A Faster Way to Search Google Flights – Cut and Paste
Google Flights heralds Google’s formal entry into the travel meta-search arena. Much has been made of the absense of intermediaries such as...

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@robertkcole
A Faster Way to Search Google Flights – Cut and Paste
Google Flights heralds Google’s formal entry into the travel meta-search arena. Much has been made of the absense of intermediaries such as...
What are Most Trusted Sources for Hotel Reviews and Ratings?
Hotel reviews and ratings are a hot topic of discussion and it’s getting hotter. Recent PhoCusWright research finds 43% of...
SuperShuttle in New York – Make that Super Shittle
I am a fool. I wasted three hours of my older daughter’s life that she will never be able to recoup – Thank you SuperShuttle.
This is a story...
Transforming Hotel Industry Growth Strategy
It is not often that one is able to corner three hospitality industry leaders and ask them about the challenges facing the industry - specifically how marketing, information technology and distribution can be better aligned to satisfy hotel brand growth objectives.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Industry Expert Panel: Video of HITEC panel discussing the 'Transform Your Growth Strategy Now' RockCheetah/Amadeus white paper"][/caption]
Recently, at the Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals annual HITEC conference in Austin Texas, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel comprised of Flo Lugli, Executive Vice President Marketing, Wyndham Worldwide, Mike Blake, Chief Information Officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Caryl Helsel, Director Central Reservations & Revenue Management, ARAMARK Parks & Destinations.
The three panelists were refreshingly forthcoming and candid in their remarks concerning some of the most daunting challenges facing today's hotel industry leadership.
As they recover from a dramatic economic downturn, hoteliers are launching initiatives that rely on information technology to accomplish marketing objectives and profitability goals. However, as staffing and financial resource availability remains highly constrained, executive management must employ strategies that most efficiently utilize technology to help drive business growth.
A key conclusion of the white paper was that over the next three years, organizations within the hotel industry require an IT Pathfinder to help align hotel business and technology priorities. Each of the panelists did an outstanding job of providing examples of how their organizations are managing the challenge of advancing technology initiatives with fewer resources than in years past.
Most enlightening were the panel's comments regarding critical nature of these initiatives and how they would serve as the foundation for brand and operational success over the years to come.
The following is a twenty-seven minute video summarizing the highlights of the white paper and the panel discussion:
A Discussion Between Industry Experts from Amadeus IT Group.
To read the white paper's executive summary, please see my blog post from earlier this year, White Paper: Bridging Hotel Business and Technology Priorities.
The full white paper is available, free of charge, for download here: Transform Your Growth Strategy Now [Registration required]
My sincere thanks go to Flo, Mike and Caryl for doing a terrific job on the panel and validating the conclusions of the white paper, as well as Amadeus for its industry insights and sponsorship of the white paper.
NOTE: Please don't hesitate to watch the video - I am not nearly as stern or grouchy as the placeholder graphic might imply... and, despite the severity of the economic challenges facing the hotel industry, that fire alarm to my immediate right was not a prop... ;)
Original Article
Cross a beach, a blanket, a bag & a bunny... and what do you get? A stripped-down travel experience that proves the less you take, the more you get.Related posts:Recommendations: Best Things To... ...
Social Commerce will evolve from the intersection of social computing, location based services and mobile technologies. Travel companies leveraging SoLoMo-Commerce (SoLoMoCo) will have an... For...
Every year Milwaukee, Wisconsin hosts the world’s largest music festival – Summerfest. Despite running continuously since 1968 and drawing crowds between 800 thousand & 1 million in annual...
Henry Harteveldt, Forrester Research‘s Vice President and Principal Analyst for Travel opened his keynote for the OpenTravel Alliance 2011 North American Advisory Forum with Bette...
One of the most pressing issues facing the global hotel industry as it slowly recovers from the biggest economic downturn in its history is how to most efficiently bridge the gap between business...
Recommendations: Best Things To Do in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands?
The eighth and final port of call for our holiday cruise, St. Thomas, is an easy destination for US Residents; no passport required, extensive duty free-shopping, and great beaches.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Any suggestions for great things to do in St. Thomas? Add a comment below and help promote family harmony."] photo credit: Topher Vasallo[/caption]
No, the tragic death of a teenage cruise ship passenger in July 2010, has not caused us to change our travel plans. Sadly, the 14-year old girl was hit by a bullet from gang-related cross-fire. While publicity the incident has tarnished the reputation of the USVI, there is an excellent chance that we will be spending time in the area where the freak accident occurred.
