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“Travel with Stephanie Abrams!” begin its 8th year on the air today.
The Ritz-Carlton Golf and Spa Resort Jamaica is in the Rose Hill section of the island situated on a private beach with a goregous mountain backdrop. The property has 427 guestrooms and suites, each with a private balcony or terrace. Its’ White Witch Golf Course is an 18-hole championship course that has 15 holes with water views.
General Manager of the property, Bernd Kuhlen, says that the hotel is particularly focused on providing value. People are currently concerned not just with how much they are spending but with what they are getting for their money. The Ritz-Carlton Jamaica is the only Ritz- Carlton to offer an all-inclusive package. The package is referred to as the “escape to luxury” and includes all meals and drinks with no hidden fees, taxes or gratuities. Children under 12 receive complimentary stays and meals. The hotel is also currently offering a special promotion where the first night in the inclusive package is free.
The Ritz-Carlton Jamaica has a world class spa with 11 treatment rooms in addition to a sauna, steam room and relaxation center. The spa has very little turnover in its staff and most therapists have been with the resort since it opened in 2000. They are highly trained and receive many repeat visitors because of the quality of their services. Brend Kuhlen states that “people come to the spa not just for the facilities but for the staff”. The spa is connected to the fitness center and much of it has views of a lush garden. The hotel is currently offering fifty percent off spa treatments at the Ritz-Carlton and other participating spas in Jamaica.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=337
For more information visit http://www.ritzcarlton.com and http://www.whitewitchgolf.com
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There was recently an article in the New York Times about travel protection. Tour operators (such as cruise lines) often present a traveler with the option of purchasing a “Passenger Protection Plan” to use towards their trip. However, this differs from travel insurance. It works only as a voucher for rescheduling trip plans.
President and CEO of InsureMyTrip.com, Jim Grace, cites the example used in the NY Times article. A married couple booked a cruise and paid nearly $1000 USD for a protection plan. The husband became ill and the couple needed to cancel their trip. The protection package they purchased from their trip provider only gave them the option to reschedule their trip. The couple couldn’t take the trip at another time because of the husband’s condition and wanted a refund rather than a voucher. Grace states that they needed travel insurance rather than travel protection. The only way to protect yourself completely is to use a third party product like travel insurance. In the case of purchasing a voucher you won’t be protected if the tour operator goes bankrupt.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=338
For more information visit http://www.insuremytrip.com
Stephanie recently stayed at a three-star property in Massachusetts that surpassed some of her experiences at four-star and even five-star hotels. The Bedford Hampton Inn in Fairhaven, Massachusetts provides luxury service and amenities indicative of the quality provided by the third party management company that operates it, Buffalo Lodging Associates. Buffalo Lodging predominantly manages Hilton and Marriott brands but has a variety of other properties located along the east coast United States.
The company’s headquarters are in Buffalo, New York but they have a total of 38 hotels located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, New York, on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and throughout New England. Many are on the outskirts of hub cities which increase their affordability. Four new hotels will be open by October including a hotel in Pittsburg, PA, an additional Saratoga, FL property, a hotel in Farmington, CT and a Fairfield Inn by the Buffalo, New York Airport.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=339
For more information visit http://www.buffalolodging.com
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Guests Include:
Bernd Kuhlen, General Manager, The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica.
www.ritzcarlton.com
Jim Grace, President & CEO, InsureMyTrip.com.
www.insuremytrip.com
Christopher Cope, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Buffalo Lodging Associates.
www.buffalolodging.com
Topics Include:
On Stephanie’s most recent trip to Ireland she visited the west and northwest parts of the country. She plans to make it a point to visit the east and southeast on her next trip. Joe O’Flynn of the family owned Rathsallagh Country House in County Wicklow raises a glass of Guinness to Stephanie in honor of the anniversary of the “Travel with Stephanie Abrams!” radio show. He says that he is looking out at county Kildare with the Wicklow Mountains to his right and reports “it’s a stunning evening here in Ireland”.
Ireland in late June and early July has been receiving consistently sunny weather. Joe O’Flynn says that it has been three weeks since the last rainfall and everything has exploded in a sea of green in the interim. The landscape is lusher than it has been in years. Stephanie adores Ireland and is always discovering something new when she travels there. There are many reasons to want to visit the country. The Euro came down 1.5 last month against the US Dollar. Many 5 star hotels in Ireland have room rates under $200 USD and Ireland has been determined the cheapest destination for 4 and 5 star hotels in all of Europe.
The Rathsallagh House is famous for its hospitality and also its 18-hole Championship golf course designed by Christy O’Connor Junior. The course is listed as one of the top 25 in the country out of a total of 450 courses. It is also close to the Kildare Club (where the Ryder Cup was held in 2006) and other famous clubs and links courses. Rathsallagh staff also provides transportation to these other courses.
Also worth exploring is the nearby Rusborough Hose in Blessington. It is owned by Sir Alfred and Lady Beit. They house a collection of art including and antique furnishings including tapestries, porcelain and silver. The property also has a Victorian era maze that was constructed with a secret entrance.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=340
For more information visit http://www.rathsallagh.com
The annual Milwaukee Irish Fest is the world’s largest Irish festival. It is a celebration of Irish culture, music and history with contributions by Irish, Irish-American and Celtic entertainers. It is a family-friendly festival with activities, shops, food vendors, 16 stages of continuous entertainment (including music and theater) and a cultural village to explore.
This year there is showcase focus on “Nova Scotia and Friends” including the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland, Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The showcase includes music, cultural programming and tourism information. There will also be a County Down sampler including music from artist Tommy Sands and an Ulster-Scots band, performances by the Bangor theater company as well as cultural and tourism exhibits. The festival will be held August 13 through August 16, 2009.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=341
For more information visit http://www.irishfest.com
Chris Russo, President and Chairman of the American Society of Travel Agents or ASTA, joins “Travel with Stephanie Abrams!” to discuss a new situation that has arisen in the travel industry. Russo is also the owner of Travel Partners, a travel agency located in Broomfield, Colorado. He recently wrote a letter to United Airlines regarding their policy of passing on credit card fees to travel professionals. Stephanie feels this is a way the airlines are trying to undercut travel agents.
It is not just the 2 percent or 3 percent fees that agencies are now facing. The airlines are trying to force the agencies to act as merchants. If the airline were to go bankrupt the agent looses credit protection. Instead of disputing the charge with the credit card company, clients will have to turn to the agency who is acting as a merchant. With regular refunds an agency will have to get the money back from the airline first before crediting a client. This is not just an inconvenience but makes it difficult for the agent do to his or her job. In an environment where there is no commission all of the money is going to the airlines.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=350
For more information visit http://www.asta.org
Guests Include:
Joe O’Flynn, Owner, Rathsallagh Country House, County Wicklow, Ireland.
www.rathsallagh.com
Jane Mullaney Anderson, Executive Director, Milwaukee Irish Fest, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
www.irishfest.com
Chris Russo, Owner, Travel Partners, Broomfield, Colorado.
President & Chairman, ASTA.
www.asta.org
