The Gentle Leader - By Gregg Thompson

James Kavanaugh once suggested that there are 'those too gentle to live among the wolves'. I hope this is no longer true in today's organizations. I believe that the 'wolves' have had their day and need to make way for a new breed of manager: The Gentle Leader. ...more

What to do when things go wrong in a hotel - By Daniel Edward Craig

People often corner me at social functions to tell me about a problem they've had in a hotel. It doesn't matter if I've never worked for the hotel or the incident occurred seventeen years ago; apparently, it's my duty to listen. Sometimes I get the impression they think I'm somehow to blame. ...more

A Couple of New York Gems - By Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC

Here is the story of two century-old hotels in New York City on Fifth Avenue and 55th Street. ...more

Orbitz Worldwide Appoints Jeremy Bellinghausen as HotelClub President

Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:OWW) today announced the appointment of Jeremy Bellinghausen as president of HotelClub (www.HotelClub.com), effective immediately. Jeremy joins HotelClub from R.H. Donnelley, where he served as vice president of advertiser products and general manager of Business.com. Jeremy succeeds Chloe Lim, who is leaving HotelClub to pursue other opportunities. ...more

Online Travel Agencies Step Up Efforts to Feature Green Hotels - By Glenn Hasek

Experian recently listed its 'Top 20 websites in the 'Travel' online industry for the month of December 2009, based on visits.' Among those sites - which include such well-known stops as Priceline.com and MapQuest-only three attempt to highlight green hotels ...more

Green Hotel Event comes to Bentonville Arkansas

The Bentonville Convention & Visitors Bureau and EcoGreenHotel have teamed up to bring the local hotel community an educational look inside the Green Hospitality movement. EcoGreenHotel’s Jeff Kiec LEED AP will be presenting real world case studies. Bentonville is the worldwide headquarters of Wal-Mart a global corporate leader in the sustainability movement. ...more

Hitwise January 2009 Travel Category Report

38.81% of all visits to the online 'Travel' industry went to the top 10 websites for the month of January, 2010. 47.79% went to the top 20 websites and 69.01% went to the top 100 websites. ...more

With Buzz, Google Plunges Into Social Networking

Google and Facebook are on a collision course in the increasingly competitive market for social networking services. ...more

Google to Add Social Features to Gmail

Google is trying once again to capture some of the momentum surrounding social networking companies like Facebook and Twitter by adding new features to Gmail, its popular e-mail service. ...more

Using Social Media In Destination Marketing

Case study: Queensland’s “Best Job in the World” campaign ...more

Ripley’s 31st Believe It or Not! Odditorium Opens in Surfers Paradise, Australia

Ripley’s Family of Attractions now 80 Strong - Spanning 11 Countries ...more

Holiday Inn Express to Open New Property in Squamish, British Columbia

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Squamish is located 45 minutes away from Whistler, world renowned ski-resort and the 95-room hotel is easily accessible to Vancouver and the Sea to Sky Highway. ...more

New Fairmont Pacific RIM Readies To Open Their Doors In Vancouver

The 377-room Fairmont Pacific Rim, full for the 2010 Olympic Games, debuts in March with rates starting from $229 for a guestroom, $249 for Bed & Breakfast, and $299 for Fairmont Gold, which includes butler services. ...more

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts Expands in Atlanta with New Hotel

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts today announced its continued growth with the opening of the 231-room Wyndham(R) Garden Atlanta Airport South. ...more

HSMAI Announces Day-Long Meeting Planners' 'Boot Camp'

Workshop Teaches Tips and Tricks for Planning and Maximizing Meetings ...more

STAA Connects Travelers with Specialty Travel Agents Online

The Specialty Travel Agents Association (STAA) announces the launch of its new online Travel Planner that connects travelers with travel agents who specialize in specific destinations and niche travel markets worldwide. Many travelers need good alternatives to spending countless hours researching complex itineraries and travel options. STAA gives consumers a chance to utilize and place their confidence in specialty travel agents who can easily provide in depth destination knowledge and expertise that can enhance their overall travel experience. ...more

Discovery Cruise Line Introduces its New 'Full House' Package

Put a group of 5 together and the fifth person sails free ...more

JetBlue Begins Nonstop Service Between Orlando and Montego Bay, Jamaica

JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU) today celebrated its inaugural service between Orlando International Airport and Montego Bay's Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Jamaica. ...more

Can TripAdvisor hotel reviews be trusted?

If websites like TripAdvisor are riddled with fake reviews, where will the traveller go for authentic advice, asks Charles Starmer-Smith. ...more

NTA Takes Travel Industry Issues to Congressional Leaders

During NTA’s Grassroots Symposium, Feb 8-10, NTA members will take the association’s priority advocacy issues to Capitol Hill. NTA has scheduled over 100 meetings with the congressmen, their professional staff, and the numerous committees that impact travel and tourism. ...more

AAA Inspectors Pick 14 Favorite Romantic Hotels and Intimate Restaurants

AAA polled its professional inspectors for their favorite places to celebrate Valentine's Day. Discover their top 14 picks below, also highlighted on AAA's travel blog at AAATravelViews.com. ...more

NBTA Pleased Obama's Budget Addresses Issues Critical to Corporate Travel

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) applauded the Administration for addressing issues vital to the corporate travel industry in its FY 2011 budget proposal. The requested budget addresses several priorities of critical importance to NBTA, including enhanced aviation security and funding for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). ...more

Cvent is Now the Largest Source of Meeting RFPS in North America

Cvent Supplier Network Accomplishes Hockey-Stick Growth in 2009 by Sending 100,000 RFPs to Meeting Venues in Q4 2009 ...more

The Parking Spot Announces API & Direct Link Partnership With Tripware

Unique Interface Increases Convenience, Value and Speed for Tripware Users ...more

U, V or W: What Kind of Recovery Can We Expect, and When?

Delegates to the just-ended World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, found plenty of positive economic signs - but not enough to keep them from wringing their hands. The consensus at the five-day gathering called for strong growth in emerging markets like China, India and Brazil, and poor growth in Japan and much of Europe, with the United States somewhere in between. The Forum's official statement called the global recovery 'fragile.' ...more

Traveler Confidence Report Shows Significant Increase in Intent to Travel in 2010

Travelocity's second Traveler Confidence Report finds that nearly half of respondents plan to increase their travel in 2010 as compared to 2009 ...more

Frequent Fliers Find Trouble at Home

New Survey Reveals Road Warriors' Greatest Worry Isn't Delays or Lost Luggage, But the Spouse They Leave Behind ...more

Travel Bookings in the Palm of Your Hand

The mobile revolution is putting travel in the palm of your hand—quite literally. Transformative new smartphone platforms are quickly changing the way consumers interact with travel brands. Apps, mobile Web sites and SMS alerts are bringing everything from trip planning and maps to itinerary management and social sharing to the mobile platform. ...more

The Impact of the Recession on Travel to Europe 2009/10

Over the past year the credit crunch has seen the nation tighten its belt and feel the squeeze. The prosperous era of 'splashing out' has come to an abrupt end and given way to feelings of thrift and frugality that have led us all to keep a beady eye on the balance sheet. ...more