Hotel online booking In Asia articles

Luxury Hotels - The best things in life aren’t always free

2008-03-09T06:49:00.001-07:00

Luxury Hotels - The best things in life aren’t always free
Submitted by MarkeD

We were driving from Dorset to North Wales, possibly heading for Ireland, it depended, on how we felt, on how much time we could afford away from the farm; we had cover but it was costing us hundreds by the day, and weren’t sure even as we left whether we would cut it short or long. By the time we saw the mountains of Snowdonia we knew it could be a week. We hadn’t booked anything, and for the first time ever, we felt like taking the best luxury hotel we could see. We found a mountainside hotel 10 miles from Bangor, it had views, but was lacking in luxury. An evening stroll, a reasonable meal, a good night’s sleep and the next morning we found ourselves at sea, heading for Dublin.

When we worked in London, we’d often be abroad, staying in Paris luxury hotels or New York and had gotten so used to the high standards and ultra-professional service it became the norm, but never something you could quite take for granted. Although it would always go on the company’s expense account, it still felt like an expense, a treat of sorts.

It was a late, sun-kissed afternoon that graced Dublin’s inspiring, ‘on the move’ ambience. We chose a hotel near Phoenix Park, and while the views were just about satisfactory, the interior and atmosphere was perfect; it allowed us to completely escape and inhabit a world far away from the daily life on the farm, although I sensed that by the end of the week, we would miss our home, despite our relaxing and welcoming surroundings.

Apart from Paris and New York I couldn’t exactly compare our hotel to one in Florence or even London, as our city jobs didn’t really focus on Europe. This was only my second trip to Ireland and it was so far, very unlike the previous stay in an remote holiday cottage in Cork. The paintings, classical interior decoration, and beautifully presented gardens, together with certain aspects of the Dublin skyline, was enough to make you think you were in a luxury hotel in Rome.

The food was served with impeccable courtesy and looked expensive, tasted expensive, and was expensive. It wasn’t worth it of course, but then holidays are often a surreal time, when money takes on a different value and you almost are resigned to going over budget.

In the event we stayed just three, yet pleasant and rejuvenating days. A luxury hotel almost tires you out with it’s abundance of staff, facilities, and gadgets constantly there to save you time and energy and nearly any type of hassle you’d usually take for granted.

As we headed back for the ferry and then the rolling hills of Dorset I remembered how little I really noticed when staying in a luxury hotel in New York or Paris, and how much more I appreciate now I’m living the rural life.

Condo Hotel: a Great Concept for Vacation Rentals with Everyday

2008-03-09T06:47:00.000-07:00

Condo Hotel: a Great Concept for Vacation Rentals with Everyday
Submitted by ekirwin

When visiting a new destination, or traveling to a city to discover it as a place to relocate, have you ever considered staying in a condo hotel?
Condo hotels are the newest trend in business and leisure travel choices. But why are condo hotels so popular? How is the concept of a condo hotel changing the way people vacation, conduct business and travel?
The condo hotel is gaining popularity for several good reasons:

A Condo Hotel as an Investment

From an investment perspective, condo hotels have good potential to produce an income, especially if they are situated in popular vacation destinations such as Asheville, North Carolina, Miami, Florida or Las Vegas, Nevada. The owner of an investment unit also has a comfortable, convenient place to vacation in a desirable destination. Yet, this is not the primary reason investors are buying condo hotel properties. The average age of a condo hotel investor is between 35 and 50, and these investors are looking at the long-term income producing potential of a property. They like the idea of owning the equivalent of a hotel suite and having no maintenance to worry about.

Condo Hotels and Travel Vacation Planning

The condo hotel stay is ideal for any type of travel vacation planning. It has amenities that reflect the modern lifestyle. A condo hotel that caters to families and business travelers may include widescreen high definition television, a gas fireplace, whirlpool bathtub, plenty of comfortable places to sleep, wireless Internet access, and other amenities. In fact, many condo hotels are built as four and five-star luxury accommodations, and include on-site and offsite spa services as well as concierge services, hot tubs and pools, restaurants, and other desirable amenities.

