles from Santa Cruz, guys. Your photo shows the famous bridge that spans one of the canyons on Highway 1 well south of Carmel, whereas Santa Cruz is way north, up at the far end of Monterey Bay.

Anyway, here are the Trip Advisor 15 Destinations on the Rise in the U.S.: Nashville; Austin, Texas; Fort Myers; Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Pensacola; Louisville; Branson, Missouri; Scottsdale; St. Augustine, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Asheville, North Carolina; Wildwood, New Jersey; Park City, Utah and Santa Cruz. Once again, North Dakota gets shut out.

ISLAND AIRPORT ON THE RISE

This was a HUGE growth year for the Toronto Island Airport, which means it was a good year for the folks at Porter Airlines.

The number of passengers at the airport, formally known as Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, rose from 1.13 million in 2010 to 1.55 million this year. That's according to the Toronto Port Authority, which manages the airport.

Officials say they're climbing toward 2 million folks a year.

Air Canada now offers daily flights from the island airport to Montreal, but they don't have as many slots as they'd like.

Work is expected to begin in the spring on a new pedestrian tunnel from the mainland over to the island. I'm sure it's more convenient, but I'd miss the one-minute ferry ride.

 

 

Good travel/tourism news on both U.S. coasts as New York and California soar

The Big Apple and the Golden State are leading a rather large tourism resurgence in the land of the red, white and blue.

Two of Canadians' favourite destinations, New York City and California, are reaching some awfully big numbers as 2011 comes to a rousing end.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced this week that the city will surpass 50 million tourists sometime this week. It's quite a success story when you consider NYC had less than 43 million visits as recently as 2006.

It was thought at one time it might take until 2015 to crack the 50 million mark, but things have been pretty much gangbusters this year, with officials projecting tourist spending of $32 billion - enough to support some 320,000 jobs.

Equally good news is being announced across the continent, where visitor numbers are up 4 per cent compared to last year. Tourists in California this year will spend an estimated $104.4 billion - more than three times the amount of New York City. It will mark the first-time ever for tourist spending to reach the $100 billion mark, and the projections for 2011 are up from the $95.1 billion tourists spent in 2010.

Included in the 4 per cent overall hike for the Golden State is a 6.9 per cent growth in international visitors, including strong growth from Canada and Mexico, according to the Los Angeles Times. There's been a sizable 9 per cent hike in overseas visitors, particularly from countries such as China, France and Australia, The Times said.

California is expecting tourism spending to reach $110 billion next year and $115 in 2013, although officials say the forecast (no kidding) is still a tad cloudy.

China, of course, is a huge market for just about anyone. Folks from the Canadian Tourism Commission were in China this week to talk about the lure of Canada, but I get the feeling that the Beijing Hilton, or whatever hotel folks use, is probably wearing out its revolving front doors and lobby carpeting from all the folks coming over and pitching their product to the massive Chinese market.

And, hey, wouldn't you like to be the guy in charge of whatever tour company the Chinese Communist Party decides is the one that should package Chinese tourists for visits to the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge? Yikes - talk about sitting on a fortune.

U.S. AIRPORT RATINGS

PCWorld has issued a report on the top American (sadly, not any Canadian) airports for tech travel purposes. They sent researchers "all over the country to canvass the gates of the 40 busiest airports in the United States and to identify the tech winners and losers. In all our airport auditors visited 3300 gates from coast to coast; they counted more than 17,000 electrical outlets, 5000 USB ports, and 1350 charging stations; and they performed hundreds of tests of airport Wi-Fi and cellular broadband service."

Isn't that great?

King of the Hill or Top of the Heap, to use an NYC reference, was Dallas-Fort Worth (see photo). Delta got high marks for on-board WiFi, a nice smartphone app that helps track checked luggage and for a social media presence.

The magazine said Dallas-Fort Worth "doesn't have the most outlets, it doesn't have the fastest Wi-Fi, and it's not number one in work desks. But no other airport achieves such consistently high scores across so many categories. Dallas ranked near the top of all airports on six of the eight tech amenities that we measured."

Second was JFK in New York, followed by Atlanta, Detroit and Sacramento.

The rest of the top 20 went as follows: 6. Oakland, California; 7. LaGuardia in New York; 8. Salt Lake City; 9. Baltimore-Washington; 10. San Francisco; 11. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood; 12. Raleigh-Durham; 13. Nashville; 14. Minneapolis-St. Paul; 15. Chicago Midway; 16. Cleveland; 17. Los Angeles; 18. Seattle-Tacoma (you'd expect more given Microsoft's Washington state headquarters); 19. Kansas City; 20. Portland.

 

 

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.

 

 

Customers forced to pay surcharge on board, Thomas Cook Canada launches

I can just see the flight attendant. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, does anyone on board happen to have an ATM in their pocket?"

It sounds like theatre of the absurd times 100, but reports out of Britain and Austria say passengers on a chartered Austrian Comtel Air (never heard of it) flight from Amritsar, India to Birmingham, England were forced to pay out more than $30,000 in cash to pay for fuel.

