Monthly Archives for March 2016.
With around 638 properties in its network, Hyatt is one of the smallest of the major hotel chains. At a time when bigger is deemed to be better—witness the mergers of Marriott and Starwood, and Accor and Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissotel—Hyatt looks to be a prime candidate to either acquire another hotel company, or to…
Smoking traditional tobacco-packed cigarettes has been banned on most U.S. commercial flights since the late 1980s. But the “No Smoking” signs didn’t specifically prohibit the latest nicotine-delivery device, e-cigarettes. That oversight has now been remedied, with the imposition of a new DOT rule explicitly banning inflight vaping. Under this rule, the use of e-cigarettes in…
I’m not a fan of flash sales. If a company discounts its product or otherwise adds value to a purchase, then it should allow sufficient time for the offer to be widely communicated, considered, and acted on. “Snooze you lose” has always struck me as disrespectful and a bit nasty. Notwithstanding my grumbling, and other…
Lagging the likes of Hilton, Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, Starwood, Omni, Drury, and Nordic Choice hotels, InterContinental will become the latest and one of the last major hotel groups to eliminate adult content from its in-room on-demand TV offerings. Although the company already discouraged its hotel operators from including pornography among their in-room entertainment options, there…
Spirit’s new “Free Flights for a Year” sweepstakes wears its promise on its sleeve: free flights for a year. That’s an attention-getter, to be sure. But this being Spirit Airlines, the promise is deflated by the reality. Sweepstakes Highlights The prize is not unlimited flights for a year, as the sweepstakes’ name would suggest. Rather,…
Beginning today, many visitors to Disney theme parks will pay more for the privilege of posing for selfies with Mickey & Co. But some will pay less. And others will pay a so-called regular rate, that is actually a price increase. Yes, it’s complicated. The newly implemented surge-pricing scheme features three price tiers, Value, Regular,…