There is little reason to avoid St. Thomas as a destination due to an isolated incident. Travelers avoiding Aruba following the Natalie Holloway disappearance immediately springs to mind.
The antithesis of some of the less well-known or frequently visited ports on the itinerary, the streets of Charlotte Amalie frequently become a beehive of activity for bargain-seeking cruise ship passengers. Hopefully some of the more worldly readers of these posts will contribute some suggestions as comments.
While having done plenty of shopping on past trips, the most memorable excursion while visiting St. Thomas actually involved catching the ferry to St. John and spending the day at Buck Island, an underwater National Park. One unique feature of Buck Island is an underwater trail that located off the eastern point of the island. It offers some great underwater vistas for beginning snorkelers.
This time, because the USVI fall on the last day before our return, we will be planning a relatively unstructured day. My bet is that we wind up at Coki Beach. Coki beach is beautiful, calm beach, but at one end, near the rock, the snorkeling is fantastic - it's a lot like swimming in a large aquarium.
The high concentration of fish is partially due to the practice of breaking off bits of dog biscuit to feed the fish. You probably have not seen such boiling concentrations of fish outside of a bad movie with Pirhana in the title...
Now, if I can just keep them preoccupied with the fish at Coki Beach long enough to avoid any substantial financial damage from the shops of St. Thomas. That might prove tricky - one of the downsides of having a wife and two daughters who are savvy travelers.
As always, we are open to any better suggestions, so feel free to add them as comments.
Family background - I like adventure and my wife likes the beach and shopping. Our two daughters are 13 and 20 years old respectively. A personal, yet admittedly unrealistic, goal is to partake of activities that would avoid interaction with teenage or twenty-something boys...
With that in mind, please let us know what you think are the best activities for our day in port.
Here are the resources I am using to research the best experiences for our day in port for St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands:
Trip Advisor
Cruise Critic Port Forum
Condé Nast Editors Picks
Lonely Planet Overview
Official Tourist Bureau Site
Of course, the ports are only one facet of a cruise experience - below is some information on the ship and itinerary:
Celebrity Cruises Cruiseline: Website Ship: Celebrity Millennium Itinerary: 10 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise San Juan, Puerto Rico | St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles | Castries, Saint Lucia | Bridgetown, Barbados | Saint George's, Grenada | Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | Roseau, Dominica | St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Videos: YouTube Page Social Media: Facebook Page
Full disclosure: I am not being compensated in any way by Celebrity Cruises, its parent Royal Caribbean or any other party associated with the planning or experience of this trip. It is a 100% personally funded family holiday.
Original Article
Recommendations: Best Things To Do in Scarborough, Tobago?
The sixth stop on our Celebrity Millennium holiday cruise is Scarborough, Tobago. Having never previously visited Trinidad or Tobago, based on our research, we would normally take one of two approaches - the first, hire a car and do some exploring, or second, taking a comprehensive tour of the island.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Any suggestions for great things to do in Tobago? Add a comment below and help promote family harmony."] photo credit: Jenni Ripley[/caption]
Going to destinations where not a lot of friends have traveled can cause some to hesitate. With our family, it is quite the opposite - we love exploring and sharing the stories of our discoveries plays an integral role in the arc of our total vacation experience.
It is always such a shame to hear people returning from a destination with tales of an average vacation experience, only to learn that they either stayed rooted to their hotel, or ventured out only to hit notoriously overrated tourist traps. It may occasionally take a bit more preparation, but great vacations often hinge on one or two cornerstone experiences.
Often those experiences may happen accidentally or wildly exceed expectations due to a confluence of circumstances. The formula that works for us is to find unique experiences as a starting point and see where they lead us.
Based on our preliminary research, a good portion of Tobago's highlights are water-related, so we are leaning toward the tour path, with the Island Girl Catamaran earning strong consideration.
In many cases, boat tours can access secluded spots that are inaccessible by road. Better yet, sailboats are both green and silent methods of transport. Plus, catamarans tend to be a bit more stable for inexperienced sailors less inclined to enjoy a sailboat's tendency to heel in wind.
Of course, if it was Carnivale, we would undoubtedly beat a path to see nearby Trinidad's celebrated festivities.
Family background - I like adventure and my wife likes the beach and shopping. Our two daughters are 13 and 20 years old respectively. A personal, yet admittedly unrealistic, goal is to partake of activities that would avoid interaction with teenage or twenty-something boys...
With that in mind, please let us know what you think are the best activities for our day in port.
