Travel Trends :: Prank Calls

Have you every had something weird happen to you at a hotel? This story definitely falls into the weird category. This week's travel trend is off-base to say the least. It involves a prank call, some hotel guests, an in-room sprinkler and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water.

Recently, a bunch of businesses and restaurants, as well as guests in hotel rooms in North Vancouver, BC received calls from pranksters posing as fire inspectors or hotel managers instructing them to pull the pin out of the sprinkler, immediately setting it off and causing major water damage.

What likely convinced guests was the call's urgency: if they didn't pull the spinkler's pin, the room would supposedly explode within 60 seconds from a gas leak. {read more about it here.}

Although you might think, I'd never follow those hanous instructions, imagine if you'd just travelled for 36 hours, were exhausted, sleeping in a strange room, and well, you get the point.

Hotel Room Safety

• Go with your gut, if something sounds off, it probably is. Get a second or third opinion.
• Remember, anyone can call you at a hotel, so if you get a suspicious phone call, inform the front desk.
• Always cover the peephole.
• As soon as you get to the room, lock the door behind you, using the deadbolt and chain.
• When leaving the room, ensure the door is locked tight.

[photo: dynamic sprinkler systems]

Travel Trends :: Solo Travel

Have you ever traveled solo? ....Contiki tours don't count...

Recently I've seen a big push on the part of major travel companies to target solo travelers and create single traveler-friendly accommodations. In fact, a few months ago I received an email from someone who was looking for some sunny, single-occupancy getaway options; I wish some of the below options would have been available at the time.

Because most packaged vacations---whether cruise or all-inclusive---are based on double-occupancy, unless you travel with a stranger, finding a single room and paying a single price is challenging. Traditionally, this has left solo travelers with DIY vacation packages: booking a flight + hotel + ....... which can also be frustrating given most hotel rooms have space for two.

Whether you specifically want to travel solo, or can't find anyone with the same time-off, here are some single travel options for your next getaway:

Single Traveler Getaways [trip style = cruise] Nowegian's Epic, its newest, biggest and most impressive ship---think vodka ice lounge, big-top circus tent & Blue Man Group headline show---offers 128 single rooms. The Epic hit the high seas in June and surprise surprise, the single rooms have been in high demand, which is likely driving the company to come out with more single rooms on two ships it has coming in 2013 and 2014.

Although Royal Caribbean has been known to offer favorable pricing on cruises for solo passengers, they are now refitting the 2,112-passenger Radiance of the Seas and adding 3 single rooms. Three rooms? Really? I understand this decision is bottom-line influenced, but only adding three singles rooms to an under-served market is a short-sighted mess. The newly renovated ship will service Alaska and Vancouver this summer. {via The Cruise Log}

[trip style = all-inclusive] I've heard stories in the past about Club Med Turks and Caicos being a pretty hot & heavy singles destination, and it appears it still is. Targeting "friends, singles and couples", the resort offers group, single and double-occupancy pricing.

[trip style = urban getaway] The ultra-hip Ace Hotels {Portland, Palm Springs, New York, Seattle} offers shared and well-priced standard rooms. Note that most hotel shared rooms mean 3 of 4 beds and a bathroom down the hall. If you're scared off by the shared bathroom, stay in a 3 or 3 1/2 star hotel with shared rooms and the bathrooms are usually cleaned well.

Pod hotels are all the rage in Asia and Europe, and these small-scale, no-frills hotel rooms are fabulous if you're planning on spending most of your time out and about, and not doing any lounging by the non-existent fire in your room. And for those of you who want to venture to NYC, the futuristic Yotel is opening this spring! If you have trouble finding a room I'll be shocked, given the 669 cabins planned. Don't miss your room's signature techno wall.

[trip style = budget conscious] Some hostels are grungy, but others can be really nice {like this gem I stayed in while in Cusco, Peru}. So, if you don't want to do the out-of-university budget travel thing, but want a decent, value-priced place to stay {where you can be as social as you want} don't dismiss a hostel. Find a hostel search iphone app here.

