hotels articles

If you are a frequent traveler and animal owner, you are probably aware that there are pet friendly motels that you can bring your dog or cat to while you are on the road. If you hate leaving your pets at a boarding shelter while you are traveling, you would be wise to find pet hotels along your route so that your beloved family members can stay with you. Many dog friendly hotels allow canines up to a certain weight with no extra deposit. Some pet friendly motels do require a deposit, and larger pets and reptiles are not allowed.

Before you book your rooms, check that your pet friendly motels are accepting pets matching the weight of your animal. Some pet hotels will require that you keep the animal in a cage in your room, and most dog friendly hotels insist that your canine is kept on a leash at all times when it is outside of your room. There are many websites that are specialize in pet friendly hotel or condo rentals, with easy to use guides to help you to find the best lodging that is both convenient for you and comfortable for your animals.

If you plan to be away for long periods of time, you might reconsider bringing along your animal to pet friendly motels. Some animals do better at home with a sitter or in a boarding facility than traveling around to various pet hotels. When you reserve a room at dog friendly hotels, you will want to ask what the policies are regarding animals, and whether there is a deposit. Most overnight lodging establishments will always allow seeing-eye or service dogs no matter what their pet policies are. The more research that you do on the lodging options for your vacation or travel destination, the more comfortable your pet will be on the road. Also, if you are travelling by plane, don’t forget to check with the airlines about their pet policies. Many airlines require larger dogs to be in a cage in the checked luggage section of the plane and also need to see proof of animal licenses, especially when travelling to a foreign country. Smaller dogs and cats can sometimes be carried on to the plane in a pet carrier if the carrier is small enough to fit under the plane’s seat back.

When you are preparing to leave for your pet friendly hotel, be sure to pack along some portable pet bowls and enough food and water supply for your pet to last for the duration of your trip. You might also want to bring a small blanket or toy from home to remind your pet of the scents of their home. If you are driving to your destination, you might want to search for dog parks along your route or plan for stops to walk your dog for at least 30 minutes to release their energy. If you are travelling with a cat, consider bringing a portable litter box that your cat can use on the road or in your hotel room. Most importantly, be sure your pets are secure in your vehicle and won’t pose a hazard to the driver.

I just returned from a four-day vacation in the San Diego area, where I stayed at a well-known inn. However, the consumer alert from this experience could apply to any U.S. destination, and to any establishment in the hospitality industry. It isn’t my intent to single out San Diego, which is a lovely town for vacations, with many attractions in the area to visit. These include Mission Bay, Seaport Village, Star of India, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, the Wild Animal Park in nearby Escondido, shopping malls, and much more.

Since I had arrived at about 3 p.m., I was able to check in at the inn, and make several trips in the elevator up to the fourth floor, with my mismatched, clunky luggage. I even had time to unpack and freshen up, before finding my way to an evening business reception 3 miles away. However, I know now what I didn’t know before — anyone can walk into a hotel that has inside corridors, and get all the way to the top floor without being challenged!

By the time I left at 5:15 p.m., two flyers had been pushed through the door to my room. I put the flyers on the table, and left a light on. When I returned to my room, I read the flyers. Both were from pizza delivery services, and had I not already eaten, I would have been tempted to order from one or the other. The prices seemed reasonable.

Next evening, when I returned to my room from the day’s meetings, two more flyers had been pushed through the door. On the third day, I was back in my room early enough to actually be there, when one of them came through. The person seemed flustered that my security locks were on, and had trouble finding space to shove the flyer through. At first, I thought someone was trying to get inside.

Because I was nervous, I decided to check the Guest Services Directory to verify how to summon help. Obviously, I had checked to see where the Fire Exits were — upon arrival — but I hadn’t bothered to open the directory. (I’d been to this area numerous times before, and stayed at a variety of hotels and motels.) What did I find in the directory but a Consumer Alert on a small laminated card, tucked inside the front pocket. It was underneath a laminated menu from a local restaurant.

To paraphrase here, but to retain the meaning of the verbiage, the alert read as follows: Many pizza delivery companies are putting unauthorized flyers underneath our room doors. Please do not contact any of these companies. Instead, contact the Front Desk at extension “0” for recommended quality restaurants.

This alert should have been displayed prominently in the room, not tucked away where guests were not going to find it. Few guests look in the directory when they are frequent visitors to an area. Perhaps these vendors are harmless people, trying to make a living; perhaps they are not. The fact is they should not have been walking around inside the building.

