Topics Include:
CheapOStay, a brand associated with CheapOAir, launched in April of 2009. Agents at CheapOAir found that customers booking air often inquired into the accommodations available in their destination. CheapOAir offered some hotel products but also wanted to focus on the lodging industry while still applying their same mission of finding the best rates.
Today CheapOStay is a fully dedicated site for hotels, motels, inns, bed and breakfasts, and Five Star properties. Representatives try to the best of their ability to accommodate each kind of customer. There are luxury options for the business traveler as well as more reasonable rates available at three star properties suited to family vacations. Even with the more modest accommodations agents will find locations and properties that provide a little extra in amenities.
Customers have the option to look for both air and accommodations at the same time. The bulk of lodging choices are domestic but CheapOStay does extend worldwide and has grown its European and Mexican markets substantially in recent history. There is a section on the website for Four Star hotels under $99 USD. The section is updated weekly and includes properties in major cities with big name brands like Hyatt, Marriott and Westin. While customers are encouraged to use the company’s website they may also contact customer service by phone twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=561
For more information visit http://www.cheapostay.com or call Toll Free 866.466.8827.
Tom Reid, co-owner of the Glasson Hotel and Golf Club located in Glasson, Athlone, Ireland, joins “Travel with Stephanie Abrams”. Athlone is Ireland’s bulls-eye. It is located in the very center of the country. The hotel is accessible from all directions and is a great place for a visitor to base himself. The hotel is also in the middle of the great Shannon Waterway. The Shannon River flows through the property and views from the hotel overlook the Lough Ree.
Initially Tom and his wife Breda had used the land the hotel sits on for farming but after producing a series of surpluses in the late 80’s they began looking for a new way to use the picturesque property. A high standard of golf was developing in Ireland and the Reids hired Christy Connor Jr, a golfer and golf course architect, to help develop the property. After converting the property to a golf course they took the next step in 2000 and built a hotel comprised of 29 bedrooms. In 2005 they extended it to 65 guestrooms. Its rooms are large, airy and colorful. They are intended to feel like a home to provide visitors with optimum comfort.
The city Athlone of was a garrison town and has several historical attractions including Athlone Castle at its center. There is a walking tour through the city and trips to one of the nearby islands, the ancient monastic site of Clonmacnoise. The site was founded by Saint Ciaran. In addition to the monastery on the island, the site attracted scholars from around the world making it a very early university.
Glasson Hotel & Golf Club recently joined the Distinguished Hotels collection. The hotel embodies the unique sensibilities that the CEO of Distinguished Hotels Bill Burruss looks for in properties he considers for the group. One of the hotel’s foremost attractions is its golf course designed by Christy O’Connor Junior. The course is used by European Tour golfers and for the annual Challenge Tour event.
All Distinguished Hotels guarantee the US dollar rate.
Distinguished Hotels in the Travlers411 Directory: http://www.travelers411.com/directory/distinguishedHotels
For more information visit http://www.distinguishedhotels.com
Click here to listen to Stephanie’s December 28, 2008 interview with Tom and Breda Reid. The interview begins at 35:44.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=582
For more information visit http://www.glassongolf.ie or http://www.glassonresort.com
The Castlemartyr Resort is a luxury property located twenty minutes from Cork City in the east of the county. The town of Castlemartyr is situated on the coast and is adjacent to Middleton, County Cork which is famous for its whiskey. The estate is 210 acres and consists of a 13th century castle, a 17th century manor house and several modern buildings. The castle is a derelict structure but the manor house has been consistently in use. It served as a boy’s boarding school between 1926 and 1996. In 1997 the property underwent redevelopment. It opened as a hotel in 2007 under the Capella organization.
In April 2009 the hotel reopened again as part of the Dromoland Collection. November to April was a period of restructuring for the property. It opened during a difficult market but has been doing very well. It is directly associated with Dromoland Castle which is located in County Clare within minutes of Shannon Airport. The hotel mirrors the standards of hospitality and services that the Dromoland Castle is famous for.
The Castlemaryr Resort has 103 bedrooms as well as 43 self-catering lodges. There is a spectacular golf course and spa on site. In addition to its historical structures, the hotel also has a modern section of buildings where the spa, conference facilities and most of the bedrooms are located. The bedrooms are stunning in decoration, large but with incredible detail. The Capella group has ties back to Ritz Carlton so the standards are on par with that brand. There are marble bathrooms, detailed lighting, wireless internet throughout the property, incredible finishes and very comfortable bedding.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=583
For more information visit http://www.castlemartyrresort.ie and http://dromolandcollection.ie
Stephanie has concentrated on several historical properties in her guidebook but she also has a list of contemporary hotels that she favors in Ireland. On that list are the Morgan and the Beacon in Dublin, “the g” in Galway, Wineport Lodge in Athlone, the Ice House Hotel in County Mayo, The Ballyvara Guest House in County Clare, the Europe Hotel and Resort in County Kerry, the Galway Bay Hotel in Galway and the Carleton Red Castle in Donegal.
For more information visit Stephanie’s blog.
