PE.com - Tourism Blog

Stocks took a massive tumble Tuesday and recovered a bit by Wednesday, but I thought it was interesting to see that while the ruckus on Wall Street was taking shape - familiar hotel brands weren't immune.

Lodging stocks overall dropped 3.52% by the end of the day.

Not surprising, considering the stock market hiccup emanated in Asia, Home Inns and Hotels Management Inc. based in China fared the worst dropping $6.21, or 13.28% to a share price of $40.55 as of the end of trading Tuesday.

Here's how others fared:

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide share price dropped by $2.24 to end at $65.08

Marriott share price dropped by $1.57 to end at $47.50

Hilton share price dropped by $1.27 to end at $34.86

Wyndham Worldwide share price dropped by $1.15 to end at $34.24

Four Seasons share price dropped by $0.19 to end at $81.22

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 7:45 AM, February 28
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With some of its $10 million advertising budget, the California Travel and Tourism Commission debuted its spring and summer advertising television commercial before, during and after the Oscars for viewers in Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City and Denver.

Here's to hoping the Oscar viewers in chillier climates didn't change the channel during the acceptance speech for Best Sound Mixing.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:50 AM, February 27
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If taking a lesson from the 90-second promo aired at Friday's annual luncheon for the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention and Visitors Authority, here's what you should do when imploring Los Angeles residents to visit your destination: (first watch the video by visiting our Business section site and reading my story about the luncheon)

1 - Repeat the area's slogan once every 18 seconds on average (bonus point! How many times does Mary Bono say "Give in to the Desert"?)

2 - Show really nasty traffic before showing happy people and swimming pools. Do it the other way around and you just might leave them depressed.

3 - Mention that they'll be "surrounded" once they get here. They like that sort of thing.

4 - Give a fair shake to every city, not just the most well known one (I'm talking to you Las Vegas ... why not, "What happens in Primm, stays in Primm" eh?)

5 - Include outtakes (bonus point! spot the cue card holders in the video)

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 11:18 PM, February 23
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Travelers rarely meet hotel or restaurant managers, but they do get to know the person behind the front desk, the steering wheel of a tour bus or a bar's counter for better or worse.

To honor those that left a positive lasting impression on folks visiting the Coachella Valley last year, the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention and Visitors Authority awarded Kaiser Grille employee Erin Earhart $1,000 and two airline tickets to anywhere in the United States. (Hopefully she gets a return flight).

Nominees included:
Elena Sembenini from the Ristorante Tuscany at the JW Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert.
Sonny Prieto with Elite Land Tours.
Mitch Cazier with Desert Adventures
Alex Castro with Palm Canyon Resort
Luisa Esparza with Ruby's Diner in Palm Springs
Connie Apodaca with the Wyndham Palm Springs

Other awards went to:

Restaurateur of the Year
Mark C. Stagner, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse

Business Attraction Person of the Year
Alex Haagen, Empire Polo Club*
*host to the Stagecoach and Coachella music festivals

Outstanding General Manager for Hotels 200 Rooms or Less
Jonathan Heath, Viceroy Palm Springs

Outstanding General Manager for Hotels 201 Rooms or More
Tom Netting, Hyatt Grand Champions Resort and Spa in Indian Wells

Salesperson of the Year
Barbara Lyons, Holiday Inn Palm Springs

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 2:20 PM, February 23
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I've been meaning to publish a convention calendar for the area, so consider this the first online installment. Some may be open to the public, others may not so its worth checking if you want to go:

PALM SPRINGS
Feb. 28 - March 5: Wisconsin Weekend Away (University of Wisconsin Foundation) @ Hotel Zoso

March 1-3: Computer Using Educators Inc. @ Wyndham Palm Springs

March 12-15: Christian Management Association annual conference @ Wyndham Palm Springs

RANCHO MIRAGE
March 4-6: American Ladder Institute spring conference @ Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa

Know of a convention in your area or hotel? Let me know. I'll track down Ontario, Temecula and Riverside info soon.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:04 AM, February 23
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Bit of a genius article about hotels and all the obnoxious little charges that appear when you arrive in what you thought was a cheap room -- $3 for a bottle of room-temperature bottled water? $2 a minute phone calls? $19.99 a day to access their lobby wireless Internet?