It did not make me feel safe, knowing that unauthorized persons could so easily get into the inn during evening and night hours, and probably during the day. Worse, they could, and did, get all the way up to the fourth floor, and probably higher. The two additional safety locks, in addition to the lock and the deadbolt on the door, now made sense.

Will I stay at this establishment again? No, I will not. It was enough that the room was very noisy at night, being too close to the freeway on that side. No wonder their online discount was such a good deal.

The lack of security, as evidenced by the pizza flyers, was the last straw. If their hidden consumer alert had been a sincere attempt to protect their guests, it would have been displayed openly. In addition, hotel security should have been walking the halls to foil unwelcome visitors. In a nutshell, fellow travelers, we now have something new to worry about, when making reservations. So, please stay alert, and stay well!

If it’s a restful Florida vacation you’re looking for, consider heading for the Panhandle and Gulf Coast area. Here, you can fish, golf, hike, bask in the sun, take in some interesting museums and have a laid back good time.

When you’re planning your visit, be sure to book a vacation rental in the area. Staying in a Panhandle vacation condo or villa is the perfect antidote to cookie-cutter hotels and motels and offers you the opportunity to not only enjoy your own cooking and activities timetables, but provide you with all the conveniences of home as well.

There’s a lot to do and see in the Panhandle of Florida. This area is known for its world-class beaches and golf courses and its interesting mix of history and nature.

If you visit Pensacola, you’ll surely want to visit the famous National Museum of Naval Aviation. This museum is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, and is home to more than 140 restored aircraft from the Navy, Marine and Coast Guard. There are more than 290,000 square feet inside and more than 30 acres outside to explore and understand this country’s aviation history.

After all that walking and exploring, take some time out at one of Pensacola’s pristine white beaches. The Pensacola beach areas include the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which is 16 miles of beautiful, undisturbed beach.

In Destin you can enjoy all of Florida’s simpler pleasures – golfing, sightseeing, white sand beaches, and fishing. A good seafood meal will likely be included in any visitor’s activities as well. If you made the wise decision to book a Florida villa or condo rental, you can buy some wonderful fresh seafood and cook it on your grill “at home” after a long day of enjoying Florida’s Panhandle region.

In this beautiful area of Florida, the beaches are well known to be white, sandy and surrounded by emerald waters. These beaches are prime territory for sunbathers, who enjoy the quite, placid waters and undisturbed beaches. If you want more activity, consider the variety of water sports available here – from snorkeling to parasailing, you can find it here.

Heading for the Panama City area of the Panhandle? After unpacking your bags at your Florida vacation rental, head for the beaches, golf courses or interesting destinations.

Water sports and activities fill the calendars full in Panama City. You might choose to go scuba diving or deep sea fishing. You might enjoy Alvin’s Big Island, where you can see live sharks and alligators and have lunch at the same time. Head to the Ebro Greyhound Park where you can watch greyhound racing, or go crazy being a kid at Great Adventures Amusements Co., where you can drive a bumper boat or go kart, go bungee jumping or spend a few nickels on the midway.

Whatever you choose to do in Florida’s Panhandle, it’s sure to be fun and sun filled. Each night you’ll enjoy the restful sleep you get at your condo rental. Then you’ll be ready for more activity in the morning – however you like it.

Pet friendly motels and dog friendly hotels are not as difficult to find as you might think. Although many hotels still don’t allow pets of any kind in their rooms, there are a substantial amount that do. Most of the time there will be no extra charge for accommodating your furry critter, but sometimes you will be asked to pay a small fee usually ranging anywhere from 5 dollars to 50 dollars. Pet hotels and pet friendly motels are very convenient for people who like to travel and not have to go through the hassle of leaving their pet to the care of friends, family or expensive pet care establishments.

There are a variety of options of pet accommodations you can choose from when travelling, such as pet friendly motels, pet hotels, bed and breakfasts’, resorts and vacation rentals. Sometimes you can be charged a small fee, and other times you may be charged a deposit, which would be returned if your pet causes no apparent damage. It is also possible to find a number of dog friendly hotels that will provide veterinary services and pet care facilities such as beds and blankets.

We have put this together to provide pet owners with useful information in hopes of facilitating travel with your pet. Pet friendly motels and dog friendly hotels all have different rules and policies concerning pet accommodation, so it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with them before checking into any pet hotels. It is sometimes hard to ask friends and family to take care of your pet while travelling, as it can be an added responsibility. We hope we have provided you with a simple stress-free solution.