According to the BBC, more than 180 passengers were stranded on the tarmac in Vienna during a refuelling stop after being told the airline "ran out of cash to fund the last leg of the trip".

Passengers (thanks to the Mail online for the photo) said the airline then threatened to remove their luggage from the plane if they did not pay up. There was a six-hour standoff (bet they didnt' serve food) before Austrian police arrived and escorted passengers to ATMs to get cash.

Bhunpinder Kandra, director of passenger services for Comtel Air, reportedly said: "I have heard what happened, it shouldn't have happened, and I will investigate why it happened.

"The people who had to pay the money will receive a refund."

Gee, what a guy. And you thought Ryanair's idea of paying for on-board toilets was tough.

THOMAS COOK CANADA

Thomas Cook, a global travel company with more than 170 years experience in the biz, this week announced its new Canadian website - thomascook.ca. The site was launched in conjunction with the rebranding of 150 Thomas Cook retail shops across Canada, from B.C. to Newfoundland.

"Consumers now have more choice when booking travel with Thomas Cook by giving them a call, clicking to book online or coming in to any of the Thomas Cook branded retailers," officials said.

Stuart Morris, Senior Vice President of Ecommerce, said the site was developed with Canadian travelers in mind and includes a full offering of online travel tools and options at exceptional prices. In addition, he said, Thomas Cook Affiliate Agencies have customized versions of the Thomascook.ca site with deals selected for their local market.

And that can't help but be good news for Canadian consumers.

 

Porn movies on a plane? Ryanair folks talk it up... Fairmont Mexico all you can eat

I gotta hand it to them, so to speak. The folks at Ryanair are simply marvellous at keeping their name in the spotlight.

A year or so ago, they were making waves by talking about installing pay toilets on board airplanes. Visions of lineups and folks digging into their pockets for coins as they danced a jig in the aisles of planes sparked a huge outpouring of media attention, including comments from me of course. To my knowledge, Ryanair hasn't built a single pay toilet on board a plane. But they got a ton of publicity.

Now comes word they want to develop apps that will allow passengers to play games, gamble or even watch a porno flick at 36,000 feet.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary, who I'd love to meet some day, said it would need at least a year to implement the technology as the plan doesn't even have broadband on its planes (and you thought Air Canada was bad).

"I'm not talking about having it on screens on the back of seats for everyone to see," Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary told the Sun in London. "It would be on handheld devices."

Oh, that's SO MUCH better, Michael. How discreet. How marvellously sensitive!

"Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn't we?" O'Leary said.

Um. Last time I checked, most hotel rooms have doors that close so folks walking down the hall don't see what's on the TV in every room. Maybe Ryanair could issue magic cloaking devices so we can't see our neighbours smartphone or iPad. Come to think of it, let's hope they can do just that so I can avoid sitting next to adult men who play annoying video games that go "ping" and "zowie" and make other, horrible sounds FOR A SOLID TWO HOURS on the way back from Jamaica.

I don't want to get into the details of the idea, but I can just imagine the nightmare of having people watching erotic movies in their seats as they fly over France or, better yet, Come By Chance, Newfoundland. Sales of those little moist towelletes would soar, for sure.

"Ladies and gentlemen (especially gentlemen), if the oxygen mask drops please place it over your nose and mouth and breathe heavily."

O'Leary is almost certainly kidding. But when you're playing with a master p.r. guy like this, it's sometimes hard to know. I mean, check out their "Girls of Ryanair Calendar."

(Nice that proceeds go to charity, but isn't that Silvio Berlusconi up in the cockpit?)

You're not going to see that in Canada any time soon, folks. Porter has given us those cool pill box hats on the flight attendants but I can't imagine a "Girls of Porter Airlines" calendar....

FAIRMONT GOES ALL-INCLUSIVE FOR FOOD

The Fairmont Mayokoa on the Riviera Maya in Mexico is experimenting with a semi-allinclusive package. Faced with competition from high-end all-inclusive resorts, the hotel is the first Fairmont property to test a food-and-drink package that allows customers to buy all their meals - and drinks - in advance.

Barb De Lollis in USA Today writes that folks who buy the package can go to any restaurant at any time of day. You can order alcohol. If you choose to eat at the Fairmont's highest-end restaurant that serves imported meat and seafood dishes, you'll pay a surcharge and then eat as much as you want.

The hotel is selling the package at $429 per day for a family of four (with children over age 5) for what typically is considered worth $740 of food and drink per day, retail. Kids under five eat free.

The package excludes sale of alcohol by the bottle. "It would be hard to control" if customers were ordering two bottles of Cristal at $150 a pop, he says.

You'll also find limits on some cocktails or glasses of wine. If you want a scotch, for instance, you'll receive Johnny Walker Red; if you want Johnny Walker Black, then you'd have to pay for it.

"You won't get well drinks," Robinson says. "When you order vodka, you'll get Absolut."

Pretty clever idea. As a guy with a family of five, I can definitely see the advantage of knowing my costs in advance. It's about $100 per day for a family of four; not cheap but pretty good if you have hungry children who are of drinking age.

