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LockTrip Integrates Firo as a Payment Method for its Travel Marketplace | As part of our recently announced partnership with Firo, we have now completed the integration of Firo as a payment method on the LockTrip.com travel marketplace.
Holders can now use their Firo coins to book more than 2.1 million hotels & properties, as well as flights from 1,000 different airlines on the marketplace. Paying with Firo allows customers to save an additional 2% in cost, which would otherwise go to your bank and payment processors.
This is in addition to the amazing savings of up to 60% available on the marketplace, thanks to its unique reverse-auctioning model.
Firo Landing Page
Firo now has its own landing page, integrated into the LockTrip marketplace. It offers a brief description of what LockTrip is and how FIRO holders can unlock amazing savings via their holdings.
It also sheds light on the benefits of using FIRO instead of paying with a credit card. The landing page will help capture and convert traffic coming from the Firo project and various social media campaigns.
About Firo
Firo is the new brand name of Zcoin. The digital currency has a strong focus on developing new privacy features and has been the gold standard of trustless, on-chain privacy since 2016.
Firo have just released their next generation privacy protocol Lelantus, which introduces a burn-and-redeem model that allows users to burn (or destroy) coins of arbitrary amounts — even partial ones — and redeem brand new coins that do not appear to have previous transaction histories associated with them.
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LockTrip is a blockchain-based travel marketplace that allows users to save up to 60% on their bookings by cutting out middlemen. Every booking burns LOC proportionally to its booking value, continuously reducing its total supply. | https://medium.com/locktrip/locktrip-integrates-firo-as-a-payment-method-for-its-travel-marketplace-e21187e5d7de | ['Locktrip.Com', 'Loc Token', 'Official Blog'] | 2020-12-16 14:48:24.504000+00:00 | ['Locktrip', 'Hotel', 'Crypto', 'Blockchain', 'Bitcoin'] |
10 Hospitality Vocabularies You Should Know | Do you want to kickstart a career in hospitality?
Here are 10 hospitality vocabularies you should know:
ADR: Average Daily Rate is the revenue generated by the income from hotel rooms sold, divided by the total number of rooms sold.
ARR: Average Room Rate is the total room revenues divided by the number of rooms occupied, excluding any rooms offered as complimentary.
MOD: Manager on Duty, the ‘main’ guy looking after the smooth running of the hotel operations.
OTA: Online Travel Agencies are a 3rd party that often sell a hotel’s room inventory on their behalf in exchange for a commission fee.
PAX: In hotel management, it refers to “No. of Guests”. You might come across terms such as 1000 Pax Wedding, 03 Pax per room pertaining to the number of people involved in each case.
PMS: Property Management System is essentially a software that manages the operating activities of the hotel and oversees and coordinates the relationship with the customer and services.
PRPN: Per Room, Per Night.
RevPAR: Revenue Per Available Room is the total cost of the guest room divided by the number of available rooms in the hotel.
Rack Rate: Simply put, the standard or asking price for a room, before any discounts are applied is termed as rack rate.
PMS: Property Management System is essentially a software that manages the operating activities of the hotel and oversees and coordinates the relationship with the customer and services
Do you find these helpful? Follow for more. | https://medium.com/@thehospitalityqueen/10-hospitality-vocabularies-you-should-know-9c6f9b356ee8 | ['Yvonne Joseph', 'The Hospitality Queen'] | 2020-12-10 00:03:42.435000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Travel', 'Restaurant Business', 'Restaurant', 'Hotel Marketing'] |
Luxury Hotels InLehLadakh Offering The Best Consolation! | Luxury Hotels InLehLadakh Offering The Best Consolation!
Ladakh is a city of high passes that surprises people with exotic land and present the best picture of the nature. Spanned amidst two the most famous mountain ranges — the Himalayas and the Karakoram, Ladakh furnishes the most eye-catchy landscape that you cannot find from any other place in the world.LehLadakh is such a wonderland for adventure seekers, naturalists and explorers. For countless wonderful elements of tourists’ attraction, LehLadakh is now listed among top 10 the best tourists destinations in India.
Whenever, you plan for visiting LehLadakh and hope for luxury stay, then make sure to book your accommodation in luxury hotels in LehLadakh. There are several luxury hotels in LehLadakh that all claim to cater the best amenities, high level hospitality and amazing services to enhance the trip to this enchanting location — LehLadakh. Apart from high level of accommodation options, this beautiful city has several things that fascinate vacationers time and again.
LehLadakh — A Place Of Several Gompas –
Being close to Tibet, the culture of LehLadakh is quite inspired with Tibetan culture. It is a reason, you can find several Gompas and monasteries here. For such a great availability of monasteries and Gompas, LehLadakh is known as the home of Gompas. It attracts numerous Buddhists every year. To experience the uniqueness of these Gompas, people from other religions also love visiting this region.
What To See In LehLadakh –
On your tour to LehLadakh, you can see several famous attractions of the city like Royal Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa, Zorawar Fort, Chamba Temple, Victory Tower, War Museum, Let Trekking trails, NamgyalTsemoGompa, Thiksey Monastery, SaniMonsatery, HemisGompa, AlchiGompa and many more.
To make your tour more happening, book luxury hotels in LehLadakh from Saboo resorts which is famous for delivering outstanding tour experience in this place. | https://medium.com/@jamesmartel496/luxury-hotels-inlehladakh-offering-the-best-consolation-83c72c025f6a | ['James Martel'] | 2016-12-26 16:44:29.366000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Resorts', 'Accommodations'] |
South Indian Restaurants in Madurai | For someone who wants lots of different options for South Indian food in Madurai at a very pocket-friendly price, The South Indian Restaurant — Madurai should be a go-to place. The wide menu will ensure you get to taste a variety of lip-smacking dishes, and the portion sizes will leave your tummy absolutely full; no guilt, whatsoever.
Biryani is a specially prepared rice dish with different layers that are mixed together with different seasonings, vegetables, and or meats. It can be offered with vegetables or chicken. Raita, a type of yogurt dressing is often given to pair with the biryani.
If people who are eagerly looking for the Best South Indian Restaurants in Madurai, South Indian Restaurants in Madurai, South Indian Restaurants in Anna Bus Stand Madurai, South Indian Restaurants in Collector Office Road Madurai, Best Indian Restaurants in Madurai, Best Restaurants in Madurai then you can try most popular one namely The South Indian Restaurant — Madurai.
There are so many restaurants in Madurai that committing to one can feel as daunting as picking a best South Indian foods. This no-frills eating joint in Madurai is famous for serving some of the most authentic vegetarian and Non vegetarian south Indian fare in the city.
If you enjoyed foods like Biryani, then you will like what The South Indian Restaurant — Madurai brings to the people. While this may greatly appeal to some passionate food lovers, I like being thrown into fascinating menus of interesting aspects what I’m supposed to do, particularly during amazing food search.
When I had taste of food at The South Indian Restaurant — Madurai, I was effectively pulled by the different menus, which reminded me of my brief time with other popular foods. Needless to say, if you’re zeal about new food items then The South Indian Restaurant — Madurai is one that is worth trying out. | https://medium.com/@southindianchettinadrestaurant/south-indian-restaurants-in-madurai-847c676288b8 | [] | 2020-12-17 05:52:53.715000+00:00 | ['Food', 'South Indian Food', 'South Indian Restaurant', 'Hotel', 'Madurai'] |
“Book” Your Next Trip at One of These Reader-Friendly Hotels | Books are often the best travel companions you can have, given that they don’t take up much room, help you pass the time between destinations, and never argue with you over where to stay or eat. A growing number of hotels make it easy to meet new paper-and-ink pals with book-centric amenities like these:
Minneapolis, Minnesota
In the mood for a late-night brain snack? The Commons Hotel (located on the University of Minnesota campus) lets you peruse an in-room “menu” of books (ranging from bestsellers to classics) and have them delivered to your door by “book butlers.” The hotel’s turndown service also leaves a wise quote in place of a chocolate on guests’ pillows.
Paris, France
Paris’ Les Plumes is situated in a district well-known for housing renowned writers, and decorates its guest room bedding with the names of famous literary couples like Juliette Drouet and Victor Hugo. Its staff also dress in 19th-century period garb (though they also have iPads and a central computer system to make sure you’re taken care of during your stay).
New York City
The decor in New York’s Library Hotel is an homage to the Dewey Decimal System, one of America’s two major library classification systems (the other being the Library of Congress’). Each floor has a theme in line with the DDS (Literature, Languages, Math and Science, etc) and each guest room is decorated in a theme-within-that-theme (such as “Astronomy” and “Dinosaurs” on the “Math and Science” floor). Along with a reading room that’s open 24/7, the hotel is also just a block away from the NYC’s famed public library.
Zurich, Switzerland
More than 33,000 volumes line the walls of the Wine Library at Zurich’s B2 Boutique Hotel, which is also a full-service bar serving drinks and small plates from breakfast until late into the night. Post up underneath a chandelier made from Hürlimann beer bottles and lose yourself in a novel, pausing only to top up your drink or refuel with a burger.
Koh Samui, Thailand
If lounging on a Thai beach and drinking in the transcendent shoreline ever starts to get old, guests at The Library Hotel in Koh Samui have an easy way to switch the vibe. At this sleek, minimalist resort, they can dip into the hotel’s collection of hundreds of titles at The Lib, an airy white reading room that happens to include more stunning ocean views.
Hyderabad, India
If you’re looking for luxury, you can’t do much better than the Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, India — it’s a former palace, after all. Built in 1894, it houses a massive (and gorgeous) library filled with more than 5,000 rare books and manuscripts.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is home to both the world’s largest independent bookstore (Powell’s Books), and one of America’s best-known literary festivals (“ Wordstock”). The city’s crush on the written word even extends to its hotels — in particular The Heathman, which features one of the largest autographed libraries in the world, including signed editions from Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winners, U.S. Poet Laureates, and a former United States President. Four nights a week, The Heathman hosts “evening socials” in the library, where guests can sip complimentary local wine and get personalized book recommendations from the staff.
Flintshire, North Wales, UK
Whereas most of the occupants of this list are hotels with libraries built in, Gladstone’s is in fact the opposite: a 250,000-volume library that also happens to provide accommodation. Their vaulted, wood-accented reading room has plenty of overstuffed chairs for curling up with books, as well as desks for producing new ones (more than 300 books have been written at Gladstone’s, according to the website). The peaceful guest rooms at “the UK’s only residential library” also have understated book-themed decor. | https://medium.com/@support_33545/book-your-next-trip-at-one-of-these-reader-friendly-hotels-1ae6c2b6b99 | [] | 2019-08-19 12:01:01.579000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Books', 'Life', 'Hotel', 'Learning'] |
LockTrip Q3 2020 Bookings Report | LockTrip Q3 2020 Bookings Report
Bookings grow 65% compared to last year
In the third quarter of 2020 a total of 325 room-nights have been booked through LockTrip.com. This represents a growth rate of 65% compared to the same period last year, despite the current challenges with the pandemic and a seriously damaged travel industry.
This shows that the improvements to the product were able to more than offset the headwinds. With plenty of new features scheduled to come live in Q4, this trend should be sustained.
Comparing booking rates with last quarter, we see an insane growth rate of 424%. Total revenue for Q3 surpassed $45,000.
Geographical Distribution
The map above shows the geographical distribution of the destinations booked. As can be seen, the US is among the top booked countries. But it should be noted that it is also one of the biggest and most populated countries.
Other than that we see Greece and Switzerland as top destinations, despite of their relatively small sizes. No doubt Greece profited from the summer season and their good performance in keeping infection rates low until mid summer.
Looking at the continental distribution, Europe is the clear leader with more than 70% of bookings being made for European destinations. North America comes second by a wide margin, followed by Africa and Asia.
Booking Values
In the graphic below, each booking is represented by a small circle.
The average booking value was $405 for the period of Q3. The deviation around this average is remarkable, with the lowest and highest value bookings ranging from $10 on the low end up to $3,800 for the booking with the highest value.
The high-end bookings confirm that moving towards LOC Economy 2.0 has paid off well.
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LockTrip is a blockchain-based travel marketplace that allows users to save up to 60% on their bookings by cutting out middlemen. Every booking burns LOC proportionally to its booking value, continuously reducing its total supply. | https://medium.com/locktrip/locktrip-q3-bookings-report-31921c7dbc6d | ['Locktrip.Com', 'Loc Token', 'Official Blog'] | 2021-02-14 14:57:52.023000+00:00 | ['Locktrip', 'Travel', 'Hotel', 'Vacation', 'Flight'] |
Alagon Plus Hotel & Spa: Modern Chic Ambiance in Downtown Saigon | Alagon Plus Hotel & Spa: Modern Chic Ambiance in Downtown Saigon Comfy Lighting w/ Modern Interiors Convenient Location to Anywhere Popular in Saigon Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Spotlights Various Restaurants & Shops of All Kinds in Walking Distance
Ben Thanh Market Area just within 6min Walk
Beautiful Rooftop Swimming Pool w/ Secret Garden
Cozy In-Room Lighting & Comfy King Bed
Helpful Staff
Hearty Buffet Breakfast
Popular Hotel for Budget Travellers From my viewpoint, I did get more than what a 3-Star hotel could provide! Pity Soundproof could be stronger.
Small Bathtub
Toiletries have vegetable scent, special but not appealing.
Room Type: Executive City View
This is the top room type of Alagon Plus. Stayed: October 2020 | Personal Trip
Ps. This is the second Alagon Hotel I’d stayed. The first one I visited was Alagon D’Antique Hotel & Spa [click here]. A little secret: these two hotels actually share the same rooftop facilities.
Façade & Lobby
Room : Executive City View I’m totally into this combination of colours !! Downtown Saigon at Night
Buffet Breakfast Energize the Good Morning
Rooftop Garden, Gym, Bar & Pool (more details in the Room Tour Video, at the top of this article) Spa Reception Area Gym Just like a Secret Garden ! Rooftop Bar, overlooking Downtown Saigon Lovely View from the Pool
Elegant Staycation at Alagon Plus.
My Foodie Recommendations
Walking Distance from the Hotel Cocotte, Ben Thanh Store 136/11 Le Thanh Ton, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist.1, HCMC Snails, Duck & Champagne. . Lovely #French #Bistro #Dinner in the heart of #Saigon 🥰🥰🥰 … Edit description www.instagram.com
Amun Restaurant & Lounge Level 3, 215–217 Ly Tu Trong, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist.1, HCMC (IG Embed)
Mezze Saigon Level 5, 215–217 Ly Tu Trong, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist.1, HCMC https://www.instagram.com/p/CHSs18JhUsd/
Sol Kitchen & Bar 115 Ly Tu Trong, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist.1, HCMC (IG Embed) | https://medium.com/@chicve02/alagon-plus-hotel-spa-modern-chic-ambiance-in-downtown-saigon-1da92ef08502 | ['Stay With Johnson'] | 2020-12-30 23:02:43.957000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Travel', 'Ho Chi Minh City', 'Accommodations', 'Interior Design'] |
How to Innovate the Hotel Guest Experience to Make Millennials Happy | Millennials are entering their prime traveling years.
The largest generation in the U.S. (25% of the country’s population), millennials (young adults born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s) also have purchasing power — by 2018, it’s estimated Millennials will drive 50% of purchase decisions.
So how can the travel and hospitality industries appeal to the Millennial guest?
By taking advantage of Millennials’ behaviors and preferences to drive innovation across the entire guest experience.
Millennials are a generation who have grown up in a technologically advanced world where traveling and communication go hand-in-hand and are easier than ever before.
Their travel behaviors and preferences reflect eight main themes: Local, Influential, Disloyal, Mobile, Adventurous, Social, Spontaneous, and Green.
Hotels that adopt these themes into their product, services and marketing are in the best position to appeal to the millennial set.
So how can hotels innovate their guest experience in a way to win over the millennial?
Build a Space to Fit Today’s Needs
Sure, it is expensive and not everyone can, but when you have the opportunity, reinvest in your public spaces to encourage social and productive guests:
Mobile devices mean guests no longer have to sit at the hotel desk or visit the (increasingly vestigial) business center to do work or sit in the hotel room to watch TV. 85% of adults ages 18–29 own a smartphone, the highest of any U.S. demographic.
Change the hotel lobby to reflect this by making it a more social, work-friendly space, where guests can plug in and connect, both online and with each other.
The Ace Hotel in New York has perfected a lobby space where you can work hard and look good doing so.
Change the Guest Room to reflect the advance of personal technology:
It used to be that when you went to a hotel, everything was better than the set up you had at home. Now, it’s increasingly the case that guests arriving at your hotel are accustomed to bigger televisions, faster Wi-Fi and more outlets. Hotels need to reinvent luxury by enabling the technological preferences of their guests.
Allow for Guests’ Self-Expression and Individuality in your hotel’s design, offerings and amenities:
Personality, authenticity and options in hotel design and offerings carries more weight for the Millennial set than the star ratings of yore. This generation cares more about amenities and the subtle look and feel of your hotel than they do about the consistent, predictable experiences perfected by brands like the Four Seasons and Marriott. Many boutiques are in a better position to capitalize on this generation’s preferences by recognizing it’s not about the hotel, it’s about the guest, and every guest is unique.
Change up the Communication Options and give your guests options beyond the in-room phone:
Millennials’ desire to control their experiences and environment extends to their communication. Hotels should meet their guests where they are, which is increasingly on mobile. Hotels should think beyond the hotel room phone (indeed, phone calls are universally in decline) and give their guests the option to tweet, text and communicate in-app with the front desk.
Control the Content by being proactive about reviews and online conversation:
Just as Millennials are more influenced by your hotel’s amenities, design and offerings than traditional rating systems, they put more stock into reviews than anything else. You can stay ahead of the conversation by asking your guests for reviews, showcasing them on your site and being as responsive to comments, questions and possible criticisms as possible. Quick, personalized responses to negative feedback is often all that’s needed to turn the disgruntled into fans for life, as well as positively influence those using reviews to make a decision about your property.
So too, mobile and text engagement tools allow hotels to connect with guests and privately resolve issues before they reach social media or TripAdvisor. Real-time communication tools empower staff to deliver timely solutions before issues escalate, as well as prompt guests for reviews after delightful experiences.
Conclusion:
Hotel brands recognize these changing preferences of their guests and beginning to adapt and innovate accordingly. Major chains, which could have resisted change, are instead proactively embracing these shifting values (Local, Influential, Disloyal, Mobile, Adventurous, Social, Spontaneous, and Green) and unveiling new projects like Cordis by Langham, Moxy by Marriott, and Canopy by Hilton. Indeed, an entire class of hotels — independents — is gaining strength based on their appeal to Millennials both now and in the future.
As the OTAs increasingly encroach on hotel revenue and the pressures of the sharing economy mount, there’s never been a better time to innovate on your guest experience to appeal to the Millennial traveler. While some of these adaptations require big budgets (lobby and guest room redesigns, for example), some innovations can be achieved with far less. Introducing mobile communication options for guests and staff costs far less than you might expect, while curating and controlling your online presence can be achieved for nothing at all.
Want more insights as to how hotels can innovate on the guest experience by appealing to the preferences of the millennial set? Review our presentation from Travel + SocialGood’s second annual Academy Day or reach out at [email protected].
More great reads on designing for the Millennial:
Hotel Design for the Millennial Generation
Do Lobbies Even Need Hotels?
New Hotels Designed for Millennials | https://medium.com/hospitality-on-demand/how-to-innovate-the-hotel-guest-experience-to-make-millennials-happy-a733855b951a | ['Alice', 'Hospitality App'] | 2015-11-10 21:15:22.812000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Millennials', 'Hospitality'] |
Let the festive season begin….Christmas & New Year @ Dorsett | It’s time for some joyful spirit and glad tidings to fill the air. In less than 2 weeks, Christmas will descend upon us & if you are still looking for a venue to bask in the festivity of the season or even to celebrate at home, here are some wonderful festive choices for you @ Dorsett
Dorsett Grand Subang
The trees are up, the tables are set. And the chefs have been buzzing in the kitchen to laden the buffet table with a magnificent spread for 1 & all to usher in this joyous season
Christmas Eve Buffet Dinner @ Terazza Brasserie 7 pm to 10 pm RM128 nett (Adult) RM70 nett (Children ages of 6–10 & Senior Citizen ages of 60 & above)
Christmas Day Buffet Lunch @ Terazza Brasserie 12 noon to 4.00 pm RM98 nett (Adult) RM49 nett (Children ages of 6 -10) RM65 nett (Senior Citizen ages of 60 & above)
Craving for a festive celebration with an Oriental touch? We have got you covered with the superb selection of exquisite hand-crafted Muslim-friendly dim sum that we are so famed for at The Emperor Chinese Restaurant!
Make your reservations early for a totally Oriental-icious gathering with friends and families this Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, 11 am to 3 pm:-
RM98 nett (Adult) RM49 nett (Children ages of 6–10) RM65 nett (Senior Citizen ages of 60 & above)
Thank goodness the end of Y2020 is here! There’s nothing like a scrumptious supper indulgence to chase away the 2020 blues & embrace a brand new year with an abundance of positivity & renewed hope @ the Piano Lounge
New Year’s Eve Buffet Supper. 10 pm to 12 am RM60 nett per person Inclusive of FREE 1st round of drinks (choice of draft beer, house or wine or juices) 20% off for alcohol-by-the-bottle purchases
Time to bid farewell to Year 2020 & to welcome a brand new year 2021 with renewed vigour & enthusiasm. What better way to do so than with a fabulous meal spend in the company of loved ones & friends @ Terazza Brasserie
New Year’s Eve Buffet Dinner. 6 pm to 10 pm RM128 nett (Adult) RM70 nett (Children ages of 4–10 & Senior Citizen ages of 60 & above) New Year’s Day Buffet Lunch. 12 noon to 4 pm RM98 nett (Adult) RM49 nett (Children ages of 4–10 years old) RM65 nett (Senior Citizen ages of 60 & above)
Festive Treats
Share the festive spirits & spread good tidings, don’t forget to pick up some festive delectable along the way too, ideal as festive gifts for family, friends & business associates. To order, click here
If a #stayhome festive celebration is preferred, Dorsett Grand Subang has got you covered to with a choice of 2 set menus. To order, click here
To reserve your festive celebration at Dorsett Grand Subang, email: [email protected] or call +603 5031 6060 extn 1912
Dorsett Kuala Lumpur
Over at Dorsett Kuala Lumpur, Classic Celebrations is the celebratory theme. The festivity kick starts with a ‘Finding Rudolph’ game with fabulous prizes up for grab & to find out how to participate, check out Dorsett Kuala Lumpur’s insta-page: dorsettkualalumpur or log onto: https://www.instagram.com/ar/337882943969814/
On New Year’s Eve, Checker’s Café offer a spectacular New Year’s Eve Buffet Dinner (7 pm to 10.30 pm) which includes free flow of canapes & 1 beverage @ Windows Lounge (wine/beer/soft drinks or juice) from 10.30 pm to 12.30 am
Price: RM88 nett per adult 30% discount for child ages of 4–11 & senior citizen ages of 60 & above
For reservation, call +603 2716 1010 / Whatsapp: +60126743509 or +60126280551 or email your bookings to [email protected]
With the long festive weekends, why not plan a stayover at Dorsett Kuala Lumpur. Enjoy 25% off Dorsett Suites & the opportunity to realise ‘3 Wishes’ during your stay. Book the Dorsett 3 Wishes package or just book your preferred rooms via the hotel’s website directly & enjoy 15% off Best Available Rates. Terms & Conditions apply. To reserve, email [email protected] or call +603 2716 1132/33
Dorsett Hartamas
Did you hear the latest news? We certainly did!! We heard that the Gingerbread Man has decided to make a couple of surprise visits to Dorsett Hartamas. And if you can ‘catch’ him, you can win yourself some super duper festive prizes. Click here to find out more
Festive Fiesta
The joyous season of Christmas & New Year is finally here! Celebrate this joyous occasion with a luxurious stay & a delightful festive set dinner with your loved ones
Price: RM388 nett per room night inclusive of breakfast & festive set dinner for 2 pax, FREE suite upgrade (subject to availability) & a surprise festive gift
Booking period: Now till 30 Dec 2020 Stay period: 24 to 26 Dec, 30 & 31 Dec 2020
Make your reservations early & bask in the festive joy and warmth. To book, kindly call +603 6209 8888 or email: [email protected] | https://medium.com/@siennylovesdrawing/let-the-festive-season-begin-christmas-new-year-dorsett-f6f1edf0c1f3 | [] | 2020-12-17 03:45:21.791000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Food', 'Foodies', 'Restaurant', 'Lifestyle'] |
Best Affordable Hotels in Philadelphia | Best Affordable Hotels in Philadelphia
Philadelphia is one of the best tourist destinations in the United States. It is the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania and often called just “Philly”. It is also a business hub, so popular among business travelers. The best season to visit Philadelphia is between March and May when the weather is pleasant. If you are planning a trip to Philadelphia for vacation or for a business trip then this article will help you in knowing about the best cheap hotels in Philadelphia.
Homewood Suites University City — Located on the Walnut Street, the Homewood Suites is a hotel range by Hilton. Just a 7-minute minute walk away from the 40th Street SEPTA light-rail station. The hotel features polished suites with excellent amenities like fully equipped kitchens, dining tables, free Wi-Fi, plus 2 flat-screen TVs and pull-out sofas. There are lots of restaurants well as grocery stores also located nearby.
Alexander Inn –At the Philadelphia Center City, the Alexander Inn is a hotel in a redbrick building dating to 1901. They claim to offer a free breakfast buffet and all-day snack bar. Other basic amenities include free Wi-Fi, en suite bathrooms and satellite TV. Corner rooms have minifridges.
