PE.com - Tourism Blog

Another ode to ExpressJet will be sung on Monday when the first flights out of Ontario International Airport take off.

The airport's team of firefighters will commemorate the arrivals and departures with water-spray salutes at an 8 a.m. press conference April 2.

So if you're one of the passengers heading to Spokane, Kansas City, Austin and Boise, you just might see the spectacle from your window.

Folks heading to Omaha, San Antonio and Tucson though may be departing too soon for the festivities. Alas.

But while ExpressJet will be lauded Monday, it'll be interesting to see if Wall Street does the same. Since the company announced its new regional non-stop flights between non-hub airports at the end of January, its stock has dropped from about $8 to just under $6.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 4:41 PM, March 30
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Canadians have one less way to get to and from Palm Springs.

Harmony Airways is history as of April 9. (Here's where I try in vain to avoid, "sung its last song" or "couldn't carry a tune")

The Vancouver-based airline started serving Palm Springs International Airport in 2004 with twice-weekly flights to and from Vancouver during the season.

Palm Springs has been one of only eight U.S. destinations for the airline including six stops in Hawaii and one in Las Vegas.

This story from the Globe and Mail in Canada says that executives have hinted at bringing the airline back eventually, calling the current end to flights a chance to restructure.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:50 AM, March 29
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Don't make the same mistake that a lot of travelers through South Florida airports have apparently made, and let your duty-free spirits get poured into the nearest airport trash can. The horror, I know.

Gone are the days when a bottle of Pimm's could be stowed in a carry-on. No, all liquids are considered equal and the TSA doesn't like 'em. Still in place are rules that you can only have three-ounce liquid containers, in one single quart clear plastic bag.

So stow the Stoli in your luggage before you check in.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 10:00 AM, March 28
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Doesn't gambling inside your hotel in Las Vegas, defeat the purpose of Vegas? A company has developed a system with "spatial economy" (biz journo speak for "small") that hooks up a person's hotel room TV to slot machines on the gaming floor.

That'd be like Roman gladiators slaying each other from the comfort of their own living rooms by playing World of Warcraft. Or nothing like that. I've been watching a lot of HBO's Rome lately.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:45 AM, March 28
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T-Mobile's wireless HotSpots will soon know no boundaries at LAX and LA/Ontario International Airports. While the airplanes are still no Internet zones, the T-Mobile HotSpots will span the entire 3.8 million square feet of LAX.

Officials with Los Angeles World Airports and T-Mobile will officially launch the new coverage Wednesday at an LAX press conference where the same officials will conveniently test the service on new T-Mobile products. What do you expect? It's Los Angeles, home to product placements.

But if you're looking for free Internet, you'll still have to wander the terminals with your laptop ajar looking for an unsecured signal to tap into. Good luck. T-Mobile's service usually costs $9.99 for a day pass or up to $39.99 a month. On the bright side, at least you won't feel obligated to buy a $4 Starbucks frappuccino to get your Internet flowing at the airport anymore.

See which other airports have the service available here. At LAX, its been available in terminals 1-8 and a few other spots. In Ontario, it's currently available in terminals 2 and 4 and the rental car center.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 12:52 PM, March 27
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I wasn't shocked, but wondered why the United States ranked so poorly (below Kazakhstan) when tourists considered Americans' percieved attitudes about them in the World Economic Forum's first ever Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report I wrote about earlier.

Now I have an idea why.

The first greeting my fellow passengers and I got as we exited the plane after a epic-non-stop flight from London and headed to customs: a drug sniffing dog at our ankles and two uniformed police officers.

Nothing wrong with heaping supplies of security. And not to say they were offering tea and roses in the British customs area, not even a smile really, but I recall sunlight and a distinct lack of uniformed dogs.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 11:30 AM, March 27
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What did I hear and read about more than Harry Potter's on stage nakedness and Sienna Miller's off-screen antics while vacationing in the UK? Being green. I heard the environmental call so much while I was there, I was surprised not to see bronze statues of Al Gore being hoisted upright into city parks.