 

Whales don't like John Denver, a cool B.C. Thai-British ranch, Air Canada deal

EDMONTON - I'm out here in Alberta enjoying not only a heat wave (up to the mid-20's in the next day or two) but also learning a ton about new and existing attractions in this great country of ours.

I spent Tuesday sitting down with 15 or 20 (I lost track) tourism folks from various cities and provinces and territories and came away quite impressed with what we have to offer. Here's a sample of what I was told.

- Ottawa is gearing up for a big 2012. The Chateau Laurier turns 100, the Junos are being held April 1, the NHL All-Star Game (with or without Sid the Kid) is there early in the year and there’s a major Van Gogh exhibit May 25-Sept. 3. Oh, and it’s the 60^th anniversary of the city’s tulip festival.

- Next year marks the 100^th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede. Be sure to look for the Keister Family Fiddlers. They entertained at lunch yesterday and they’re a hoot; a mom on guitar and four adorable young girls playing the fiddle and stomping and singing like there’s no tomorrow.

- Best line of the day goes to Jantine Van Kregten of Ottawa Tourism. I was telling her about how I spotted these gag gifts called “Squirrel Underpants” at stores in Halifax and Edmonton. They come in white and in pink and they’re just tiny little things that look to go onto a photo of a squirrel. “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe it’s a great place to hold their nuts.”

- The Canadian Tourism Commission has a facebook page at facebook.com/keepexploring

- There’s a guest ranch called Echo Valley in B.C. that’s run by a fellow from Britain and a woman from Thailand, and they have a Thai-inspired spa in the interior of the province, as well as riding and other traditional ranch activities. Sounds cool.

- They turn Fort Henry in Kingston into something called Fort Fright at Halloween time, with ghouls and goblins and ghosts, and you can even stay overnight. Oooooohhhh, scary.

- You can snorkel with beluga whales in Hudson’s Bay in summer. Many folks like to hear the whales sing. Others like to sing back to the belugas. “They like Amazing Grace,” said Cathy Senecal of Tourism Manitoba. “Also they like it if you sing ‘Corinne, Corina’ in a really high voice. But they hate John Denver.”

- The Keefer Suites in downtown Vancouver (Chinatown) has three suites, each a whopping 2,400 square feet, and a huge pool on the roof. Owen Wilson recently rented one of the suites, and is said to have come back another day with a friend and knocked on someone’s door so he could show them where he had stayed.

- They raise chickens on the roof of the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. I knew they had a beekeeper on top of the Royal York in Toronto, but the Quebec chickens were news to me.

- Great Lakes Cruising is an increasingly popular activitiy, with cruises that include Toronto, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay. Sounds cool.

- The Chapleau Game Preserve in northern Ontario is said to be the largest preserve in the world.

- I don't look so good in a cowboy hat. Of course, the photographer asked me to ham it up a little for this photo.

- I hadn’t thought of it, but 2017 will mark our nation’s 150^th anniversary.

-  There’s a new Rock and Roll Musical History tour in Winnipeg that includes sights and places frequented by such greats as Neil Young and Bachman Turner Overdrive. Takin' care of business, indeed.

- There’s a big pond hockey tournament on Lake Louise again this winter, their third annual such event.

- The Tergesen General Store in Gimli, Manitoba has been run by the same family for more than 100 years.

- Sault Ste. Marie has the second largest wind farm in Canada and the largest solar energy farm in North America.

- A new provincial museum will open in Edmonton in 2015, right downtown. The existing Royal Alberta Museum is a fine facility a few minutes from downtown. They had a reception for media and tourism types there on Tuesday night, with Tom Jackson handling the entertainment and native dancers out front. The aboriginal history exhibit is terrific.

- The World Figure Skating Championships will be in London, Ontario in 2013.

- Starwood is about to open their 60^th property in Canada, a Sheraton in Red Deer, Alberta. Their biggest property in Canada is the Four Points Sheraton brand, with 23 hotels.. They’re also breaking ground on a new Element Hotel in Vancouver, which will be branded as an eco-friendly hotel. There are no firm plans for a W hotel in Toronto, but the Aloft brand will open a facility next year across the parking lot from Vaughan Mills. They already have 70 hotels in China and will open 100 more in the next few years.

- The Banff Centre has a new feature called the Shaw Ampitheatre with 1,500 seats. Blue Rodeo (see photo of Jim Cuddy of the band, courtesy of Julia Pelish) and the Calgary Philharmonic each have played there.

- Victoria’s Secret opened its first Canadian store at the West Edmonton Mall two weeks before it opened at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto. Nyah, nyah.

- The Soho Metropolitan Hotel on Blue Jays Way in downtown Toronto has a 4,000 square foot penthouse unit with three floors and its own library.

- Wine is growing as an industry in Nova Scotia. A lot of money is being poured into sparkling wine, especially.

- They clear snow on the main lake in Sudbury in winter and some students at Laurentian university skate from their apartments over to the university for their daily classes.

AIR CANADA DEAL

A huge sigh of relief from anyone (me included) who was to fly today or tomorrow on Air Canada. It remains to be seen if the union members will ratify the tentative deal, but at least for now it's business as usual for Air Canada and for thousands of fliers. Good news, indeed.