I like these two:

“3. SMART COMPLAINERS WIN.

Though most complaints should be delivered to the front desk directly, in person or on the phone, keep in mind that most issues will not have been caused by the front desk at all. So briefly outline your problem, offer a solution if you have one, and then ask whom you should speak with to have the problem solved. “Should I speak to a manager about this?” “Should I speak to housekeeping about this?” Those are wonderful and beautiful questions to ask. Most of the time, the front desk will be able to solve the problem immediately or at least act as proxy.

Want to make sure that the agent doesn’t nod, say “certainly,” and not do a damn thing? Get his or her name. Nothing tightens up an employee’s throat like being directly identified. You don’t have to threaten him or her, either, just a nice casual “Thanks for your help. I’ll stop by later to make sure everything has been taken care of. Tommy, right?” Whatever you asked me to do, I am doing it. (Will screaming get you what you want? Well, probably. But it’s not nearly as effective.)

10. THERE’S ONE SUREFIRE WAY TO GET AN UPGRADE.

Here is one of the top lies that come out of a front desk agent’s mouth: “All the rooms are basically the same, sir.”

Bull. There is always a corner room, a room with a bigger flat screen, a room that because of the building’s layout has a larger bath with two sinks, a room that fits two roll-aways with ease, a room that, though listed as standard, actually has a partial view of the Hudson River. There is always a better room, and when I feel that $20 you slipped me burning in my pocket, I will find it for you. And if there is nothing to be done room-wise, I have a slew of other options: late checkout, free movies, free minibar, room service amenities and more. I will do whatever it takes to deserve the tip and then a little bit more in the hope that you’ll hit me again.

Some people feel nervous about this move. Please don’t. We are authorized to upgrade for special occasions. The special occasion occurring now is that I have a solid $20. That’s special enough for me!”

However, I would not think I could do this. Yes, I would be too nervous about it.

The rest of the list is here

https://twitter.com/curbexcitement

“With the exception of Bangkok overtaking London to be in the top rank in the world, the lineup of the global top 20 in 2013 is the same as in 2012.”

Global Top 20 Top Destination Cities by International Overnight Visitors Another interesting statistics is how much the overnight visitors spend. “New York has retained its top rank in the world in 2013 with an estimated US$18.59 billion, followed by London with US$16.32 billion. Though ranked first in the world by arrival numbers, Bangkok is ranked
fourth in terms of visitor cross-border spending estimated at US$14.28 billion.”

Global Top 20 Top Destination Cities by International Overnight Visitor SpendI was curious so did myself a few calculations and the average spend is very high in Tokyo.

Europe Top 10 Destination Cities by International Overnight Visitors

North America Top 10 Destination Cities by International Overnight Visitors

Asia/Pacific Top 10 Destination Cities by International Overnight Visitors

Source: http://insights.mastercard.com/position-papers/top-20-global-destination-cities-in-2013/

More of the photos here http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-photos-taken-from-an-airplane

Every Tuesday at 6:30pm in the 7 Sisters Café, a professional Russian language tutor awaits the hotel guests. The instructor not only teaches the most important and popular Russian phrases, but also shares stories about great Russian traditions and customs. The teacher will find a special approach to every single student, regardless of his level of knowledge of the language.

The lesson is entirely free and lasts one hour.”

From www.breakingtravelnews.com

This is an excellent idea. If I was on a personal trip it would not make too much of a difference but on a business trip (i.e. reimbursed by the company) I’ll try to stay at this hotel.

Renaissance Moscow Olympic Hotel

“The first leg of the 2013 Across America mission was concluded successfully. Bertrand Piccard did a wonderful job throughout the flight, bringing HB-SIA safely from San Francisco to Phoenix, and landing at 00:30 am MST (UTC-7) on Runway 08, Saturday May 4^th. Bertrand Piccard did a wonderful job throughout the flight, bringing HB-SIA safely from San Francisco to Phoenix, and landing at 00:30 am MST (UTC-7) on Runway 08, Saturday May 4^th.

Bertrand had a chance to give numerous interviews to media all around the world before climbing to an altitude above 12,000 ft. where he was then obliged to wear an oxygen mask. Interestingly enough, more people were connected from Japan than the US, for a short while, prior to touchdown.

Ever thought of flying electric cars? Sure seems we’re not far from that. During the flight Bertrand heard an aircraft asking the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) about Solar Impulse and why he had to remain at a distance. The ATC replied, “Just think of a flying electric car!” cracking Bertrand into a hearty laugh. HB-SIA was extremely well welcomed by all ATC along the way and the exchanges between Bertrand and his ATC interlocutors were very enjoyable. I can imagine how important these exchanges are especially during 20-hour long flights!”

The Solar Impulse team is very excited to spend a few days in Phoenix and we’re hoping to show the plane to as many people as possible. In fact, we were able to organize two days for public visits on Sunday May 5th and Tuesday May 7th between 1 pm and 7 pm. There will be 6 slots per day of one hour each. Given strict airport security regulations, please be aware that a maximum of 150 people are allowed per slot so hurry up and sign up today if you want to get a chance to see the solar airplane! Just register for the day and time most convenient to you (Sunday or Tuesday) and come to the airport with your printed ticket.  Parking is available.”