Here are the resources I am using to research the best experiences for our day in port for Scarborough, Tobago:
Trip Advisor Cruise Critic Port Forum Condé Nast Editors Picks Lonely Planet Overview Official Tourist Bureau Site
Of course, the ports are only one facet of a cruise experience - below is some information on the ship and itinerary:
Celebrity Cruises Cruiseline: Website Ship: Celebrity Millennium Itinerary: 10 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise San Juan, Puerto Rico | St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles | Castries, Saint Lucia | Bridgetown, Barbados | Saint George's, Grenada | Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | Roseau, Dominica | St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Videos: YouTube Page Social Media: Facebook Page
Full disclosure: I am not being compensated in any way by Celebrity Cruises, its parent Royal Caribbean or any other party associated with the planning or experience of this trip. It is a 100% personally funded family holiday.
Original Article
Recommendations: Best Things To Do in Saint George's, Grenada?
Grenada remains a bit off the beaten path when it comes to Caribbean vacation destinations, but that turns out to be a benefit in terms of experiencing some of the charm of the old Caribbean before commercialism by global brands changed the face of the unique local destinations.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Any suggestions for great things to do in Grenada? Add a comment below and help promote family harmony."] photo credit: SunCat[/caption]
The spice island, Grenada is the fifth stop in our holiday cruise on the Celebrity Millennium. Constantly seeking exceptional destination experiences, we are hoping to capture some creative suggestions in the comments.
Having visited Grenada on the Queen Mary 2 a couple years back, there is a sure bet recommendation for those wanting to see the best of the island and learn about its history. I would have to rank Mandoo as the most knowledgeable and personable tour guide I have ever encountered. The man is a walking encyclopedia for Grenada and has such a depth of knowledge that he is able to easily tailor tours to focus on the specific interests of the participants.
Grenada epitomizes "old school" Caribbean with is River Antoine Distillery - not only established in 1785, but still making rum essentially the same way since its inception with its water wheel driven mill and open storage tanks. Much of the spice production also uses traditional methods
One alternative for an excursion heavy cruise itinerary is always to find a stretch of scenic, uncrowded beach for some relaxing, unstructured time. This time around, we just might wind up on Grand Anse Beach.
Family background - I like adventure and my wife likes the beach and shopping. Our two daughters are 13 and 20 years old respectively. A personal, yet admittedly unrealistic, goal is to partake of activities that would avoid interaction with teenage or twenty-something boys...
With that in mind, please let us know what you think are the best activities for our day in port. Below are some of the resources we use to research great destination experiences.
Here are the resources I am using to research the best experiences for our day in port for St. Georges, Grenada:
a id="aptureLink_tkrPgo0nnH" href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g147295-Activities-Grenada.html">Trip Advisor
Cruise Critic Port Forum
Condé Nast Editors Picks
Lonely Planet Overview
Official Tourist Bureau Site
Of course, the ports are only one facet of a cruise experience - below is some information on the ship and itinerary:
Celebrity Cruises Cruiseline: Website Ship: Celebrity Millennium Itinerary: 10 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise San Juan, Puerto Rico | St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles | Castries, Saint Lucia | Bridgetown, Barbados | Saint George's, Grenada | Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | Roseau, Dominica | St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Videos: YouTube Page Social Media: Facebook Page
Full disclosure: I am not being compensated in any way by Celebrity Cruises, its parent Royal Caribbean or any other party associated with the planning or experience of this trip. It is a 100% personally funded family holiday.
Original Article
Recommendations: Best Things To Do in Bridgetown, Barbados?
Barbados has provided some of our most beloved travel memories. In this fourth post in a series featuring the ports of call on our holiday cruise, we are returning to Barbados for a third time and seeking new experiences that will top those of the past.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Any suggestions for great things to do in Barbados? Add a comment below and help promote family harmony."] photo credit: Jens Karlsson[/caption]
The most vivid memory is our first visit 25 years ago when we were playing chicken with a hurricane. It's interesting how conditions that would typically make some complain that their vacation was ruined by inclement weather can result in great memories.
In our cases, the stormy weather resulted in body surfing with locals in 10 foot swells and retreating in our mini-moke from torrential rains by hunkering down in the St. Thomas Parish post office. Considering mini-mokes lacked doors and only had a canvas roof, driving through sugar cane fields with water cascading across the road was exciting, albeit not that smart - especially since cell phones were not common in 1985.
Before assuming that we may be exaggerating the conditions, we encountered two Brits who were lost driving their mini-moke because their map was blown out of their hands - while sitting inside the car, parked...