Hampton — Hampton, in the past called Hampton Inn, is a moderately priced hotel chain by Hilton Worldwide. There is a free breakfast served daily along with free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs with HD channels. There is also a fitness centre and an indoor pool. If you are going for a business meeting then don’t worry they also have meeting space and a business centre.
Club Quarters — Club Quarters run and owned by Club Quarters Hotels and their hotels are specifically designed for business travellers. You’ll also enjoy if you are not on a business tour. The hotel is easily accessible from city’s major centres like City Hall subway station, restaurants, arts venues, and Independence Hall. Other facilities include Italian steakhouse, a fitness center (equipped with yoga kits) , and club living room with complimentary refreshments.
Sofitel — Sofitel is a located just 10-minute walk of 19th Street SEPTA Trolley Station. This 4-star hotel offers modern accommodation along with other services such as babysitting services, a currency exchange service, valet parking, an executive floor and a ballroom. The hotel is just walk away from Philadelphia’s attractions, like Philadelphia City Hall and The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton.
Loews Philadelphia Hotel — The hotel comes with 581 modern air conditioned rooms with free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and even some rooms have minibars. Loews Philadelphia Hotel also features Bank & Bourbon restaurants that serves American dishes.
Now when you’ve come to know about the best hotels in Philadelphia, the next step is to find best hotel deals providers. There are many services like Expedia.com, Booking.com, Hotels.com Trivago.in, etc. There is a new player in this industry with the name “Cheap Booking Hotels.” They claim to offer up to 50% discount on luxury hotels around the globe, including Philadelphia. So what are you waiting for?Just go and get the best hotel deal. | https://medium.com/@paawann.mishra/best-affordable-hotels-in-philadelphia-1d9e4ad34a72 | ['Pawann Mishra'] | 2016-12-27 09:18:09.493000+00:00 | ['Hotels', 'Travel'] |
How to Evaluate a Hotel Investment Opportunity with SWOT | You’ll start seeing investment opportunities as soon as you put yourself out there to enough people. Check out my Playbook below for a primer on building that pipeline.
So… you got deals… Now what?!
The quick evaluation is easy. Does it fit in the investment strategy box you built? Location, size, service level, etc. If yes, let’s talk about how to evaluate the deal.
SWOT is a framework that many in the industry use to explore the sales and marketing landscape. It stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. No doubt, you’ve seen this before, but let’s explore what it means for a real estate deal.
Simply, SWOT breaks easily into a 2x2 decision matrix. Rows represent locus of control — internal or external — and columns represent the impact — positive or negative.
Strengths — internal locus of control with a positive impact
Weaknesses — internal locus of control with a negative impact
Opportunities — external locus of control with a positive impact
Threats — external locus of control with a negative impact
Your focus for investing in a private placement will be holistic. Evaluation will concentrate on the property, sponsor, business plan, and other factors that make up the deal. Each of these areas enters the SWOT analysis in a different way.
Let’s take the example of a Holiday Inn Express in a secondary market. The SWOT analysis might look something like this:
Strengths
Well-regarded brand with huge IHG distribution system
Operator with a 20-year track record
Recently completed PIP with minimal renovation
Weaknesses
Located just outside main-and-main
Insufficient meeting space for local associations
Older building with potential for mechanical issues
Opportunities
High-barrier market with muted supply pipeline
Fortune 1000 company planning a distribution facility nearby
Major publication named broader market a top 10 vacation destination
Threats
Local labor shortage may lead to increasing costs
New apartment construction adjacent to hotel may disrupt guests
Nearest convention center closing for 18 months for renovation
Ideally, you’re looking for a SWOT that is overwhelmingly positive, but your ability to identify weaknesses and threats will inform discussions with the deal sponsor. Don’t be surprised or put off if the sponsor didn’t recognize those negatives. However, you should certainly push to get an answer around how she would address those risks.
I hope you enjoy these emails and find them valuable and informative. Please reach out directly with any questions or to discuss potential investment opportunities.
About the Author
John Wijtenburg is a hotel investor and blogger at Hotel Investor Toolbox. You can connect with him at LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. | https://medium.com/@johnwijtenburg/how-to-evaluate-a-hotel-investment-opportunity-with-swot-11cf6bc55f49 | ['John Wijtenburg'] | 2020-10-27 15:32:37.587000+00:00 | ['Real Estate Investments', 'Commercial Real Estate', 'Crowdfunding', 'Hotel', 'Investing'] |
What Hotels Destinations Are The Arab Market Searching For Coming New Year’s Eve? (First 5 Destinations) | What Hotels Destinations Are The Arab Market Searching For Coming New Year’s Eve? (First 5 Destinations)
While the usual take off about Arabs in the news will be more found in the International Politics Section, I would like here to share our data from Batuta Hotels Booking Website about what destinations were Arabs interested in booking hotels in, coming new years eve.
Its not a secret that the big news coming from the middle east are mainly the ever unfolding tragedy of Syria, the refugees crisis and the economical turmoil in Egypt. But its nevertheless important to keep track of other developments the Arab Society is going through. Such as, the ever growing number of young families joining the growing middle classes, despite the growing gabs between the upper top classes and the masses of working classes.
If we take a look at the first 10 most wanted Hotels Booking Destination in the Arab Market, this might be a good start to analyze a bigger picture of Arab Society. In later articles, I will discuss data more in details, showing how analyzing each country alone gives a polarized picture about the Arab World. Therefore allowing to understand the varied situations the “Arab Citizen” lives in depending on location and economical and political factors varying from one country to another.
1- Dubai Crowns The First Most Wanted Destination Since Nearly 10 Years.
Dubai Hotels are without a doubt THE most wanted destination for a holiday in the Arabic Speaking Search in Google. The ever evolving Sci-Fi like city keeps its place in the first place for nearly a decade now.
Our prediction in Batuta Hotels Booking Website: Expect Dubai to stay there for a looong time to come! The UAE city is only leveraging its placement in the Arab Traveler’s imagination with new branding positioning efforts focusing on hosting many major reality tv shows that has millions of family viewers each Friday. In addition, the family experience tourist facilities in the city are unbeatable in a global standard.
2- Istanbul keeps a Remarkable Second Place despite all political instability of last summer.
Despite a very hot summer of all the wrong reasons in Istanbul, Istanbul Hotels are keeping their position as a top wanted vacation when it comes to the Arab Traveler. Seems like nothing will take Istanbul away from the top wanted destinations in the middle east. Even though one must point out that this second position in this list is strikingly surprising for it seems Istanbul managed to recover majorly this winter coming to the new years eve, after we did document a decline in the demand for Istanbul vacations during summer.
3- Jeddah in the 3rd Place Demonstrates The Strength of The Saudi Market.
Did you have doubts the Saudi Market is the strongest among Arab Countries? Did the news about the economical difficulties the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is facing lately make you think its gonna decline as a major Arab player? well… Think again! for Jeddah Hotels comes 3rd in our statistics depending mainly and for most on the local Saudi demand!
4- Qatar in the 4th Place Suggests That Tourism in Qatar Is a Trend To Watch in Coming Years.
Qatar Hotels are without a doubt the rising star among wanted Arab Vacation Destinations. Seems like the efforts the Qatari Government is investing in making Qatar one of the main cultural capitals of the Arab World is finally paying off. A friend told me that in the Qatari airport you see a sign stating: “Kuwait was the past, UAE is the present, while Qatar is the future”… looking at our statistics chart as we close this year this sentence doesn’t seem like a fantasy anymore.
5- Medina and Mecca in the 5th Place are a Clear Evidence on How High Religious Traveling Ranks in Muslim Culture.
Well, it doesn’t need explanation why its only normal that Medina Hotels and Mecca Hotels are some of the most wanted hotels in the Arab Winter Season? For the phrase: “The Mecca Of…” obviously was generated from somewhere!
The most Holly Places of Islam gets a major demand in winter for its much cooler and pleasant to perform the small haj called Umra in the winter when the heat of the Saudi Desert is less an agony. And you guessed it right: the demand for these destinations is not dependent only on the Saudi Market. :-)
Eager to hear about the next 5 destination that closes the list of the top 10 destinations? Wait for my next article in the coming few days! :-) | https://medium.com/@muhammad_5120/what-hotels-destinations-are-the-arab-market-searching-for-coming-new-years-eve-444a2eac92a3 | ['Muhammad J.'] | 2016-12-26 14:10:06.154000+00:00 | ['Middle East', 'Saudi Arabia', 'Hotel', 'Hotel Accomodation', 'Travel'] |
10 Side Hustles to Make Extra Money As a Software Engineer | How to make money outside of your day job
How to make money outside of your day job
Photo by Chronis Yan on Unsplash
Over the last 10 years of my life, I’ve delved into a huge variety of ventures. Some have been a success, others not so much — but the result is I’ve learned a lot. Below, I’ll go over my experience and analyse how you can use your skills as an engineer to create extra income for yourself.
1. Build an Educational Course
How we learn is changing, and the educational landscape looks far different today than it did 10 years ago. University education is becoming questionable due to the vast amount of online content that in a lot of cases provides more value than a very expensive degree that has no guarantee of a job once completed.
It’s far cheaper for a person to spend $500 on several courses that are taught by people who are an expert in that area, who work in it every day, than a lecturer, who quite often, has no industry experience.
The result is that there are huge opportunities out there to create paid educational content in the form of courses and subscription-based businesses. Even more impressive is that this is an area that’s not impossible to get into because you have one thing that separates you from everybody else: your personality and potential teaching style.
People like different styles and personalities and learn better from different teaching styles. All you have to do is be you, teach, and provide value, and you will make money from this.
Although it’s more work, I’d recommend building your own platform to sell your courses as you have more control over pricing, branding, etc., and this is going to be what really makes you successful.
Examples
Yaroslav Shmarov created a course and launched on Udemy, generating 420 sales in 100 days. He made some really good points and more reasons to avoid using platforms such as Udemy.
Hosting courses on Udemy is free, but be ready to sell at $10 and get $2–7
On Udemy, you don’t get access to student emails/phones (so you can’t create your own community, and you can’t cross-sell well)
Hosting on Udemy is good if your potential audience niche is very big
The only engagement a teacher can have with active students is the Q&A section of a course
Overall, selling courses on Udemy can be considered passive income with minimum engagement required after publishing a course
Challenges
Course creation can be a huge earner — demand is high and only growing. The major issues with course creation are as follows:
Audience: Building an initial audience can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible. It can be done, easily actually, but it requires a lot of work and consistency in creating free content to provide traffic for your landing page
Course quality is important: It comes as no surprise really, but the quality of your course will affect the success of it. You have to be prepared to fail with the first few courses you create; however, if you take your time, are patient, and are prepared to learn, then you can overcome this and drastically increase your chances of success.
2. Create a Content Platform/Blog
Creating some kind of content-based website is another opportunity you can exploit as a developer to make extra income. There are so many areas of computer science and development that can provide you with a great topic on which to base your content.
By Dominic Walliman on Flickr
A great example of a self-made content/a blog platform is No CS Degree. It was created by @petecodes and is hitting monthly recurring revenue of $2,500/month.
The product itself is interviews with people who’ve made it as a developer without a degree, and that’s it — nothing complicated. It’s also free to sign up to the No CS Degree email list.
“Where’s money made on these platforms?” I hear you ask. Well it’s made by either ad revenue from ads placed on the site or from sponsorship deals for ad spots on an email.
Challenges
Writing content takes up a huge amount of time, as you need to do your research in order to provide the most value for your readers
Finding a niche — a good niche — will go a long way in helping you. Try to specialise where you can.
Find sponsors — this can often be solved by reaching out to potential suitors for your ad spots or by using something like Google AdSense to add ads to your page
Driving traffic is a common problem when creating anything. Again, it can be overcome by putting time into building followings on platforms such as Twitter or by improving your site’s SEO ranking.
3. Create a Forum/Community
Paid forums and communities are an emerging opportunity thanks to the rise of platforms such as Discord, Patreon, and Discourse. These platforms make it very easy to set up communities and integrate payments, making it a gold mine of opportunity.
Image by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Why does this work? Well, people want to communicate and associate with others who have similar interests, wants, and needs. Essentially, by building a community, you’re providing a platform for this to happen.
Some examples
Peter Levels built Nomad List, providing a community for digital nomads. The business now generates $24,000/month.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff built Ness Labs, a community for healthy entrepreneurs that generates $9,600/month.
Why not utilise the free, open-source tools mentioned above and begin creating your own community? You can even code additional functionality that can enable to you to create some awesome features for potential users and really help as many people as possible.
Challenges
Community building is extremely challenging but highly rewarding due to the physiological impacts of something called social proof. In essence, it’s hard to get the first 100 users into your community, but as the number grows, it become easier to attract more — as the value is in the community. The trick is to stick with it.
High engagement levels will be needed from you, using up a lot of your time
Managing the community to avoid spam and to maintain good content within the community will also be a challenge
Note: Building a community is by far one of the hardest things to do; however, it can be hugely rewarding. Not only can you make a substantial amount of money (due to word of mouth), but you can really help a lot of people.
4. Create an E-book
As software engineers, we posses vast amounts of knowledge around tech that a lot of people want to learn. A great way to pass this information down is in the form of an e-book.
The good thing about e-books is they can be written reasonably quickly, and if you pick a topic you’re passionate about, then they can be quite fun to make.
You can use a platform such as Gumroad to host your e-book and handle selling it.
Note: E-books can be a great cash cow you can use to generate money that can be invested in other ventures/hustles. They’re also a great project that can be worked on over a couple of months, writing a bit every day.
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Examples
“The Good Parts of AWS”: An e-book by Daniel Vassallo and Josh Pschorr, generated $31,000 in sales, selling over 1,000 copies in the first week alone.
“Maker Minions: 101 Automations for Makers, Side Hustlers, and Entrepreneurs”: An e-book by Michael Gill made $5,000 and is still growing.
Image by Daniel Vassallo
Challenges
Research and planning will take up most of your time
Building an audience (you can go about doing this when you launch — there’s more flexibility with building e-books, as you can publish on platforms such as Amazon)
Creating a structure for your book can also be a challenge, but putting some time into figuring this out is the simple solution
5. Freelancing
Ah, freelancing — possibly one of the most obvious forms of making extra money as a software engineer. The model is simple: Sell your time for some extra cash.
Image by Nathan da Silva on Unsplash
The good news with freelancing is you can get paid very generously for your time, especially if you can hook yourself up with a well-funded startup.
The bad news is, unlike most of the other side hustles in this article, it leaves you without a product at the end. This means you’re limited when it comes to scaling, as you have a direct relationship with time and money.
However, it gives you a great option to transition into full-time work should you decide to, and then you can go about turning into an agency if that appeals to you.
Note: I’ve done freelancing myself and found it to be a really awesome way to make money that can be invested into other things or used to create more freedom with my time. The trick to it is to find good clients.
Examples
Susanne Peng is a developer and designer who built her dream life through freelancing — her story makes for a really good read
Glenn Stovall is an app developer who also built his life by using freelancing as a means to create more freedom.
Challenges
Building client relationships iskey and can be challenging to manage as you have to maintain good relationships with multiple clients
Creating effective ways to manage your time can be a challenging at first but becomes much easier after you’ve been doing it for a while
Finding clients is also a major challenge. Places such as Upwork aren’t what they used to be, and you’ll struggle to get decent clients on there. I would recommend using LinkedIn as a lead-generation tool (search for tech startups, and just reach out to people on there).
Ghost Blog Themes
Ghost is a powerful blogging CMS for content creators, entrepreneurs, and developers. To give some perspective on how much it’s growing, 5,933 writers, podcasters, and video creators set up sites with Ghost to publish online and deliver newsletters to their audience during this week alone.
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
I use Ghost myself, as it’s such a powerful platform, and there are some beautiful themes for it. The great news for you, though, is that there’s a huge shortage of supply for themes as well — recent posts in the Ghost forum only confirm this.
This provides a golden opportunity to build themes for Ghost, where the average theme retails for $59 on Ghost’s official website. Ghost themes are built using the following stack:
Node.js
SQL
Handlebars.js
This article on Geekinsta is a great guide that’ll get you on your way.
Examples
fueko: A small company that sells various themes. They have a Ghost theme that launched on July 6. The theme they’ve launched retails at $59, and they’ve sold 94 copies in the last three months, netting $5,546.
Challenges
There’s a lot of support on the Ghost forums, but finding useful tutorial videos and third-party documentation may be a challenge. The good news is if you understand Handlebars and Node, then you should be set up for success.
Picking a niche for your theme can help you create a theme a particular audience will love and will potentially increase your sales. It can be a challenge, but this is a relatively uncrowded marketplace.
Themes retail, on average, between $29-$99. This means there’s an expectation on price, resulting in a potential price cap. However, if you create an exceptional theme, there’s plenty of scope to charge a higher fee for it.
7. The Shopify App
With recent trends in drop shipping, lifestyle businesses, and a push for independent retail-based outlets to move online, Shopify has opened up another wonderful opportunity for us developers.
Photo by Roberto Cortese on Unsplash
The Shopify App Store is widely popular among Shopify store owners, as it provides a place for users to improve their customers experience and helps to increase the revenue of their business.
These apps can be an excellent source of passive income, as they tend to take care of themselves — of course, that’s not always the case, but it can still be a great income builder nonetheless.
Examples
Filippo Mursia has built Tailry, a Shopify app that helps users manage their stores and inventory. It’s currently generating $2,800/month in revenue and is a great example of how you can build an app on Shopify’s platfrom and turn it into a profitable side hustle.
Challenges
Handling ongoing updates once you’ve built the app can be a possible challenge that’ll need to be managed. There are ways to make this a graceful process, but it’s definitely worth investigating before diving into Shopify app building.
8. Build an API as a Service
We live in a data-driven age where information, attention, and content are king — to give you some perspective, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created each day.
Image by Luca Bravo on Unsplash
Taking some of this data and turning it into some form of valuable collection can be a great way to make money. Businesses make data-driven decisions almost every day and will happily pay for anything that provides value/ increases potential profits.
APIs provide a great platform to allow access to data for various businesses, so why not create one and charge for the privilege to access it?
You could create a web scraper that gathers useful data and then a Rest/GraphQL-based API to sit over the top of the data, providing access to it.
If you need inspiration, any kind of marketing-, social-, or product-related data can be of huge value to a lot of people. Amazon, eBay, and other e-commerce platforms can also be a great place to gather insights from. These are useful data sets for e-commerce entrepreneurs to analyse.
Examples
Gareth Fuller built a really simple oil-price API that generates $370/month in revenue. Not bad considering how young a company it is and the room for growth.
Sébastien Dumont built a WordPress-related API that handles front-end WooComerce. It currently makes $900/month and is growing, with 20,000 downloads.
Challenges
Building a data set can take a lot of research before implementing any solution. This is because you first need to find how it can provide value and what the best shape to provide the data in is. There’s a really good article by Coding VC that provides great insights into how to overcome this challenge, though, and gives some great tips, too.
9. Become an Online Instructor
There’s no shortage of supply when it comes to people trying to make it as a software engineer in 2020, so why not jump on the trend and help them by becoming an online instructor?
I’ve done this myself in the past, and it does provide a decent amount of money. You can generally charge between $50-$130/hour, depending on what you’re teaching, and it can be a great way to make some extra income while providing a lot of value to somebody who may need it.
Image by George Field. Worldwide Google trend for “become a developer.”
Platforms like Codementor are providing a great service for matching mentors with students, and it’s becoming increasingly easier to find people on social media who are looking for tutors.
Examples
Suresh Atta is a software engineer who’s racked up a total of 1,781 sessions at $60/hour on Codementor
Yuriy Linnyk has a huge 3,079 jobs at $80/hour
Challenges
It can be slightly harder to gather momentum because you’ll need to do around 10 sessions to provide social proof to others (I found offering a lot of value and providing a free 15-minute session managed to help me get some traction with it).
Competition is high, and this can be a stumbling block, especially when people can afford to lower their asking price per hour. Personally, I’d use these platforms as a means to build an audience off of — the platforms will try to prevent you, but there are often ways around it.
10. Build a Boilerplate Code Base
Think about the amount of times that you’ve gone to start a project, forgetting the amount of time it takes to set everything up. This is a problem that tons of engineers have, and we all like quick solutions — so much so that sometimes we’re even prepared to pay for a simple solution that’s already set up.
Image by Luke Chesser on Unsplash
Building a boilerplate that covers all of the basics of a particular setup can provide immense value for us software developers, and using a paid-for boilerplate, allows us to work on the important parts rather than focusing on the setup.
A really good place to build a boilerplate right now is in the world of web apps. Building a React/Vue UI and coupling it with a Node back end that takes care of authentication, databases, configuration, and common API services such as Firebase, SendGrid, Twilio can be a great way to get your foot in the door and enter the realm of passive income.
Examples
Kyle Gawley built Gravity, a React and Node SAAS boilerplate that generates $3,700/month in MRR. Kyle has built a really simple, clean UI that’s coupled with an elegantly designed back end, ready for you to configure it with what ever database you prefer.
Challenges
Creating a clean UI will be a time-consuming process, but anything worth doing takes time and requires patience
Creating trust with other developers is hard — although this can be worked around if you market it from the angle of being a developer yourself
Creating good documentation is another large piece of work that you may want to keep in mind
Conclusion
There are so many ways you can make money online nowadays, especially being a developer — it’s basically a superpower and a gateway to financial freedom if leveraged correctly. I hope you have a wonderful day, and thank you for taking the time to read this. | https://medium.com/@masumkorim/10-side-hustles-to-make-extra-money-as-a-software-engineer-5af93797ab8f | ['Masum Korim'] | 2020-12-17 15:12:07.307000+00:00 | ['News', 'Health', 'Coronavirus', 'Hotel', 'Money'] |
Everybody’s a concierge. Except your hotel concierge… | Everywhere you turn these days there’s a service offering to be your concierge. Wash.io is a laundry concierge, Operator is a shopping concierge, Shyp is a shipping concierge. Your credit card definitely offers a concierge.
But the hotel lobby concierge — the original concierge—is disappearing. And at a time when guests have come to expect more local knowledge and authenticity than ever. At a time when, more than ever, we need somebody with real local knowledge to help us sift through the noise.
Shouldn’t the rise of Airbnb with its local touch prove the importance of local expertise? Why is it that so many boutique hotels are removing rather than expanding their concierge forces?
For a few reasons:
Bad actors. Too many concierges take kickbacks. And too many guests have been burned, ending up at that same over-priced restaurant where the concierge sends everybody. In fact, many of the concierges you talk to don’t even work for the hotel—they’re third parties acting as middlemen at the expense of genuine experiences. No technology. Who wants to have to go to the lobby every time you have a question? Or make a phone call? The advice needs to be available on your phone, when you need it. Big bus tours. It’s easier than ever to put up a website and start a travel business. And many of these tour or activity providers are FAR superior to the entrenched operators. Would you rather explore a new city with these guys or on a tired double-decker bus? But most lobby concierges don’t keep up with these new companies because they have no reason to.
While Airbnb has it’s problems, any company that empowers more people to travel is alright by me. And more to the point, they’ve done a fantastic job of helping travelers get off-the-beaten path.
But hotels still have their place. Their focus on customer service is, often, unparalleled. And their ability to curate an end-to-end experience is an impressive act of creativity. But it’s time to rethink the concierge.
After all, this is the age of the concierge. | https://medium.com/@dtemple/everybody-s-a-concierge-except-your-hotel-concierge-cc878860c83 | ['David Temple'] | 2015-11-20 19:25:10.205000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotel', 'Concierge'] |
Food Review: DANFORD Hotel & Marina | Food Review: DANFORD Hotel & Marina
Abs are temporary. Food is forever — Rishabh Khot
As the author has rightfully said that food is very very important. But I disagree, having that moment with someone special makes it more worthwhile. Being a FOODIE where I constantly hog food and being a big fan of meat, I just need to find a way to get out and try something delicious cuisine. But I need a company to visit a place and try it out, Sooo... that’s why I made a girlfriend :P. Just kidding…… or am I……
Being a New Yorker (If staying in the outskirts of New York City is considered as New Yorker then yes I’m a New Yorker), you always want to keep busy, and food is the thing for me. So while searching for restaurants nearby so that I can take my GF for a date I stumbled upon this place DANFORD Hotel and Marina. Truth be told I looked at the ambiance first and then the food menu while researching.
I must say that any person living near Port Jefferson, NY who wants to impress a girl/GF/wife must surely go to this place as it has the most scenic view. There is live music, which makes your mood and your food(will come to that later).
Here's how the view looks….
Danford Date
It’s pretty amazing because I took her around 6–6:30 a perfect time to view the sunset. You don’t get the view of the sunset but it sets the mood just right. There’s ferry constantly sailing, live music (oof if you feel like grooving it go ahead and dance your heart out). The staff was very friendly which helps a lot.
Let’s jump onto the food because that’s what you want to know ( I guess) since it was a date so we ordered a 314 Cecchi Chian wine. Oooooo… I know right quite fancy but trust me when you go out for a date with your GF you have to empty your wallet (sometimes). The waitress was quite courteous and suggested us to consider their today’s special “FISHERMANS CATCH” dish. Here's how it looks like.
Fishermans Catch
To be honest I was skeptical since it consists of pineapple, fish rice, and veggies, a weird combination but trust me that was one of the best fish I have tried in a long time. The fish was cooked properly and the combination of flavors was bursting in my mouth (not literally but it was awesome). Moving on before I get lost in food again. We ordered “CALAMARI FRIES”, which was really shocking since it kinda looked like onion fires and we realized it after eating it. It was not great but eatable like an appetizer. Served with a salsa sauce… I guess it was a good munching
Finally, we ordered, some “TRUFFLE FRIES”, because for me no meal is complete without fries. It was great because if you mess up fries you don’t know how to cook.
Meal
The overall meal was a tad bit expensive but it was a great meal for sure.
