November 20 2008 by BW Innsider
If you are heading out on vacation, a weekend getaway, a holiday road trip or other related travel adventure, our hope is you find a Best Western hotel that will meet your needs. And similar to all real estate, location is important when looking for a hotel. Below are some Best Western hotels in prime spots:
Hollywood, California
Best Western Sunset Plaza Hotel
If you find yourself out west with the sun and glamour of Hollywood, check out the Best Western Sunset Plaza Hotel, located right on the Sunset Strip and close to favorite Hollywood attractions. The Best Western Sunset Plaza is just a short walk to the Mann's Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood Wax Museum and the Hollywood Stars Walk of Fame. Enjoy an afternoon of shopping on Rodeo Drive or trendy Melrose Avenue. The Getty Museum, Page Museum and Griffith Observatory are also close by, not to mention the variety of amusement parks within a short drive.
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After a year of watching the economy cool off and wondering how--or if--it would force changes in business travel, I've got my answer. Big changes are on the way. Companies worried about the future are clearly cutting back on the number trips they are willing to authorize and they are cutting costs on the ones still allowed.
Just this week, the National Business Travel Association, a trade organization based in Washington, D.C. predicted that cost cutting measures will continue well into 2009 as a result of the economic slowdown. It expects business travel costs to increase and the number of business trips to grow at a slower rate than in previous years. "Across the board, we can expect to see some changes in the way travel is managed to further maximize value," said the group's president in a recent press release. In addition, the Airlines Reporting Corp this week said total U.S. travel agency transactions in October fell by 15 percent year over year.
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November 18 2008 by BW Innsider
Comments (19)
Share your best ever holiday travel experience with us and enter for a chance to win a $100 Best Western Gift Card.
We love the holidays! We love the time spent with family, friends, and all the fun activities that holiday celebrations bring. Whether your travels have brought you to gatherings of old acquaintances or to exotic locales to escape from it all, they make for great memories. And we want to hear about them.
To submit your experiences (and at the same time enter for a chance to win a $100 Best Western Gift Card), select the Comment button and enter in your response to the question, "What is your best ever holiday travel experience?" Once you enter a comment you are entered into a random drawing for one commenter to win a $100 Best Western Gift Card!
The contest promotion ends on December 5, so get your experiences in now. Happy holiday travels!
November 17 2008 by
Ready for takeoff? Not quite...usually there is a layover, delay or extra security line to make some airport visits longer than your time spent on the actual plane. Recently I spent a distressed 3 hours in the Fort Lauderdale airport with a dead laptop battery and zero luck finding an available or functioning power outlet. It made me start to log in my head my favorite and most dreaded airports to travel through while on business. Here is what I jotted down on paper during my three hour wait. I'm sure there are lots of airport tips and recommendations to share...so let us know what your favorite airport for business travel is and why. Note I left off most of the mother-ship airports like JFK and LAX because they often frustrate me more than they provide ease of travel. Here are the airports that were on my list:
TAMPA INTERNATIONAL (TPA)
Access to Gates/Planes - Tampa's airport has a clever system of unmanned trains that take you to a pod with a cluster of departing gates, so you never really have to walk that much. But beware if you are in a mad dash to catch a flight, waiting for the next train may end up with you seeing the plane door close without you on the inside.
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Whether you're driving across the plains or in the mountains, for two hours or for eighteen, music is an essential element of a road trip. It's a time to plug in the iPod and listen to all our favorite bands. However, let's not forget about the unique opportunity a road trip provides us to turn the stereo OFF and sing what can only be described as cheesy travel songs.
In my experience, singing Cheesy Travel Songs during a road trip is a great way to teach children some great American folk songs. Additionally, they serve one of two very important purposes: 1) to express common excitement and joy, or 2) to make the children in the car stop bickering or complaining.
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Nearly everyone has a morning routine when it comes to coffee. And that routine is always thrown out of whack when you hit the road on a business trip.
When I wake up at home, I'm in the kitchen within five minutes performing a precise coffee-making ritual. And it always comes out just the way I like it. Dark roast, ground fine and dripped through a cone filter into a large mug. About a tablespoon of half and half to cut the heat and the acid. No sugar. Don't mess with my ritual!
But out on the road, it's tough. In-room coffee rarely hits the spot. To me, it's always too weak, and there's no half and half--only that fake-tasting powder. I'll drink it if I have to, or just to partially partake of my morning coffee-making ritual, but it's never as satisfying as home.
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Laptops are to business travel as popcorn to movies....today most business travelers have them and frequently negotiate the ups and downs of traveling with them. There are a few tips to keep in mind if you are new to the laptop traveling business or maybe just need a refresher. When you get too comfortable, that's when things can happen. True confession time...I checked a laptop in my luggage on a transatlantic flight. I knew this was not recommended, but I had some unusual circumstances that made this necessary. I took some extra precautions in the packing (layers of bubble wrap and duck tape) but I have never talked to anyone or read anything that would recommend this practice. It worked out okay for me, but I was very nervous. And probably got lucky. Our luggage was new and when it arrived at the destination it looked like it had been dragged behind a car. I had a sick feeling that my laptop was going to be in multiple pieces inside. Luckily it had survived. But, I wouldn't take the chance again. Here are some other items to consider when traveling with your laptop.
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During my adventure travels I keep coming back to two central truths:
- It's amazing what you can get just by asking
- A little kindness goes a long way
This post will focus on how to upgrade your vacation with a little negotiation.
I'll start with a few over-arching negotiation principles that apply across many facets of life. These should be no-brainers, but are often minimized or forgotten in the heat of a negotiation.
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A colleague of mine from Atlanta discovered this blog recently and sent me a query that I think bears repeating for everyone. Why? Because nearly every business traveler comes to San Francisco at least every few years for a meeting and for a good time...and good food. I can't think of any other business travel destination where there's more of a convergence of business and pleasure.
Here's the query:
Hey Chris,
A good friend of mine has a conference in San Francisco shortly after Thanksgiving and I wondered if you might have a couple of restaurant recommendations for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She's staying by Union Square and loves cozy places that are good for people watching (not the uber-trendy snooty tube-top crowd type stuff). And feel free to toss in a couple divey or low-brow places, too.
And my advice:
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As the World's Largest Hotel Chain, we know it is a big world out there with lots of places to see and experience. Best Western's You Must Be Trippin' travel blog offers travel tips, ideas and feature destinations to make your next trip a success. We are also interested in where you've been trippin' and invite you to share your travel ideas, tips and destinations with us.