Guests Include:
Nadir Syed Ali, Director-Online Marketing, CheapOstay.com.
www.cheapOstay.com
Tom Reid, Co-owner, Glasson Hotel & Golf Club, Glasson, West Meath, Ireland.
www.glassongolf.com
Andrew Phelan, General Manager, Castlemartyr Resort, Castlemartyr, County Cork, Ireland.
www.castlemartyrresort.com
Topics Include:
The New York State Museum is located in the Cultural Education Center on Madison Avenue in downtown Albany at the southern end of the Empire State Plaza opposite the Capitol Building. The museum has exhibits on both the first and fourth floor of the building with over 100,000 square feet of exhibition space. One of the current exhibitions is “1609” which is being held in honor of the quadcentennial of Henry Hudson’s journey up the Hudson River. It includes historic documents from the New York State Library and the New York State Museum including historic maps, paintings and artifacts from the museum’s anthropology and history collections. The exhibit offers visitors the full view of everything within the Cultural Education Center in a concentrated exhibit.
The exhibition’s document room has low lighting (levels determined by use of timers) so that it is a safe room to display old documents, some dating back to the sixteen hundreds. There are also hand drawn drawings of Native American artifacts framed and hanging on the wall. The planning for the exhibition started in April 2007. It opened in July of 2009. The vast majority of what is on display exists within the collection of the library museum and archives. Most of the video in use is from the offices Educational Television and Public Broadcasting. Other items are on loan from the Fenimore Museum in Cooperstown and from the Ross Foundation who display artifacts and drawings in the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
The “1609” exhibit ends the first weekend of March 2010. The museum is open 9:30 to 5 seven days a week. Visitors are encouraged to see other parts of the city such as the Capitol Building, State Library, State Archives, Albany Visitors Center, Albany Institute of History and Art and the Governors Mansion. Albany is an affordable and visitor friendly city with an abundance of cultural resources.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=585
For more information visit http://www.nysm.nysed.gov
The Chatham Bars Inn is an oceanside resort located in Chatham, Massachusetts on the elbow of Cape Cod. It was built in 1914 as a hunting lodge and soon thereafter was turned into a hotel. The property invested $25 million USD in renovations designed to elevate the hotel to its previous standard of luxury. Much has been done to the landscape, guest rooms and the main inn’s fixtures, furniture and carpeting.
The resort recently launched a program that is currently promoting a wellness weekend which is an intensive four-day program held September 17-20, 2009 managed by CHARYM Body Temple. CHARYM is an integrated health and wellness company based in Litchfield, Connecticut that has been featured in Vogue Magazine and Travel & Leisure. The weekend also includes workshops led by detox specialist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Alejandro Junger. The project has been spearheaded by the resort’s director of spa operations.
The resort is comprised of 35 buildings on 25 acres. The main inn contains 40 guestrooms, the most of any building. There is a spa building adjacent to the main inn with 12 spa suites, 5 treatment rooms and a separate pool reserved for spa use. There are a total of 217 rooms on the property including nearly 70 suites.
Spa facilities include a hydro pool, yoga and meditation classes, raw food and juice services and information on detoxification and wellness exercises. The “Clean Retreat” weekend is an extension of these activities and is designed as a “mind and body revitalization”. It is the first retreat of its kind at the Chatham Bars Inn.
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Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=412
For more information visit http://www.chathambarsinn.com/
InsureMyTrip.com CEO Jim Grace is traveling with his family to Ireland. Before booking his travel Grace looked at his travel insurance needs and talked to the customer care representatives at InsureMyTrip.com. Though he does not have an enormous trip cost he does have medical concerns. Jim is covered by Blue Cross but he knows this coverage will not be sufficient overseas. On his list of priorities is medical insurance, medical evacuation and general assistance. Customers can contact InsureMyTrip.com for assistance beyond questions about their specific insurance. They can ask about issues such as a lost or stolen passport while traveling.
Grace and his family are traveling during the heart of swine flu season. He chose a policy with half a million dollars of coverage per person. He also discovered that in Ireland, travelers renting a car are required to take the collision damage waiver insurance. Car rental companies only accept one type of credit card and if you don’t have that card you have to take the insurance. Travelers to Ireland should take this into account.
Grace advises travelers to look at their personal situation. Do you have children, elderly parents, or specific medical concerns? Once you look at all your needs you can determine the best type of insurance for your trip. If you think that there could be a reason you would need to cancel your trip than get a “cancel for any reason” policy. There is coverage that includes some trip interruption services. These apply even when you are using frequent flier miles towards you airfare and includes roughly $1000 USD per person. This amount should be enough to get you home on a one way flight with short notice.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=338
For more information visit http://www.insuremytrip.com
Current packages are available through Dooley Vacations that provide air, car and accommodations for as little as $299 USD per person based on double occupancy in Ireland. The featured vacation package consists of six nights and seven days. The rate is based on a flight from the east coast of the US to Shannon Airport. Rates are available August until March with six gateways that visitors can fly out of.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread:
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=528
Guests Include:
Michelle Stefanick, Senior Exhibit Planner, New York State Museum, Albany, New York.
www.nysm.nysed.gov
www.albany.org
Paul Zuest, General Manager, Chatham Bars Inn, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
www.chathambarsinn.com
Jim Grace, President & CEO, InsureMyTrip.com.
www.insuremytrip.com
Topics Include:
Stephanie lists several properties in Ireland that have historic relevance but also modern standards of convenience. These include the Mount Falcon, Beech Hill Country House, Dunadry, the Rathsallagh Country House, Lough Inagh Lodge, Cahernane House and the Temple Gate Hotel.