On our last visit, we toured the Concorde Experience at the Christ Church Airport - the unique and historic British Airways Concorde. It is a great way to relive a chapter of aviation history.
This time, we were thinking about surfing lessons with Zed's Surfing Adventures. My daughters are game and I hear Zed and Junior are terrific teachers.
Family background - I like adventure and my wife likes the beach and shopping. Our two daughters are 13 and 20 years old respectively. A personal, yet admittedly unrealistic, goal is to partake of activities that would avoid interaction with teenage or twenty-something boys...
With that in mind, please let us know what you think are the best activities for our day in port.
Here are the resources I am using to research the best experiences for our day in port for Castries, Saint Lucia:
Trip Advisor
Cruise Critic Port Forum
Condé Nast Editors Picks
Lonely Planet Overview
Official Tourist Bureau Site
Of course, the ports are only one facet of a cruise experience - below is some information on the ship and itinerary:
Celebrity Cruises Cruiseline: Website Ship: Celebrity Millennium Itinerary: 10 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise San Juan, Puerto Rico | St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles | Castries, Saint Lucia | Bridgetown, Barbados | Saint George's, Grenada | Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | Roseau, Dominica | St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Videos: YouTube Page Social Media: Facebook Page
Full disclosure: I am not being compensated in any way by Celebrity Cruises, its parent Royal Caribbean or any other party associated with the planning or experience of this trip. It is a 100% personally funded family holiday.
Original Article
Recommendations: Best Things To Do in Castries, Saint Lucia?
The Caribbean offers something for everybody, which can be a challenge - too many attractive alternatives competing for your precious few hours spent in port off the cruise ship. In some cases, it can be a cruel tease, with tempting one-of-a-kind experiences that may not align well with the disembarkation / embarkation schedule of the cruise ship.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Any suggestions for great things to do in St. Lucia? Add a comment below and help promote family harmony."] photo credit: Ben Alman[/caption]
This is the third post in a series featuring the ports of call on our holiday cruise. Today's stop is the beautiful island of St. Lucia.
We have been to St. Lucia a couple times, again on cruises. The last trip featured a memorable stop at the Soufriere Volcano's Sulpher Springs mud baths and the remainder of the day on Jalousie Beach. We generally aren't big repeaters, preferring to discover new adventures.
That said, it looks like Spencer Ambrose Tours has a great Jalousie Beach Break that combines nautical transportation and some waterfront sight seeing with a day at the lovely beach tucked between the majestic Pitons. I could certainly be talked into returning to Jalousie.
Family background - I like adventure and my wife likes the beach and shopping. Our two daughters are 13 and 20 years old respectively. A personal, yet admittedly unrealistic, goal is to partake of activities that would avoid interaction with teenage or twenty-something boys...
With that in mind, please let us know what you think are the best activities for our day in port.
Here are the resources I am using to research the best experiences for our day in port for Castries, Saint Lucia:
Trip Advisor
Cruise Critic Port Forum
Condé Nast Editors Picks
Lonely Planet Overview
Official Tourist Bureau Site
Of course, the ports are only one facet of a cruise experience - below is some information on the ship and itinerary:
Celebrity Cruises Cruiseline: Website Ship: Celebrity Millennium Itinerary: 10 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise San Juan, Puerto Rico | St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles | Castries, Saint Lucia | Bridgetown, Barbados | Saint George's, Grenada | Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | Roseau, Dominica | St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Videos: YouTube Page Social Media: Facebook Page
Full disclosure: I am not being compensated in any way by Celebrity Cruises, its parent Royal Caribbean or any other party associated with the planning or experience of this trip. It is a 100% personally funded family holiday.
Original Article
Recommendations: Best Things To Do in Philipsburg, St. Maarten?
Trip planning can be a complex activity, but few challenges are as daunting as identifying shore activities in eight different ports that will provide unique and fulfilling experiences for a family having highly diverse interests.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Any suggestions for great things to do in St. Martin / Sint Maarten? Add a comment below and help promote family harmony."] photo credit: Jenni Ripley[/caption]
This is the second of a series of posts showcasing the ports of call on our holiday cruise. Today's stop is the half French / Half Dutch island of St. Maarten. Below you will find some of the resources we use to research great destination experiences, but most importantly, we hope to capture some expert suggestions from the highly sophisticated and well traveled group of individuals that read this blog.
Our family has visited St. Maarten twice before, both times on cruises. We have done the island tour and spent low key days at the beach and shopping. This time, we are looking for something a but more unique.