As a tourist, the green emphasis is fairly evident. Before any lights or electrical devices can be turned on in two Irish hotels stayed at, the room key needed to rest inside a slot. Then each outlet had to be turned on. If I had to leave the room, I had to take my key and turn off the electricity whether I liked it or not. Apparently hotels in Turkey do the same thing.

Anyone seen anything like this in the US?

Another hotel in London didn't have an air conditioner but did have a small electric fan in a top corner. I may have felt otherwise during the summer, but in March it was just the right amount of needed air.

Even the owner of a small B&B in Oxford made attempts to be "green" by shifting everything I used in one room, to another when I needed to stay an extra night.

Granted their water pressure is terrible and every shop used plastic, not paper, but it was refreshing to see the effort made environmentally.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:22 AM, March 26
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... but I'll be back as fast as you can say: "is that Harry Potter? ... naked?"

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:37 AM, March 14
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The Palm Springs Desert Resorts (Communities) Convention and Visitors Authority, from here after known as the PSDRCCVA ... OK scratch that ... the authority (with no Big Brother connotations) has helped the Destination Management Association International group figure out how much a typical convention-goer spends.

According to their calculations, if you or I were attending a convention we'd spend $262 per day for an event lasting 3.6 nights. About 77% of that is spent on hotels, food and spirits. The remaining $60 dollars a day? My guess: shoes and overpriced print outs that should've been done on your home printer but were forgotten and now being printed at the hotel's business center.

As a result of the study though, authorities like the Desert Resorts...etc can now use a handy equation to figure out how much money communities might be making from conventions.

# of room nights X # of convention-goers per room X spending per day = direct revenue impact.

For example, in 2006 the city of Palm Springs had:

116,492 room nights X 1.75 convention-goers per room (1 tall person, 1 short person perhaps?) X $262 = $53,411,582 spent in Palm Springs

The same formula said the city of Desert Hot Springs had just 171,938 spent within the city last year.

The authority votes Friday whether to approve the formula to calculate the area's tourism impact.

Does spending $262 a day seem reasonable?

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 2:19 PM, March 13
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Looks like the 198-room Embassy Suites Palm Desert (across from Del Taco and near Dairy Queen and Panda Express ... I live according to landmarks) has been bought by Illinois-based investors Shamrock-Hostmark Hotel Fund LP.

According to a release from the company which didn't reveal the price paid, its the firm's fourth hotel - others are in Texas, Florida and New Jersey.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 1:48 PM, March 13
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The underground tunnel leading from a brothel to a speakeasy may be gone, but the hotel Bugsy Siegel built remains.

And its haunted.

Oddly, it wasn't enough to sell a hotel.

Bracken Fern Manor in Lake Arrowhead had been on the market for two years with Sperry Van Ness for $1.4 million. Here's the outdated listing which includes a more detailed account of the hotel's whimsical gangster history.

Owner Cheryl Weaver who said she's ready to retire, said the asking price may have been a bit much for some interested buyers. So she's since lowered the price of her 10-room bed and breakfast to $999,999 with Coldwell Banker. But if you want the antiques, or a nearby cottage its an extra $250,000 and $19,000.

If former brothels aren't your thing, and naked volleyball is, the Palm Springs nudist resort Desert Shadows Inn Resort & Villas is for sale, according to Sperry Van Ness agent Raven Sharp.

Also on the market according to the firm, uber-hip boutique hotel Orbit In behind downtown Palm Springs for $2.4 million and its been for sale for about a year.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:38 AM, March 12
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If you're a fan of flying and likely a cast member of MTV's Super Sweet Sixteen show who equates hopping on a plane for a round-trip day-trip to wherever to hopping in your car to shop at Target, you're a: jetrosexual.