My final thoughts: You should definitely check out this place because you should always treat yourself and it makes your partner feel special too.
P.S. If you stay till night you will get amazing lighting around you and the moon will be right in front of you. | https://medium.com/@rishabh-khot/food-review-danford-hotel-marina-61bbcfbb0139 | ['Rishabh Khot'] | 2020-10-12 05:00:52.104000+00:00 | ['Review', 'Food', 'Hotel', 'Date'] |
7 reasons not to love Nigeria | 7 reasons not to love Nigeria
Having travelled the world, you get a pretty fair view on how fascinating some countries and the cultures they carry can be. In the spirit of repartee and with a pinch of salt, Jovago.com, Africa’s largest hotel booking portal presents 7 reasons why you should take a second look at the most populous black nation in the world.
1. Because their men are great lovers
Ever been kissed by a Nigerian man? They smile at you and you are hooked! There is no actual word for their form of kissing but it’s akin to having your lips plugged to a suction pipe, an embrasser avec la langue of sorts which leaves you coming back for more.
Kerry Washington with her Nigerian hubby, Nnamdi Asomugha
2. Because we’ve been allowed to believe that Nigerian women can’t get slim
Current diet books claim that Nigerian women are chubby because they eat only fresh beef, all day. However, the truth is that their obesity rates are lower than other parts of the continent and they feed on a diet rich in fiber. The fact that Agbani Darego went on to win the Miss World pageant in 2001 is further proof.
3. They have no chill for wildlife, too
All flying and crawling creatures are for food in this country. In 2015, millions of chickens and goats are force-fed with grass in order to produce enough meat for a single meal. Heck, there’s a part of Nigeria where dogs are considered a delicacy. How adventurous is that?!
4. Because they love humour
Have you heard a Nigerian laugh before? Utter bliss! Before the Revolution, the French invented the word l’esprit, which means ‘wit’, but the term “humour” had no comparison until this group of people were created. At the slightest tickle, they burst in rib-racking laughter with mirth bubbling from their belly. No wonder they are called the happiest people on the planet.
5. And they think their cooking is the best in the world
Nigerian’s version of a gourmet meal is a delight to eat. They boast of 5-star multichain hotels with international standard chefs and when the platter is served, the dishes are large enough to cater to a football team. Who knows, maybe this is what makes their dishes so popular. Coincidence, yeah?
6. Because they love Fela
In 1969, Fela went on tour of the United States as the first authentic black musician to play in 10 American cities. His fame did not stop there. With his quick tongue and witty disposition, he soon became a primary target of the military regime he fought against. Although, he died of AIDS and had a heavy drug problem, Fela’s music went platinum long before African music gained global recognition.
7. And they hate rock ’n’ roll
At least most of them do. It’s strange how you see them gyrating to a class of music calledafropop, which a lot of rhythm by the way and yet cringe at the sound of metallic rock. Their artistes have won countless awards around the globe and their excitement is infectious…when you are at the club, this is all that matters!
Got a comment? Now you can share it in the box below. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram@jovagotravel, Facebook @Jovago or Tweet us@JovagoTravel. | https://medium.com/@leveightpro/7-reasons-not-to-love-nigeria-426cbb532e5a | [] | 2015-11-16 11:39:17.240000+00:00 | ['Nigeria', 'Hotel'] |
Tipatuity App Launches Cashless Tipping & Digital Tip Jars | Tipatuity App Launches Cashless Tipping & Digital Tip Jars
The team at SmartBlue Technologies is very excited to release Tipatuity, the innovative social tipping application. This all-new app is easy to use while offering on-the-go cashless money transfer and digital tip jars. Tips are transferred using electronic payments by leveraging Dwolla’s powerful payment platform.
People who work in the service industry such as valet professionals, hotel staff, outdoor event coordinators, and countless others have traditionally received cash tips. As the world continues to move to a cashless society, many of the service professionals are getting affected. Tipatuity app bridges the gap by allowing its members to give and/or receive tips on the spot and instantaneously.
While many payment applications exist, there has been a void missing for people who want to process payments for new acquaintances or strangers without the need of exchanging names, emails or cash. Also none of the apps brought forward a practical tip-share solution that allows dynamic group management and one-to-many payments. The newly released Tipatuity app brings forward those functionalities to the service industry and puts together a simple, safe and fast money transfer portal that allows members to send or receive gratuities as individuals, teams or businesses.
“Our goal is to empower service professionals with the tools they need to make the money they deserve and to bring more of the in-store tip jars online. Tippers on the other hand will find tipping easy to track and expense especially on business travel”, says Shehadi Dayekh, founder of SmartBlue Technologies and Tipatuity App.
Built in features include finding service professionals using geo-location, safely sending and receiving money, being able to rate and comment on each provided service and having the ability to create virtual tip jars that facilitate tip-share. Tipatuity also empowers its members with fast delivery of their funds and enables them to maintain a great record book for jobs well done. Tipatuity also allows sending money as Anonymous in cases such as charity and fund-raising.
Tipatuity currently operates in the US market only and can be found on the web at https://tipatuity.com. The application was recently released in Google Play and the App Store.
About SmartBlue Technologies Inc.
SmartBlue Technologies was founded in Dallas, Texas in August 2015. It is a startup that aims to bring smart ideas and technologies to life.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/12/prweb13938998.htm | https://medium.com/@tipatuity/tipatuity-app-launches-cashless-tipping-digital-tip-jars-8ad39896febf | [] | 2016-12-21 11:11:16.521000+00:00 | ['Fintech', 'Tipping', 'Business Travel', 'Hotels', 'Cruises'] |
Explore Jaipur in Budget, With Peak Lodging Ease | Explore Jaipur in Budget, With Peak Lodging Ease
Everyone try to get maximum services at their best budget price of hotel in Jaipur. If you are scheduling for your vacations and looking for extravagance hotel in Jaipur then Hotel Hayat Rabbani is the best budget hotel for you where you can obtain best deal at reasonable price. Jaipur is a city of royals; in accordance to this we serve you the splendid and legend amenities to make your vacations memorable yet affordable.
The heritage of Jaipur is most attractive and wonderful after exploring this people wants to stay at lavish hotel with best facilities. It is very complicated to find huge lodging services at sensible cost, but now you can simply find best economy hotel in Jaipur. When you are on holiday the most important thing is accommodation facilities. We tenders you all the amenities of a magnificence hotel, but the rates offered by us are very nominal and cheap compared to other hotels in the area. Our hotels guestrooms are gracefully designed with classily decorated suites. Our room and suite are well designed to present you great comfort and facilities to formulate your professional visit more relaxed and pleasant during your reside.
Best budgeted hotels plays a vital role in planning holiday trip with luxuries lodging services at nominal prices. Book Hotel Hayat Rabbani and enjoy heavy discounts with all the services you want at your budget and deluxe rooms’ services in Jaipur. We believe in establish an atmosphere that wake up your wits. The easiness and amenities of your dwelling meet you the moment as you step in. You can accumulate a good amount and take pleasure a lot at this place in Jaipur. Our hotel is an icon of style, customary, service and pleasure. The custom-made room service provide by our jovial staff adds an extra shine to your hang out. Staffs of our hotel are just near to you after a call for any help you require. Your stay at Hotel Hayat Rabbani will make you feel that your accommodation is a combination of traditional and contemporary amenities. The melodious, fantastic, luxurious decor and dutiful staff of our Hotel definitely impress you. Throughout your stay in our Hotel, you find a way to enjoy the interesting view of heritage and splendid life cultures. Accommodation in Jaipur gets more comfortable and more pleasing, so we are reckoning among the Best budget Hotels in Jaipur. All our rooms and suites express you the most excellent in luxuries way and comfort.
Our hotel is situated a petite walk from Railway station and Sindhi camp bus stand landmark Polo Victory Cinema Jaipur. The atmosphere of old city is manifest in its colorful bazaars will capture your heart for Jaipur. Our hotel offers a lavish stay at reasonable price with all up to date facilities to make it an ideal family holiday. There are electrifying packages beside with fine Indian, Italian and Chinese Cuisines mixed in the taste of the stunning Rajasthan. Business events and parties can be arranged and managed at Hotel Hayat Rabbani with budget amount and our service is improving day by day. Budget Hotel is always preferred choice for Family, Business and holiday travelers.
Experience your dwell at one of the best budget hotel in Jaipur. So make your journey memorable with an extraordinary value vase of joy, either by eating or by your unforgettable stay with Hotel Hayat Rabbani. Suggest your views and rate us for improving better services for you. Visit: http://hotelhayatrabbani.com/contact-us.html | https://medium.com/@hotelhayatrabbani/explore-jaipur-in-budget-with-peak-lodging-ease-4fdce92b69fd | ['Naim Rabbani'] | 2016-01-06 09:48:22.701000+00:00 | ['Hotels', 'Hotel Booking'] |
How is Hotel’s price in Berlin? | We worked with CRISP-DM Process (Cross Industry Process for Data Mining)
Questions
Question 1:- If more we go north, the lower price?
Answer :- Yes, If more we go north, the lower price and Hotel Count.
The largest number is in the center of Berlin, and the price is listed but the most for the lower price.
Question :- What is expected the price for most commonly used in the far south for every room type?
Answer :- the expected price for most commonly used in the far south is
-Entire Home : 54.0 Euro.
-Private Room : 30.0 Euro.
-Shared Room : 35.0 Euro.
and the most commonly used in the far south is **Entire Home**.
Question 3:- Increasing the number of days available per year causes price increases ?
Answer :- Yes, Increasing the number of days available per year causes price increases .
If room available more number days per year ,can by increases the price .
Question 4:- when minimum nights is small then the price increases?
Answer:- No, when the minimum nights is small, the price move to decreases.
The minimum nights das not effect price.
Summary
-When we go north, the lower price and Hotel Count.
-The expected price for most commonly used in the far south is 61.3 Euro from Entire home and 16.2 Euro from Shared room.
-Increasing the number of days available per year causes price increases .
-Not effect when the minimum nights is small the price not decreases. | https://medium.com/@karimsoft/karimsoft-hotel-vs-price-in-berlin-germany-91f7630bf082 | ['Karim Abd El Aziz'] | 2020-12-14 02:37:41.046000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Price', 'Berlin', 'Germany', 'Data Science'] |
How to Apjpro can help you to get best offer in Jaipur | How to Apjpro can help you to get best offer in Jaipur
apjpro, a local e-commerce company, based in jaipur, Having a tag line “Save every time.. You Spend” Helping jaipurities to find best restaurant, hotels, spa, salons, lounges and gym with very afforadable prices.
We are an innovative idea with WIN WIN WIN factor.
Win for members — This venture is an idea to provide the best non competitive discounts, benefits & privilege services to all citizens of Jaipur equally without discriminating their standards. It allows member to spend on their wish list @ affordable prices.
Win for associates — We don’t charge any commission or benefits to associates, all benefits are passed to members. We help our associates by working over the best fruitful deals to members as well as the discount providing partners. We ensure to fulfill the lean hours without hitting the peaks.
Win for apjpro — Today we have individual 25000+ influences members & more than 200+ partners. Most of the big brands are hand in hand since the origin of apjpro.
The mission of apjpro is to make Jaipur the most approachable, beneficial & well informed city, where its members & associates both can be benefited
“SAVE EVERY TIME, YOU SPEND”
Be apjpro member to unlock exciting deals & discounts at Finest Hotel, Restaurant, Lounges, Pubs, Salon, Relaxing Spa & more
We help you discover the best places in city.
Shaping the future of food Lovers!!
https://www.apjpro.com/about | https://medium.com/@jp.abuzzcompany/how-to-apjpro-can-help-you-to-get-best-offer-in-jaipur-80c01352b7c7 | ['Jp Abuzzcompany'] | 2020-12-10 11:10:56.540000+00:00 | ['Jaipur', 'Hotels'] |
Online Booking System for Travel Companies : Hotel APIs — Expedia, Hotelspro, DOTW and Travco | Online Booking System for Travel Companies : Hotel APIs — Expedia, Hotelspro, DOTW and Travco
Source: http://www.provab.com
Travel Mobility Solutions
Much has changed in travel technology over a decade. Traditional way of search and booking the travel deals are no more in fashion. Online booking system has become the keyword of travel domain across the globe. At present, online booking systems are most widely used for used for airline reservations, hotel & motel reservation, cab reservations and custom holiday packages. More and more booking systems are also connecting the event booking XMLs as well. In a nutshell, online booking system is internet based booking system software, which can be accessed by users through the unique URL, services can be searched and bookings could do done.
Get a Project Quote — http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html
There are many web services / hotel APIs, which can be seamlessly integrated to bring the best inventory at best price.
Hotel APIs
GTA
Hotelbeds
Hotelspro
DOTW
Travco
Tourico
Restel
Miki
Jac Travel
Expedia
Priceline
Bonotel
GDS
Amadeus
Galileo
Sabre
A GDS system will also provide the data for hotels, cars and cruise apart from flights. It also provides the information to various distributors and travel agencies working simultaneously round the world.
Regarding Author:
Author is a travel technology expert and has been involved in several online booking systems. | https://medium.com/@provabtech/online-booking-system-for-travel-companies-hotel-apis-expedia-hotelspro-dotw-and-travco-af5f4a04f576 | ['Provab Technosoft'] | 2016-12-27 10:13:00.239000+00:00 | ['Galileo', 'Gds', 'Hotel', 'APIs'] |
IVR Solution Creates Bigger Impression of Budget Hotels | IVR Solution Creates Bigger Impression of Budget Hotels
Tourism industry is picking up and this has opened new doors of opportunity for the hospitality industry. The people travel for business purpose to meet the client; young professionals travel their home from the country they are working in, to meet their family members; backpackers are exploring new territories; and there are many reasons people travel across countries. All these travelers are looking for cost effective hotels. The budget hotels are getting the benefits of these travelers. These alluring businesses have increased competition as well. Also, guests of the budget hotels look for the best services. Thus, the budget hotels implement different technological tools which can keep them ahead of their competitions as well as help them to treat their guests with the best hospitality experience. The IVR solution is one of the tools used by the budget hotels to empower them.
There are different types of IVR solutions for hotel industry, which can be used to improve guest experience as well as to create a bigger impression of the hotel. Let us explain a few types of IVR solutions for hotel industry and how those can be helpful and beneficial.
Greet Customer Calls with a Professional Greeting
An IVR solution will play a greeting voice prompt in a very warm and professional voice to greet the calls of your customers. This will create a better impression of your hotel in front of your callers, more specifically saying, customers.
Never Miss Any Call
The IVR solution works as an auto attendant. Using an IVR solution, you can make sure each call is attended even when your staff is not available. By making an IVR solution part of your hotel, you can cater your customers 365*24*7.
Allow Your customers to Get Information about Your Hotel
The IVR solution can be used to serve your customers about the information they need to know. The IVR will answer different questions which are frequently asked by the customers. This will help your customers with the required information as well as self serving option. This IVR solution for Hotel will also keep your staff free to serve the customers in the hotel and perform other important duties.
Allow Your Customers to Book Rooms
One of the available IVR Solutions for Hotel is a room booking IVR solution. It allows customers to know about different available rooms such as simple, deluxe and super deluxe. This IVR solution will also help guests to know the tariff of different hotel rooms and book them based on their choice.
Allow Your Customers to Make Payment
Along with offering different types of information, the IVR solution can also perform complex operations such as Payment processing. You can use Payment Processing IVR solution, which will allow your guests to pay their hotel bills using an IVR system. Your guests can also make advance payment for room booking. The IVR solution will have all required security features, which will make payment absolutely secure.
Also Read this: Hotels Adopting IVRs
The budget hotels can gain many benefits using the IVR solution for Hotel. We can help you with our IVR solution to take your Hotel to the next level! | https://medium.com/@asteriskservice/ivr-solution-creates-bigger-impression-of-budget-hotels-e06e66d973a7 | ['Asterisk Service'] | 2016-12-13 10:52:44.252000+00:00 | ['Ivr', 'Medium', 'Hotel'] |
What’s Your favorite luxury Hotel? | hotels washington dc
Travelling in India is fun but challenging. And determing the best hotel on your loved ones are a lot more so. We’ve for ages been interested in learning the ‘right fit’ that many traveller seeks for their hotel stays. Is it the positioning, the luxurious quotient and great food? Or perhaps is it a captivating atmosphere, efficient service, outdoor activities and places to discover? My conclusion is, just like a great many other things in India, probably the seek out an ideal family hotel also defies a logical decision-making process.
Travelling as adults is relatively simple. We’re more flexible. Put in a few kids into the equation in fact it is a very different story, particularly when it’s really a long, arduous journey.
As with a lot of things with today’s India, the tourism sector has seen rapid expansion over the past decade and you will find now far more hotel options than ever before. Will no longer would be the only choices seriously high-end chain hotels (think the Oberois) grotty, over-priced mid-range hotels, or scruffy back-packer haunts. Put into they’re ‘heritage hotels’, decent independent luxury hotels, and homestays.
But is it possible to define which of these makes a perfect hotel for families with children?
hotels washington dc
Obviously, the positioning is fairly critical. This is the easy getting there, along with its location with regards to planned activities. A well-located hotel could help you save a long time on India’s sometimes dreadful roads where pit stops are rare, thus causing less, “Are we there yet?” questions in the children. | https://medium.com/@hotelswashingtondc1q/whats-your-favorite-luxury-hotel-bee16bf661a1 | [] | 2016-12-26 15:49:22.919000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotel'] |
What is the Job of a Hotel Community Manager? | Find out what it takes to be a great hotel community manager or hire one for your hotel
Social media marketing and engagement used to be what we call ‘bathroom business’ — something that a hotel’s staff could do in their downtime, a few minutes at a go, even while on the toilet.
Up until quite recently, if your hotel was doing any social media marketing at all, you already had a solid edge over your competitors because they most probably were not. A few tweets here, some Facebook posts there, and a bit of effort to keep your blog and other social media accounts fresh was all that it took to stand out and claim more market share.
Not any more.
Now, just about everyone and his dog is active on social media. There is so much competition that managing your hotel’s online community and social media marketing strategy has become a 24/7 job for properly-trained professionals. Say hello to the new role of hotel community manager.
However, while everyone knows that hotel community managers are responsible for ‘the social media stuff’ (obviously!), it still is quite unclear what HCMs should do exactly and what specific skills they need to have. Even aspiring HCMs themselves are often at a loss, let alone their prospective bosses who need to find and hire the best people for the job.
The role of hotel community manager is new and continually evolving, and with limited information available online it can be very hard to train for the job and keep up with it as it changes.
Let’s take a look at what successful hotel community managers should be doing and why they play a vital role in the hotel business.
A crucial full-time and in-house job with the hotel’s reputation at stake
Today, people carry around their social media in their pockets. This means it is practically easier for a guest with a problem or a complaint to pull out their phone and post about it on your hotel’s Facebook page for all to see than it is to ring the front desk. This is in fact what actually happens very often and at any time of the day or night, and the trend of going online to voice a grievance is steadily on the increase.
That brings us to the first and most important job of the hotel community manager: reputation management.
The primary task of an HCM is to have all eyes and ears out on the different social media channels (and also on the rest of the Internet) to monitor what people are saying about your hotel and respond appropriately. The HCM has to work together with the rest of the hotel staff so that problems are solved quickly, guests are kept happy and the hotel’s reputation remains untarnished.
It should already start to become clear that the position of hotel community manager is a full-time job that cannot be outsourced effectively or even assigned to an intern.
In fact, the HCM has to be a bridge between your hotel’s different departments, including Marketing, Reservations, Public Relations, Food and Beverage and so on, working with them to coordinate the team effort and make sure any necessary action is taken promptly.
Hotel guests obviously don’t care about what goes on behind the scenes. They just want a quick and effective solution so they can get on with enjoying their stay.
This means that a hotel community manager needs to have a solid working knowledge of the hotel, its policies, its facilities and of how the different hotel departments function together, so that any issues are addressed effectively before an online complaint has a chance to spread and go viral. It also goes without saying that excellent manners and communication skills are vital too.
Spearheading the hotel’s online presence, social media and content creation
Reacting promptly and averting potential online PR disasters is just one side of the coin.
Another key role of the hotel community manager is to take charge of your hotel’s online presence and social media outreach, which includes your content creation and distribution strategies.
Proactive online engagement is a three-pronged effort where hotels
generate and publish their own content
invite media and influential travel bloggers to stay at the hotel and report back to their audience
encourage guests to share their photos and experiences on the various social media platforms
The last point is the most important by far. Nurturing guest-generated content is key to online success because your hotel’s brand is only as valuable as your guests think it is. Besides, it goes without saying that anything a guest posts online about your hotel is going to be viewed as much more credible than if the hotel posted the same thing itself.
This means that guests should be the ones creating and sharing the bulk of the content about your hotel (which the hotel can then share and promote, of course) and it is part of the hotel community manager’s job to encourage this practice and make it as easy as possible for guests to do so.
Inviting over established media and travel bloggers to report on their stay at the hotel is another very effective online marketing strategy. It gives your hotel an excellent opportunity to reach out to an established target audience and showcase not just the hotel itself and its facilities, but also the surrounding area and destination as a whole.
And, of course, hotel community managers should have good production skills of their own, so that they can create interesting in-house photos, videos, blog posts and other content, which can be shared by guests and the media alike.
Roping in staff, building personal brands and promoting the hotel together
Social media engagement is not a job for the hotel community manager to do alone.
Part of the role of HCM is, in fact, to take the lead in the hotel’s digital transformation and community building. This involves training other staff members in social media marketing and supervising a coordinated effort to interact with current and prospective guests both online and face-to-face on a daily basis.
This includes teaching social media best practices and helping staff create and manage their own personal brand profiles on the different social networks. It is important for the hotel community manager and also other members of the hotel staff to project strong personal brands through their social network accounts. This is because people respond much better to someone who comes across as a real living and breathing person rather than an anonymous face on the Internet.
A good and friendly relationship with guests puts the hotel community manager and other staff in an excellent position to then promote hotel events (both before and afterwards) and launch and manage competitions and promotions. This also helps a lot with another aspect of the HCM job description, which is to upsell in-house guests on hotel products, as well as trips, excursions, restaurant meals and other services offered by the hotel’s partner businesses.
It goes without saying that hotel community managers need a good dose of charisma and leadership skills to go with their social media expertise and the other qualities we have discussed.
Successful hotel community managers need to be able to prove their worth
What we have described so far is routine, day-to-day work for an HCM, but there are are other tasks that also need to be done from time to time, such as networking with your hotel’s strategic partners, seeking out new ones and building new business relationships.
A hotel community manager should also follow competitor hotels and similar hotels around the world, to learn what they are doing and stay ahead of the game. Then there is the task of overseeing SEO and other paid placement advertising, which means HCMs should have a good understanding of how search engine ranking and ad buying work.
And to top it all off, successful hotel community managers have to be able to communicate effectively with the hotel’s management and show the fruits of their work.
While social media is not a distribution channel, good HCMs do help increase both direct and indirect bookings, although the cause and effect relationship can be hard to actually demonstrate in practice. And yet, from the shareholders’ point of view, the ultimate measure of success of anything a hotel does is, of course, the bottom line, and it is up to hotel community managers to prove their worth to the hotel brand and justify their salary.
It’s going to be easier than ever to excel as a hotel community manager
All in all, being a hotel community manager is a challenging role, but a fun and rewarding one too when it is done properly.
And helping hotel community managers succeed and prosper is exactly what we are setting out to do. We’ve got over a decade of social media marketing experience under our belt, as well as a solid hands-on HCM track record, that has won critical acclaim.
Written by Andrew De Gabriele & John Beckley | https://medium.com/@johnbecks/what-is-the-job-of-a-hotel-community-manager-55c05c61d48f | ['John Dale Beckley'] | 2015-11-26 15:48:08.077000+00:00 | ['Social Media', 'Marketing', 'Hotel'] |
Hotel Reservation System, Hotel APIs & Native Mobile Apps? | Hotel Reservation System, Hotel APIs & Native Mobile Apps?
Hotel Reservation System is a multi-lingual, web based online reservation system for travel management companies. This online reservation system comes with B2C (Business to Customers) and B2B (Business to Business) modules to cater end clients and agents as well. The hotel reservation system is compatible with 23 hotel xmls including GTA, Kuoni, Hotelbeds, Tourico, Travco, Special Tours, HotelsPro, Path Finder, Miki Travels, Sun Hotels, Darina Holidays, DOTW, Asian trials and Versys.
Hotel & hospitality industry has seen robust growth because of travelling goes on higher side. Travel because of business, education and leisure are going all time high. Being ahead in business is the key in any business. Collaborating with a leading hotel software development company is always better so that you use the top hotel reservation system in terms of technology and focus on your core business.
Hotel reservation systems and mobile apps are for customer connect and to be used by regular customers, who are always keen to know more about travel deals. Apart from that, online hotel software and mobile apps are great for keeping brand on the positive side. Recent surveys shows that hotels using the online hotel reservation system & mobiles apps are actually selling better than the other stores, which did not use apps. In the modern business scenario, hotels and hotel consolidators must enter in a long-term partnership with hotel reservation software development companies, to stay ahead of the competition.
Key Features -
Easy to use B2C/B2B interface
API / XML integration
Enhanced user experience for search and booking
All availabilities, information, bookings and voucher generation are done in real time and client gets the confirmation on booking instantly.
Online Booking Engine also picks up the best deals from different suppliers on a daily basis and updates the inventories accordingly.
Multiple currency option for sales across global geographies
Rapid set up
Online Payment Gateway, also multiple payment gateways to provide users options to make the payment.
