Bad Guest, Whatcha Gonna Do When The Towel Tracker Comes For You?

Look at all those towels for the taking!

We freely admit to stealing hotel toiletries, stationery, pencils, pads and monogrammed slippers but we've yet to cop a towel or a pillowcase. Yet apparently, that's a big problem for hotels.

So big that there's a company, Linen Technology Tracking, hawking small, waterproof chips that can be implanted in hotels towels, bedsheets and robes to prevent guests from stealing them.

The New York Times reports that three hotels in Honolulu, Miami and Manhattan are using the chips. (But they wouldn't divulge their identities.) The Honolulu hotel has managed to reduce theft in their pool towels from 4,000 a month to just 750, which in turn saves the hotel cash in replacement costs.

But we aren't quite sure how these chips work.

Do they "ding, ding, ding" when a guest goes beyond a certain parameter outside the hotel or is it more like a GPS service so that a hotel could feasibly show up at your house demanding the return of their towels?

Yet if you're sitting on a stack of hotel towels lifted from your last stay in Honolulu, Miami or Manhattan, we wouldn't turn yourselves in just yet. It looks like the tracking technology is more just an inventory organization tool rather than a towel bounty hunter. But we'll certainly think twice about lifting even a hand towel during our next hotel stay.

(Source: Hotel Chatter April 2011)

How to get Great Service: Concierge Reveals the Secrets

In the amusing book Concierge Confidential, superstar Manhattan concierge Michael Fazio explains how to pry what you want out of the service world.

In the process, he provides some intriguing insight into the inner human brat that service people often face.

For that, you'll have to buy the book. But here are a handful of his tips for navigating this rusty old world in more princely fashion:

Advertisement: Story continues below - No reservation at the restaurant? No problem. Check in with the host, be engaging (not smarmy) and acknowledge that you're an idiot. Say, "look, I know I'm a loser, I didn't make a reservation. I'm going to go hang out at the bar. I'd love to come here. It looks so great... I'm in your hands." Fazio swears by it.

- Waiters have more clout than you know and can reward good customers. Tip no less than 20 per cent.

- Hotels track your complaints. If you are a nice guest, that will go on your digital record. You may be rewarded even at other hotels. And if you're a jerk, you may be rewarded for that too.

- If you have a legitimate reason to send food back, be very gracious no matter how you feel. You might be surprised at how well you'll be treated.

- "Don't make plans when you're drunk. Trust me," Fazio says.

- "You're not going to get good service from somebody who's afraid of you. It's the same reason people don't keep porcupines as pets."

- When trolling for celebrities at restaurants, sit up front, not in the back. In front, you'll see the "whole parade".

- In selecting a service person, do you want to see a cute face or get help? "I always look for the oldest, least glamorous person," Fazio says. "They might not be nice, but they rule the roost - and they don't usually get any validation, so you'll get a lot more mileage."

- Forget Starbucks if you want a place to camp with friends. Plant yourself in the lobby of a nice hotel instead. "The seats are much better than at a Starbucks, the ambience more appealing, and there won't be people hovering over you to finish your coffee so they can take your chair."

Above all, treat service people as if you're on their team, and they will deliver.

Concierge Confidential: The Gloves Come Off - And The Secrets Come Out! Tales From The Man Who Serves by Michael Fazio

Which is the Least Friendly City in the World?

It looks like London Mayor Boris Johnson has cut his work cut out in attracting more British visitors to the capital as it has been named as the second most unfriendly city in the world, only just behind Paris.

A survey by YouGov on behalf of DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, found that New York was the friendliest city, followed by Dublin and Amsterdam.

More than a quarter (26%) of those questioned said London had the least friendly inhabitants while 29% said Paris inhabitants were worse.

The results of survey, which was carried out to uncover views on world cities for the re-launch of the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, were revealed shortly after the London Mayor unveiled his new 'super agency' to promote London to the UK and the rest of the world.

At the time, he said: "London is an extraordinary place of opportunity and without doubt the best big city to visit, study and invest in," but this survey of more than 2,000 British adults shows that visitors might be put off by the lack of a warm welcome.

London was only in equal fifth place on the table of cities people planned to visit next, with only 3% of respondents planning a trip to the capital.

The top 10 cities people planned to visit in 2011 are:

1 New York (10%)
2 Paris (7%)
3 Rome (6%)
4 Barcelona (4%)
=5 London (3%)
=5 Berlin (3%)
=5 Amsterdam (3%)
=5 Venice (3%)
=9 Dublin (2%)
=9 Prague (2%)


(Source: travelmole.com; By Linsey McNeill; 4th April 2011)

Watch Where You Sit at This Hotel or You Could Get Pregnant

This might just be the hardest-working hotel, um, chair in the business. Seven women claim that the receptionist's chair at the Best Western Moore Place Hotel in Milton Keynes, England got them pregnant over 18 months.

Not "got them pregnant" in a bizarro errant sperm-on-the-seat sort of way but rather, with its mysterious fertile powers." The Daily Mail reports:

Elaine Ledster, Kim Gidley, Laura Burchill and Gina Ripley were the first to fall pregnant while working as receptionists at the Best Western Moore Place Hotel.

They were swiftly followed by the three remaining receptionists, Alyce Grisley, Claire Fitchett and Seran Daines.

General manager Giles Shaw said: 'The chair is just a typical office swivel chair, but we now have staff refusing to sit on it.'

And the color of this office swivel chair may also have an added power--all the receptionists have given birth or are about to give birth to boys.

So take a deep breath and heave a sigh of relief as you no longer have to shell out money for IVF treatments or even go on one of those silly conception moons. Just head to Milton Keynes and sit on the chair in the Best Western instead!

Betcha someone at Best Western is now working furiously to figure out a way to market and sell a line of Best Western Fertility Chairs. Westin and their Heavenly Beds will be so jealous!

(Source: Hotel Chatter, 4th April 2011)

Australians are on the Move - Travel is a Priority

The quarterly NRMA Travel sentiment survey of 1,450 people has revealed the number of Australians considering travel in 2011 has increased to 84 per cent.*

The number of Australians planning a trip has increased 12 percentage points since the survey was first conducted in March 2009. The March 2009 was conducted at the time of the GFC and the health related fear of Swine flu.

The most recent survey results show 60 per cent of respondents revealed if they were to take a holiday in the next 12 months, they would holiday in Australia – a fall 10 percentage points in two years.

NRMA Travel & Leisure CEO Keith Stanley said it was clear Australians were looking to make the most of the strong Australian dollar and catch-up on trips that may have been postponed due to international events over the last two years.

“Many Australians have said they are preparing to take a holiday this year and the number of Australians wanting to head overseas is increasing,” Mr Stanley said.

“The disasters that have occurred in New Zealand and Japan will no doubt impact on outbound travel, but for those still keen to take a trip we strongly encourage them to take out travel insurance and check that their insurance covers for natural disasters.

“The strong Australian dollar is tempting many Australians to head overseas - the NRMA wants travellers to take all necessary precautions to make sure their holiday is an enjoyable one."

NRMA Travel is a major tourism and travel operator in Australia. Over the last four years NRMA has invested more than $275 million in tourism businesses, including NRMA Travel, Thrifty Australia, NRMA Holiday Parks, Travelodge Hotels, Adventure World, Value Tours, Coral Seas Cruises and Creative Cruising.

*The NRMA Travel survey was conducted before the Christchurch and Japan earthquakes.

(Source: TravMedia.com 2011)