Both days are sold out but you could be added to a waitlist.

Landing in Phoenix

From http://www.solarimpulse.com/

…

Manitoba is one of the provinces seeing the exodus of travellers. Close to half the cars in the parking lot at the Grand Forks International Airport have Manitoba licence plates these days.

…

The reason for the vast price differences in the U.S. and Canada has much to do with geography, said Dawson [Senator Dennis Dawson, chairman of the Senate transport and communications committee].

“We are a smaller market dispersed on a bigger country. That is not something easy to deal with but in addition to that, the government has imposed rents on airports,” he said.

“The government is making money out of security taxes for CATSA [Canadian Air Transport Security Authority]. They shouldn’t be making money out of security taxes. All of those are costs the government can control.”

A new federal strategy is needed so Canada can better compete with American airlines and airports, Dawson said, and that starts with addressing the rents airports pay, as well as other fees and charges added onto airline tickets.

“They can lower the rates of rents. They should. They should abolish them completely but, at best let’s ask them to lower them,” he said.”

Full article here

Europe – The Final Countdown

Click here to view the embedded video.

Have you ever tried compression socks for travelling? They help prevent swelling and discomfort in your feet during long flights. If your interested in a free pair, feel free to e-mail me or check out my website.

I had politely declined his offer especially that I had no plans for traveling too soon but I asked Brian whether he would like to setup a giveaway on my blog. He agreed and here it is:

3 pairs of compression socks for the readers from the U.S. and Canada.

Initially the giveaway was only for the US readers but I asked Canada to be included as well ready to say: “If there is no Canada, there will be no giveaway on my blog!”.

Enough that we pay for the same products more – see Cross-border shopping (a sort of travel) – the discrimination has to stop here .Did you know that Kindle is 89 CAD on amazon.ca and 69 USD on amazon.com and the Canadian dollar is at parity with the United States?! I bought a Kindle from a store and after a while (within 30 days) I returned it to protest against the price discrepancy.

Now a few more details about the Nabee compression socks.

Why compression socks for frequent flyers?

Being confined to your seat over a long flight can cause fluid to accumulate in your legs and feet.  This is because your calf muscles usually act as a pump to help blood circulate back to your heart.  However, when your legs are not moving, fluid begins to pool in your feet.  This can lead to swelling, pain, and even a dangerous type of blood clot called a deep vein thrombosis (DVT).  Compression socks solve this issue by placing pressure at your ankles and slowly releasing this pressure as the socks go up towards your knees.  The added pressure applied to your legs and feet promotes venous blood circulation, preventing all of the aforementioned issues.

What makes Nabee Socks better than other compression socks:

• Larger sock opening without any loss of compression – Makes putting on Nabee Socks easier

• Comfortable toe box – Non-irritating seams and loose toe box to prevent any squishing of toes

• Quality – Our manufacturer is FDA registered and has over 20 years of experience manufacturing medical grade compression garments

• Awesome designs!

The rules for the giveaway are simple:

1. Leave your first name and first letter of your surname as your name in the comment;
2. The city and state where you are when you are writing this comment.

That’s it, no liking on Facebook, tweeting, writing stories, spamming your friends so they would vote on your story, photo, video, audio, etc.

I will use random.org to choose 3 winners and I will send their e-mail addresses to Nabee Socks that will further contact them.

Deadline: April 17, 11:59 EST

And last but not least:

Coupon code:  Get 25% off your order at Nabee Socks if you use the coupon code: LAUNCH  (Expires 4/30/2013)

Disclaimer: I am not benefiting financially from this giveaway or from any sales from the site with or without this coupon.

UPDATE: I have used random.org and the following numbers came up: 94, 8 1nd 51.

Congratulations Matt from Cincinnati, Dan from Valencia, CA and Mike from Santa Barbara. I will send your e-mails to Nabee Socks.

“For travelers, the math points to substantial price hikes where carriers merge and dominate.

It’s the fallout from airline mergers, and the planned combination of American Airlines and US Airways LCC -0.31% could bring a new round of hefty fare increases. When two competitors combine to dominate prime routes, those markets tend to bear the brunt of higher prices.

Consider United Airlines and Continental Airlines, which used to compete for customers flying between Chicago and Houston, for example. After the two airlines merged in 2010, the combined company, which took the United name, now carries 79% of the traffic traveling between Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, not counting connecting passengers. United’s average fare on that route soared 57% in the three months ended September 2012 compared with the same period three years earlier, according to Department of Transportation data compiled by PlaneStats.com. By comparison, United’s total average domestic price per mile over the same three-year period went up only 16%.

“There are definitely routes where competition will be significantly eliminated,” said Diana Moss, director of the American Antitrust Institute, a nonprofit group that aims to promote competition, at a March 19 Senate hearing on the American-US Airways deal.

The Delta-Northwest and United-Continental mergers resulted in “substantial elimination of competition on some very important routes,” Ms. Moss said. Fare increases resulted—”and some pretty significant ones. We also saw very few fare decreases.”

@curbexcitement

Click here to view the embedded video.

@curbexcitement