[trip style = luxury] Seasoned solo travelers who prefer the finer things in life swear by 5-star hotels with a busy bar and/or coffee shop scene. This way, a social gathering place is mixed into the overall experience.

PS - Today is our 300th post! Thanks for reading {and sometimes skimming:}. Please continue to pass it on as we dish out daily travel to amateur jetsetters.

[photo by @TripStyler at the Eiffel Tower. The first time I visited Paris it was on a 4-day solo trip---fabulous experience.]

Travel Trends :: 3 Innovations

{Enter to win a gorgeous fleur de lis necklace. Contest closes tomorrow at noon. Details here.}

Sometimes products come onto the market and you wonder how you lived without them. The next three innovations are in this category. From a rollable shoe, to a spray-on wrinkle releaser and mini vacuum-packed diapers, each of these products will save space, simplify and relax {on many levels} your next globe-trot near or far.

Footzy Rolls Designed by two sisters who after bruised heals and soar feet took a break from their lengthy relationship with stilettos and started Footzy Rolls. These irresistible, inventive and rollable flats are the perfect solution for travel because they look chic, can handle multi-concourse treks and pack better than flip flops. At a starting price tag of $20usd, I think I'll take 3! My faves are the silver and gold snakeskins, the rock 'n red sole and the black footzy flops. Find them online.

Wrinkle Releaser I loath ironing. Even when you gingerly pack your wrinkle-prone shirts in your suitcase using all the packing tricks of the trade, wrinkles still abound. So, imagine my excitement when I heard about a new Downy spray-on product that actually relaxes wrinkles sans iron!  Apparently, the 10-second process involves 3 small steps: spray, tug and smooth to release unwanted wrinkles. I can't wait to pick one of these babies up when I head to the US. If it works like it says it does {and most of the reviews are good}, I will be bringing it {decanted into a travel-sized container} with me every time I travel. Bonus, it leaves a fresh scent in case your garment needs a pick-me-up. Find it at stores like Wal-Mart in the US from $9 usd.

Diaper Buds When I have kids, I'm already excited to travel with a little diaper innovation called Diaper Buds. Vacuum-packed to 70% smaller than a loose diaper, these pint-sized protectors are a major space and stress saver for that travel stretch when you can't easily replenish your stock at a store. Once you open the bud, it blooms into a full-sized diaper available in sizes 2 - 5. Find them online from $1 usd.

Travel Trends :: 2011 Predictions

What travel trends do you think will push ahead in 2011? Will you take advantage or get left on the runway?

Around this time last year, we published a similar trend piece for 2010, and I'm happy to say that most---if not all---our travel predictions came true.

Three times a month {on Thursdays} we feature travel trends. Based on this monthly feature and our industry participation and observations, here are our 2011 predictions so you can take advantage and stay ahead of the travel curve.

2011 Travel Trend Predictions Lotsa Loonies Continued high Canadian Dollar will influence Canadians' travels to the US and abroad. Practical Application - Jumping the 49th parallel is back to being an at-par experience: with destinations that are easy on the pocketbook and easy on the eyes.

Eco, Kinda Remember the days when we put bricks in our toilets to conserve water and thought that was a big eco deal? Then an Inconvenient Truth came along and green living hit popular culture again. Since then, everyone from hotels to restaurants have adopted green initiatives and even sub-committees to do their part. But here's the challenge: popular culture appreciates and expects basic green procedures, yet it isn't likely they'll change their hotel loyalty or pay more for it. Ten years from now they will. Practical Application - Green is important and something travelers expect, but don't want to pay more for.

Buyers Market With the advent of multiple ways to make a web-enabled travel booking, the US economic slowdown still present and social media changing the way people communicate, many travelers think it's their market to tinker with and dominate. In other words, they feel it's a buyers travel market. Practical Application - Travel seekers are more selective and price-conscious, yet the tipping point beyond these two search parameters is service and personal connection through social media and face-to-face communication.

