Does this blizzard expose the travel industry’s cold heart?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/blog/blizzard-expose-travel-industrys-cold-heart/

10 moments of travel ecstasy [pics]

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." — Albert Einstein



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/10-moments-travel-ecstasy-pics/

Proactive Customer Service Or Polite Way To Tell You To Bugger Off?

I don't think there's a hotel chain I have as mixed feelings about as W. I love their properties outside the US -- the W Guangzhou, W Taipei, W Singapore, etc., are awesome hotels.

However, I can't say I feel the same way about many of their properties in the US, which I find to be cheaply furnished and provide not-so-great service, all while commanding a price premium over similar hotels -- I almost prefer aloft, which is W's budget brand. Furthermore, I find US W properties to consistently be stingy with elite benefits -- it seems they'll find almost any excuse to deny a suite upgrade.

Many W properties seem to have "brand/member ambassadors," which is puzzling, since I'm not actually sure what comes of it.

The post Proactive Customer Service Or Polite Way To Tell You To Bugger Off? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/01/26/proactive-customer-service-or-polite-way-to-tell-you-to-bugger-off/

Where to Go Now: Seeing Phoenix, for the Super Bowl and Beyond

Downtown Phoenix will be transformed for the Super Bowl, and there is great food and art throughout the city.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/42b7a9c0/sc/13/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A10C260Ctravel0Cseeing0Ephoenix0Efor0Ethe0Esuper0Ebowl0Eand0Ebeyond0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

The Eiffel Bridge at Night in Girona, Spain

from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2015/01/25/eiffel-bridge-night-girona-spain/

Finally, One Card to Replace Them All?

I was very excited about 15 months ago when Coin launched for pre-order. It looked so cool, one card that you load your other credit cards onto via an app. You could carry the one and swipe it, you flip between cards that it represents with a button. This would be convenient for cleaning up […]

The post Finally, One Card to Replace Them All? appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/01/26/finally-one-card-replace/

Best Ways To Redeem British Airways Avios

Since American Express is offering a 40% transfer bonus to British Airways through January 31, we asked TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen to round up some of the best ways to redeem them. British Airways Avios sometimes get a bad rap thanks to high fuel surcharges flying to/from London on BA itself. However, Avios are...



from The Points Guy http://thepointsguy.com/2015/01/best-ways-to-redeem-british-airways-avios/

How To Deal With Widespread Flight Cancellations

Air travel is expected to be difficult this week as a major snowstorm hits the Northeastern region of the U.S.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/flight-cancellations-what-do-if-winter-storm-juno-leaves-you-stranded-1794694

11 signs you're from Illinois

You know you're from the Prairie State when you're used to traffic jams being created by tractors and combines.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/11-signs-born-raised-illinois/

Implications Of Aer Lingus Being Taken Over By British Airways

Aer Lingus will apparently be approving a €1.3 billion takeover bid by IAG, which is the parent company of British Airways. IAG also controls Iberia, and really is one of the three European airline "superpowers" (Air France/KLM, British Airways/Iberia, and the Lufthansa group).

This takeover bid is fascinating for many reasons, and has most of the elements of a good soap opera/reality TV show:

-- This is the third takeover bid, after the first two were rejected

-- Does British Airways really care about Aer Lingus, or do they just want Aer Lingus' Heathrow slots, since they are the fourth largest operator out of Heathrow?

-- Ryanair owns ~30% of Aer Lingus while the Irish government owns 25%, so this is about to get really interesting politically

The post Implications Of Aer Lingus Being Taken Over By British Airways appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/01/26/implications-aer-lingus-taken-british-airways/

Silicon Valley might be at the center of innovation, but it sucks at hospitality

Silicon Valley is the world’s undisputed leader when it comes to identifying, attracting and investing in top IT talent. Arguably, the peninsula ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/silicon-valley-sucks-hospitality/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=silicon-valley-might-center-innovation-sucks-hospitality

3 Canadian habits I lost when I moved to America

The secret to forming American friendships is learning to speak offensively. Got it?



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/3-canadian-habits-lost-moved-america/

Rare predator spotted in Brazilian river

The CEO for the World Wildlife Fund spotted a rare black jaguar in Brazil's Juruena National Park.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2015/01/23/pkg-orig-group-spots-rare-black-jaguar.wwf.html

7 Alternative Ways to Evaluate Your Life Every Day

As regular readers know, I’m all about setting goals and working toward big projects over time. When you have a big goal, especially one with a clear end point, it’s easy to know when you’ve achieved it. But most big goals take time



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/7-alternative-ways-to-evaluate-your-life-every-day/

What Are Hotel Butlers Good For?

Savoy Hotels put out a pretty interesting infographic, entitled "a Savoy butler's insight into making life truly extraordinary."

This is especially timely since Etihad's The Residence comes with butler service, and the butlers on Etihad are Savoy trained.

It's an interesting infographic which explains the ins-and-outs of butler service, including formal training, common tasks, tips, and strange requests they've received over the years.

But I'm still not sure I actually "get" butler service. The one hotel chain I stay at fairly regularly that offers butler service is St. Regis.

The post What Are Hotel Butlers Good For? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/01/26/what-are-hotel-butlers-good-for/