Best in class rank parity module to display the rates coming from different suppliers for the same property
Three layers of password protections to define the different levels of access
To know more about Hotel Reservation System Development, please visit http://www.provab.com/. You can call us at +91.8880321321 and email us at [email protected]. | https://medium.com/@provabtech/hotel-reservation-system-hotel-apis-native-mobile-apps-a64e647609e0 | ['Provab Technosoft'] | 2016-12-12 10:48:05.454000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotels', 'Online Booking System', 'Iran'] |
4 Interior Factors That Could Enhance Your Restaurant Experience | When you decide to go to a restaurant with other people, it is essential to choose a place that plays to everybody’s palate. Yet another factor that could make the time more exciting or ruin it are the restaurant’s interiors.
Even if you are visiting a new place, and decide to stay in a motel with restaurant facilities, you need to take into account the interiors of the place to help make your stay more enjoyable.
Interiors play a crucial part in stimulating people’s senses. It can uplift the mood or break it. So, if you choose to hang out with your loved ones at a restaurant, it is important that along with the customer reviews on food, you also check up on the interior design of the restaurant. Here are some essential factors to bear in mind.
Table Arrangement
When you go to a restaurant with a group of people, you intend to make conversations through the course of the meal. In certain restaurants the tables are situated quite close to each other, which makes for uncomfortable conversations as the people next to you can hear in on everything. So, look for a restaurant where the tables are well spaced so that you and your group can enjoy a peaceful time filled with interesting conversations.
Lighting
Lighting plays a major role in you being able to enjoy your food and time, especially during dinnertime. Restaurants with harsh fluoro strips could give the place a harsh effect. Restaurants should be equipped with soft lighting. It helps to add a soft glow to the place, and also lets you enjoy your cherished time with your family or friends.
Noise Levels
Restaurants that go for the trending industrial design have a lot of hard surfaces that are not good at absorbing the surrounding noise. Since a restaurant has a lot of activity with customers and wait staff moving around, making conversations become difficult if their interiors are not fitted with furnishings like carpet or wooden floorings that absorb noise.
View
This may not be a crucial factor for everybody, but it does not hurt to have a restaurant with a great view. The view of a busy street scape or something by the water adds to the appeal of the place and can make your time even more amazing.
Choosing a restaurant with great interiors will enhance your dining experience. Barkly Motorlodge, one of the premium motels in Ballarat has the most exquisite restaurant which offers great food and a relaxing atmosphere with their modern décor. Visit barklymotorlodge.com.au for more details. | https://medium.com/@hodgewalton/4-interior-factors-that-could-enhance-your-restaurant-experience-16642e5559da | ['Hodge Walton'] | 2016-12-15 04:52:31.492000+00:00 | ['Restaurant', 'Hotels', 'Travel'] |
Warwick Hotel Rebrands to Radisson Blu | The Warwick Hotel near Rittenhouse Square has rebranded itself, upgrading its facilities and updating its name to the Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel.
[caption id=”attachment_246" align=”alignleft” width=”196"]
Photo courtesy Radisson Blu[/caption]
According to Joanne Cunningham, General Manager, Radisson Blu is one of the world’s leading hospitality brands characterized by its vibrant, contemporary, and engaging hospitality and service philosophy. Distinguished the world over as the HOTELS DESIGNED TO SAY YES!, Radisson Blu offers a visual celebration of leading-edge style where the delight is in the detail. The properties are located in prime locations in major cities, airport gateways, and leisure destinations around the world.
And now, too, in Philadelphia, where people are oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over the superb level of service they’ve experienced at the hotel.
“Rittenhouse Square is a treasure of a neighborhood and one that resonates style, sophistication, and luxury,” said Cunningham. “This renovation brings a contemporary design together with an iconic hotel located in Rittenhouse Square, while continuing to maintain the charm and heritage of this landmark property.”
As part of the renovation, the guest rooms, corridors, business center, fitness center, suites, concierge lounge, entrance of hotel, and lobby have been completed. Cunningham anticipates some additional enhancements. This week, the lobby walls will receive final graphics. In early 2014, the event space on the second and third floors will be redesigned to blend in with the sophisticated style of the lobby and customer areas. Also, the hotel is currently reviewing several concepts for Tavern 17, but Coffee Bar and The Prime Rib will remain unchanged.
While the improvements will likely increase rates, the hotel executives and staff are focused on value and customer service to add quality and enjoyment to the overall hospitality experience.
The Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel is a part of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s upscale hotel brand in line with 4 star hotels. The group’s global footprint spans 100 countries and territories with a powerful set of global brands such as Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, and Hotel Missoni. By 2015, the group plans to grow the portfolio to nearly 1,500 hotels in operation and under development.
If you haven’t done so already, stop in to see the Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel on 17th Street in City Center. | https://medium.com/@joetaylorjr/warwick-hotel-rebrands-to-radisson-blu-d9a742c52e46 | ['Joe Taylor Jr.'] | 2016-04-08 16:34:13.625000+00:00 | ['Hotels', 'Radisson Blu'] |
10 World’s Most Extreme Hotels - | 10 World’s Most Extreme Hotels -
Sometimes luxury isn’t enough for travellers to fit their definition of a good hotel, So often when they wish to spend quality time in hotels as well as enjoy the outdoors. But somehow there are hotels in the world which can fulfil both of the objectives. this is where you can relax and experience nature equally at the same moment. These hotels are located at the heart of the natural wonders.
Seriously, booking a room there means you will be either sleeping in a snow room or watching a sunset while your room is hanging on the edge of a cliff.
Harlingen Crane Hotel, Netherlands
The nothing more exciting to live on top of 150 ft high crane with all the luxuries money can afford. Above all, you have the control of the crane which you can swing into action anytime.
The crane hotel let you shift the direction of the room 360 degrees to the beautiful horizon of Wadden Sea to the busy streets of Harlingen.
The room is good enough for two, it includes internet, a flat-screen TV and audio equipment, bathroom. What’s more, your food is delivered via the internal lift to your bedroom.
Iso-Syöte Hotel, Finland
Amid the arctic paradise lies the Iso-Syöte Hotel. Finland is famous for sub-zero temp and heavy snowfall as deep as 10 feet and Iso-Syöte is one of its Highest hotels built on the tip of a snowy peak.
The hotel spans into 50 rooms, sauna, spa, restaurant, ice igloo and a special two-floor deluxe aurora sweet.
The rooms are 100% eco friendly, their roof material is mud from nearby swamps which act a good insulator for sound and heat, the carpet is made from recycled plastic. Each room has its own balcony where you can relax and breathe deep into natural beauty.
Nonetheless, the biggest secret of this hotel reveals at night, it is home to the earth’s most famous natural wonder Aurora Borealis or northern light, catching a glimpse is remarkable as it is plus this place is uniquely located to exhibit the amazing light show 200 days out of the year.
Moreover, there are external activities skimobile, plastic sled skiing, and a special snow taxi, a vehicle that ensues bumpy snow ride.
Hôtel de Glace — Quebec, Canada
This hotel needs no introduction, the famed Hôtel de Glace opens every January to March, in the most chilling place of north America.
Every year the hotel is being rebuilt and reshaped using 400 tons of ice and 12,000 tons of snow. All of that icy material fill the walls of Grand Hall, chapel, ice slide, rooms and suites, and an Ice Bar.
Everything is made out of ice even small items of daily use such as cocktail glass, teacups, plates, and spoons.
The most luxurious suite includes private spa and fireplace supported with ice ceiling. The mattress on beds sits top of the solid ice block. There are arctic sleeping bags for staying warm and cozy.
The outdoor activities include ice fishing, dog sledding and snowmobiling. In the meantime, when you feel like that’s enough for a day, you can always head to the sauna to revitalize.
Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita, Matera, Italy
it’s very unlikely you get a chance to stay in one of the UNESCO’s world heritage site, the hotel Le Grotte Della Civita is the remarkable extent of the architecture that thrived over centuries.
The eighteen guest rooms are spread throughout a complex of ancient cave dwellings filled with stone floors and antique furniture, whereas bed sheets linen is made from antique clothing.
Though seems ancient the hotel is modernised to comfort the travellers, every room is air-conditioned, has a candle-lit dining area and free Wi-Fi.
Located in Matera, Italy the structure is still standing and intact since the Stone Age, these rooms provide a unique opportunity for travellers to peek into the lifestyle due to the times of Fred flintstone.
Kokopelli’s Cave, Farmington, US
This one-bedroom cave hotel was originally created as office space for the geologist and former owner, Bruce Black. Believe it or not, it sits 22 m below ground. The luxurious rooms have been carved out of Tertiary Ojo Alamo Sandstone across 1700 square foot space.
The cave consists of a master bedroom, living area, replica Native American kiva, dining area, full kitchen and a bathroom with a waterfall shower and Jacuzzi tub.
Skylodge Adventure Suites — Sacred Valley, Peru
If you ever wonder what is like to sleep in an eagles nest high on the Cliff, you come at the right place. Skylodge Adventure Suites gives exclusive rights for adrenaline junkies to stay in completely transparent capsule, that hangs from the highest mountain in the Sacred Valley of Peru. But first, you must climb a 400 ft Cliff face to sign in your hotel rooms.
The transparent hanging bedrooms can lodge 12 people per night. You can either bring your own food or for few extra bucks get your breakfast & gourmet dinner delivered from the elite restaurant of Cuzco directly to your pod.
No Man’s Fort, Seaview, England
This rare floating hotel is less of war bunker and more of a private island of some Saudi Sheikh combining two helipads, a hot tub, a nightclub and spa facilities. At the top is a private lighthouse with a glass-floored penthouse suite.
The construction is from Victorian-era when it was originally built between 1867 and 1880 to protect the city from an attack by Napoleon III
This man-made fortress has its own lighthouse, as well as cabaret bar and laser tag arena, visitors can also enjoy activities such as boat rides and water sports.
The place is ideal for parties with Nordic Buffet on the roof and fire pit where guests can toast marshmallows. People reach the hotel through boats from Gunwharf Quays.
Gornergrat Kulm Hotel, Zermatt, Switzerland
This could be the one-stop destination for science geeks, The hotel is located at 3,120 metres above sea level and packs two observatories on its north-south tower. As the air is free of any city pollution you can watch stars with absolute clarity.
the rooms are over a century old they were built between 1897–1907. Besides, The hotel also has two restaurants and a small shopping mall. You bet that’s not the end of this luxurious hotel, there are several winter sports you can enjoy here ice climbing, Skiing, Sledge riding, Igloo making, and beyond that you get a front-row seat to witness spectacular Matterhorn, which peaks at 14,692 feet in Swiss Alps.
Reaching Gornergrat hotel is also fun and the only way to get there is through a regular train service, which takes 40 minutes’ through scenic countryside to climb 5000 ft to its destination.
Tree Hotel, Sweden
It’s the experience you get by spending your day in a room that tug along with the nearby trees. Tree hotel offers seven rooms with each unique design, name and entrance.
All rooms are equipped with television, bed, toilet, the rooms sit suspended by the surrounding trees 20 ft in the air, the trees are Scott pines that can grow up to 100 ft and handle 24 tons in weight.
One of the rooms named Ufo House shapes like a giant ufo, another one is birds nest with interwoven branches that serve as camouflage, which no one can spot at a mere 10 feet distance. people enter the bird’s nest via a retractable staircase,
The special one is mirror cube contains six large mirrors on all sides imitating surrounding trees, mountains making it invisible to the naked eye, the roof of which provide a birds-eye view down the valley.
For adventure, the hotel organises Skijoring, (skiing by patching a rope to an animal or a vehicle) it was a competitive sport when it was part of the 1928 Winter Olympic.
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Lapland, Finland
Imagine sleeping in the middle of nowhere on a comfy bed with northern lights shimmering above your eyes. That’s the view which is pretty ordinary for hotel staff at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort.
The resort specialises in thermal glass igloos that feature a bedroom with a glass roof and luxury beds. Instead, if you want more leisure. They offer traditional wood chalet holding cooking facilities, a seating area and fireplace, bathroom with sauna.
Approx 250 km from the arctic circle, you can easily reach the resort with just 30 minutes ride from the nearest airport. Though one reminder, the northern lights are visible only from late August to late April.
Apart from the facilities, you can enjoy sports such as Nordic walking sticks, cross-country skis on snowmobile, Husky and reindeer safaris, and for wildlife photography, the Urho Kekkonen National Park is just 3.1 miles away from the Resort.
There are 2 à la carte restaurants, which serve Laplandic specialties such as reindeer and char-grilled salmon, Just in case, In à la carte menu you can choose as much as you want from individually priced dishes of each course. | https://medium.com/@blobur622/10-worlds-most-extreme-hotels-d9c764b26fce | [] | 2020-11-05 23:06:48.751000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotel', 'Weird'] |
Best Holy Place for Buddhism | Best Holy Place for Buddhism
Sarnath is a place located 10 kilometres north-east of Varanasi near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India. The Deer Park in Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna ( Sanskrit: Kauṇḍinya).
Singhpur, a village approximately one kilometre away from the site, was the birthplace of Shreyansanath, the Eleventh Tirthankara of Jainism. A temple dedicated to him is an important pilgrimage site.
Also referred to as Isipatana, this city is mentioned by the Buddha as one of the four places of pilgrimage to which his devout followers should visit. It was also the site of the Buddha’s Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which was his first teaching after attaining enlightenment, in which he taught the four noble truths and the teachings associated with it.
Sarnath has been variously known as Mrigadava, Migadāya, Rishipattana and Isipatana throughout its long history. Mrigadava means “deer-park”. “Isipatana” is the name used in the Pali Canon, and means the place where holy men (Pali: isi, Sanskrit: rishi) landed.
The legend says that when the Buddha-to-be was born, some devas came down to announce it to 500 rishis. Another explanation for the name is that Isipatana was so-called because, sages, on their way through the air (from the Himalayas), alight here or start from here on their aerial flight. Pacceka Buddhas, having spent seven days in contemplation in the Gandhamādana, bathe in the Anotatta Lake and come to the habitations of men through the air, in search of alms. They descend to earth at Isipatana. Sometimes the Pacceka Buddhas come to Isipatana from Nandamūlaka-pabbhāra.
Xuanzang quotes the Nigrodhamiga Jātaka (J.i.145ff) to account for the origin of the Migadāya. According to him, the Deer Park was a forest given by the king of Benares of the Jātaka, where deer might wander unmolested. The Migadāya was so-called because deer were allowed to roam about there unmolested.
Sarnath derives from the Sanskrit Sāranganātha, which means “Lord of the Deer”, and relates to another old Buddhist story in which the Bodhisattva is a deer and offers his life to a king instead of the doe the latter is planning to kill. The king is so moved that he creates the park as a sanctuary for deer. The park is active in modern times.
Before Gautama (the Buddha-to-be) attained enlightenment, he gave up his austere penances and his friends, the Pañcavaggiya monks. Seven weeks after his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, Buddha left Uruvela and travelled to Isipatana to rejoin them because, using his spiritual powers, he had seen that his five former companions would be able to understand Dharma quickly. While travelling to Sarnath, Gautama Buddha had no money to pay the ferryman to cross the Ganges, so he crossed it through the air.[citation needed ]Later when King Bimbisāra heard of this, he abolished the toll for ascetics. Gautama Buddha found his five former companions and enlightened them with the teachings of the Dharma. At that time, the Sangha, the community of the enlightened ones, was founded. The sermon, Buddha gave to the five monks, was his first sermon, called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. It was given on the full-moon day of Asalha Puja. Buddha subsequently also spent his first rainy season at Sarnath at the Mulagandhakuti. By then, the Sangha had grown to 60 in number (after Yasa and his friends had become monks), and so Buddha sent them out in all directions to travel alone and teach the Dharma. All 60 monks were Arhats.
Several other incidents connected with the Buddha, besides the preaching of the first sermon, are mentioned as having taken place in Isipatana. It was here when one day, at dawn, Yasa came to the Buddha and became an Arhat. It was at Isipatana, too, that the rule was passed, prohibiting the use of sandals made of talipot leaves. On another occasion when the Buddha was staying at Isipatana, having gone there from Rājagaha, he instituted rules forbidding the use of certain kinds of flesh, including human flesh. Twice, while the Buddha was at Isipatana, Māra visited him but had to go away discomfited.
Besides the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta mentioned above, several other suttas were preached by the Buddha while staying at Isipatana, among them
the Saccavibhanga Sutta,
the Pañca Sutta (S.iii.66f), most popularly known by the somewhat misleading title the Anattalakkhana Sutta
the Rathakāra or Pacetana Sutta (A.i.110f),
the two Pāsa Suttas (S.i.105f),
the Samaya Sutta (A.iii.320ff),
the Katuviya Sutta (A.i.279f.),
a discourse on the Metteyyapañha of the Parāyana (A.iii.399f), and
the Dhammadinna Sutta (S.v.406f), preached by the distinguished Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna to her former husband.
Some of the most eminent members of the Sangha seem to have resided at Isipatana from time to time; among recorded conversations at Isipatana are several between Sariputta and Mahakotthita, and one between Mahākotthita and Citta-Hatthisariputta. There is also a mention of a discourse in which several monks staying at Isipatana tried to help Channa in his difficulties.
According to the Udapāna Jātaka, there was a very ancient well near Isipatana which, in the Buddha’s time, was used by the monks living there.
According to the Mahavamsa, there was a large community of monks at Isipatana in the second century B.C. for, we are told that at the foundation ceremony of the Mahā Thūpa in Anurādhapura, twelve thousand monks were present from Isipatana led by the Elder Dhammasena.
Xuanzang, a Chinese Buddhist monk, who travelled to India in the seventh century, found fifteen hundred monks studying the Hīnayāna at the Isipatana.
In the enclosure of the Sanghārāma was a vihāra about 60 m (200 feet) high, strongly built, its roof surmounted by a golden figure of the mango. In the centre of the vihāra was a life-size statue of the Buddha turning the wheel of the Law and to the south-west were the remains of a stone stupa built by King Ashoka. In front of it was a stone pillar to mark the spot where the Buddha preached his first sermon. Nearby was another stupa on the site where the Pañcavaggiyas spent their time in meditation before the Buddha’s arrival, and another where five hundred Pacceka Buddhas entered Nibbāna. Close to it was another building where the future Buddha Metteyya received assurance of his becoming a Buddha.
The Divy. (389–94) mentions Ashoka as intimating to Upagupta, his desire to visit the places connected with the Buddha’s activities and to erect stupas there. Thus he visited Lumbinī, Bodhimūla, Isipatana, Migadāya and Kusinagara; this is confirmed by Ashoka’s lithic records, e.g. Rock Edict, viii.
Buddhism flourished in Sarnath because of kings and wealthy merchants based in Varanasi. By the third century, Sarnath had become an important centre for the arts, which reached its zenith during the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries CE). In the 7th century by the time Xuanzang visited from China, he found 30 monasteries and 3000 monks living at Sarnath.
Sarnath became a major centre of the Sammatiya school of Buddhism, one of the early Buddhist schools. However, the presence of images of Heruka and Tara indicate that Vajrayana Buddhism was (at a later time) also practised here. Also, images of Brahminist gods as Shiva and Brahma were found at the site, and there is still a Jain temple (at Chandrapuri) located very close to the Dhamekh Stupa.
Kumaradevi, the Gahadvala queen, constructed the last structures at Sarnath. In 1193, her grandson, Jaichand of Kannauj was defeated by Qutb al-Din Aibak, a general of Muhammad Ghori. At the end of the 12th century, Sarnath was sacked by Turkish Muslims, and the site was subsequently plundered for building materials.
Isipatana is identified with the modern Sarnath, 9.7 km (6 mi.) from Varanasi. Alexander Cunningham found the Migadāya represented by a fine wood, covering an area of about 800 m (half a mile), extending from the great tomb of Dhamekha on the north to the Chaukundi mound on the south.
According to the Buddhist commentarial scriptures, all the Buddhas preach their first sermon at the Migadāya in Isipatana. It is one of the four avijahitatthānāni (unchanging spots), the others being the bodhi-pallanka, the spot at the gate of Sankassa, where the Buddha first touched the earth on his return from Tāvatimsa, and the site of the bed in the Gandhakuti in Jetavana
In past ages, Isipatana sometimes retained its own name, as it did in the time of Phussa Buddha, Dhammadassī Buddha and Kassapa Buddha. Kassapa was born there. But more often Isipatana was known by different names (for these names see under those of the different Buddhas). Thus in the time of Vipassī Buddha, it was known as Khema-uyyāna. It is the custom for all Buddhas to go through the air to Isipatana to preach their first sermon. Gautama Buddha, however, walked all the way, eighteen leagues, because he knew that by so doing he would meet Upaka, the Ajivaka, to whom he could be of service.
Sarnath is the birthplace of the 11th Tirthankara Shri Shreyansanatha Bhagwan. It is the place where 4 of the 5 kalyanak (auspicious life events) of Shri Shreyansanatha Bhagwan took place.
Shri Digambar Jain Shreyansnath Mandir, Singhpuri, Sarnath
It is the place of 4 kalyanak of Shri Shreyansnath Bhagwan. A huge ashtakod stoop (octagonal pillar), 31.4 m (103 feet) in height is still present showing its historical establishment. It is considered to be 2200 years old. The main deity of this temple is a blue-coloured idol of Shri Shreyansnath Bhagwan, 75 cm in height, in Padmāsana. The artistic work of this temple is unmatched.[citation needed ]
The major excavated ruins are listed below, generally in north-to-south and west-to-east order.
Most of the ancient buildings and structures at Sarnath were damaged or destroyed by the Turks. However, amongst the ruins can be distinguished:
For Buddhists, Sarnath (or Isipatana) is one of four pilgrimage sites designated by Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Lumbini.
Sarnath has been developed as a place of pilgrimage, both for Buddhists from India and abroad. A number of countries in which Buddhism is a major (or the dominant) religion, such as Thailand, Japan, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, have established temples and monasteries in Sarnath in the style that is typical for the respective country. Thus, pilgrims and visitors have the opportunity to experience an overview of Buddhist architecture from various cultures. There is a 24-m-tall (80-foot) statue of Buddha built over 14 years (1997–2011) by joint Indo-Thai efforts. It is said to be inspired by the Buddhas of Bamiyan.
The plate on which Letitia Elizabeth Landon’s poem Sarnat, a Bodh Monument is based shows its then run-down condition, and her words, comparing the religions of the world, pick up on the apparent weakness of Buddhism in the country of its origin at that time (1832).
Sarnath is one of the locations of Rudyard Kipling’s . Teshoo Lama stays at the Temple of the Tirthankhars in Sarnath when not on his pilgrimages. Kim meets him there after he leaves Saint Xavier’s school.
Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni: Guide to the Buddhist Ruins of Sarnath with a Plan of Excavations and Five Photographic Plates. Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi 1922
Satyarth Nayak: The Emperor’s Riddles 2014
If you are interested to visit this place and looking forward to find the best hotel in Sarnath Varanasi, then please visit to Hotel Pinnacle Gate nearby Sarnath Station. | https://medium.com/@zest123-awad/best-holy-place-for-buddhism-d2c4752ac09d | ['Awadhesh Kumar'] | 2021-01-16 08:48:50.829000+00:00 | ['Hotel'] |
3 great reasons to take a serviced apartment | 3 great reasons to take a serviced apartment
St Dunstan’s Court Apartments, London
Serviced apartments are a fantastic alternative to hotels for relocation assignees around the world, offering tangible benefits to both the employee and the employer.
Skyline Worldwide’s Business Intelligence Manager for the EMEA region, Abi Lucy, tells us about just a few of the advantages of using serviced accommodation when relocating and travelling.
1. More space and flexibility
Serviced apartments offer more spacious accommodation compared to traditional hotels, often providing a living room, a kitchen, a separate bedroom and bathroom, ensuring that the guest can experience a more “home from home” atmosphere.
Guests are able to continue their typical routines without disruption, which can reduce the time it takes for them to settle in to their new environment. This flexibility isn’t restricted by specific breakfast times or rigid guidelines when staying in the apartment — serviced accommodation allows the guests to live their way.
2. Higher quality
At Skyline we pride ourselves on the quality and high standard of our apartments, and this doesn’t end with the permanent fixtures within the apartments. Not only do we source outstanding accommodation in key locations, we also provide 24 hour meet and greet services — so that the assignee will always be met personally by one of our team, complimentary internet access and Sky TV, and we ensure that the apartments are finished to the very highest specifications.
3. Cost effectiveness
The opportunity for cost savings is one of the biggest benefits for both the employer and the assignee. The facilities provided within the apartments, such as the full kitchen, allow the guest to avoid eating out, submitting expenses and waiting for reimbursement — so the employer is able to reduce per diem allowances for F&B, laundry and hotel-type incidentals.
The potential extent of savings can be increased considerably when two or three colleagues share an apartment, particularly for stays of 90 days plus. These savings can be as much as 50%, for a 2 bedroom apartment which would be more cost effective than 2 studios.
These cost savings can impact enormously on the overall price of the relocation process, as temporary accommodation can be one of the most significant outlays of any international assignment.
Celsium provides top-quality serviced apartments globally via our preferred partners. If you would like to learn more about serviced apartments worldwide, please contact us here. | https://medium.com/home-of-relocation/3-great-reasons-to-take-a-serviced-apartment-60c44b394344 | ['Celsium Powered Brunel'] | 2015-11-17 13:02:54.484000+00:00 | ['Serviced Apartments', 'Hotel', 'Relocation'] |
AirPods Are Apple’s Next Big Brand | AirPods Are Apple’s Next Big Brand
The new AirPods Max are more than new headphones — they’re a coronation of a core brand
Apple’s AirPods Max. Photo: Apple
Never underestimate the value of a good brand. With the all-new AirPods Max, Apple has christened AirPods as a core brand on almost equal footing with its iconic Mac line.
Think about it. While AirPods Max Bluetooth headphones may have the same H1 audio beating heart as AirPods Pro (and, not coincidentally, Apple’s Beats Solo Pro), they look nothing like a pair of AirPods. Sure, AirPods Max are an audio product, but these are not pods. In fact, in the industry, we traditionally refer to over-the-ear headphones as “cans.”