The writer says savvy travelers will take advantage of the typically lower rate to stay there and cover their eyes when tempted by the candy in the mini-bar because hotieliers expect folks to succumb and eventually pay the overly inflated price for goods if travelers think they're getting a good deal on the room.

But I thought of two potentially naive questions after reading the article -- seen a mini-bar lately? Or used a hotel's phone instead of your cell phone?

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:30 AM, February 22
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Full Disclosure: I was a frequent JetBlue passenger flying between Washington D.C. and Long Beach for about two years and had, as a result, become a gushing fan. They were always on time. Always pleasant. Always ready to hand me blue chips and let me watch five hours worth of Trading Spaces if I so desired.

That's why the recent news of its utter collapse in the face of weather floored me.

But the actions by its CEO afterward have been even more surprising.

Not denying culpibility, or blaming underlings, the man has been utterly contrite even using YouTube and his company's main home page to broadcast his plan for a detailed Customer Bill of Rights

And finally, he simply apologizes.

This story from Forbes sums up CEO David Neeleman's response to disaster really well.

So I'm curious - did JetBlue lose you as a customer forever? Or are you willing to give it another chance?

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:00 AM, February 21
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Never have currency exchange rates made me panic, until now.

I'm going to England and Ireland in March and am just starting the fathom that my $1 is worth about 50 cents in Britain.

But one person's panic is a British person's dream. Palm Springs hotelier Tim Ellis, general manager of the Palm Mountain Resort & Spa, sees the sliver lining.

"We really need to capitalize on that exchange rate," he said. "We've got an enormous opportunity this summer."

The US/UK exchange rate is at its highest in five years.

In honor of the occasion, here are a few currency conversions for popular Inland tourist sites (rate as of 2/16/07):

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
U.S. price: $21.95 (adults), $14.95 (children)
Brit price: 11.26 pounds (adults), 7.67 pounds (children)

Mission Inn hotel room
U.S. price: $205-$295 (deluxe room), $650-$1,000 (presidential suite)
Brit price: 105.15-151.37 pounds (deluxe room), 333.40-512.92 pounds (presidential suite)

Temecula hot air balloon ride
U.S. price: $128-$148
Brit price: 65.65-75.91 pounds

Gambling at Pechanga, Casino Morongo, Agua Caliente Casino, Fantasy Springs, etc
U.S. price: whatever you're willing to lose
Brit price: whatever you're willing to lose ... divided by half

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:45 AM, February 20
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Kudos are in order for Priceline.com and TripAdvisor. The two companies have vowed to expunge fake reviews from its sites that can puff up a hotel that may not deserve it.

In this article from Reuters a Priceline executive claims the site matches its records of buyers with the commenter to make sure they've stayed at the hotel in question. TripAdvisor claims to use personnel trained in fraud detection.

I did a quick search for Palm Springs area hotels on Priceline.com to unscientifically check it's accuracy, and found some pretty honest comments for the JW Marriott Desert Springs resort in Palm Desert. But Brett from Tempe is just nuts.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:50 AM, February 19
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The Palm Springs Desert Resort's (Communities) Convention and Visitors Authority hit a bit of a rough patch two years ago when its president was ousted and the search was on for a replacement to lead the Coachella Valley's efforts to lure tourists.

Jeff Beckelman soon became president and on Friday, the organization that hired him released a survey that determined he's doing "a great job."

The survey polled elected officials, city managers and the 17 tourism industry members that make up the Hospitality Industry and Business Council as to whether or not he has good communication skills, quality of work, leadership, ethics, creativity and relationships.

