Barnett on Business Travel for 1991

December 1: HOTELS WORLDWIDE WOO HOLIDAY TRAVELERS
As business declines, U.S. and international hotels are cutting prices sharply. That’s good news for business travelers on the road during the holidays. Thanks to the intense competition, top properties in favorite destinations coast-to-coast are awash in holiday bargains.

November 17: TRAVEL COMPLAINTS FROM THE OTHER SIDE
Travelers aren’t the only ones with gripes about air travel. Airline employees also have complaints. Here’s a look at things from their side of the aisle and some expert advice on how to navigate a smoother trip.

November 3: HOTEL CLUB FLOORS OFFER BUSINESS-TRAVEL PAMPERING
Hotel club floors offer business travelers a host of services and amenities with no membership fee or dues. For many travelers, hassle-free check-in and checkout, as well as shameless pampering and other benefits, often outweigh the cost of the room surcharge.

September 22: ONCE-SEEDY MIDTOWN MANHATTAN BLOSSOMS
Midtown Manhattan—the core of the Big Apple—is blossoming again. New York City's red carpet, ratty in recent years, has been dyed, vacuumed, fluffed up and unfurled. New or redecorated hotels are plentiful and competitively priced. Midtown merchants are wheeling and dealing on prices and even the chicest restaurants are now courting customers with caring service and more-for-your-money menus.

September 8: AS RECESSION DEEPENS, BIG TRAVEL DEALS EMERGE
The entire travel industry is playing Let's Make a Deal. Hoteliers have tossed their rate sheets and airlines are offering promotional and negotiated rates. It’s a great time to snare rock-bottom bargains—especially if you’re willing to haggle like a street merchant.

September 1: VACATIONING HOTELIERS PROWL FOR NEW IDEAS
America’s top hoteliers spend their free time prowling other hotels. Overnighting at their competitors, they snoop around for fresh ideas while monitoring a rival’s service and style. Here’s their take on what to look for in a venue and what you should expect every time you check in.

July 28: BUSINESS TRAVELERS FACE NEW HIDDEN FEES AND TAXES
Surcharges and taxes can quickly run up a hotel bill and rental-car fees. The only remedy against these mini rip-offs? Be on the lookout, budget for the fees that can't be avoided and keep a sharp watch on those that can be dodged.

July 21: LEAPING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER ON THE ROAD
Finding a translator can be a time-consuming hassle. Road warriors now have a new—and faster—option: Language Line is a novel translation service that connects callers anywhere in the world to English-speaking translators who can decipher over 100 languages.

June 2: SUITES GETTING SWEETER FOR TRAVELING HOMEBODIES
The hotel of the future, according to a survey underwritten by the L’Ermitage International hotel group, should resemble both a warm, imaginatively designed home and a functional office. But L'Ermitage, a 112- suite luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, isn’t waiting for the next century. Every room is being redesigned into a 21st-century suite that includes thoughtful or practical conveniences on a traveler’s wish-list.

May 26: TURNING THE TABLES: ARE YOU A GOOD GUEST?
Hotel, airline, restaurant and car rental executives, fearful of alienating customers, only grumble about travelers’ behavior behind the safety of closed doors. But when I asked for candid complaints, the dam broke.

February 10: HOTELS ARE WHEELING, DEALING TO FILL BEDS
Hoteliers with empty rooms are cutting prices and plugging promotions such as USA Plus ‘91 to lure guests. The brainstorm of an Inter-Continental Hotels marketing guru, the USA Plus ‘91 giveaway offers free round-trip airplane tickets to Europe, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Canada or the U.S. for spending nine nights in any one of 39 North American cities.

Copyright © 1990-2009 by Chris Barnett. All rights reserved.