The Temple Gate Hotel is one of Stephanie’s favorite properties in all of Ireland. It is conveniently located in the city of Ennis in County Clare. The hotel was formerly a convent for the Sisters of Mercy. The proprietors chose to retain the original building’s old church as a center piece of the hotel. It was originally developed in 1995. It opened in 1996 and has undergone several developments since.
There are a total of 70 newly appointed bedrooms at the property, a center and function room, a rosette award winning restaurant and a pub that hosts traditional music and Irish food. The city of Ennis recently won the “Tidy Towns’ Award” in Ireland. The judging for this event is split into categories based on size of the destination. The criteria are based on the pride the local community takes in maintaining business premises, parks and walkways. It is common for a tidy town to have its streets lined with flowers. The local government is meant to encourage both the businesses and local communities to keep the streets clean and beautiful looking. Stephanie describes Ennis as “storybook like”.
The management of the Temple Gate Hotel has a continued focus on improving the property. Recent developments have made the hotel a popular wedding venue with a large amount of the weddings for American travelers. The Temple Gate is close in proximity to Shannon Airport and is located at the town’s center. As a result it receives many visitors who are traveling from destinations outside Ireland. Car parking behind the hotel is free to guests.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=584
For more information visit http://www.templegatehotel.com
CheapOAir and CheapOStay are part of a larger parent company, Travelong. Bill Miller, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for the CheapOAir division of Travelong joins “Travel with Stephanie Abrams!”. There are currently a lot of deals for consumers to take advantage of in the travel industry. CheapOAir tries to highlight these deals on its website. One destination that currently has some great travel rates is Hawaii.
Hawaii has suffered in the economic downturn and as a result there are some amazing rates being offered. Airfares from the east coast are going for less than $700 USD roundtrip and from the west coast less than $500 USD. Airlines are still facing economic challenges and there are great rates because of this.
Two big airlines Delta and Northwest recently merged. They are still working on restructuring their operations and have large hubs in the US that have a lot of capacity that they need to sell. An example of a carrier strategically picking hubs where they can pick up a high volume of traffic is Delta. Fares from New York to Dallas are as low as $150 USD roundtrip.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=459
For more information visit http://www.cheapoair.com and http://www.travelong.com
Weekly prizes are available on travelers411.com. Contestants first have to be a registered user of the site. Scroll down and click on “Contests” forum for a list of current contests.
Recent winner Jordan Green from western Massachusetts won a three night stay in San Francisco!
For more information visit http://www.travelers411.com
There are more deals than ever this fall for cruising. Virtually all ships are looking to fill seats. There are average weekly rates of $399 USD and rates as low as $599 for a balcony cabin to the Caribbean. These rates reflect all the major cruise lines and even pertain to the more expensive cruise lines. Luxury liners go on longer cruises and as a consequence are always more expensive, but many still have some attractive prices available at this time. There are 30 day transatlantic cruises available for as little as $50 USD a day.
Many cruise lines are also offering on board credits and sometimes free shore excursions. On board credits can be used to make any purchases on board the trip. That includes bars, shops, spa treatments, casinos and entertainment. More and more cruise lines are becoming all-inclusive. Stephanie advises that you find out your cruise’s tipping policy before determining your travel budget.
Cruisebrothers.com deals with 25,000 passengers a year and has top cruise line accounts. Though dealing with bigger business means more overhead for the cruise agents they are able to get better prices for consumers and as such continuously attract clientele. CruiseBrothers.com has agents who know the business intimately. They cite a 96 percent cruise-customer satisfaction rate, the highest of any vacation experience.
In unstable economic times it is beneficial to have an additional stream of revenue. The travel industry is consistently thriving and is able to provide opportunities to those who have the desire to become an outside agent and work from home. Cruisebrothers.com works with top cruise lines and enlists outside agents to help generate sales. Outside agents help others book their travel reservations and earn 50 percent of the commission on each sale they make online. High volume producers will earn a higher commission. . Often people start with friends and family members and develop their abilities as an agent. Some people are so successful that they are able to make the experience a full-time occupation. Agents also receive travel perks such as free cruises on the inaugural passages of major cruises lines.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=319
For more information visit http://www.cruisebrothers.com and http://www.cruisingfree.comor call 800.827.7779 to learn how to become an outside agent.
Guests Include:
Paul Madden, General Manager, Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis, County Clare, Ireland.
www.templegatehotel.com
Bill Miller, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, CheapOAir.
www.cheapOair.com
Steve Gelfuso, President, Cruise Brothers.
www.cruisebrothers.com