Amenities in the Condo Hotel Suite

As for the amenities in the actual condo hotel suite, some condo hotels are outfitted with widescreen television and DVD players to keep adults and children entertained. They may also come with a gas burning fireplace, high quality mattress for comfortable sleeping, and separate bedroom(s) for privacy. The condo hotel almost mimics the concept of the hotel suite with a kitchenette, but goes a step further in providing everything full size. It is complete with a full kitchen that includes a refrigerator, stove, microwave and utensils. Add a whirlpool bathtub and an outside deck for relaxation and the condo hotel almost feels like home. The condo hotel provides the maximum amount of space for friends and family on getaway weekends, and convenience for the business traveler.

Condo Hotels are Convenient to Shopping, Entertainment and Dining

Access to nearby spas and on-premise hot tubs and pools are often important to travelers, so condo hotels incorporate these services as well. A condo hotel is usually found close to conveniences, such as shopping, business districts, and entertainment.
For the ultimate in luxury travel, travelers can select a condo hotel with concierge services. With a travel concierge, there is little need for family or business trip planning, since the concierge can book dining, entertainment, and shopping activities and properly orient guests to the area.

Condo Hotel Suites are More Spacious than Traditional Hotel Rooms

A traditional hotel room is limiting in space and amenities. Condo hotel suites are much roomier, more residential and comfortable. They provide flexibility for dining options, seating for entertaining, and overall, are just more luxurious.
Following are some condo hotels already in business or condo hotel building projects that are in the works:

Atlanta, Georgia has several condo hotels: Twelve Centennial Park Atlanta, and the W Atlanta Hotel and Residences are just two of the newest Atlanta has to offer.

Charlotte, North Carolina, known as the banking capital of the south, also has a condo hotel in the works. Uptown Charlotte’s first condo hotel, the Concourse Hotel and Residences is located on the same block as the Arena.

Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville is becoming widely known as an international vacation destination. The first condo hotel in Asheville, The Residences at Biltmore, is close to the gates of Biltmore Estate in South Asheville, and convenient to downtown, shopping and entertainment. This condo hotel treats guests to 24-hour concierge services. There are other luxuries, such as: flat screen TV with an in room CD/DVD player, whirlpool baths, gas fireplaces and porches in most suites.
The condo hotel vacation concept is popular and, according to experts in the hospitality industry, this unique concept will continue to be a favorite among travelers. Find out what makes condo hotels so spectacular by booking a room in one next time you visit a destination.

What Travel Insurance Company Would Be The Best For You?

2007-09-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

What Travel Insurance Company Would Be The Best For You?

Whenever you plan to travel abroad, travel insurance, from one of the reputed travel insurance companies, needs to be considered for the trip. Traveling anywhere outside your country of citizenship is not without risks. An easy way to offset some of this risk is through travel insurance.

Travel insurance may include an accidental death and dismemberment policy, a policy for repatriation of the remains, or medical emergency and emergency medical evacuation while you are on a trip outside the United States.

Depending on where you are going for your trip, and why, additional coverage like foreign commercial liability, foreign automobile liability or foreign workers compensation and sickness policies might become necessary.

Make sure that you check with your doctor or contact your insurance professional in order to discuss the details of your trip, and figure out your insurance needs.

Travel insurance from most travel insurance companies can be arranged a long time, even months, before the actual trip, and consists of a range of insurance coverage services safeguarding you throughout your trip, before, during, and after. In truth, accidents, emergencies, and unforeseen events can happen anywhere, and to anyone. Travel insurance companies, and their policies give you the peace of mind of having protected your investment and your health, as well as your belongings. It

> Protects your investment if you have to cancel
> Provides emergency medical referral and assistance
> Reimburses unexpected expenses due to emergencies
> Protects you during the medical emergency
> Provides medical assistance abroad
> Provides emergency evacuation if necessary

The AAA Insurance Company, for example, provides insurance for the basic travel needs, along with many other services. While many other companies like Travel Guard, have plans that provide Primary Emergency Medical coverage, and Trip Interruption plans that refund the a large part of the cost of a one-way ticket or the non-refundable trip cost.

Travel Guard guarantees payment to the relevant medical facility and makes your admission easy, and also continues to cover your medical expenses for as long as one year after you return home.