But if you're looking for Jeff's scores -- 4 out of 5 stars? 8 out of 10? etc -- keep looking. The release announcing the results makes no mention except for movie-poster-esque quotes like this one:

"It is gratifying to observe that the CVA is back on track and its leader is so well perceived," said Rancho Mirage City Councilman Dana Hobart.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 9:01 AM, February 18
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If only those JetBlue passengers stuck inside an airplane cabin for 11 hours would have embraced it and introduced themeselves, they may have had a Happy Valentines Day. Or not.

I had heard about AirTroductions.com awhile ago and was waiting for just the right moment to reference them. Thank you trapped JetBlue passengers.

I had been intrigued by the concept, but like any other social networking site, couldn't it be possible to meet and get to know someone online who turns out to be VERY different in person in the not-so-good way? Now that's trapped.

Has anybody tried to make friends with a seat buddy before their flight?

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:50 AM, February 16
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I was a bit hasty with my blog about the strange clothes fitting device that's going into three airports (see below), but got some good questions from commenter Mark as result.

Mark asked:

Why only for men? Why only in airports? Why hasn't anyone done this before? Very strange.

According to the company's Chief Technology Officer Albert Charpentier, men are easy. Well, easier to fit. Less options for pants and shirts await a man than a woman. The company is still working out the kinks for getting a woman's measurements right enough to fit flare, boot cut, skinny, etc. jeans among other items.

They apparently tried the machine in malls, but alas, people wanted to actually try on clothes in the mall. The airport, they think, will make for a captive audience of travelers waiting for flights and ready to shop for pants online.

And as for anyone doing it before -- it looks like this company is in the business of developing full-body scans to be used for online retail.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:35 AM, February 16
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While roaming the hallway at the eTail2007 conference in Palm Desert I saw what looked like a Star Trek transporter or one of those cylinder rooms they used to fill with air and cash and a person grabbing for all they can hold onto.

Not so. This thing uses the same radio frequencies emitted by a cell phone to measure you.

Why? So when you're trolling your favorite clothing company's Web site, you know exactly what will fit without having to try pants on.

Alas, it's only for men so far and can only be found at several Levi's stores.

Here's where the travel/tourism part comes in: The company, Intellifit, is putting the machine in Philadelphia International Airport on March 7. After that, Albert Charpentier, chief technology officer, says it will pop up in Newark International Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Airport in April and May.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 4:51 AM, February 15
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If you haven't been inside the JW Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert recently, be prepared for a very different hotel lobby. I'm there today for the eTail2007 conference and when I stepped through the front door I literally gaped.

I guess that's what a $30 million renovation can do. (Unfortunately the photo is dim, but imagine a rock-covered fountain the length of the lobby above a modern lounge)

Gone is the faux-tropical paradise complete with real parrots. Don't worry, the indoor boat dock and pond are still there.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 6:52 AM, February 14
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When I hear "new social network" I usually do one or all of the following: sigh, roll my eyes, mutter "not another one" and then feel compelled to join.

I did all of the above when I read this headline in my handy-dandy daily tourism update from Smith Travel Research : "Youtourist: The Social Network Platform For the Tourism Industry"

But in reading through the press release, this certainly doesn't sound like the teen playground that is MySpace or the increasingly commercial YouTube.

One, it's from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

Two, it advocates "safeguarding the resources upon which tourism depends, ensuring that its benefits are equitibly shared in the spirit of the Millenium Development Goals."

Deep.

Of course a social networking site wouldn't be one without the exchanging of photos, videos and comments and this will be no exception, according to the release.

My bet for the first profile? Angelina Jolie.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 9:41 AM, February 13
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No longer will a mere $5 pay for the dirt and stars under which you'll sleep. Joshua Tree National Park is raising its per night camping fee from $5 to $10 at the Hidden Valley, Ryan, Jumbo Rocks, Belle and White Tank campgrounds, according to a press release from the National Park Service.