There’s nothing wrong with Apple slapping the AirPods brand name on its newest audio product. It makes perfect sense for the company to officially position “AirPods” as a crucial brand — one that, like the Mac before it, is more of an idea than a fixed thing or concrete look and feel. Macs, after all, range from a tiny boxlike device (the Mac Mini) to all-in-one devices like the iMac to the hulking art deco Mac Pro. Like the AirPods line, Macs feature the same core technology: macOS and, until very recently, Intel CPUs.
As they say on The Mandalorian, “This is the way.” It’s how Apple builds on an idea whose success may have caught even the company by surprise. When I wrote a few years ago that AirPods are now one of Apple’s most important products, I wasn’t kidding. After initially being derided for their oddball looks, the in-ear Bluetooth buds caught the buying public’s imagination in an almost original iPhone–like way.
The brand is so important that AirPods Max got Apple’s most interesting and forward-learning design in a generation, pulling in some of the company’s favorite materials — anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and Apple-designed stitched fabric — and combining it with new materials like memory foam and flexible mesh. It’s even a place for Apple to crossbreed design and functionality concepts: AirPods Max feature a digital crown based on the same one you have on your Apple Watch.
The most oddball feature might be the Smart Case, which turns your headphones into a sort of tiny handbag in which the headphones are only thing you carry.
I was a bit surprised that Apple made the leap from in-ear buds to headphones, basically skipping the wraparound hybrid design favored by the company’s Beats by Dre brand (see Powerbeats Pro). Now, though, I realize that Apple didn’t want to mix the brands or aesthetic.
Even though the design is different, AirPods Max do extend the original AirPods concept in a big way. The larger device makes room for more powerful audio components, like a 40-millimeter dynamic driver and dual neodymium ring magnets, which should lead to better, louder, and deeper (read “bass”) sound.
From left to right: Apple AirPods Max, top view of right ear controls, left-side stitching inside earphone. Composite photo: Apple
They take active noise cancellation (ANC) to the next level with eight microphones devoted to countering ambient noise and the natural seal from the memory foam ear cups, which are held on by magnets and therefore removable, probably for easy cleanup. Like AirPods, a one-button control enables “transparency mode,” which lets in outside noise that actually comes through the headphone speakers.
The dual H1 chips, one in each ear, will help enable fast pairing with iOS devices, as well as computational and spatial audio. AirPods Max headphones also include gyroscopes and accelerometers for positional audio. How that all plays out in the real world, I have no idea yet.
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Apple didn’t make the AirPods Max foldable, but they do have nifty telescoping stems and a sort of flexible tent of fabric in the headband, which should help with fit and reduce the dreaded headphone “head dent.”
In some ways, these are more traditional headphones. There’s no wireless charging, they’re not rated for water or sweat resistance, and when using a bidirectional cable, they work as wired headphones.
The most oddball feature might be the Smart Case, which turns your headphones into a sort of tiny handbag in which the headphones are only thing you carry. It automatically puts the AirPods Max into a low-power state and leaves an opening to charge via a Lightning cable, but there’s no auxiliary power in the case. You should get 20 hours of playback, supposedly even with ANC turned on, and you can get another 1.5 hours of playback with a five-minute charge.
Even with the eye-popping price ($549) and the fact that Beats Solo Pro headphones, with 22 hours of battery life, ANC, and the H1 chip, sell for $150 less, Apple’s canny decision to expand the AirPods brand with an ultrapremium product is a smart one. People love their AirPods and embraced the higher-end, noise-canceling AirPods Pro. But that design can never be immersive. Now you have an immersive AirPods choice.
I’m certain of two things: Early AirPods Max inventory has probably already sold out, and growth of the AirPods brand has only just begun.
WRITTEN BY
Tech expert, journalist, social media commentator, amateur cartoonist and robotics fan.
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211 | https://medium.com/@katrinakaif73928/airpods-are-apples-next-big-brand-b0f5f2bbff40 | [] | 2020-12-10 19:37:15.927000+00:00 | ['Apple', 'History', 'Hotel'] |
Trump’s D.C. Hotel Appears To Concede Election By Unblocking Hotel Rooms | Trump’s D.C. Hotel Appears To Concede Election By Unblocking Hotel Rooms
The Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., had blocked off room bookings during inauguration week, but finally released them.
President Donald Trump has yet to concede the election to Joe Biden, but it looks like his Washington, D.C., hotel is no longer holding its breath ― er, rooms.
The Trump International Hotel had blocked rooms from being booked during Jan. 16–20, presumably in anticipation of his inauguration, according to 1100Pennsylvania.com, a newsletter by investigative journalist Zach Everson that details goings-on at the…
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https://www.reddit.com/live/16882wcjigbjl/ | https://medium.com/@ontwikkeld/trumps-d-c-hotel-appears-to-concede-election-by-unblocking-hotel-rooms-b22c71c1cfe3 | [] | 2020-12-30 01:00:35.900000+00:00 | ['Trump', 'Elections', 'Hotel', 'Politics'] |
The Great Cross Caper. | The Great Cross Caper.
Another Christmas in Gran Hotel Sula, Honduras.
Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash
The hotel had existed close to forty years.
In the center of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The growth of the city threatened to move away from the center, from the central park, from the hotel. Most modern cities seemed to undergo this same evolution. It had to do with going to newer places, less crime in the street, less choking traffic, Hotels nowadays preferred positioning right next to or being a part of the ultra-modern malls that seemed to pop up overnight.
This was our case. The Sula, as they called our hotel lovingly. When we opened in ’69, we were the shining jewel of the city. Representing the most modern place, the place our local captains of commerce wished to have their daughters marry in. Often, local visitors lingered at the entranceway as the slow-moving traffic moved past on the boulevard. They hoped to get noticed. Sometimes, if a news reporter was looking for an easy last story and they happened to be at the entrance, they would photograph the visiting locals and ask them if they could mention them in the paper’s gossip column. That kind of place, back then.
No longer. Now it was doing everything we could to continue drawing our slowly dwindling guest count. Most hotels go through this slow downward trend. Hoteliers use terms like ‘reached its peak maturity and now going down…’. They might describe a property as being in distress, but that’s for when a hotel really is in trouble. We were at a stage where we had to upgrade our hoteliering efforts. Sometimes this meant thinking out of the box.
We weren’t quite at the ‘distress’ stage. We were at a point where guests no longer filled the hotel. The coffee shop continued to do landfall business and our Events department seemed to pump with a nuclear strength, fifty-two weddings a year, not counting all the many other social and commerce-related events, were nothing to scoff at.
Competition of the likes of Hilton, Sheraton, Hyatt had come to town and had mostly absorbed our bread and butter trade: the business traveler. These guests traveled with virtually unlimited expense accounts. When arranging their travel plans with their secretaries they never failed to say: ‘I want the best and the newest…’ That was that just with those words they now cut us out. So we had to reinvent and come up with new ideas, strategies. Our hotel was not a big chain name.
Independent operators compete against huge international chains. I don’t need to explain to you that a well-thought strategy is a must for a property to survive. I take some professional pleasure in saying: independent hotels has its manager and staff to do everything. Marketing, budgeting, accounting, recipe and menu design, purchasing, remodeling, modernizing, training, on and on. Chains have modules. Weak Marketing at the hotel in Buenos Aires? No sweat, they send a team from home office to teach the local staff what needs doing.
Nothing wrong with this but it always amazed me just how little a local manager of say the Hilton knew about everyday hoteling. Boiler repair contacts in Mexico? Say what? Didn’t have a clue. They had headquarters to worry about all these things. These managers were glorified storekeepers walking around and are hopefully at least shaking guests’ hands. Yes, there are always exceptions. Every once in a while I’d come across the manager that was comfortable talking about the proper presentation for Croissants to gathering the resources for repairing the giant Kohler-Deisel plant in the basement. The exception.
One idea that just came to me out of nowhere was a chapel!
After quickly determining that one of the guestrooms on the second floor would convert perfectly to a chapel, and after some planning we got the space set up. Painted the walls a soft baby blue, white ceiling. We pulled out all the furnishings and our carpenter built a beautiful cedar altar. Several paintings with natural settings went up on the walls. These were views of nature, an ocean scene, some blue skies. After we brought in suitable chairs and after lining them up in neat rows, we were done! That quick.
Christmas was just around the corner, so we decked the hotel out in decor. The staff outdid themselves every year decorating the place. The lobby held three beautifully decorated and lit up trees along with countless other Christmas things. Our Front desk looked more like it was a place to buy bright red poinsettias.
From the day we opened its doors, the chapel was in constant use. An employee group asked me permission to hold weekly devotionals as long as it wasn’t on the clock. A group of local Christians wanted to have their weekly service in the chapel, after which they’d go to the coffee shop for a snack. Word got around that besides offering a wonderful wedding dinner and dance, we now included a chapel. Soon the couples started using the chapel for the solemn legal ceremonies. It was perfect for those couples who perhaps did not want to go through the very drawn out and time-consuming and costly routine of lining up a local church along with the clergy and Father.
We also completed legal marriages ceremonies within the comforting confines of our chapel. Their parents, several family members, the lawyer representing the city’s municipality handling the legal documents were present, and it made for a perfect venue for this part of the marriage. Moments after the ceremony we’d roll in a pre-arranged cart full of snacks, hors d’oeuvres, coffee, and refreshments.
Please notice that all I’ve mentioned here mostly are the local folks of which ninety-nine percent were catholic.
The international missionaries who stayed at our hotel appreciated the chapel. Our missionary teams were often a combination of medical teams and a church organization. The arriving medical teams needed a place to store all their medical supplies, equipment, and the chapel worked perfectly. When teams were in, they would of course hold services in the chapel, often throughout the day!
So it was at the very least interesting to me I’d heard, if not grumblings, then certainly commentary about the chapel.
A week before I opened the chapel, I walked down to the massive cathedral just down the block in central park. The Catholic Church offered a completely stocked commissary of all things church-related including crosses, incense burners, incense, bibles, candle holders of all sizes, tapestry depicting the story of the Bible, and so on. It was there I bought what I thought to be the gemstone of the chapel. A beautifully detailed cross, at least two feet tall and Christ in his extreme agony nailed to the crossbeam. It was a piece of art, truly a thing of astonishment.
It was with some pomp and circumstance, as much as can be mustered in dusty, burning hot, San Pedro Sula, that I helped install the cross above the altar. Though I am not a strong churchgoer, the moment took me. Some of my staff had tears, and all placed comforting hands on my shoulder as they filed out back to work.
“No son, no, no, Oh dear, you can’t put Christ on the cross in a protestant chapel honey.” My Mother chuckled, adding: “Your Christian missionaries will have something to say about that, you’ll see.” I told her thanks for the advice, said our goodbyes, and hung up.
As though someone heard her voice and as I was leaving my office that same evening, a voice called out to me. “Tom? Tom?” I turned to see one of my missionary regulars sitting comfortably in one of our plush lobby sofas. The early evening light glowed softly as it always did this time of day.
“Hey, John. How are you, good to see you. Anything I can do for you?”
John, a much older man, came to Honduras and worked for a global church organization with countless local groups. He was what I called a loner, and did not travel with a group. In our conversations, he’d said he’d been coming to Honduras since before we opened the hotel in ’69. He was like that guy in the Satanesque movies where the priest in the black frock, bible in hand, does battle to the death with the big bad guy himself. He wasn’t catholic, however. John was the kind of guest who could ask me to paint the hotel green, and I would. I shall refrain from saying what church in the US he came from so to avoid any unneeded flack. Were I to say how he dressed, many of you would know immediately what church he was from.
John chuckled a warm rumble that rose from his chest. I swear he may have had a just barely visible halo. He said. “It’s a beautiful chapel, Tom, allow me to congratulate you,” He stopped, folded his hands over his lap, and continued: “There’s just one thing. The chapel is for your missionaries, most of them are protestant, Christians, Evangelicals if you will, that’s just fine. There’s just one thing. Christ isn’t on the cross in our churches.”
“What’s that John?” having gotten my attention, and now hearing my Mom’s words again, I pulled up a chair. “Please explain.”
Which he did. Very quickly he ‘reminded’ me because he was ‘sure’ I knew better, (which I sure as hell didn’t).
“In a nutshell Thomas,” often he’d drop the Tom and used Thomas instead, “In a nutshell, it goes like this: the Catholics put an importance in the memory that he was human. Jesus was a human flesh and blood like us and God was the one that orchestrated everything that happened to Jesus. So if we take Jesus off the cross then we’re not getting the entire picture.”
We grew quiet, the soft lobby Christmas music filling the comfortable space. The front desk just a few yards away, blinking in lights and busy with guests reaching for fresh-baked Christmas cookies.
I smiled and thanked John. I assured him I needed to make a greater effort at understanding ‘the story’. My mother of course had tried her best to teach us kids about the birth of Christ.
The solution was almost obvious. As we were servicing all forms of Christianity. Something we took very seriously.
My accountant, a catholic (if not staunch), became a little miffed at what I did to fix the ‘problem’. He was a small, unassuming man with a hopeless string of a mustache and deathly afraid of social encounters. To have placed him out in the middle of my lobby to meet and greet our guests with welcome cocktails would have killed him. He also possessed a rich sense of humor, though all too often at the expense of ‘lower’ employees. This was my chance to get back at him.
He was dead set against the chapel, expense and added work, and so on. A penny-pinching accountant, he was almost impossible to please, for which I was grateful. At times, though, it’s necessary to loosen up a bit. So I told him the chapel would need some representation.
“What’s that, sir?” His attention suddenly on my next words.
“When the groups arrive from the airport, I want you to welcome them at the entrance as representative of the chapel and explain its hours and how they can store supplies there, like that, okay? By the way, I’ve asked Mercedes to make a nice frock for you, like a church gown. Not quite like a minister but something that shows this is your role.”
He looked like he’d just gotten the worst news possible. I’d done stuff like this with other staff, so he believed it. His eyes suddenly took on a look of fright, brows formed a high arc, anticipation of hell on earth.
“What will I say, sir? I mean. How? Oh God, sir, I’m not so sure I can do this…”
“Just think of how your wife will treat you, Roberto.” It was a hotel-wide fact that his wife had recently caught him red-handed with a happily willing fellow churchgoer, according to accounts one of those knees up on the pew sort of thing. His wife, who was a stunning beauty, threatened to put a knife into him before they calmed her down. In fact, this was 1993, right after the famous case of Bobbit, the wife who removed her husband’s penis for infidelity. The quiet joking around the hotel after the accountants' scandal was that Elena, his wife, was going to ‘Bobbitize’ him. She was a staunch lady of the church. So the joke was rather than ‘baptize’ him she’d ‘Bobbitize’ him, you got it… I assured him this involvement with the missionaries would bode well for him.
His eyes reflected the line of thought. As though he realized an otherwise utterly impossible reprieve was being handed him on a gold platter. “Oh God Señor, I, I, don’t know but…”
As for any potential upset concerning the cross, the ultimate solution was to do a quick switch of the crosses, one without the figure of Christ the other with depending on the church group, Christians and Protestants versus Catholics. Our carpenter had fashioned a beautiful cross of mahogany, without Jesus, and just as tall as the other for our missionaries. The altar doubled as a cabinet with plenty of space in which to respectfully place one or the other cross. Yes, there were the times where one group followed the previous minutes later, which called for some pretty deft handiwork switching the crosses.
It worked wonderfully. | https://medium.com/an-idea/the-great-cross-caper-b647ca07fb67 | ['Tom Jacobson'] | 2020-12-28 04:30:04.606000+00:00 | ['Life', 'Honduras', 'Christmas', 'Humor', 'Hotels'] |
Best Property Management System (PMS) for your Hotel or Restaurant. | For hotels, finding the right software fit is especially important, because without a suitable software solution, you’re wasting time and money-big things that take you away from your customers and keep you from providing a stellar guest experience.
While it’s always good to have options, sometimes they can seem overwhelming. Such is the case with Property Management Systems available online. With too many options, it can be difficult to make a choice!
We thought we’d do the research for you, so it’s easier to find a PMS that best suits your budget and requirements.
Using this information, you can understand which software is most user-friendly and delivers the most value for various types of hotels around the world.
1) OPERA Property Management System (PMS)
At the core of the OPERA Enterprise Solution is the OPERA Property Management System (PMS). Designed to meet the varied requirements of any size property or property chain, OPERA PMS provides the tools to help you run your operation at a greater level of productivity and profitability than ever before. The application is configurable to your specific requirements making it easy to use and enabling you to obtain fast, accurate, up- to-the-minute information.
OPERA’s Multi-Property functionality can help you dramatically reduce your hardware, software and labor expenses by running multiple properties off of a single database. Its design allows you to use a centralized database for multiple PMS installations. Centralized software and hardware make system support and upgrades easier by containing them to one central location. Properties can also realize labor efficiencies by sharing functions between properties including Reservations, Accounting, Sales and PBX.
2) IDS Next
Best user friendly and budget friendly Hotel management software. Much popular in India & middle east. The Global Hospitality Technology Platform Provider IDS Next is a company to create solutions that assist hotels in increasing revenues, optimizing costs and above all, providing the ultimate guest experience.
It offers highly integrated hotel management software, restaurant management software, central reservations, hotel channel management, mobile apps and mobile analytic solutions.
IDS Next software and technology solutions have the trust of over 5000+ hotels in 45 countries spread across South Asia, South-East Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Oceania. A truly dedicated 24/7-support center ensures 98% retention of customers and unmatched customer satisfaction.
3) WINHMS
WINHMS is the sole product of Winsar Infosoft Pvt. Ltd. which was founded in 2001. The software solution was developed out of the need for a high quality, flexible, comprehensively supported, cost effective alternate to the one major player in the industry. WINHMS combines over a decade of industry knowledge with the latest in technology to provide a cutting edge solution with a quick return on investment. With its origins and strengths in the Asian market sector WINHMS has gained a reputation over the past decade as a valuable partner to a large variety of local and international hotels and resorts
WINHMS modules include property management, point of sale, central systems, accounting, inventory, loss prevention and internet reservation systems. Further details on our products and solutions can be found on the corresponding sections of our website.
4) Fidelio
Fidelio is an ERP cloud computing tool that is accessible via the Internet which makes it easy to use from the office or on the road. Because Fidelio stores its data in the cloud, configurations and updates can be carried out without interruption or on-site assistance. Fidelio Version 8 is a fully integrated, flexible software package, designed to maximize the efficiency of hotel operations. The system contains all the functions for the daily operations of the hotel, including all aspects of hotel management and maintenance. It supports all the requirements of the hotel industry, from basic services to complete and luxury services.
Basic features are:
• Easy to use
• Insight into the current state of occupancy and availability of all hotel facilities
• Supports multilingualism, different currencies, different legal regulations
• Navigation between screens
• Graphic icons, pull — down menu
• The possibility of calling for assistance — help for each operation
• A large number of reports, statistics …
• High security
• Interface with POS system, Back Office, telephone management systems, door locking, fiscal devices..
5) ORACLE MICROS
“THE BEST” in Hospitality Oracle MICROS provides stable, reliable, and secure point of sale (POS) systems for restaurants, hotels, resorts, casinos, stadiums, arenas, cruise ships, transportation hubs, and retail stores around the globe.
As a global leader in POS hardware, software, open integrations, and innovation, Oracle MICROS also maintains a 40-year tradition of excellence in consultation and support services for its cloud-based and on-premise POS customers across 180+ countries.
6) VENTO ePOS
Best for Restaurant’s, Fully featured cloud-based PMS system with more than 500 customers in 11 countries world-wide. HotelTime Property Management System solution currently operates in properties as large as 400 rooms and as well as smaller properties with less than 50 rooms. It also enables chains with multiple properties to efficiently manage multi property operations.
Fully Featured
Complete real-time control of all your hotel operations including room sales, reservation status, check-ins, check-outs, invoicing, payments etc. with ‘anywhere/anytime’ instant access.
Strong and Flexible reporting — HotelTime PMS contains complete managerial reporting such as revenue forecast, detailed analysis of occupancy including the achieved ADR and RevPAR index, report on occupancy per country or market segment of revenue. All reports can be exported to Excel/CSV
Invoicing and Billing — The complete invoicing module contains records on all hotel-issued bills and invoices, with the option of controlling the payment status, as well as records on advance invoices, received invoices from suppliers, issued gift certificates and other forms of payments are available.
Integrations — HotelTime easily connects to a wide range of external systems, including: door entry key card systems, accounting, central exchange, ePOS/POS, IPTV, heating systems, channel managers, revenue management systems and many more.
Multi-property solution — With HotelTime multi-property access, chains and groups of hotels can share the database of guests, have instant mobile access to any property (subject to user-rights) and even set-up multi-property reporting | https://medium.com/@ayredigital/best-property-management-system-pms-for-your-hotel-or-restaurant-3b78cb328bf2 | [] | 2020-12-17 02:30:15.710000+00:00 | ['Property Management', 'Digital Marketing', 'Hotel', 'Restaurant', 'Software'] |
Is Your Hotel Room Safe REALLY Safe to Use? | I was watching TV the other night and saw a teaser for a segment on the upcoming 11 o’clock news. The topic: whether or not your valuables are secure in your hotel room safe.
As an avid traveler and someone who uses room safes myself, I made sure I tuned in to watch it so I could find out what their investigation uncovered and share it with you.
Boy, am I glad I did! I was stunned, to say the least, at what I learned.
Are your valuables safe in a hotel room safe?
It turns out, no, not really.
The TV news team went to 6 hotels across the country and rented hotel rooms. At each hotel, the “guest” put some valuables in the room safe and a little later, called the front desk and told them that they couldn’t retrieve their valuables because their safe wouldn’t open. Could the hotel please send someone to open it for them?
At each place, a hotel employee showed up at the room and identified him/herself. After being let in, s/he went to work on the safe without asking the person who let them into the room for ID to make sure he/she was the registered guest.
How long did it take the hotel employee to open the safe?
In each case, the safe was opened in a matter of seconds.
How did they open the safe without using the 4-digit code or the credit card that you used?
It was surprisingly (and disturbingly) simple. Room safes can be opened 1 of 3 ways:
With a master CODE With a master KEY, or With a master MAGNETIC CARD
O.M.G. I was floored! I didn’t know any of this.
On my recent vacation to Costa Rica, I used the room safe to lock up my valuables which included some cash, my laptop, and my passport.
If someone decided to break into my room safe, s/he would have had more than just my physical valuables; s/he would have had my personal information (such as my full name and date of birth) that could potentially have been used to steal my identity. That would have been a mess, to say the very least.
I am very grateful that the staff at both hotels were honest!
If your valuables are stolen from your room safe, is the hotel liable?
No. Just like with any belongings you keep in your room, the hotel is not liable for the loss or theft of items stored in the room safe.
Any other advice?
If you do opt to use the room safe, do not use a credit card to activate the safe. Credit card scanners can be switched out in order capture the credit card information of unsuspecting people like you and me.
What options do you have for protecting your valuables?
There are a few options:
Use the room safe, with the full knowledge of the risk you are taking. Bring only what is necessary and keep it with you at all times — Bring your license, 1 or 2 credit cards, and your passport (if you are traveling to a foreign country) and keep them on you in your wallet, a travel person. Leave your valuables at home — Don’t bring expensive watches, your diamond engagement ring, or similar expensive items. You won’t need them and they could potentially make you a target for robbery or theft. Use a hotel safe deposit box, if available — Many hotels are removing room safes and are offering guests the option of using a safe deposit box located behind the front desk. If you use one of these safe deposit boxes and your valuable are stolen, the hotel would be liable for your loss.
Now that you know this information, maybe you’ll think twice before using the safe in your hotel room. After all, you have no way of knowing how many hotel employees have access to one (or more) of the tools that could open it.
Have YOU had any issues when using a safe in a hotel room? | https://medium.com/@ATravelingBroad/is-your-hotel-room-safe-really-safe-to-use-3450a626f7be | ['Amy Stark', 'Aka A Traveling Broad'] | 2017-02-22 04:36:21.217000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotels', 'Accommodations', 'Hotel Accomodation'] |
Petop Hotel Supply New Coming: Stainless Steel Temper-proof Soap Dispenser | The liquid soap dispenser has been the most popular choice in hotel bathrooms due to convenience and environmental friendly concept. Generally, hotels plan to replace the tiny bottles amenities with multi-use dispensers to reduce the plastic waste.
About 440 billion pounds of solid waste every year produced in hospitality industry, including a great amount of soap and bottled amenities. In order to reduce plastic small bottles for hospitality industry, and pursue green development and plastic free implement, replacing with wall-mounted stainless steel soap liquid dispenser is becoming a popular trend.
Many guests concern about the easy-open bottles on dispenser, worrying that anyone may put something bad into the shampoo, shower gel or conditioner. Our latest new design with lock on the dispenser guarantees the liquid safety and relief guests worries. The key locked soap liquid dispenser can only be opened by housekeeping staffs when they refill the shampoo, shower gel and hair conditioner. This stainless steel liquid dispenser is not only available for hotel guestroom use, also, commercial hand soap dispensers and sanitiser dispensers are widely popular for public and commercial washrooms.
#hotel #resort #hotelsupply #hotelamenities #hoteltoiletries #soapdispenser #GBGE #ecofriendly #stainlesssteel #sanitiserdispenser #shampoodispenser | https://medium.com/@petophotelsupply/petop-hotel-supply-new-coming-stainless-steel-temper-proof-soap-dispenser-22c7a54a2d43 | ['Petop Hotel Supply'] | 2020-12-16 09:22:51.138000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Hospitality', 'Travel'] |
Day 22: A lone seeker | I like airports. I feel them as places where everybody has their wish granted. Going somewhere they imagined long time ago. Meeting someone they invited for holiday after not seeing them for too many years. Passengers going on the same plane are strangers, but they have the same goal. Everything is buzzing, yet it all seems like a calmed ant farm. All the shops, bars and restaurants make you feel like you’re in your own town. And especially I like bookstores. They are like reminiscences of the past, embracing our hungry soul, feeding us with curiosity, hugging us and sending us into the world richer, enlightened, wiser.