If you have to seek medical treatment while you are on your trip, companies like Travelex will cover Emergency Medical & Emergency Medical Evacuation / Repatriation. Advance payment is generally made to the Hospital if it is needed to secure admission.

In addition, some policies may cover the cost of delayed flights and lost luggage, and evacuating the person to the nearest adequate medical facility, or a hospital of choice, if necessary.

The Emergency Medical coverage usually ends, however, as soon as you reach your home, especially if you have been returned under the Emergency Medical Transportation/Evacuation coverage

The plans from travel insurance companies like Travel Safe cover the losses incurred due to family members not scheduled to travel with you, up to a maximum of six people per cancellation / interruption claim due to an accident or sickness of just one person in the party.

Several insurance companies offer stand-alone medical evacuation insurance. The costs range from $69 to $109 a trip at Travel Guard to Access America’s annual policies beginning at $190 per person.

Travel insurance companies like Medjet Assist specialize in medical evacuations and offer a range of membership options. These may vary from seven-day coverage, at $85 a person, to a year’s coverage at $225 a person. Most also have slightly cheaper package options for families.

Travel insurance companies, like Travel Guard, may also cover some pre-existing conditions as long as the policy is bought within 15 days of the trip booking.

About the Author: For more Travel Health Insurance information visit href="http://www.travelchecklist.info">TravelCheckList.info and checkout the Travel Insruance Comanies page. Will is the developer of TravelCheckList a website devoted to all things pertaining to travel.

The town of Bangkok

2007-09-06T10:42:00.001-07:00

As the city expanded on the outskirts, the inner city has
nowhere to grow but up. The city has a registered 1,000 skyscrapers
and ranks 17th as the world's tallest city. [2] This does not
include hundreds of new buildings predicted as part of the
construction boom in 2007 and the coming years. Areas such as
Silom-Sathon and
Asok have for decades been Thailand's business center. During
the 1990s, Thailand experienced the world's highest growth
rates and underwent an economic transformation, Bangkok went
through dramatic changes. The Ratchadaphisek area was turned into a
business district which continued through the Asok area up north
for five km. The Sukhumvit area, stretching 15-20 km, gradually
turned into a mixed commercial and residential area. Wireless Road
and Chitlom are where some of Bangkok's most expensive land
plots exist. Part of the British Embassy on the corner of Wireless
and Rama I Roads, nine rai or approximately 14,400 m² in area, sold
for USD 92 million or THB 3.24 billion, and is the most expensive
single sale of land in Thai record.^{[citation needed]}

Bangkok's Phra Nakhon district alongside Dusit is where most
governmental agencies and ministries have their offices. Most of
the well-known tourist attractions are also in this particular area
due its age. It is a no-skyscraper designated zone to preserve the
area where some buildings are as old as Thailand itself.^{[citation needed]} This
part of Bangkok is perhaps the most popular for tourists as most
notable attractions such as the Grand
Palace, Democracy
Monument, Giant Swing, Sanam Luang and other venues are located
here. Thon Buri also has its fair share of historic monuments
mainly located near the river, such as Wat
Arun. The Victory Monument

in Bangkok is one of the city's biggest bus destinations.
Although not officially a bus depot, its location in the centre of
city transits as many as 20 bus lines as well as a BTS Skytrain
station.

Dubai plans world's largest hotel

2007-09-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

Dubai plans world's largest hotel

DUBAI (Reuters) — Dubai is planning to build the world's largest hotel as part of a $27 billion resort project unveiled on Monday to spearhead the Gulf emirate's drive to become a global tourism hub.

Promotional video of the Bawadi project showed a 10 km (6.2 miles) long resort strip that resembled Las Vegas without the casinos — its 31 hotels modelled on ancient Egyptian palaces, Hollywood, London's Houses of Parliament and even the moon.

Dubai's fantastic, even bizarre developments, including a ski slope in the desert and man-made islands shaped like palm fronds, helped draw some 6 million tourists last year to a tiny desert land that is fast running out of oil.

Dubai hopes to make that 15 million tourists a year over the next decade even as its richer neighbours plough record oil revenues into new mega-projects to try to emulate Dubai's success in weaning its economy off energy exports.

"The launch of this project effectively signals the next major phase in tourism development in Dubai as we look forward to the next eight years of major growth," said Saeed al-Muntafiq, chief executive of Tatweer, the Dubai government-owned project developer.