Fees for group camping at Cottonwood campground will be $30 per night. And families camping at Indian Cove, Black Rock and Cottonwood will be charged $15 rather than $10.

The reason is because the National Park Service contracted with a new reservation service, ReserveAmerica.

Campers can book campsites here or here, or call 1-877-444-6777.

Admittedly, I'm not much of a camper -- but I'm a national park enthusiast (been to Zion, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Arches ... ok, you get the point) who despite the obvious traffic in places like Yosemite still feels the parks should be as accessible as possible to us, the public.

Do fee increases like these keep you otherwise out of the parks? Lemme know, I'd be curious.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 4:12 PM, February 12
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Those who frequent Southwest Airlines may have thought they got a scoop today when the airline e-mailed its Rapid Rewards members, announcing the airline's return to San Francisco International Airport in early fall.

Here's the press release the company posted today.

The airline canned its 14 daily flights between the California city and San Diego and Phoenix in 2001. Before then, it had nonstop flights to Las Vegas, none to Ontario.

No word yet as to whether Ontario International Airport may soon be directly connected to San Fran. An airline spokeswoman said the destinations still haven't been determined and won't be for a few more months.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 2:22 PM, February 09
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Unless you've got William Shatner on speed-dial, good luck booking a reasonably priced hotel room during the three-day Coachella Music Fest.

It's that time of year when the hotels, including nary-traveled motels in typically overlooked Indio, max out their rates. When one night costs more than all three days at the festival, capitalism has officially run amuck.

If you're going to Coachella and haven't found this on the organizer's message board yet, it appears helpful and lets you know if roaches may have been prior tenants of your room at last year's festival.

This reservation service is linked on the main Coachella site and already lists several sell outs. The City Center Inn in Indio should be added to that list. A quick call and they said their 22 rooms are entirely booked. Not bad for them at $198 a night.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:45 AM, February 09
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This may have been a contest two years ago but I just have to hope that whoever won didn't get stranded in Long Beach when they should have been much farther east.

I know the rest of the Coachella Valley always gets confused with "Palm Springs" when it comes to tourism but mixing up Coachella with a coastal city in Los Angeles County is a stretch.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:22 PM, February 08
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Sure, a day off is nice - but one of my favorite things about holidays are the news releases from Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, AAA, etc. Polling their members or compiling what's been booked through their sites, they send out a who's who (or where's where) of the most popular destinations.

For Spring Break, say hello to Salt Lake City happy couples.

According to Travelocity:

...The largest group of "Family Spring Breakers" are headed to Orlando, Cancun, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. Meanwhile, "Spring Break Couples" are showing a tendency towards spots like Las Vegas, Miami, Aspen and Salt Lake City. "Single Spring Breakers" on the other hand, are headed to the bigger metropolises like New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC.

Alas no Inland Empire or Palm Springs in that list, now that 90210 is off-the-air and Kelly, Brandon, Brenda and Donna Martin only vacation here in syndicated reruns.

Priceline.com on the other hand ranks Palm Springs (or rather Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells) 30th on its list of the top 50 destinations for Presidents Day weekend based on 30,000 bookings with the site.

Despite the press release's headline and focus on the popularity of warm weather climes: "Brrr! Priceline.com's Top 50 List For Presidents Weekend Shows Travelers Flocking To Warm-Weather Destinations" the number-one destination is: Baltimore! Number 4, 5 and 6? New York City.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:50 AM, February 08
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Palm Springs is so popular with the travelers they'll even ditch a day's work of voting to cut college costs and stick it to the oil industry to come golf in one of the valley's golf tournaments.

The Palladium-Item newspaper out of Indiana reports that their Rep. Dan Burton was in the Coachella Valley in January perhaps debating the merits of a sunny day to a rainy one while playing in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 6:50 AM, February 07
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Wondering why you couldn't buy tickets for ExpressJet flights from LA/Ontario International Airport last Thursday when officials said they would? (see below)

Yes, by all appearances especially following the literal red-carpet treatment the company's CEO got at today's press conference at ONT, the airline is real and will fly nonstop to 14 destinations from Inland Southern California.