I like hotels. I feel them as places where everybody is home for just a little while. There is always someone at the desk that says goodnight, always a good morning. I know it’s their job, but still, their nature is friendly, they try to be human as possible, they help through those rare moments when you’re not at home, yet you are. And especially I like their piano bars. Everyone is welcome there and no one is lonely, even if they come alone. Music is gentle, there is no rush, only slow movement of lost souls, trying to have a pleasant evening.
I like cities in the evening. I feel people on long walks, exploring bright alleys. I hear distant chatter, music from the bars. I smell the food from the restaurants, taking me all over the world. Everything feels more peaceful. Everyone starts accepting reality that day is coming to an end. And especially I like people, wondering around like they in the city for the first time, trying to find where to go next to a dinner, party, hotel.
Barcelona, November 2008
There are so many places in our lives where we are surrounded with people, but we feel so alone. And sometimes there are places, where we are alone on a journey, but feel so connected. Connected not only with complete strangers, but with their souls, their exploring spirits, their adventurous hearts.
One of the hardest thing in the world is feeling lonely in a group of people. And one of the most beautiful thing is being one with lone seekers just like you.
This post is a part of my 30 Days Writing Challenge. Wanna join me? ;) | https://medium.com/30-days-writing-challenge/day-22-a-lone-seeker-f17d10176e2e | ['Matjaž Šircelj'] | 2016-12-21 22:29:41.830000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Love', 'Airports', 'Hotels', 'Cities'] |
How To Have A Budget Friendly Trip! | How To Have A Budget Friendly Trip!
Want to plan a trip with your family, with a limited budget is somehow difficult! But, we are here to make your trip more interesting and enjoyable with your family and friends. There are many things that should be kept in mind before planning any trip. The budget is first and foremost thing that has to be planned. According to the budget, the plan is set up. If you have planned your budget and the destination then the next step is to search the hotels and compare hotel prices to get the best deal as per your budget. Cheap Hotel Price Comparison
When you visit a new place with family or friends, your first need is to book a lounge or a hotel room, where you can stay and especially it will make you feel like home. To choose the best accommodation for the family is very necessary, the hotel stay somehow can also blow a hole in your pocket. So plan your trip wisely because if you have limited budget and if you’re planning a trip abroad, then plan your trip accordingly, as some people always think that booking and all can be easily done. So plan your hotel deal before hand because last minute hotel deals always spoil up your plans.
Tips for planning the first international trip:
If you are planning an international trip across the American borders, there are so many factors to consider. Should you book a hotel? Should you hire a guide or travel on your own? Is it safe to use the credit card? And many other things which are kept in mind while planning abroad trip.
• Choose the best destination: Also plan the trip to those destinations where you are some or the other way familiar with or uses native language. In some cases it is also considered as the risk taker. This doesn’t mean that you should restrict yourself to English speaking countries. For example- if you are planning a trip to Germany and the people uses the language German, so have to struggle a lot to interact with people and tell your problem.
• Research: Before planning a trip, research about the place you’re planning your trips, destination and specially hotels where you want to stay and all other useful information should be analysis at the time of planning your trip.
• Make beforehand reservations: Once you are exactly sure about where you want to go, where you want to stay, make your reservation! Like if you plan your ticket to Germany search hotels in Germany. Search best hotel for your stay and book the hotel where you feel comfortable and under your budget or decide the flight and confirm your reservation beforehand. Find Cheap Hotel Deals
• Avoid the worst cases: If you will plan or imagine in the worst case, then only good things happen, like to keep all your important documents or you can also click the photo of the documents, and keep it to yourself. In case if your documents are lost or misplaced the backup will help you in your trip.
Everywhere around the globe, you can find the best hotels, just like you can search the best hotels in New York City using your Smartphone. | https://medium.com/@Ericknelson/how-to-have-a-budget-friendly-trip-42cc30d45986 | ['Erick Nelson'] | 2015-11-24 17:14:55.126000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotels'] |
Book Online Resorts In Ladakh | Book Online Resorts In Ladakh
Book Online Resorts InLadakh — A Part Of A Perfect Tour Planning!
LehLadakh is a famous tourists spot for its enchanting beauty, snowy peaks, natural elements, friendly people and a unique culture. Vacationers love to explore the treks and other famous attractions of this place as every attraction of Leh speaks for its excellence and mesmerizes tourists always. Considering the exclusive exquisiteness of Leh, vacationers in large numbers head towards this spot at different times in a year. So, if you plan a tour to Leh this holiday season, then first book online resorts in Ladakh to add convenience and more delight in your tour experience.
What To See In Ladakh –
Ladakh is a prominent region in J&K; hence, it has several things worth visiting for tourists. Leh is the most frequented spot in Ladakh that attracts most of the Ladakh visitors to it for its historical monuments like Buddhist monasteries, great treks, appealing snow valleys, a wonderful night life, adventurous activities, chilling weather and much more. So, when you are here in LehLadakh, don’t forget to visit around tourists spots like Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace, Thiksey&HemisMonstery, Stok Palace, Chamba temple, War Mueseum, Victory Tower, Zorawar Fort etc. All of these places hold historical, religious or traditional importance in Ladakh. So, visiting these attractions means you have perceived the culture of this place a bit.
What To Do In Ladakh Tour –
Ladakh which comprises of rocky terrain has a great scope for several adventurous activities like jeep safari, trekking, mountain biking, river rafting, skiing etc. All of these activities add thrill and adventure to the lives of vacationers. Trying out these activities, you can find the best tour experience in Ladakh. For making your tour memorable by adding good and positive energy to it, you should not forget to book online resorts in Ladakh prior to heading to this place. | https://medium.com/@jamesmartel496/book-online-resorts-in-ladakh-193abba72240 | ['James Martel'] | 2016-12-15 17:34:05.648000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'India', 'Hotel', 'Resorts'] |
A Dedicated Social Media Hotel, Yes It’s True #SocialWave @SolWaveHouse | A couple of weeks ago we brought you a story about a hotel that would offer users of Instagram a free nights stay if they had over 50K followers. Today we bring you a story of a hotel dedicated to social media and Twitter.
Sol Wave House Majorca is the “first Tweet Experience Hotel in the world.” as they put it whereby users can Tweet what they need and a team of staff will attend to the users needs. The hotel has specific places throughout where people can snap a selfie and post to their networks.
To keep users Tweets and private locations private users log into the hotel WiFi and connect to a specially designed app that only they and hotel staff can use and see.
ITB would only be too happy to come out and experience the hotel first hand should any PR people be reading this…..seriously we would :-)
The Sol Wave House has rooms from €70 and features some of the below highlights.
Privileged location right on the beach
Free WIFI
Meet people, make friends, and have fun in our new #SocialWave community
Join up with friends to enjoy the #PartySuite, and discover a totally unique experience
Try Flowboarding in our incredible wave pools
Enjoy the magnificent terrace with 2 pools, an infinity pool with sea views and direct beach access
Relax and connect with new friends in our 14 Balinese beds and jacuzzi
Visit the #SocialWave with guest DJs, Friday #PartySuite and many other activities
Guaranteed fun for all of our guests with the Sol Katmandu FUN PASS
FIRST LIFESTYLE DESTINATION IN MALLORCA
Discover an unprecedented combination of unique lifestyle accommodation in Mallorca: fun and casual atmosphere; exciting experiences; sport and shows; open-air parties; live music… all in the most contemporary ambience with bars, restaurants, and clothes and surf accessory stores with the leading brands
The area also provides great facilities for sports and water sports, 5 golf courses, shops, restaurants, bars and pubs, shows and nearby attractions such as Katmandu ParkTM, The Pirate Show, Marineland,…
The region of Calvià where the Sol Wave House is located also offers an endless choice of cycling and hiking routes, and all the cultural, culinary and historical attractions of Mallorca
Visit | https://irelandstechnologyblog.com/a-dedicated-social-media-hotel-yes-its-true-socialwave-solwavehouse-5730e60aca6b | ["Ireland'S Technology Blog"] | 2016-09-14 21:43:51.173000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Holiday', 'Social'] |
Hire Hotel Booking System Development Companies in India. | Hire Hotel Booking System Development Companies in India.
Travel Technology Solutions
Hotel Reservation System is a multi-lingual, web based online reservation system for travel management companies. This online reservation system comes with B2C (Business to Customers) and B2B (Business to Business) modules to cater end clients and agents as well. The hotel reservation system is compatible with 23 hotel xmls including GTA, Kuoni, Hotelbeds, Tourico, Travco, Special Tours, HotelsPro, Path Finder, Miki Travels, Sun Hotels, Darina Holidays, DOTW, Asian trials and Versys.
There are a few clear and sustainable advantages of hotel reservation systems -
To create customer loyalty by getting smart, innovated online travel portals and mobile apps that bring forth value for the customer.
To facilitate research and purchase of your travel products online
Some reasons for developing a hotel software and mobile app, are the following
Travellers get high on top hotel portals and mobile apps
Creating online hotel portal mobile shopping app is relatively easy with a good travel portal development company
Many of the retailers already have a mobile app, which are creating a better brand recall
While the penetration of mobile devices, is rising in an incredible manner, a mobile retail application is literally indispensable to your hotel as well. Mobile hotel commerce has come to stay and will grow to gigantic proportions in the coming years. Travel & hospitality companies cannot afford not having a mobile-optimized website and a mobile app of their own.
A professional hotel software development company can help the retailer to gain today’s mobile buyer interest, loyalty and shopping power. Today’s consumers who are infused with the mobile mindset want to access on their mobile devices the shopping list they created online, order products, or see peer reviews. With online hotel reservation systems, end users are benefitted in having great deals across the globe.
Key Benefits of Hotel Reservation Systems:
• Exclusive emphasis on web-based automated software, no hardware is needed.
• High flexibility — ascendable and robust platform.
• Reasonable price package — pay as you use with SaaS model.
• Rapid to launch, easy to use — spontaneous user interface and comprehensive modules. | https://medium.com/@provabtech/hire-hotel-booking-system-development-companies-in-india-bc10075e40fb | ['Provab Technosoft'] | 2016-12-12 10:39:30.134000+00:00 | ['Travel Technology', 'Travel', 'Hotel', 'Dubai', 'Saudi Arabia'] |
A Hotel Review of: Marina Bay Sands (Deluxe Room) | In October, I had the chance to stay in one of Singapore’s most iconic hotels — Marina Bay Sands! Situated on top of Bayfront MRT Station and The Shoppes, this is a landmark, no tourist should miss!
Night view of Marina Bay Sands
When walking in the 3 tower long building, we were stunned by the interiors of the lobby. Due to the long crowds at the Check In counters, we were invited to use the VIP check in lane. After a short 15 minutes wait, we were attended to by the friendly check in staff and was off to our rooms pretty fast.
Deluxe Twin Room (Gardens View)
We were assigned to a room at the third tower of the massive structure. (Take note that the walk from the first tower to the last can be tiring) Due to safe distancing measures (We stayed during the COVID period), there were 2 Safe Distancing staff stationed at each entrance of the towers to make sure that there would not be more than 5 guest (including visitors) in one room at any point in time. Do note that all unregistered guest must leave the room by 10pm.
Honestly, I felt that the rooms were very old. However, there were a few slightly more modern touches (like the lights) which help make the room nicer.
View from our Deluxe Twin Room
Do you remember seeing the long surfboard like structure spanning the top of all three towers? That’s where the swimming pool is!
View from the rooftop Infinity Pool
You may think that the pool stretches across all three towers. However, the answer is no! In fact, the pools are segregated into 3, with a mini kids pool at one end of the “surfboard” (if I’m not wrong). Unfortunately due to the pandemic, reservations for the infinity pool has to be made in advance to control the crowd. All food and beverages would have to be consumed within the first 30 minutes of your timeslot. If you do not feel like swimming, you can always relax on one of their many lounge chairs too!
Note: There is also a jacuzzi on the other side of the swimming pool with great views of Gardens by the Bay!
View of Marina Bay Sands from Gardens by the Bay
All in all, I really enjoyed my stay at the Marina Bay Sands. However, my gripe with it was that the location is not exactly ideal if you wish to walk to the area of Suntec City or Orchard (where most people would normally go for shopping) and the rooms weren’t the best. But, you could easily take the train from Bayfront to Esplanade or Orchard respectively! For a nicer room, you could also pay to upgrade to a Premier Room instead, with a slightly bigger room and more modern interiors (though they may not be cheap). Even though I enjoyed my stay, I am not sure if the price post COVID would be justifiable for the type of room and location. Well, we can only wait and see, i guess. | https://medium.com/@clarencetay787/a-hotel-review-of-marina-bay-sands-deluxe-room-95fff16a673d | [] | 2020-12-30 07:33:14.388000+00:00 | ['Staycation', 'Singapore', 'Hotel'] |
Philoxenia — Hotelia — Polis | Philoxenia — Hotelia — Polis
The increasing rise of Greek tourism followed this year by the exhibitions of PHILOXENIA, HOTELIA and POLIS. Those exhibitions took part from 12 to 15 of November at the premises of the International Exhibition Center of Thessaloniki. Based on the official data from Helexpo overall increase in visitors was 17%. As every year, this year in addition to these three exhibitions were a lot of parallel events three of which stood out due to the large influx of visitors to them. Spotlight singled conference titled Destination Thessaloniki, the event entitled The Art of Drinking Coffee and Spirit and the DPOINT Hotel Village. Those three exhibitions were based on its attendance mainly to trade visitors. Compared to last year’s Philoxenia 2014, the report showed an increase in visitors of 17%, while Hotelia exposure of 95%. More than 3,000 scheduled appointments between exhibitors and 107 foreign guest trade visitors held during the exhibition. The foreign guest trade visitors came from 32 different countries. The number of Philoxenia exhibitors this year was 351. The last year the number of the exhibitors of Philoxenia was 232 and the premises covering was to ¼ bigger than the last year’s event. The exhibitors of Hotelia this yaer were 157. The last year the exhibitors of Hotelia were 141.
In this year’s exhibitions as it was expected, were present all the tourism operators of the city of Thessaloniki. All the Hotels of Thessaloniki City either by exhibitors or by visitors representatives left their mark. As it was expected from this year’s events could not be missed by the hotel ad Imperial Palace which is one of the most representative hotels in the center of Thessaloniki. The hotel a.d. Imperial Palace was represented by two members of his administration. The purpose of the above action was the new relationships and the further promotion of both the hotel and its services and the tourist product of Thessaloniki at the specialized tourism professionals. Representatives of the hotel came into contact with many different tourist organizations noting the increasing strengthening of the tourism profile of the city of Thessaloniki. | https://medium.com/@ImperialThess/philoxenia-hotelia-polis-3705e57aa266 | ['A.D. Imperial Palace'] | 2015-12-29 20:57:18.104000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotels', 'Exhibition'] |
Branded watches and jewelleries at great discounts in UK | Branded watches and jewelleries at great discounts in UK
A branded watch or jewellery represents success. When a person wears something expensive, adorable and trendy at the same time, he or she is looked upon with respect. These products not only symbolise dignity, but also add stars to the personality of who wears them. In this world, wearing luxury watches or accessories is a trend. That is undeniable fact that no one in general can resist products from top brands. Even a hundred ordinary products cannot make for one single branded product. And that’s why they are in great demand and customers from all over the world want to get hold of them as precious collections.
It is not that the luxury and branded products are priced high just because they are from a reputed brand. They have touches from international designers and boast of superior technologies, which make them precious in every way. One common issue faced by the fans of the biggest brands is the price involved with the products. No doubt the well to do customers can purchase these luxurious items at will; but the average customers sometimes have to get their desires crushed when the economy is not helping much. This is very tragic!
There is a solution. Certain online pawn shop outlets let these enthusiastic fans purchase great discounted products from the top brands around the world. Especially in a country like UK, purchasing DKNY watches online at great discounts from online pawn shops is quite possible. It is really possible to get products that are a little old, but in great shape and with a warranty. For instance these online stores have Rolex watches, branded accessories and Jewellery from Thomas Sabo all sold at super rebates. It is only a matter of time before you make up your mind and complete your collection. | https://medium.com/@CharlesFish/branded-watches-and-jewelleries-at-great-discounts-in-uk-111b9c4b672e | ['Charles Fish'] | 2015-11-11 09:52:39.078000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotel'] |
Changes in the Hotel Industry | “Today,” says Mr Marriott, “guests check in, they go to their room, drop their stuff. Then they go back to the lobby and hang out with friends or work on their computer.” As a result, lobby designs must now accommodate what he calls “this new desire to connect”. Take Courtyard, for example, one of the company’s cheaper brands. “In an old Courtyard hotel, two or three years ago, there was nothing going on in the lobby,” says Mr Marriott. “Today we have a bistro. And we have a lot of cubby places where people can get together.”
Bill Marriott has spent 60 years working for his family hotel group and talked to The Economist about how he’s seen the industry change. Besides making the lobby a more exciting place to hang out, Marriott says they’ve made desks smaller in hotel rooms to provide more space and because people just like working from bed. Also: guests don’t really use the closet and just grab things from their suitcases on the luggage rack.
The not unpacking of the suitcase is definitely true (for me at least). All of the hotels I’ve stayed at in the last two years were for weddings, and the main reasons for hanging out in the lobby were because it was the place that made the most sense to meet before heading out, and because they were always handing out free cookies. Suggestion to hotels: more free cookies, please.
Photo: Philip | https://medium.com/the-billfold/changes-in-the-hotel-industry-53e2d4383214 | ['Mike Dang'] | 2015-12-09 19:14:33.233000+00:00 | ['Hotels', 'Cookies'] |
What We Want And Need Now In Hospitality Industry? | As technology is growing immensely, the desire and requirement of customers in hospitality industry keep on changing. Nowadays smartphones have become an essential part of everyday life. Now no longer customers want to call and make advanced booking; in this mobile world just with a few clicks anyone can easily access to the list of hotels and book their favorite one.
By moving one step forward, the hospitality industries are providing best customer care facility and efficient operation system with the mobile apps. These apps are revolutionizing how customers interact with their favorite hotels and customizing the customer’s experience. In many aspects hospitality industry is growing wider and need to grow more to satisfy the customer needs.
The Current Needs & Wants in the Hospitality Industry
Let’s have a look on what customer need in hospitality industry.
More preference for Guests Service
Nowadays customers are becoming very clever; if they want to book any hotel/restaurant then they simply surf in search engines. As digitally enabled customers expect hotels to have more personalized services. As a result hoteliers need to improve personalization service from booking experience to till their personal services like food, cleanliness and refreshments. So hoteliers who provide mobile-centric personalization services will be in the top brands of choice for the guests.
Along with these, hotels should also look after the overall experience of the guests like including the information about the coolest local places. This simple tactic may lead to attract more customers and gain more profit.
No Need of Luxury Environment
Hotel Industry has barely changed over the few decades. Now no modern traveler look for white linen service, bell-boys to carry luggage and luxury lobby, they want to feel completely home attire and satisfied with the hotel lobby where they can sit and have coffee surrounded with the likeminded people. The new era is all about providing the best experience rather than flaunting wealth. Modern travelers don’t prefer for corporate setting, but they want an environment where they can interact with the new people. So make the luxury in a simple way.
Smart Check-In
No one wants to wait in a huge queue to get the room key for check-in. In the advanced technology, room check-in has become smarter way. With the radio frequency identification technology, customers can get the message about the room number on a planned day and on the arrival day the guest proceed to that room and the keycard will open the door. So this smart way can build good relationship with your customers.
Here have a look on what customer want in hospitality industry.
Using Smartphone in a Smarter Way
Each one of us are much more addicted to smartphones, this smart gadget gives a better opportunity to hospitality industry to improve customer service. With a single touch smartphone can give access to everything from food to shopping and much more. So hospitality industry can make use of mobile apps to change the way people plan their vacations. Customers can easily have a look on their favorite restaurant service instead of seeking for the multiple restaurants and can receive event updates via push notification. In this way smartphone can be used in a smarter way to attract your customers.
Social Media Presence
Even though social media presence is crucial in hospitality industry, but FaceBook is the popular platform for check-ins and reviews for hotels. Posting attractive images and sharing the videos, real stories, interesting blogs and reviews these can create a brand name for your businesses and customers can easily get to know about your restaurant in a single click. So restaurants and hotels should not miss this opportunity in order to share interesting photos of their services as well as the facilities. Hoteliers should choose their social media platform carefully based on their targeted audience, rather than simply joining all groups.
For More Details Contact Us :
Address: 795 Folsom Street, 1st Floor, San Francisco, California, 94107
Phone: 866–722–5538
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.elisthunter.com/ | https://medium.com/@jayewilliams/what-we-want-and-need-now-in-hospitality-industry-4602d9e2f4cf | [] | 2016-12-27 03:56:51.592000+00:00 | ['Tech', 'Hotel', 'Email Marketing'] |
Classification of hotel | Classification of hotel
Hotel can be classified under the following criteria -
Based on locational point of view:
1. City Hotel (Downtown Hotel or Commercial hotel):
This type of hotel is situated on the heart of the city within a short approachable distance from shopping areas, theater, super market etc. The guests are general businessmen who come for business purpose for 1 to 2 days. The constructional pattern of the hotel is generally match box construction. Example: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
They are situated in the suburban areas away from the hustle bustle of the city amidst of peaceful and serine environment. The guests are generally old aged people who stay for a month or more. The staffs also are generally old aged. This type of hotel provides kitchenette facility.
3. Resort Hotel:
They are situated near hill station, sea beaches, wild life sanctuary of forest, pilgrimage centers etc. the guests are generally holiday makers and their duration of stay extend from week to fort night. Resort hotels are generally spread over a large area. This hotel provides recreational facilities.
4. Motel:
They are situated on the side of highways. They generally cater to travelers on road. Extra facilities offered by these hotels are fuel-station, car-parking and garage. Example: Tim Ross’s retro motels of Australia
5. Floatel:
They are hotels that float on sea. They are stationery in nature and have no permanent connection with the main land. Example: Catamarans in Serbia
6. Boatel:
Botels are hotels on the boat found moving around on lakes. Examples: Shikara on Dal lake in Kashmir.
7. Roatel:
Roatels are rotating hotels, which can be five categorized hotel. Example: The Palace On Wheels.
8. Lotel:
Lotels are hotels that offer helipad facility.
9. Novotel:
Novotels are hotels that offer five star facilities on service at an economical price. Example: Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Jalan Kia Peng
10. Mattel:
Mattel are hotels, which has very less manpower and are controlled by sophisticated technological equipment.
Based on size of the hotel:
Hotels can be categorized according to its size also. Hotels that have rooms up to 25 are known as “Small Hotel”. “Medium Hotel” has 25 to 100 rooms. Containing more than 100 rooms hotels are known as “Large Hotel”
Based on the length of guest stay:
Hotel, where the guest checks in for a day or less are known as “Transit Hotel”. Where the guest checks in for a month or more are known as “Residential Hotel”. “Transient Hotel” is an incorporated feature of both “Transit Hotel” and “Residential Hotel”.
Based on the facilities offered:
Hotel can be rated from 1 star to 5 star categorization on the basis of the facilities that offered by the hotel. In India the body HRACC (Hotel & Restaurant Approval and Classification Committee, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. MINISTRY OF TOURISM.) grades the hotel from 1 star to 5 star super deluxe. A typical 5 star hotel offers centrally air-condition rooms and outlets and public areas, swimming pools, recreational facilities, gymnasium, wall to wall carpet in the room, mini-bar facility in the room, bathtub in bathroom, multi-cuisine restaurant, coffee shop, bar etc. | https://medium.com/@royonly/classification-of-hotel-bb1d4ed9960b | ['Dibyendu Roy'] | 2020-09-08 07:53:38.841000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Classification', 'Motel', 'Hospitality Industry'] |
How Will Travel Change In 2021? | How Will Travel Change In 2021?
The New Year is right around the corner, so we have decided to look back at this year in tourism and make a forecast for the near future of the hospitality industry.
The main trends we have already seen this year will continue developing. The sense of uncertainty that led to a decrease in bookings will stay — people now plan trips at the last moment. Until the situation returns to some semblance of normalcy, people will stick to this behaviour. With that said, as tourist traffic recovers, planning in advance should once again become more beneficial, and people will come back.
Another thing is that with less income, people became less mobile. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to change next year. What is here to stay, however, is domestic tourism. In 2021 it will continue to be the driving trend of the hospitality industry. If previously people used to travel to a handful of popular destinations, now the word “mass” in regards to tourism has become synonymous with “unsafe”, thus more and more people choose the seldom-travelled routes and resorts within their countries. This means domestic markets are expanding from within. Customized travel has also become more prominent — smaller tourist groups, carefully designed experiences, and guided journeys through nature reserves. There is a growing demand for vacations centered around outdoor activities — rafting, horseback riding, bike trails, fitness tours.
It’s hard to make a solid forecast for the near future of international tourism — it depends on a plethora of factors and decisions made by multiple countries. Of course, the world will continue opening up again, but it will be a very slow and gradual process. Firstly, new medical certificates required for international travel will be introduced, and people will keep cautious about catching a disease. All of this leads to a conclusion that crowded resorts aren’t coming back anytime soon, and when they do, most people will be wearing masks. | https://medium.com/modihost/how-will-travel-change-in-2021-bf3fad744167 | [] | 2020-12-28 09:45:59.483000+00:00 | ['Tourism', 'Travel', 'Hms', 'Hospitality', 'Hotel'] |
Petop Hotel Supply New Arrival Tamper-proof Stainless Steel Soap Liquid Dispenser | Petop Hotel Supply New Arrival Tamper-proof Stainless Steel Soap Liquid Dispenser
In order to reduce plastic waste in hospitality industry, and implement plastic free for hotels in 2023, small tiny travel hotel amenities kit is replaced with stainless steel liquid dispenser.