Muntafiq said at the launch ceremony that Dubai, one of seven members of the oil-exporting United Arab Emirates, would need to build 70,000-80,000 new hotel rooms over the next decade to meet its expansion plans.

Bawadi will have more than 29,000 hotel rooms, nearly double the number now available in Dubai, and will be able to host more than 3 million tourists by 2016.

The centrepiece of the resort will be the 6,500-room Asia Asia Hotel which Tatweer says will be the largest in the world. The MGM Grand Las Vegas, now the largest hotel in the world, has 5,044 rooms.

The first phase of the project, which includes the Asia Asia hotel, will be operational by 2010.

Tatweer will invest 40 billion dirhams ($10.9 billion) in the project, building the Asia Asia and Bawadi's infrastructure, Muntafiq said. The rest of the money will come from investors.

"We have been talking to several leading names in the (leisure) industry and they have all expressed strong interest," Muntafiq told reporters, declining to name any potential investors.

He said Tatweer had no plans to issue either debt or equity to raise its share of the investment.

Dubai is pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into infrastructure and real estate developments and is already home to an estimated 17% of the world's cranes.

Other governments in the world's biggest oil exporting region are following suit and more than $1 trillion worth of infrastructure projects are in the pipeline across the region.

Have Hotel Rooms Become a Commodity?

2007-09-06T10:07:00.001-07:00

Have Hotel Rooms Become a Commodity?

Nowadays, more travel is sold over the Internet than any other consumer product. In the United States Internet-booked rooms is the fastest-growing segment of hotel reservations in part because the Internet is a perfect medium for selling travel as it brings a vast network of suppliers and a widely dispersed customer pool together into a centralized market place.

In fact, the travel marketplace is a global arena where millions of buyers (travel agents and the public) search for travel services and sellers (hotels, airlines, car rental companies, etc.) work together to exchange travel services on the world's global distribution systems and the Internet distribution systems.

However, any mention of the Internet as a distribution channel for travel needs to start with an understanding of the existing electronic distribution infrastructure, the Global Distribution System (GDS). The airline industry created the first GDS in the 1960s as a way to keep track of flight schedules, availability, and prices.

The GDS’s were actually among the first e-commerce companies in the world facilitating B2B electronic commerce as early as the mid 1970s, when SABRE (owned by American Airline) and Apollo (United) began installing their propriety internal reservations systems in travel agencies.

The legacy of these GDS’s, namely Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan, today provide the backbone to the Internet travel distribution system and additionally there are thousands of private label Web sites like Expedia and Orbitz, as well as hundreds of tour operators, corporate booking portals, and regional convention coordinators.

Yet although technology has given hoteliers so many ways to sell a room, it has become nearly impossible for a smaller hotel operator to understand, let alone intelligently manage the available channels for room sales. In fact if you are the average small hotel, many of these channels have an allotment of your rooms, and it is likely most are showing out of date rates and incorrect availability.

Communicating with all of these channels in order to keep them current on your inventory and rates, requires in some cases, daily manual intervention with multiple faxes and phone calls. More importantly, verifying the accuracy of each channel's current allotment and rate by the property is critical but rarely automated. Most times hotel operators do not know where or how their rooms are being sold or at what rate until the booking confirmation arrives.

The tangle of reservation channels is not likely to be simplified soon. But with regard to the easy accessibility of hotel reservations on the Internet directly booked from hotel websites with their own integrated reservations systems, the system is working.

Unfortunately even now, the overwhelming majority of small to medium sized hoteliers far from realizing and exploiting the Web's true potential are still accepting bookings by telephone, form and fax from their websites or selling their inventory at reduced rates or high commissions via Web-proficient online intermediaries.

As such, hoteliers, who want to broaden their room’s distribution intelligently, improve margins and maintain their brand identity in the face of on-line distributors that would turn hotel rooms into a lowest-price commodity should seriously consider integrating a real time reservations system into their own website for the ultimate benefit of their own hotel and visitors.

After all, commodities tend to look and taste the same. Do visitors want a box they will rent if the price is right or a room experience they will wish to revisit again and again? - John Shenton - April, 2002