Today Chief Executive Officer Jim Reams said the Web site was ready last Thursday, but ticketing wasn't. He said it should be ready now.

I did a little research looking at sample fares on one weekend.

Check out tomorrow's business section online or in the paper to read about the press conference and what it may cost to fly one-way between Ontario and Omaha, Fresno, Tucson, Colorado Springs, Boise, Austin, Albuquerque, El Paso, Spokane, Kansas City, Monterey, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Tulsa.

By the way, anyone else notice a few cities not in the above list included when searching for flights from ONT? ... Interesting.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@pe.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:07 PM, February 05
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So I know what one of my first questions for the CEO of ExpressJet or LA/Ontario Airport officials at this morning's press conference to announce 14 new nonstop flights at the Inland airport will be.

Are you selling tickets?

Not because I have a pressing need to fly nonstop between Ontario and Boise - but because a few readers have already told me they've tried to book tickets through the airline's Web site and reservation phone number to no avail.

Information filed by ExpressJet with the Securities and Exchange Commission that was confirmed by a company spokeswoman said tickets would be sold starting Feb. 1.

Have you tried to get tickets but we're redirected to Continental Airlines or no one at all?

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@pe.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 8:58 AM, February 05
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Wondering where our personal hovercrafts and space highways are?

Bored by hotels like this one in Dubai that floats on its own man-made island and can cost $15,000 a night?

Check out what might be flying our friendly skies by 2010. The interior of the aptly named "MobyAir" aircraft is being designed by well-known hotel designers Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo who stayed closer to the earth to design the Venetian in Las Vegas and The Lodge at Rancho Mirage (soon to be Ritz-Carlton).

Interesting that the manufacturer, California-based blimp maker Aeros Corp., makes mention of the training required to pilot the aircraft on its Web site FAQs but no mention of how these blimp-like hotels will ever fit in an airport without being PhotoShop-ed into a picture of an airport.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 8:50 AM, February 02
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John O'Hurley is known as one of three things -- Elaine's boss on Seinfeld, the man robbed of first place in the first season of Dancing with the Stars OR the face of the Agua Caliente Casino and Spa Resort Casino.

When he's not composing cello performances or selling instructional videotapes teaching you how to dance, he's in the desert filming his latest batch of commercials for the Agua Caliente tribe to encourage more travelers to choose it over the three other Indian casinos that line Interstate 10.

He remains the only celebrity spokesperson selling an Inland casino's amenities to traveling card sharks since Donald Trump's mug loomed large on $5 dollar chips at the former Trump 29 Casino (now Spotlight 29) in Coachella.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 7:45 AM, February 02
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Rancho Cucamonga -- it's where trendy travelers toting laptops, MP3 players, and wi-fi PDAs will rest their weary heads in the not-so-distant future.

The John Buck Co. has started construction near 4th and Haven avenues on its aloft hotel (so trendy, there's no need to capitalize the "a"), a brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the same company that birthed the W Hotels and owns Sheraton, St. Regis and Westin hotel brands.

And if you want to know what it'll be like long before the front door opens, you can make a new virtual you to lounge around the virtual pool.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 1:14 PM, February 01
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Rendering of Ritz Carlton Rancho Mirage

I profiled Herbert Spiegel, a local German hotelier helming the $500 million renovation of The Ritz-Carlton in Rancho Mirage, but sadly because of space we had to cut some of his philosophical rumination about spoons as they relate to hotels:

"This is not where you make spoons and these spoons are going to be manufactured to a certain precision and then you're going to put it on the shelf until someone buys them.

It's a spoon. It will always be a spoon. It will be a spoon today and it will be a spoon for 10 years. But the employees pretty much create the soul of the product that it is you're creating. They're creating the mood of what it is you're creating."

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@pe.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 1:05 PM, February 01
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