Fiercer and Smarter Even though decade-old online travel agencies like Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline and Hotwire are still going strong, travel start-ups boasting new and improved ways of booking travel are constantly flooding the market and taking away share from the vintage travel giants. Regardless of the hook, at the core, all online travel agencies are doing the same thing, they might just go about it differently. To compete, they'll have to be fiercer and smarter. For example, some travel start-ups that have entered popular culture with a bang this year are: TripAlertz, OffandAway, Jetsetter and Kayak Explore offering travel in the form of groupon-like buying, auctions, private sales and visual flight search to only name a few. Practical Application - The online travel booking pie is now divided into miniscule pieces versus visible chunks. Customers will choose the pieces they know best, are the easiest and most competitively priced. If a travel fad site happens to accomplish all three goals in an interesting and/or fun way, the results will be delicious!

Package Me Hotels will offer more packages and included features to lure people away from outside booking channels where part of the revenue is lost, and into direct channels where profit is kept. Practical Application - Perceived value will continue to drive travel choices. Costumers appreciate extras like free wifi, included parking, breakfast, etc... and will book with the hotel direct if they see the value. As hotels know, more direct bookings means more profit and opportunities to create loyalty.

App Attack I remember Apple ads in 2009 singing the praises of the 65,000 apps on the market, but 2010's been the breakout year for apps entering popular culture with an astounding 300,000+ apps in the app store as of October. I predict that 2011 will be the year a) boomers embrace apps, and b) apps will become a greater part of the buying cycle for travel bookings. Practical Application - Current apps will get better, adding more useful features to convert information into action and new apps will come out vastly expanding capabilities.

Fee Festival Airlines will start charging for seat assignments, child-free sections and who knows what else. Irish carrier RyanAir now charges for toilet use. Practical Application - Read-up on all the fees associated with a good fare before you book.

[photo by Ryan Wick]

Travel Trends :: Tiki

[trip style = staycation]

If you can't travel, just tiki! Slap on some self-tanner, slip on a dress (or some bermudas and an aloha shirt for men) and get down to your nearest tiki lounge! From their inception, tiki bars were known for their escapism, mystery and exotic allure, so if you need a dose of the tropics, why not fake a vacation at a tiki lounge?

Ever since I can remember, I've been obsessed with tiki-ing. There's something about the Polynesian-meets-50's-inspired decor I can't get enough of. Then there's the little drinks with umbrellas and the pupus... All in all, tiki lounging makes me feel like I'm sitting in an over-water, glass-bottomed, open-air hideaway in French Polynesia, far, far away from the ordinary, and right now, far away from winter and cold.

Favorite Tikies Vancouver - {Waldorf} Tiki Bar The newly restored and opened Waldorf Hotel has successfully brought back to life a modernist, iconic, gem, without losing sight of its 50's tiki-glam. One of the most incredible features of this new hot-spot is the virtually untouched Tiki Bar! With the exception of some tasteful restorations and a retrofitted vintage analogue audiophile sound system, you get to sip mai tais and singapore slings in the same setting as the gents and dames from the 1950s.

San Francisco - {Fairmont} The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar After a $1 million restoration, the grand-daddy of tikis, The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar at the Fairmont San Francisco, is still a draw for locals and tourists alike. Anchored by the hotel's vintage, tiled, 1929-built indoor poollagoon, this tiki room has seen many a day. Here are some beyond-fabulous features that are sure to transport you to tropic-town: dining under a thatched roof, hourly monsoon rain storms, a floating bandstand and a happy hour featuring a Pan-Asian buffet and exotic bevs. Don't miss this swanky outpost of South Seas high-style. If I lived in SF, I'd be a regular.

PS - Happy Thanksgiving to our friends down South!

[photos: 1+ 2 kris krug (waldorf), 3 Pargon (Fairmont)]