Wall-mounted soap liquid dispenser is not only used in guestrooms, refilling shampoo, shower gel and hair conditioner, also commercial hand soap dispenser and sanitiser dispenser are popular for public and commercial bathrooms.
Tamper-proof stainless steel soap dispenser is the latest new product by Petop Hotel Supply.
Compact, space-saving dispenser design enables dispenser to be easily positioned and mounted in compact areas with limited contact.
Tamper-proof stainless steel design with one key, open to refill shampoo, shower gel, hair conditioner and hand soap etc., ensures liquid safety.
Stainless steel bracket is durable and vandal-proof. Securely well mounted to the wall.
Standard capacity 500ml PET bottle for liquid soap, shampoo, shower gel and conditioner.
Multiple applications in hotels, home, office, school, hospital and other public commercial areas.
Available in single bracket, twin bracket and triple bracket to fulfil different demand.
For more product information or send us query, please feel free to contact us.
#hotel #resort #hotelsupply #soapdispenser #ecofriendly | https://medium.com/@petophotelsupply/petop-hotel-supply-new-arrival-tamper-proof-stainless-steel-soap-liquid-dispenser-7c3bd4dc77b1 | ['Petop Hotel Supply'] | 2020-12-17 09:21:47.923000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Travel', 'Hospitality'] |
Affordable Luxury Hotels in Singapore | Singapore is a sovereign city-state in Southeast Asia. It is a conglomeration of 62 islands along with the main island which is in a shape of a diamond. It is a center of business and transport and has also emerged as a top tourist destination in the world. There some world’s top 5-star hotels in Singapore along with 4-stars, 3-stars and boutique hotels. Here we are mentioning some best luxury hotels available at affordable prices.
Lloyd’s Inn: If you are looking a budget hotel with excellent amenities then you must check out Lloyd’s Inn. It is located in a prime location in River Valley district and just 4 km away from Marina Bay and 7 km from Universal Studios Singapore theme park. Rooms are spacious and equipped with free Wi-Fi, TVs, minifridges and desks.
The Pod — Boutique Capsule Hotel: As the name suggests, it is a hotel featuring capsule bedding, personal lockers, and free Wi-Fi. You are also offered complimentary breakfast. The Pod is just 2 km away from both the iconic Merlion statue and the Singapore Flyer.
AqueenPayaLebar: AqueenPayaLebaris a relaxed, colourful hotel set on a busy road within close proximity to some of the popular city attractions such as Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre, Tanjong Katong Complex, Joo Chiat Complex and City Plaza. There are 162 rooms categorized in several categories like Superior, Deluxe, Premier and Signature rooms. These rooms are equipped with Wi-Fi, smart TVs and safes. The hotel is 5 km away from East Coast Park and 10 km from National Gallery Singapore.
Amoy: It is a boutique hotel named after the Zhengzhou people who came to Singapore from China for the purpose of settlement. That’s why Amoy’s room share the traditional Chinese décor. Visitors are offered with free breakfast and parking, while in the rooms they get flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi and minibars.
The Quincy Hotel:The Quincy is an award winning hotel equipped with cutting edge technology. Once you have entered the hotel you are welcomed by friendly hotel staff ready to help you check in the stylish Studio or Deluxe rooms. Parking and breakfast are free and in the rooms are you will get free Wi-Fi, minibars flat-screen TVs, and designer toiletries.
Carlton City Hotel: Located in downtown Singapore, the Carlton City is a 4-star luxury hotel features ultra-sleek modern decor. The hotel is just 3-minute walk from Tanjong Pagar metro station. Rooms are airy with flat-screen TVs, free high speed internet, tea and coffee-making facilities.Chinatown is just 14-minute walk from the hotel.
Time doesn’t permit to mention all the hotels in Singapore, so we have mentioned some affordable luxury hotels. But before planning a trip you must check that you are getting the best price. For this you have to check some good hotel deals providing services such as Expedia.com, Booking.com, Hotels.com, Trivago.in, etc. You can also try Cheap Booking Hotels which is a new player in this industry. They offer up to 50% discount on luxury hotels in Singapore as well as around the globe. | https://medium.com/@paawann.mishra/affordable-luxury-hotels-in-singapore-92038c3d5a8a | ['Pawann Mishra'] | 2016-12-27 07:59:31.786000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotel', 'Hotel Booking'] |
A Stay at the Historic Stanley Hotel | A Stay at the Historic Stanley Hotel
Last month my dad and I trekked out to Colorado for our annual dad-daughter trip and decided to split our time between Denver and Estes Park. Admittedly, one of the main reasons we chose the location was wanting to stay at the famous and historic Stanley Hotel. And now that I’ve been, I can confidently say that if you find yourself planning a trip to Colorado, Estes Park is definitely the place to go and The Stanley Hotel is the place to stay!
History
In the early 1900s, F.O. Stanley (founder of the Stanley Steamer car) and his wife had moved out to Estes Park from the east coast after he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and only given six months to live. A few years later, Stanley seemed to be miraculously cured and decided to build The Stanley Hotel as a summer resort, which opened in 1909. Early guests included high-class families like the Rockefellers, Kennedys, and Vanderbuilts, who were friends of F.O. and his wife, and the rooms filled up quickly each summer, so much so that they had to turn people away!
At the time F.O. opened the hotel, there wasn’t much going on in Estes Park, so he set out to boost the local economy and tourism in the city. And boy did he succeed! Not only did he build a road from Lyons, another popular Colorado destination, but he also brought visitors in via the Stanley Steamer car versus having them take a train ride out to the resort (which was what people did back then). And by his last year (1940), he had established sewer, power, and water companies, Estes Park’s first bank, AND helped to restore wildlife to the area.
In more recent history, you might be familiar with The Stanley Hotel as the inspiration behind Stephen King’s The Shining. At the time Stephen King stayed at the famous hotel in the 1970s, it was still a summer-only resort and Estes Park hadn’t been the fully developed town it is today. Who knows, if you stay at the hotel maybe you’ll be inspired to write a best-selling novel! After all, the setting of The Stanley is absolutely STUNNING and oh so peaceful!
Location
The Stanley Hotel is tucked away in Estes Park, in the Rocky Mountains (check out the view from the hotel’s front yard!), about an hour and a half outside of Denver. Because it’s so far outside of the metro area, most people rent a car, but we opted to Uber out to the hotel, and take the Estes Park airport shuttle bus back. It ended up working out really well and saved us a lot of time and money!
The Room
Our room was located on the second floor in the main building and had a very historic look and feel, including photos from “back in the day” on property. How fun to imagine what life was like in the very places we stood!
We appreciated the mini-couches for sitting/luggage holding at the foot of each bed as well. I hate leaving my suitcase on the floor, and it helped us feel a little more at home being able to set up our own luggage station. The bathroom was more modernized with newer accessories and design, but you’ll notice the base of the sink is still a bit older. We could tell that while modernizing for guests is important, The Stanley is adamant about keeping those historic roots in place as well!
Dining
There are three places to dine at The Stanley Hotel — Steamer’s Cafe, Cascades, and Table. For breakfast or a quick bite, you can pop into Steamer’s. If you need to hop on the computer, this is the place to do, and you can also check out the incredible wildlife photos taken in Estes Park of all kinds of animals in the night!
The second, Cascades, a bar/restaurant, where we spent quite a bit of time! Let me start by saying if you’re an NFL fan and staying at The Stanley on a game day, you’ll be pleased to know the hotel has the football package so you won’t miss out on any football! As an Eagles fan, my dad was thrilled. Because despite being on vacation, watching the game was a must! And their bacon mac + cheese?! STELLAR, guys.
During our two-night stay at The Stanley Hotel, Cascades was hoppin’ day and night! And after our dinner in the restaurant, we totally see why. For starters, we ordered a caesar salad and grilled pear bruschetta. Both were different than the “standard” look of the dishes we’re used to seeing, but were absolutely delish, especially the seasonal pear bruschetta!
For the main course, I opted for a steak and my dad went for the game meatloaf. Both of these were gobbled up pretty quickly because they were SO good. In fact, my dad even stated that it was the best meatloaf he’d EVER had in a restaurant! By the time main courses were over, we shook our head at dessert, thinking we couldn’t possibly eat another bite. But our waitress assured us that dessert at Cascades shouldn’t be missed so we went for it. And boy am I glad we did! The raspberry sorbet crumble was out of this world!
Cascades is also home to the Whiskey Bar Colorado’s largest selection of whiskeys, bourbons, and scotch. And get this. Around 1,000 different whiskeys!! I had no idea so many varieties even existed! We sat down with one of the whiskey experts and were able to chat for a bit and do an international whiskey tasting which was really cool! I can’t even imagine how crazy it must be to be the keeper of the whiskeys!
Third and most unique, Table Restaurant, which is located in The Lodge, next to the main building. Each weekend, the hotel brings in a new chef to concoct a special themed menu for a five-course dinner. See the plates lining the top of the room? Those are all signed by guest chefs from Table!
Entertainment
There is SO much to do at The Stanley Hotel that you don’t even really need to leave the hotel grounds! My absolute favorite was the 90-minute Illusions of the Passed show by Aiden Sinclair (who appeared on America’s Got Talent)! Sinclair’s show consisted of historical and ghost stories and haunted artifacts, and kept the audience engaged and in awe the whole time. Not to mention EVERYONE in the room participated in some way, which was even more thrilling. I’m still trying to wrap my head around one of the parts I participated in!
On the hotel property, you can also take advantage of the REI Basecamp (yes, it’s on-site), which runs in summer and winter months. At the Basecamp, you can participate in guided hikes and take classes in things like first aid essentials and wilderness survival! While I don’t plan on ever getting lost in the wilderness, I’m fascinated by the man vs. wild life, and hey, it never hurts to be prepared! Plus, if the zombie apocalypse ever happens, you’d have a major leg up!
The Stanley also offers two tours for guests — a nightly ghost tour, and a historic tour. If you have extra time during your stay, I highly recommend taking one! We went on the historic tour and learned so much about not only the hotel’s history, but about life in the early 1900s, and about Estes Park. Plus, if you’re into hauntings, you’ll hear a story or two!
Interested in learning more about The Stanley Hotel? Follow along on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates! | https://medium.com/@rachelgault/a-stay-at-the-historic-stanley-hotel-6871eb83ce31 | ['Rachel Gault'] | 2016-12-21 16:23:06.020000+00:00 | ['Colorado', 'Hotel', 'Travel'] |
Four Seasons Announces First Mountain Destination In Europe | Four Seasons has announces strategies for the brand name’s 3rd destination in France, 4 Seasons Hotel, Megève and also the Chalet du Mont d’Arbois, Megève. Scheduled to open in late 2017, Four Seasons initially mountain location in Europe will be set amongst the snow-capped optimals of the large Haute-Savoie Alpine range. The task will consist of the all-new mountainside Four Seasons Resort, Megève also the conversion of a collection of traditional chalets in the heart of the middle ages Mont d’Arbois village.
Facing Mont Blanc and located just 44 miles from Geneva International Airport terminal, 4 Seasons Hotel Megève will be the very first hotel to provide straight access to the Mont d’Arbois slopes along with a luxurious sanctuary for skiers looking for ski in/ski out straight on the Alpine range. In enhancement to the 55-room resort, existing cabins will certainly be restored within the village of Mont d’Arbois, close to the major gondola.
Edmond de Rothschild Heritage, a distinguished way of life firm possessed by Benjamin and also Ariane de Rothschild, is partnering with 4 Seasons Hotels as well as Resorts on the project.
Commenting on this amazing development, Ariane de Rothschild, Chairwoman of the Executive Committee of Edmond de Rothschild Team, claimed, ‘This collaboration will certainly bring brand-new measurements not only to our friendliness at Mont d’Arbois however additionally to the town of Megève. The professionalism and reliability, global network as well as historical experience of 4 Seasons in the hospitality industry are 2nd to none, as well as I am particularly happy that the Hotel and Chalet in Megève will certainly be Four Seasons first luxury mountain location in Europe.’
J. Allen Smith, Head of state and also Chief Executive Officer, 4 Seasons Hotels as well as Resorts, added ‘The de Rothschild household has a lengthy history in Megève and also we’re honoured they have decided to companion with us to present this unbelievable destination to the next generation of deluxe visitors. Keeping the history and also personality of Mont d’Arbois while introducing 4 Seasons fabulous personalised service, we will certainly develop something yet undetected in the French Alps.’
Mont d’Arbois town’s several Michelin-star restaurants, historic Alpine architecture, as well as winding rock roads have actually established Megève as a location known as much for its gastronomy as well as cultural richness as for its striking all-natural landscape. The bordering areas of Megève likewise offer unlimited chances for Alpine experience, consisting of heli-skiing, dog sledding, glacier snowshoeing, as well as greater than 30 kilometers of groomed cross-country winter sports trails via idyllic snow-capped woodlands. An absolutely year rounded destination, Megève is transformed in the spring and summertime, as its mountainside fields flourish, bring in visitors from worldwide to its colorful gardens.
Four Seasons Resort, Megève and also the Cabin du Mont d’Arbois, Megève, A Four Seasons Resort will note the 3rd Four Seasons location in France, signing up with the epic 4 Seasons Resort George V, Paris and Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel in the French Riviera. The Resort will certainly be the 5th ski destination in the firm’s portfolio, joining Four Seasons Resort and also Residences Whistler, 4 Seasons Hotel as well as Residences Vail, 4 Seasons Hotel Rancho Encantado Santa Fe as well as Four Seasons Resort and also Residences Jackson Hole. | https://medium.com/@fascinatingtraveldeals/four-seasons-announces-first-mountain-destination-in-europe-900ef2c2275e | ['Tamekia Muniz'] | 2016-12-15 14:17:55.147000+00:00 | ['Destination', 'Flights', 'Hotels', 'Resort', 'Travel'] |
How we came up with a completely contactless check-in solution | “The scariest part about travel in the covid times is the long check-in process — really crowded reception area, the wait period and the full-of-contact process”
— a frequent business traveller
During a brainstorming session about how we can make travellers more comfortable about staying in hotels in these turbulent and precarious times, we came up with 2 ways of doing this -
Tech-enabled stays which ensure minimum contact & minimum time spent at any public area during the entirety of a guest’s stay.
Completely changing the way hotel operations are run and introducing revised SOPs for each and every leg of the guest’s stay.
While the latter was more operational, and ended up in us releasing fully revised hygiene processes across all our hotels, encapsulated under the Treebo Hygiene Shield offering, the former was what got us racking our brains.
The first problem to be solved here was the elaborate & lengthy check-in process at a hotel. The normal check-in process currently consists of the following steps -
Upon arrival at the hotel, depending on the queue at the front desk, you have to wait out your turn to check-in. At your turn, the hotel asks for your basic personal details and fills out your guest registration form(s) or the Arrival & Departure register. You are then required to sign this form/register. The hotel collects all guests’ ID proofs to make & keep a copy, for legal purposes. If you have a room preference, you communicate the same, rooms are assigned for your booking & finally, the keys are handed over to you.
Hence, following were the considerations while building the solution -
Guests should be able to complete the process effortlessly, using their own device - without having to download any app or software.
Time taken for check-in should be minimized — all aforementioned steps need to be handled through tech, and done before the guest physically arrives at the hotel.
Contact with the hotel staff should be reduced to the lowest possible — collecting the clean & sanitised key should be the only contact-based step guests need to undergo at the hotel.
Since there are legal implications involved, there should be a verification step for the guest details and ID proofs submitted during web check-in.
In case of any discrepancies in the details the guest has provided during web check-in, the guest should be informed of the same before the actual check-in at the hotel, and asked to correct them.
Hence, the solution consisted of the following steps -
Guests receives a link to web check-in 48 hours before their check-in date, which can be accessed from any device. He/she can fill in their basic details like nationality, address, where they are coming from and going to etc, and upload ID proofs through a simple and intuitive UI. Next, they can select the room(s) of their choice, specify any special requests they might have for the hotel, and select the tentative time of arrival at the hotel. Finally, the guests provide their signature, and complete web check-in.
That’s it! The process is seamless and takes just a few minutes to complete.
On the hotel side, there should be a single flow to manage all things related to web check-in. So the approach there was -
The front desk manager gets a notification to verify any pending web check-ins which have been completed by any guest for an upcoming booking. He can verify or reject the ID proof documents and the basic details provided by the guest during web check-in before or on the check-in date. Within the same flow, he can also preview and print the guest registration card already signed by the guest. If the documents are rejected by the FDM, the Guest receives a communication specifying the reason of rejection, so that they can provide correct details. On the day of check-in, the guest simply has to show the ID proof which they uploaded during web check-in and get the key to their room.
Voila! No more touching and waiting in the long queues. A fast, simple and hassle-free check-in process, soon to be launched across all our hotels.
Interested in working with some of the best technology & business talent in the country? Checkout the current openings at our careers page. We are always on the lookout for Engineers & Product Managers. The Web Check-In solution was brought to life by the super-awesome engineering, design & product team of Kapil, Dhwanil, Ankita, Sahil, Prateek, Praveen & myself.
Special thanks to Dhwanil & Kapil for helping write this post. | https://tech.treebo.com/how-we-came-up-with-a-completely-contactless-check-in-solution-855986047f0b | ['Surbhi Sethi'] | 2020-12-14 08:02:18.850000+00:00 | ['Check In', 'Contactless', 'Hotel', 'Hospitality', 'Coronavirus'] |
The Craziest Hotel Sign I Ever Saw | The Craziest Hotel Sign I Ever Saw
It’s different in Europe
Photo by greyerbaby at Morguefile.com
My wife and I once stayed at the Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, one of Italy’s grandest hotels. We don’t usually stay in a place like that but it was our anniversary so we splurged.
We got into our room, put our suitcase down and admired the view over Lake Como. Nice!
Then my wife noticed a card lying on the nightstand. It was like a “Do Not Disturb” sign, but different. Really different.
“Take a look at this,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”
The card was in four languages and it took me a minute to find one I understood. Then I saw it. It was an instruction to the guest: “If you leave your baby alone in the room in the evening, please hang up this sign on the door (outside).”
I flipped the card over. This was the side that would be visible when you hung it on your doorknob.
At the top was, “Silence, baby is sleeping.” And below, “I’m alone. If I cry, please tell the concierge.”
“Do you think this is for real?” I asked. “You just leave your baby in the room by itself?”
“I guess,” said my wife. “But I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.”
I can’t say if anyone actually used the card. We kept our ears open but didn’t hear any abandoned babies crying in their room. Nor did we see the concierge scurrying around with a wailing infant in his arms. But still.
Definitely a WTF moment.
www.keithvansickle.com | https://medium.com/@keith.vansickle/the-craziest-hotel-sign-i-ever-saw-5975c4f08675 | ['Keith Van Sickle'] | 2017-01-04 01:34:47.410000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Italy', 'Baby', 'Hotel'] |
European Union On Changes In Tourism | As we are trying to hold the second wave of the pandemic at bay, which shows little signs of stopping, it is becoming more and more obvious that a lot of industries will undergo drastic changes, and one of the first fields to go through this change is the tourism industry. This is coming from the European Union authorities.
Bans and restrictions on travel that were implemented in an effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19 have hit the tourism sector very hard. Entire hotels are vacant, airplanes are rusting away with little use, and staff is laid off by the millions.
What is happening amid the coronavirus hysteria in the field of international tourism and air travel? For instance, Germany is reducing prices on railroad travel in an effort to incentivize people to use alternative means of transportation.
Air carriers, one of them is Easyjet, are cutting down on their fleets. It all points towards a conclusion: if tourism is to survive the pandemic, it must radically change.
A lot of forward-looking travel firms, hoteliers and transport companies understand the inevitable structural changes to the economy, and are already putting effort into adapting to the new reality.
Will tourism ever come back in its former glory? Without a doubt, but it will be a completely different thing. At least that is what the European authorities believe. They claim there will no longer be hundreds of charter flights with millions of tourists going to beach resorts. EU commissioners advise everyone to get up to speed on the theory of “sustainable development” and begin adapting to the new world order.
The EU authorities claim that companies who believe they will be able to come back to the way they were doing business as they used to, won’t be able to survive the current crisis. | https://medium.com/modihost/european-union-on-changes-in-tourism-ae3b52baff0f | [] | 2020-12-16 11:05:08.318000+00:00 | ['Tourism', 'Blockchain', 'Hms', 'Hospitality', 'Hotel'] |
Travelling for Business? Then Airbnb it. | Travelling for Business? Then Airbnb it.
I spent 5 days in London for a business trip in November. Contrary to all my previous experiences, I decided to stay in an Airbnb apartment because, hey, I work in digital marketing, I have to be aware of what’s the real end product of one of Silicon Valley’s unicorns.
Although I had booked the flights from August, I only started actively looking for an apartment on mid-October. This was my first mistake since all the good, downtown apartments were already taken. Lucky for me, I got a great 2 bed home in Portobello.
Let me talk a little bit about this home. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a living room (yes, with a Smart TV with Netflix!) and a balcony.
Prior to finalize my booking, I did a research on what I could get with the same amount of money (~165€ / day). The results were devastating; only 3 star hotels were available.
I cannot think of any reason on why to choose a small hotel room over this Airbnb apartment. But I can think of a couple of reasons to choose a hotel over Airbnb.
Contrary to hotels, airbnb does not offer breakfast. Yes, our host was kind enough to provide us with a couple of tips for local shops where we could get our breakfast (and lunch, and dinner) but is this always gonna be the case?
On the upside though, wandering around the neighborhood, looking for new places everyday and trying unique tastes, can be a great experience and will help you step out of your comfort zone.
The other reason that someone could pick a hotel is the everyday cleaning service. Unless stated/agreed otherwise, the Airbnb apartment will be cleaned prior to your visit and it will not be cleaned again during your stay. Well, I do not clean my home everyday but it would be nice if someone was tidying up my apartment every single day.
I stayed in London for 5 full days and my schedule was not very different from the one I have when I am in Athens (my hometown): I wake up early in the morning, I grab a quick coffee and then off to work.
I worked from cafeterias (long live free WiFi), I had some downtown meetings (Canary Wharf, you were magnificent) and, once work was done, drinks were in order with friends living there. By 10pm, I was back home to do my next day planning and watch some Netflix before going to bed.
I was not a tourist in London, this could have been my “real” life. Returning back to an actual home with all the amenities, made London much more cozier and welcome.
Moreover, the finance & accounting department were very happy for the Airbnb. For starters, they got a business invoice from Airbnb so they won’t have any taxing compliance issues. The most important thing though, was that a similar hotel room would have cost the company much more.
Was I happy with my Airbnb choice? Definitely. I am really looking forward to my next Airbnb stay, for business or pleasure. | https://medium.com/@jetdrops/airbnb-for-business-travellers-1c54969d3732 | [] | 2017-10-11 08:20:47.032000+00:00 | ['Airbnb', 'Travel', 'Business', 'Hotel', 'London'] |
U.S Favorite Festive Hotels for Christmas & New Year | Here are my favorite festive hotels from Florida to NYC to California for Christmas and New Year.
Enjoy hobby lobby 40 off coupon, rental car coupons 50% off.
1. The Westin St. Francis, San Francisco, CA
The Westin St. Francis’ claim to fame during the holidays is its Sugar Castle display, created by the hotel’s executive pastry chef, Jean-Francois Houdré, and his team. This year, two large, impressive castles will adorn the lobby along with a tall Christmas tree and other decorations. The hotel also offers a traditional tea service on weekends as well as a dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
Another great perk to staying at this property is its location adjacent to San Francisco’s Union Square. Each year, a towering Christmas tree lights up the square and sits beside an ice skating rink, which is open until 11:30pm daily.
2. Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV
Sin City may not scream “Christmas!” but Bellagio really gets into the holiday spirit with extravagant decorations. Its Conservatory & Botanical Gardens’ annual Christmas display attracts visitors from all along The Strip. Their horticulturalists set up, among other things, a 42-foot White Fir tree, 28,000 poinsettias, a polar bear made of 12,000 carnations and lights, ornaments and ribbons galore. The display is elaborate and impressively beautiful. Outside, the famous Bellagio Fountains dance to the tune of holiday music, like “Santa Baby,” “O Holy Night” and “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
3. The Hotel Hershey, Hershey, PA
Hersheypark is even sweeter during the holidays, and the variety of stay-and-play packages from The Hotel Hershey will make your visit all the merrier. Choose from themed specials like the Christmas Candylane Package, Breakfast with Santa Package and Lunch with Santa Package. They all include admission to Hershey Sweet Lights, a two-mile drive-thru of 600 illuminated, animated displays, as well as Hersheypark Christmas Candylane, where Christmas activities, music and decorations take over the park along with and Santa and his reindeer.
4. The Plaza, New York City, NY
Between the numerous holiday performances and iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, New York City is a magical destination for the holidays. Staying at The Plaza will make you feel even more festive. Its lobby, already classy, will be gorgeously decorated with ornate wreaths and a glowing Christmas tree. Visitors can enjoy three special tea offerings at The Palm Court: New Yorker Tea, Champagne Tea and Eloise Tea. Kids will have fun at Santa’s Workshop and get the opportunity to take a picture with Santa as well. (Be sure to pre-book an Eloise Rawther Fancy Event with Santa so your kids don’t miss out.) Top off your stay with a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park, only blocks away from the hotel.
