There’s a first time for everything, and in this case, Disney finds itself in the rather awkward position of being on the wrong side of the Catholic Church. The Telegraph reports that Christopher Jamison, the Abbot of Worth in West Sussex, has accused the corporation of “exploiting spirituality” to sell its products and of turning […]

Posted on November 30th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: News | No Comments »

This is intolerable. Its no big secret that Black Friday holiday shopping in New York is more of a contact sport than a leisurely activity, but how frenzied do you have to do be, in order to trample and kill a poor man doing his job, so that you can get in first and get […]

Posted on November 29th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: New York, News | 2 Comments »

Mid-October, we wrote about this town of Sevelen in Sweden deciding to convert their nuclear fallout shelter into a budget (Between SFR 12 and 15) underground bunker hotel with 54 beds, no windows and a camera which pipes in images from outside. Now, a month and a half later, the knuckleheads still haven’t given the town’s hotels […]

Posted on November 28th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: Hotels | No Comments »

Dubai’s Atlantis the Palm, in the Palm Jumeirah development area, is throwing a $20 million bash as part of its launch. Wall Street Journal reports that a host of Hollywood and Bollywood stars have been drafted for the Thursday launch. Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue and Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra will perform for a 2,000-person, star-studded […]

Posted on November 21st, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: Hotels | No Comments »

Walt Disney Co. has tied up with Verizon to offer a mobile app which, once downloaded, will help visitors map out a plan for Disney’s theme parks, including booking hotel rooms, creating a checklist of attractions and shows, saving spots in lines at popular rides and finding the park visitors’ own position, relative to a specific attraction.
On the face […]

Posted on November 20th, 2008 by Thomas
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Phoenix has been a historically cheap place for visitors, which is one of the reasons that so many millions land up there every year. But now it seems the red rocks of Sedona are becoming as attractive an option as Phoenix.
And with the economy curtailing bookings at upscale hotels, the motels seem to be upping […]

Posted on November 19th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: Hotels | No Comments »

Anyone remember when Hurricane Katrina drowned New Orleans? That was on August 29 2005. And hotels and motels in Texas, Louisiana, Mississipi and even as far away as California were housing Katrina refugees, with FEMA paying for their stay under the FEMA Hotel/Motel Program.
Over three years and counting, but FEMA apparently doesn’t want to get over […]

Posted on November 18th, 2008 by Thomas
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‘Tis the Season of Joy. And parties. Well… Maybe not just yet. But soon will be. Besides, you gotta take into consideration the fact that the Rockefeller Christmas tree has arrived. And Paris Hilton has announced her New Year’s eve party plans.
Few days back, the Rockefeller Christmas tree arrived , a monster 8 ton 72-foot Norway spruce from […]

Posted on November 17th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: NYC, News | No Comments »

After two world wars and a tourism fight with the Germans, the British have apparently decided to start dissing vacations in New York. First, VisitBritain - The tourism office for the England, Scotland and Wales, is planning to close its walk-in visitor center in New York. Apparently, most people simply use their website (www.visitbritain.com/), and only 2% of […]

Posted on November 16th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: NYC | 2 Comments »

The Tea Fire in the coastal foothills of Santa Barbara is wreaking havoc on both residents and visitors alike. The fire started on Nov 13 around 5.50 pm, and has now charred over 2500 acres in Montecito, Cold Springs Creek and Hot Springs Road. Up to 111 homes have been destroyed, and the number is expected to rise to well above […]

Posted on November 15th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: News, Santa Barbara | No Comments »