If you are looking for cheap accommodation in Seattle, you should be looking out for inns and motels in and around the city. Though devoid of pomp and splendor, there are many hotels that provide you with good food and clean lodging for rates that you can afford. You pay only a little more than $50 dollars to get a day’s decent accommodation.

Days Inn SeaTac provides you lodging for $62 dollars per night and throws in free shuttles to the airport and local telephone calls into the deal. It’s quiet, but elegant rooms are well-attended and include room service from 6.30 in the morning to 10.30 at night. The hotel provides all the luxuries of a five star hotel minus the ambience as the rooms have microwaves, refrigerators, cable TV apart from in-house laundry and dry cleaning service.

Like many other affordable hotels, the Econolodge Renton also provides all the amenities of an expensive hotel including complimentary breakfast and free high speed Internet access. All of its 116 rooms have individual climate control and free local telephone call facilities. The check-in and check-out time is 12.00 PM, while you can also use automated wake up call services and guest laundry. Your average rent per night is $50 dollars.

The College Inn near the University of Washington campus has single or double occupancy and has an overall traveler satisfaction score of 3.6 on a scale of 1 to 5. The four storey building has 27 rooms charged at $70 dollars a day for two adults and includes a bar, a lounge and a café. You can check in at 3 PM and check out at 11 in the morning. You can also avail of the complimentary public Internet access and public television set of the College Inn Pub. The hotel also houses a restaurant, Café Allegro which provides breakfast, lunch and dinner to not just hotel guests, but also the public. It has ATM and banking facility along with wireless Internet access and chargeable parking.

Luxury-car rentals are booming, but it’s not because of big corporate travelers. Rental companies say most high-end traffic comes from vacation travelers or small-business owners who don’t have to submit expense reports to a corporate travel manager. Folks who are used to driving Mercedeses in their real lives really don’t want to be seen in the cookie-cutter sedans that fill most rental lots.

Hertz, which several years ago launched its Prestige Collection for this market, has increased the number of American cities it serves to 50, as well as adding locations in Europe.

1. Their fees will put the brakes on your family’s vacation. In the summer months, when demand heats up, rates rise by 20% to 25% (if not considerably more) beyond the average daily rate of $43, according to Neil Abrams, president of Abrams Consulting Group. Once you factor in fees, taxes and surcharges (which may not be initially disclosed), it becomes increasingly difficult to find a deal. Additional fees raise the cost of an airport rental by another 26%, on average, reports Travelocity. One way to save: Rent off-site, where special airport-facility fees don’t apply.

2. You’re subsidizing local facilities. You pay through the nose partly because you’re helping to build stadiums, convention centers and other publicly funded facilities. When car-rental companies are taxed, they turn around and tax you, the out-of-state, nonvoting, vacationing visitor.

Launched in May 1998, ResortQuest has quickly become a trusted name in the vacation rental field. We’ve revolutionized the vacation rental industry by providing a single source for locating vacation condominiums, homes and villa rentals in 50 premier resort destinations throughout the continental United States, Hawaii and Canada. Our portfolio comprises more than 20,000 vacation rental properties in premier beach, ski, golf, mountain and desert resorts across North America and Hawaii (Aston Hotels & Resorts).

Several car rental companies are offering ski deals. Avis’ Ski the West promotion gives renters 20 percent off weekly or weekend rentals as well as a free ski rack rental through April 30. Call 888-777-AVIS or visit [www.avis.com] and use rate code AWD# K997101. Similarly, Hertz’s Ski Rates include a free ski or snowboard rack, unlimited mileage and substantial savings. If a Ski Rate for a four-wheel-drive vehicle is booked at least 21 days in advance and prepaid, the car is guaranteed. If it is not available, the renter will get

Who are Slow Travelers?

Slow Travelers go to Europe to experience different cultures and lifestyles, but they do it differently than most tourists. Instead of staying in hotels or B&Bs, they stay in vacation rentals – apartments, cottages or houses that you rent by the week. Staying in your own temporary “home”, even if just for a week or two, lets you experience a place more intensely because you get involved in the community where you are staying. You shop for groceries and supplies in the local shops, stop at the same café every morning, see the people in your village or neighborhood each day. My husband and I used to travel in Europe staying in hotels, but once we tried vacation rentals in Switzerland in 1988, we were hooked. Now this is the only way we travel.