Results tagged “Q&A” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Scott Booker is the aptly-named chief hotel expert and guest advocate for Hotels.com. I asked him about this summer's unprecedented crop of hotel bargains and how to take advantage of them in a recessionary economy, plus the outlook for new hotel fees.

Can you give me a sense of how inexpensive hotels are this summer, compared with summers past?

This is absolutely the summer of the deal, and bargain pricing is just about everywhere. For instance, we have a three-star Ramada near Universal Studios in Southern California starting at $76 that typically runs for $109. It's $50 lower than other three-stars in the area, and includes breakfast. The Walt Disney World Swan, which typically has rates in the $250 range, has rooms starting at $180. The Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio has rooms at $142 that typically go for more than $250. But it's not just about an inexpensive nightly rate, but the value travelers are getting for their money. Properties are making the trip more affordable overall with promotional offers like gift cards, dining and spa credits, and free nights with a multiple night stay -- these are quite common right now.

Where are the best deals to be found? And which destinations are still pricey?

Deals are literally everywhere -- I think it's harder to find a city that's not on sale. We're seeing amazing values in places like Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Phoenix, and San Antonio. New York has a sale now with more than 60 deals in the market. In Los Angeles, we have a brand new five-star property, Terranea Resort, at 50 percent off, with rates from $145. This is more than $300 below other five-stars in L.A. In Vegas, the Trump International Hotel has the lowest rates among the five-star set at $99 a night, plus a $50 spa credit. New York has the Park Central with rooms from $137, and the St. James at Times Square from $109.

Other than booking a hotel through your site, how do you land a deal this summer?

Even though that's the best way to find a deal, I'd recommend two additional points: Read as much as you can about the destinations you want to visit. And, look at package deals that can bring the overall cost of the vacation.

We recently touched base with Dominique Callimanopulos, founder and CEO of Elevate Destinations, a boutique travel services company specializing in high-quality, environmentally responsible travel and philanthropy, to learn more about her company, their trips, and the good work they do in the communities they visit.

What is Elevate Destinations?

Elevate Destinations is a philanthropic travel company that gives back to the communities we visit. We donate five percent of the net costs of all our trips to vetted NGOs active in conservation and community development in the destination countries. Wherever possible, we select eco-hotels and sustainable lodges that also give back to community. We incorporate community engagement and service elements into our customized itineraries. We have become specialists in the area of donor travel: bringing board members and donors from A-list international organizations to visit projects in the field. We've designed trips for Direct Relief International, EcoLogic, KickStart, The Global Fund for Children, and WaterPartners International, among others.

I see you offer trips in Latin America, Africa, India and Bhutan, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. Which trips/regions are the most popular?

African safaris are very popular. Central America is on the rise, because it is easy to travel to. We are also getting a lot of requests for Southeast Asia and Bhutan is emerging as a compelling destination as well. This month we will also be introducing trips to Mongolia.

On June 9, the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma will present a free outdoor concert in New York City at the Guggenheim Bandshell in Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park. The concert will be broadcast live from New York over the PBS program Live from Lincoln Center. Traveler writer Randy B. Hecht interviewed Ma about his interest in music as a way to get to know the world.

Your recordings include music from Brazil to Mongolia. Do you have a natural appreciation of such a wide range of musical sounds and styles, or is that something you had to learn?

I don't tend to think in categories, so I've always been interested in a variety of different music. I think the best way to learn about a new style of music is to have a good guide, someone who can take me to the inside of the music. Daniel Barenboim says that the best way to learn something is to start from the inside and he's absolutely right.

The unfamiliar can be intimidating. How can the uninitiated gain appreciation of "exotic" instrumental and vocal sounds and styles?

One of the things we think about at the Silk Road Project when we program a concert is that we always want someone to hear something familiar to them and we also want that person to hear something for the very first time. Which music is new and which music is familiar will be different for each person, but we want every person in the audience to have both experiences.

Scott McCartney writes The Wall Street Journal's "Middle Seat" column and is the author of the new book "The Wall Street Journal Guide to Power Travel: How to Arrive with Your Dignity, Sanity, and Wallet Intact." With the travel season about to take off, contributing editor Chris Elliott asked him for his thoughts on flying in the summer of 2009.

What should air travelers expect this summer?

McCartney: I think this will actually be a very good summer to travel, if you can afford it. The recession has lowered ticket prices considerably, left hotel rooms far more available at lower prices and reduced congestion at airports and in the skies so flights are running more on time. The dollar has rebounded some, and so it's a good year to venture overseas. Crowds should be smaller and merchants should be more anxious for your business. We may well look back on this year and say there was a window of opportunity when the airline system and major tourist destinations didn't bog down as much under the weight of summer crowds and travelers actually had the upper hand. I just think that if you are able to do it financially, it's a great time to go.

I really like the subtitle to your book, "How to Arrive with Your Dignity, Sanity, and Wallet Intact." What do you think is more important to travelers -- dignity, sanity or intact wallet?

Thanks. Full disclosure: It was my wife's idea. I think it depends on the traveler, but for most, the wallet is the bottom line. Travelers will endure a lot to save a few bucks -- just look at the popularity of discount European airlines and the long bus rides, infrequent service, high fees, etc. that people put up with for a cheap fare. While indignities anger them and inane experiences do make them crazy, getting gouged is what really sends people over the edge with airlines. I think to some extent it's a reflection of the animosity travelers have toward airlines. Airlines do bad things to people, and people remember. Goodwill and warm consumer feelings get ruined when a bag is lost, a flight is canceled, a traveler is bumped, a crew times out leaving a planeload stranded. What's more, airlines make the money part of the experience so difficult -- changing prices, limited availability, etc, etc. You go to a car dealer to buy a car thinking that salesman is out to take as much advantage of you as possible, and you know you likely won't get as good a deal as the guy next to you. You just assume that. And I think it's much the same with airlines. Airlines battle their customers over money -- not a good position to be in.

As the world's most widely published underwater photographer, Stephen Frink knows a thing or two about the ocean. For 30 years, he's traveled the world shooting everything from starfish to great white sharks for publications like Glamour, Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic, and he's even published a book, Wonders of the Reef. When he's not submerged in a remote tropical lagoon, Stephen serves as a columnist and photography director to Scuba Diving magazine. He lives in Key Largo with his family, where he was nice enough to take a break from running his gallery and photography school for a quick Q&A with Kristen Gunderson. Read on to find out his take on kids, tricky photography, shark fishing, and the plight of the world's oceans.

Tell me about your favorite photo.  What's the story behind it?

My favorite photo is one of my daughter Alexa swimming with a dolphin, which I took several years ago near Freeport, Grand Bahama. She was three years old at the time (she has her learner's permit now). For me, the photo shows a moment of incredible and touching interaction. It was also an inspiration that a kid that age would be open to jumping in with such a big "fish." We weren't sure how she would handle it, but she showed no fear. There was also a 13-year-old in the water, and at one point, he began to freak out. Alexa put her head in the water, resurfaced, and said matter-of-factly, "Daddy, it's just a nurse shark." I knew then we wouldn't have to worry about her.

See the photo, and the rest of the interview, after the jump.