My preferred adventure would be sailing Dennis Connor's Stars & Stripes in The Americas Cup 12 Metre Challenge, but I am having trouble rallying a companion to accompany me. My older daughter and I had a great time racing the Team New Zealand 82 sloop in Cabo San Lucas. Word apparently got out that all must actively work during the race...
Family background - I like adventure and my wife likes the beach and shopping. Our two daughters are 13 and 20 years old respectively. A personal, yet admittedly unrealistic, goal is to partake of activities that would avoid interaction with teenage or twenty-something boys...
With that in mind, please let us know what you think are the best activities for our day in port.
Here are the resources I am using to research the best experiences for our day in port for Philipsburg, St. Maarten:
Trip Advisor
Cruise Critic Port Forum
Condé Nast Editors Picks (Seriously, no suggestions? C'mon CN Travel Editors, you need to plan a trip...)
Lonely Planet Overview
Official Tourist Bureau Site
Of course, the ports are only one facet of a cruise experience - below is some information on the ship and itinerary:
Celebrity Cruises Cruiseline: Website Ship: Celebrity Millennium Itinerary: 10 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise San Juan, Puerto Rico | St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles | Castries, Saint Lucia | Bridgetown, Barbados | Saint George's, Grenada | Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | Roseau, Dominica | St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Videos: YouTube Page Social Media: Facebook Page
Full disclosure: I am not being compensated in any way by Celebrity Cruises, its parent Royal Caribbean or any other party associated with the planning or experience of this trip. It is a 100% personally funded family holiday.
Original Article
Recommendations: Best Things To Do in San Juan, Puerto Rico?
One of the craziest dichotomies in travel places me in a conundrum every year. Planning our annual cruise vacation. One of the biggest selling points of cruise vacations is that it is one-stop shopping, everything is handled for you. Sorry, that's not how the Cole family rolls...
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Any suggestions for great things to do in Puerto Rico? Add a comment below and help promote family harmony."] photo credit: Josh Bozarth[/caption]
My family has now made it an annual ritual to take a cruise over the winter holidays. It seems this tradition was born soon after our relocation to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A beautiful area in summer - I highly recommend attending Summerfest, the world's largest music festival in late June / early July - but not well suited to human habitation in winter.
So as opposed to taking the more pedestrian path of booking excursions through the cruise line, our brood wants to go beyond the typical and encounter unique experiences that will create lasting memories. This approach frequently requires logistical coordination comparable to NASA missions with the additional necessity to maintain family harmony.
Family harmony is a delicate commodity. For some, I am certain it may represent a mythical oxymoron. For us, the key prerequisites are open communication and diligent planning. We have also discovered that we do not need to have the whole family together 24/7 for the whole trip so we share an identical experience. We typically pair up for various activities when diverging interests prefer disparate alternatives.
With the dual purpose of sharing some of the resources we use to research great destination experiences, and hopefully soliciting some suggestions from the all-knowing blogosphere, this is the first of a series of posts showcasing the ports of call on our holiday cruise. We start with Puerto Rico.
The family has been to Puerto Rico before, having spent time at The Rio Mar Beach Resort. Probably our most enjoyable and memorable activity was exploring El Yunque National Rain Forest.
A bit of detail regarding our family composition - My wife and I can both remember The Beatles first tour of America. I like adventure and my wife likes the beach and shopping. Our two daughters are 13 and 20 years old respectively. A personal, yet admittedly unrealistic, goal is to partake of activities that would avoid interaction with teenage or twenty-something boys...
With that in mind, let us know what you think are the best activities for our day in port - Actually we will be in San Juan the day before and day after the cruise since San Juan is its port of embarkation.
Here are the resources I am using to research the best experiences for our day in port for San Juan, Puerto Rico:
Trip Advisor
Cruise Critic Port Forum
Condé Nast Editors Picks
Lonely Planet Overview
Official Tourist Bureau Site
Of course, the ports are only one facet of a cruise experience - below is some information on the ship and itinerary:
Celebrity Cruises Cruiseline: Website Ship: Celebrity Millennium Itinerary: 10 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise San Juan, Puerto Rico | St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles | Castries, Saint Lucia | Bridgetown, Barbados | Saint George's, Grenada | Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | Roseau, Dominica | St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Videos: YouTube Page Social Media: Facebook Page
Full disclosure: I am not being compensated in any way by Celebrity Cruises, its parent Royal Caribbean or any other party associated with the planning or experience of this trip. It is a 100% personally funded family holiday.
Original Article
CruiseLabs – Twitter Synopsis: Multi-GDS/XML capable cruise booking engine with interactive deck maps, proprietary videos and travel agent chat within shopping application