If you're a camper averse to nature (sticks? rocks? wet earth? really, are they necessary?) who'd rather have electricity, a down comforter and spa in your tent, you're a: glamper

If you're environmentally aware but not enough to sack your hotel's down comforter for a sack of bark (saves on washing and detergent), you're a: cultural creative.

Ok, I simplified that last one, but I learned about it at the Hotel Developers Conference in Rancho Mirage the past two days. A panel of "green" hotel developers talked about what they're doing to make properties more environmentally friendly, but most agreed that the travelers seeking out their hotels still expect the same service and luxury as anywhere else.

Know of any other overly simplistic cutesy travel labels?

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:40 AM, March 09
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Got $17 million? Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa did and used the money to spiffy up its lobby and rooms. One new feature: heated stone floors in a new 1,178 square foot presidential suite that can cost $695 to $1,195.

I don't know about you, but I'd pay a premium for hot coals in my hotel room.

The resort is celebrating its finished construction with $89 room nights Sunday through Thursday in the month of April, if booked before March 31. Mention "Done Deal" if you book.

Other Inland resorts who have or are spending a bit to spruce up their looks:

J.W. Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa in Palm Desert spent $30 million to overhaul its lobby. That might be why the resort now charges for parking anywhere on site.

The Lodge in Rancho Mirage (soon to be Ritz-Carlton) is spending some spare change ... $500 million ... to completely re-make the hotel into a five-star beacon on a hill.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 10:24 AM, March 08
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Anyone who's been to Desert Hot Springs (just outside Palm Springs) knows it has its hidden quirks among the barren desert, housing developments and spotty reputation.

Two such icons, beloved by people continents away, are now apparently in limbo. The Beat Hotel and the Lautner Motel were both owned by Steve Lowe, friend of author William S. Burroughs whose artwork is featured in the first hotel. Lowe died suddenly Jan. 20.

Both Web sites for the hotels cast doubt that reservations are available and this site mentions that Lowe may not have left a will stating what should be done with the properties.

I never met Lowe, but tributes left in online guestbooks for the two hotels and obituaries like this one prove that often it's a person that makes a hotel what it is -- not the sheets, dream beds or plasma screen TVs.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:30 AM, March 05
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If all nations were pitted against one another in a tourism battle royale, who would win?

Switzerland. (the abundance of chocolate and peace couldn't hurt.)

The independent and non-profit Switzerland-based World Economic Forum released its first ever Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report.

Switzerland, Austria and Germany took top ranks. Angola, Burundi and Chad took the bottom three spots. But to give them credit, I don't think Iraq or Afghanistan were even considered.

Those countries with a competitive edge had to earn points in 13 categories used to judge what would make a leader among tourist destinations.

1. policy rules and regulations
2. environmental regulation
3. safety and security
4. heatlh and hygene
5. prioritization of travel and tourism
6. air transport infrastructure
7. ground transport infrastructure
8. tourism infrastructure
9. information and communication technology infrastructure
10. price competitiveness
11. human capital
12. national tourism perception
13. natural and cultural resources

The United States ranked fifth overall. But more telling is that out of 124 countries, we were 101 based on our percieved attitudes toward tourists. Better than France (122), but worse than Kazakhstan (71).

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:48 AM, March 02
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I've been moseying through the redesigned California tourism Web site -- one of America's side doors for foreign visitors, I'm sure -- and noticed a dearth of info about things to do in the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley.

I applaud the California Travel and Tourism Commission site for even giving the Inland Empire it's own spiffy Flash-designed section.

But where are the Cabazon dinosaurs? I know there are still fans of The Wizard out there traveling in our midst ... what about Nason Street in Moreno Valley where you can idle your car on a slight downhill incline and it magically moves backward? I'm sure there are some road-trippers who'd give it a try ... and how about where I-215 and I-10 meet in San Bernardino? East coasters love our freeways, am I wrong?

But really, anyone with a tourist-seeking operation out here might want to start adding your attractions or announcements to the site.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:50 AM, March 01
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