5. Gaylord Opryland Resort, Nashville, TN
This resort’s “A Country Christmas” theme is already in full swing, and the activities that go along with it are not to be missed. Families in particular will enjoy snow tubing, ice skating, ICE!® (walk-through sculptures carved from 2 million pounds of ice) and carriage rides around the well-decorated, lit-up grounds. Kids will love the Elf on the Shelf® scavenger hunt, gingerbread house decorating and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. The Gaylord Opryland really goes all-out to appeal to just about everyone for the holidays.
6. The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL
You likely won’t experience a white Christmas in south Florida, but staying at The Breakers will put you in the most cheeriest of moods. Starting on December 20 and lasting into the new year, trees, wreaths, decorations and more than 170,000 lights will transform the property into a magical wonderland. Families can enjoy time with Santa, build gingerbread houses, and attend a Winter Carnival of games and activities. Best of all, the whole family can leave the cooking — and cleanup — to the pros. The hotel will host a lavish Christmas buffet dinner in the Ponce de Leon Ballroom, complete with caviar, sushi, racks of lamb, Alaskan king crab legs and much, much more.
Get more kohls 30 percent off promo code | https://medium.com/@hopcomgiunhiet/u-s-favorite-festive-hotels-for-christmas-new-year-37b47668342e | ['Hộp Cơm Giữ Nhiệt'] | 2016-12-13 08:37:48.942000+00:00 | ['Christmas', 'Travel', 'Hotels'] |
A Local’s Guide to New York City Nightlife | Tablet’s employees are generally a young and vivacious bunch, and we know a thing or two about New York City after dark. In the spirit of sharing our hard-won expertise, we’re proud to present our personal tips for a night to remember in the city that never sleeps. And for when you actually do decide to sleep, we’ve included the Tablet Plus hotels that offer late check-out, a life-saver after a long night spent living it up.
Standard High Line, Fedora & the Park
MEATPACKING & WEST VILLAGE
The old-school butchers haven’t quite given up the ghost in the Meatpacking District, but they’ve largely been supplanted by velvet-ropers on one hand and tech visionaries on the other (Apple and Google both headquarter their NYC operations here). Further south in the West Village proper, storefronts and cafés and galleries collude to form a picturesque scene just east of the Hudson, due in part to the unusual street layout. You’ll want the legendary Black Label Burger at the Minetta Tavern — it’s a contender for the city’s finest — plus there’s real comfort to be found in the warm, familiar décor and the waiters’ traditional getup. When you’re ready to dance and be amazed, the Park more than suffices; its greenhouse ceiling permits an enchanting variety of plantlife, including adult trees, across its several bars and eating areas. Meanwhile, Fedora maintains a charming supper-club vibe a few steps down from West 4th Street, and the Garret is a speakeasy that’s perfectly hidden away up some stairs in back of a Five Guys burger joint.
Plus members sleep late at:
The Standard High Line, The Maritime Hotel, The Walker Hotel, The Marlton Hotel.
View from The Ludlow, Beauty & Essex & Hotel on Rivington
LOWER EAST SIDE & EAST VILLAGE
A hint of this classic NYC neighborhood’s gloriously rough-around-the-edges past still resonates, dripping lovable grit like sweat from a frontwoman’s guitar. Sunrise warriors have congregated here for decades to immerse themselves in its bars, clubs, live music venues, galleries, and cramped falafel joints. Case in point: the Back Room on Norfolk, a kitschy evolution of a Prohibition speakeasy cheekily situated at the business end of a nondescript alley. And if the wallpaper and teacups read a little too snobbish, there’s always — and we mean always, it doesn’t close — Veselka, an upscale Ukrainian diner with borscht by the bucketful. For a smidge more risqué, Nurse Bettie fully embraces its burlesque and pinup forebears with wink-and-nod mixed drinks, while Beauty & Essex sequesters heavyweight New American plates and cocktails behind an Essex street pawnshop.
Plus members sleep late at:
The Ludlow Hotel, Hotel on Rivington.
View from The New York EDITION, Casa Mono & Flatiron Room
GRAMERCY & FLATIRON
Bridging the gap between businessy Midtown and freewheeling Lower Manhattan, these streets are in something of a transitional state at the moment: the slow reinvention of this stretch of Broadway marches on, particularly for hoteliers, while bustling Silicon Alley types and advertising industry professionals ensure a steady crowd between Union and Madison Squares. Join them past sunset at Casa Mono for Michelin-starred haute-Spanish eats, enough to satisfy the tongue without overburdening the stomach. Raines Law Room does brisk business with the in-the-know speakeasy crowd (if you can keep a secret, you have to ring the doorbell at the bottom of a staircase behind an unmarked door). Or go big with live jazz and hundreds of whiskeys, scotches, and bourbons at the Flatiron Room; stop over at Cosme first for wild interpretations of Mexican fine dining by Enrique Olvera.
Plus members sleep late at:
The New York EDITION, The Roger.
The Bryant Park Hotel, Casellula & Viceroy Central Park
MIDTOWN & COLUMBUS CIRCLE
There’s just so much of Midtown that it’s hard to pin down its essential characteristics beyond a mélange of taxis, neon, high-rises, and purposeful suits; by night the traffic dips somewhat, but the dizzying grid persists. In a way, though, that makes our argument for us: the real-deal joints should reward patient discovery, or at least patient reading of this article. This time of year, too, Midtown decks itself out with extravagant holiday cheer; few things bring out one’s wide-eyed inner child quite so well as the Rockefeller tree glittering from a canyon of skyscrapers. Balance that with a late dinner of pungent cheese and tapas at Casellula, then take a quick stroll down 52nd street to Ardesia for a dedicated wine session among Midtown West locals. Switch things up a bit at Guantanamera, where live Cuban grooves and free hand-rolled cigars on weekends are the order of the day. Or soak up the hard stuff with the mushrooms in béchamel sauce at the Russian Vodka Room.
Plus members sleep late at:
The Bryant Park Hotel, Viceroy Central Park, The Time, Chambers.
Soho Grand Hotel, ZZ’s Clam Bar, Apothéke & The Mercer
SOHO
Welcome to the land of cast iron and plate glass, an eminently boutiquable and cobblestoned stretch of streets south of Houston. High-fashion outlets keep remarkably late hours, but after a certain point you’ll need fuel in the tank for the long haul. Enter ZZ’s Clam Bar on Thompson street: the apotheosis of reservations-only, haute-shoebox seafood, more experience than dinner, though they’ll make sure you’re sated before you stumble out into the night. Hike south to Chinatown for astounding concoctions by Apothéke’s lab-coat-clad mixologists — just be sure to adhere to their strict dress code past nine in the evening. Nearby, Whiskey Tavern slings its titular spirits and late-night eats in a dressed-down ambience, while Estela plates creative Mediterranean specialties until midnight right on Houston.
Plus members sleep late at:
The Mercer, Soho Grand Hotel, Crosby Street Hotel, NOMO SOHO.
The Roxy Hotel Tribeca, Bubby’s & Smyth, a Thompson Hotel
TRIBECA
Best to look sharp around these parts, firstly, as many a celebrity haunts the ultra-stylish Triangle Below Canal Street, cut largely from the same cobblestone-and-repurposed-industrial cloth as SoHo. Monied charisma abounds, infusing its brick façades and trendsetting eateries with outsize designer ambition. Yves offers the perfect mood for late-date dining, pairing simple and wholesome ingredients with impressively artful presentation. And there’s no better place to study brandy than at the Brandy Library — engage the bartender for a master class in this underappreciated brown liquor. Turn it into a bonafide bar crawl at Belle Reve — stained glass, live music, house burgers until three in the morning — then give in to comfort cravings at Bubby’s, which features just-right chicken and waffles in addition to an adorable name.
Plus members sleep late at:
The Roxy Hotel, Smyth, a Thompson Hotel.
Interested in New York boutique hotels? Check out the Top 10 boutique hotels in New York. | https://medium.com/@TabletHotels/long-nights-late-check-outs-77869b54cad2 | ['Tablet Hotels', 'A Michelin Experience'] | 2017-01-25 19:06:02.041000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'New York', 'Hotels'] |
Dog-friendly retreat with treats! Pawsome Staycation! | We are big fans of Lord Crewe Arms in Blanchland and have already visited several times before. This time was different. Our mischievous dachshund had arrived in early 2020 and was now settled in or ruling the roost more like.
We needed a break. A treat for us all. Lockdown had ended and hotels were open again. Lord Crewe was our go-to escape and now more than ever we needed that. Plus they are a dog-friendly hotel. Yippee! High paws all round!
Arrival and check-in
New covid secure procedures were in place on arrival and we had a great welcome from a 2m safe distance. Our pooch got the attention he loves and so was settled-in in no time.
We were shown to our room which was located across the road from the main building. As usual, the room was well laid out, cosy and welcoming. Bonus points on this visit as we had our own stove. Let the fire building commence!
Pooch Extras
We had booked the Pawsome Retreat package and so extras were left in the room. Treats, bowl, Lily’s kitchen food, cosy bed, and a dog food menu were all provided and had him rubbing his paws together in anticipation.
Due to the room being away from the main building it allowed easy exit for taking breaks with our pooch when nature called. I must admit a daxie bark sounds ten times louder in a tranquil location such as Blanchland!
Dining
Our package included an evening meal with a glass of wine plus breakfast. Lord Crewe has dog-friendly areas where you can take dogs so they can dine with you.
Food and drink were excellent as usual and all staff were really friendly.
For convenience, we dined in our room for breakfast which was very tasty.
Value for Money
A stay at Lord Crewe Arms isn’t the cheapest option and neither should it be. Location, food quality, and staff are all excellent and well worth it as a treat. We can’t wait to return!
Scores on the Paws rating
5 Pawsome — Pooch Heaven
Links
Lord Crewe Arms, The Square, Blanchland, Consett, DH8 9SP
Dog and Bone: 01434 677 100
Web: lordcrewearmsblanchland.co.uk
Due to ongoing restrictions Lord Crewe Arms are hibernating for the winter and due to reopen on Friday 5th March 2021. | https://medium.com/@staywagwoof/dog-friendly-retreat-with-treats-pawsome-staycation-98e55953f687 | ['Stay', 'Wag'] | 2021-01-29 09:01:17.883000+00:00 | ['Staycation', 'Hotel'] |
Enjoy Summer Vacation in Brazil | Brazil is a beautiful country by having an outstanding and also unique character. summertime vacation in Brazil might be enjoyable as well as interesting for any type of kind of traveler.
Brazil is One of one of the most popular country in South America. things to know when taking a trip, researching, or employed in Brazil or with Brazilian firms or federal government would be to keep in mind the sacredness of the summer trip, or ferias de verao. For university student, the break could last from mid- or possibly early December to February, and grownups usually have a vacation during this time around of year. Areas of the federal government shut down from Christmas with the start of February, like the High court. Depending on when Carnival drops, points typically introduce once again soon after.
When traveling in Brazil
It’s remember this that this time around of year is peak season. Despite the fact that New Year’s Eve and also Carnival are normally one of the most pricey components of high period, January and February are high period for Brazilians to travel. Besides greater prices, just what this means is much more crowded hotels, buses, trips, and also cruises.
Conducting business in January and also February in Brazil is similar to doing business in the US in July or August. Many individuals run out the workplace, and projects tend to relocate a bit much more slowly up until after Circus. When examining in Brazil, which indicates that courses do not start until February or maybe March, which January is actually a hassle-free time to take a trip in between semesters.
Other busy times during the year include Easter week as well as the months of July, when Brazilian schools and also colleges place their winter season break, and August, when most Europeans as well as Americans see throughout the summer holiday. This could be the worst time of year to check out, costs rise considerably, and apart from in the north and areas of the Northeast, the climate might be iffy and also totally chilly from Rio de Janeiro southward. Twelve months in Rio, I experienced through 4 straight weeks of rain, as well as temperature levels just 5 to 10 Celsius (40s-50s Fahrenheit) are not unusual in the south. If you wish to utilize the ideal deals and still have great climate, think about visiting Brazil in September or October.
The spring climate implies warm days in São Paulo, Iguaçu, and also Rio, and exotic heat otherwise, in the Amazon as well as the Pantanal, you will certainly exist right before the wet period starts. Being an included reward, in Rio you could participate in some of the samba institution rehearsals because they prepare yourself for Carnaval (yes, they start 4 months early). One various other excellent duration for a go to is after Carnaval (very early to mid-Mar, with regard to the dates) through May, when you are able make use of low-season prices, particularly in hotels, while still delighting in excellent weather.
Brazil climate information
It does not matter which time of year you pick to see Brazil, you can take your swimsuit with you! Most of Brazil depends on the tropics, so there’s minimal variation in temperature levels within the north part of the nation, it’s cozy throughout the year. The more south you travel, the better varied temperature levels will be — although never ever as different because they remain in Europe. March to November are dry months and December to February are damp months in Southern Brazil. Throughout the Brazilian winter months (June to September) the aspects in Rio as well as the bordering location approaches the summertime in Northern Europe. The (rainfall) forest areas Pantanal and the Amazon.com, are warm and also damp throughout the year. Tropical north eastern Brazil has two periods, but you’ll rarely observe any kind of distinction in between the 2. The average temperature is 23 ° to 27 ° C throughout the year.
Besides the fact that life as always tends to come to a halt throughout this period of year, it’s additionally vital to keep in mind exactly how essential leisure time is in Brazil. Holiday, R&R, as well as spending some time off of work and also institution is truly an important part of Brazilian society, consequently the summertime is a time to place aside tension and join good friends and also household at the coastline, the mountains, or just in a backyard barbecue.
So even when you remain in the North Hemisphere, it’s essential to bear in mind that in Brazil, it’s summertime, and it’s time for you to take it easy | https://medium.com/@stunningvacationtips/enjoy-summer-vacation-in-brazil-2751c7d7fd49 | ['Larue Crandall'] | 2016-12-15 15:22:27.931000+00:00 | ['Airlines', 'Hotels', 'Travel', 'Traveling', 'Trip'] |
Curious men flock to Hilton hotel in Sanya after sexy blogger offers ‘free sex’ | Curious men flock to Hilton hotel in Sanya after sexy blogger offers ‘free sex’
After groups of men began arriving at her hotel door, the woman tried to explain that her offer was only a joke
A sultry blogger recently set off a veritable stampede of men to a Hainan hotel after posting a message on social media offering “free sex.”
Last Thursday night, the woman, Ye Mouyi, who goes by the username Qianjin Yeye (千金怡怡), posted on Weibo and WeChat a brief message saying: “Who’s coming to find me… to have sex… for free… 6316.”
That number was Ye’s hotel room, while the message was geotagged, placing her at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel overlooking Sanya’s Haitang Bay. The post was also accompanied by a video showing Ye in her bikini inside her hotel room.
Social media rumors claim that around 3,000 people showed up at the hotel after reading Ye’s message. While that is almost certainly an exaggeration, a number of men did make their way to the Hilton, even going so far as to knock on Ye’s door, while others chose to call up the hotel’s front desk and ask for more information about the occupant of Room 6316.
One guy even uploaded a video of himself giddily walking the hotel’s halls and arriving at Ye’s room.
And here’s a photo of what allegedly was going on in neighboring Room 6315 that night.
Ye quickly came to regret her message, imploring people to stop forwarding it around, claiming that she was only joking.
Eventually, she was forced to call the front desk and have hotel employees escort her out of the building.
According to the Beijing News, after receiving complaints from the hotel, local police launched an investigation into the matter, apprehending Ye the following day at the airport.
Ye admitted to sending out the post to attract more social media followers. On charges of prostitution and disrupting the hotel’s busines, she has been placed under detention for 15 days, fined 500 yuan, and has had her Weibo account taken down.
[Images via Beijing News] | https://medium.com/shanghaiist/curious-men-flock-to-hilton-hotel-in-sanya-after-sexy-blogger-offers-free-sex-a1e7938ecdb2 | [] | 2018-03-06 13:01:07.219000+00:00 | ['Social Media', 'Sex', 'China', 'Prostitution', 'Hotel'] |
Digital Skills You Need Before Kickstarting a Career in Hospitality. | In order to reach potential clients, you need to leverage on the powerful influence of the digital world.
As a career person in hospitality, you need to have necessary knowledge about the digitalization of the hospitality industry.
The following are five digital skills you need to possess as a hospitality career person:
-1- CONTENT MARKETING: Making use of the right words to attract your prospects is very important. You should be able to come up with great content for your target audience. Any content you share must be relevant, easyto-read, straight-to- point, engaging and directive.
-2- SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT: You should have a pretty good knowledge of how social media runs. Millions of your prospects are chilling on these platforms, you need to find the right way to get to them. Know how Instagram works, as well as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
-3- GRAPHICS DESIGN: There is a need for your business page to look appealing at a glance. This is possible if your visual contents are eyefriendly. You can outsource this to a graphics design agency if you find it stressful or difficult.
-4- EMAIL MARKETING: Being able to contact your existing customers and prospects via email is a needed skill. Email marketing also enables you to introduce your offers and new services to your customers. And the conversion rate via email marketing has been recorded to be high.
-5- FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM ADS: Presently, businesses are taking their services to Facebook and Instagram. They even pay for the paid sponsored adverts to reach a larger audience base. Knowing how to set up ads on these platforms is a valuable skill.
Which of these skills are you yet to posses? Share with me in the comment section. | https://medium.com/@thehospitalityqueen/digital-skills-you-need-before-kickstarting-a-career-in-hospitality-9948755dbf0b | ['Yvonne Joseph', 'The Hospitality Queen'] | 2020-12-10 00:07:57.322000+00:00 | ['Digital Marketing', 'Digital Skills', 'Hotel', 'Hotel Management', 'Hotel Marketing'] |
Consumer Changes and the Influence of the Hospitality Industry | Gone are the days when we were suppose to stand in a long queue for check-in, calling a waiter to order food or for experiencing a bad service. Nowadays hospitality industry is changing innovatively and adapting the smart technologies and trends to fulfill the consumer’s preference. With the smartphone trend, now customers can easily check-in to the room with a single click and also they can control the room temperature with the mobile apps.
Customers are becoming more sophisticated in the hospitality industry. According to that hospitality industry is creating new trends on the guest experience by maximizing the convenience through digital technologies.
Here are few customer preferences that influence on the hospitality industry.
1. Simpler Online Booking
Online hotel booking has become simpler than ever. Many hotels and restaurants are also providing different websites for customers to decide which hotel is best and where to reside. As the internet world is moving more and more towards simplicity, customers are expecting easy way to book hotel rooms. Nowadays hotels and restaurants are creating responsive websites and mobile apps so that customers can easily seek for their favorite hotel and they can book hotel within a few seconds.
2. Technology for Personalized Service
The main purpose of technology in the hospitality industry is to increase efficiency and to improve personalized services for the customers. Today, technology in the hospitality industry is gaining more popularity and travelers are increasingly demanding for the self-sufficiency service through online and mobile apps for check-in and out, ordering food, mobile concierge and many more. As hoteliers adapt innovative and connected technologies, it’s the best way to provide more personalized services to the customers.
3. Luxury Lobbies are Turning Into Interaction Place
Nowadays luxury lobbies have become interaction place for the customers where they can have coffee and interact with the other people. Many hoteliers are adapting mobile apps so that customers can easily go though the food menus, tourist places and entertainment part. This will be a great idea to engage hotel guests in the lobby.
4. Social Media Presence
Nowadays social media presence has become more vital for the hospitality industry. Creating brand awareness and engaging customers by posting blogs and sharing images, photos, real experience and reviews in the social media can create your brand name. This also proves to be an effective platform for providing the best customer service in a better way.
5. Go Green Policies
As per the US government, hotel industries need to adapt eco friendly policies. So hospitality industry is implementing green policies in a better way. Hotels are using LED lighting, which is more efficient compared to other. And installation of energy efficient computing devices and other equipments can help hotels in reducing electric bills.
In spite of adapting with the many new changes that are brought from the advanced technologies, there are still many things to enhance with the core offerings of the hospitality industry. So along with the advanced technology, customer service and food quality are the fundamental pillars of this industry. | https://medium.com/@info.elisthunter/consumer-changes-and-the-influence-of-the-hospitality-industry-2a077f4df416 | ['Johnathan Walker'] | 2016-12-27 07:04:56.293000+00:00 | ['Tech', 'Hotel'] |
The Top 4 Most Popular Hotel Management Software Apps | Originally published on Capterra’s Hotel Management Blog
From on-premise to cloud computing, things are shaking up in the world of hotel property management software.
As wearable tech trends begin to revolutionize luxury and resort hotels, mobile capabilities are also making it possible for hotel staff to manage their property’s operations away from the front desk.
With the new reliance on mobile, hotel management software apps are growing in popularity with many hospitality property management and vacation rental software solutions cashing in on mobile capabilities.
But instead of simply listing popular hotel software with mobile functionality, I’ve found four hotel management apps if you wish to operate your property on your smartphone, tablet, or even smartwatch.
Let’s get started.
ALICE features both department specific apps (Staff, Guest, and Concierge) as well as an overarching suite you can use for better operating efficiency across your property. With ALICE Staff, users can expect features like internal messaging to keep in touch with staff members as well as the ability manage and assign tickets. ALICE Concierge is helpful for those at the front desk, enabling employees to integrate your PMS system to access important guest information and allowing you to track all requests within one system, including incidents, reservations, transportation services, wake up calls, and more.
What’s most exciting about this app is its Guest component, where guests can voice their needs and desires, giving them real-time status updates and notification on the progress of a particular service. Guest tracking metrics are also available on all requests and reservations.
ALICE is available for both iOS and Android operating systems.
Cost: Pricing information for ALICE isn’t listed publicly, but you can contact customer service for a quote here.
Erziman Asaliyev’s hotel management app is a great option for hotel managers on the go who still want to keep tabs on their property. Nano Hotel Booking accomplishes much of the same work as traditional desktop-based solutions, including a calendar that informs users of room occupancies and vacancies as well as how many rooms will be freed up in a set period of time.
Rooms undergoing construction can also be marked off. Users additionally have the option to craft seasonal prices and record each room’s appliances, such as a refrigerator, TV, or telephone.
Nano Hotel Booking and Property Management is compatible with iOS systems.
Cost: $2.99
In addition to being a booking engine, Roombler enables unlimited users to work within the app, something traditional hospitality property management usually caps. Users can drag and drop bookings for sudden reservation date changes, add multiple rooms to a single reservation, and add charges and payments to a booking.
Users can also integrate online travel sites, such as Booking.com and Expedia, with more coming down the pipeline, including Airbnb. And if these features aren’t convincing enough, Roombler assures no training is necessary, hopefully meaning……………………..
Read the entire article now | https://medium.com/@CapterraHotel/the-top-4-most-popular-hotel-management-software-apps-630ccea4275a | ['Capterra Hotel Mgmt'] | 2016-12-15 13:40:18.500000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Travel', 'Hotel', 'Hospitality', 'Property Management'] |
New Hotel In Phuket | New Hotel In Phuket
Founder and CEO of Veranda, Verawat Ongvasith, spoke to Bangkok Post about a new hotel in Phuket that is being currently designed.
«We expect to start construction by the third quarter of 2021, then we will wait for a recovery in the tourism market before launching residential units for sale,” he said. “The Phuket tourism sector is likely to bounce back in the second half next year.»
The project will comprise four-storey towers with a total of 150 hotel rooms, branded and operated by the Veranda Resort. It will also include residences under a separate brand, in two-storey buildings for condo units and villas.
“Covid-19 has driven Thailand to stand out as one of the world’s safest destinations. When vaccines are available, Phuket will attract vacation home demand from foreigners”, — says Veranda CEO.
Mr. Verawat believes in a positive scenario for 2021, assuming a vaccine becomes available in Europe, which is a key traveller market for Thailand.
«An influx of tourists from Europe will return quicker than expected in 2021 as they will be able to travel anywhere around the world once they get vaccines, no matter if people in those destinations are vaccinated or not», — he added. | https://medium.com/modihost/new-hotel-in-phuket-e95e3d4d0b4a | [] | 2020-12-30 09:43:07.090000+00:00 | ['Hospitality', 'Hms', 'Hotel', 'Business'] |
A millennials confession letter | A millennials confession letter
Wyndham Grand Manama
When it comes to the success of a business model in the year 2017, your formula is as complex as it gets. The margin for error is just so small, if you take half a step too late or too early your not really going to make it, an employee too shy or too talkative and you lost a customer, the timing required in every decision is so critical. and for the first time in history, you actually don’t get a second chance! what the hell is happening?
So many things have happened in the past 10 years, oh wait 10 days probably, hell no there was a product launch 10 minutes ago, but I’m not boring you or myself with a history lesson because the moment I get into that I understand that I will lose another reader! Millennials are here, that’s what happened.
Millennials have exceeded Baby Boomers as the largest target market audience, as a customer and indeed as your employee! according to population estimates released recently by the U.S. Census Bureau.Millennials; a segment of the population that were born between 1977 and 2000, now number 75.4 million in the united states, surpassing the 74.9 million Baby Boomers (ages 51–69).
So Who are Millennials? what do they want?
Millennials will actually be 75% of the global workplace by 2025, still, think 2025 is too far, it’s actually in 8 years. they are a population half of which considers themselves politically unaffiliated and they have the highest number of friends on facebook 60% of them have posted a selfie or more on social media sites , and most of them receive about 60+ texts a day but you have read just too many statistics and you want to hear it from an actual perennial, well here it goes
Travel and new experiences peak my interest above anything else, Uber and Airbnb have replaced my Cab and Hotel, yet I’m still very loyal to that trending hotel on 5th Avenue in New York just because it’s the place to be, my personal life will be more bothered by losing the PC or my phone than maybe my car! I love to try new brands and have finally settled down on a favorite drink, which I’m sure will change in the coming year or two, 30% of my day will go on a combination of WhatsApp, emails, and social media , yet I’m eager to dedicate a similar amount of time to learn a new skill, Instead of reading my books I listen to them on a mobile application called audiable and instead of grocery shopping I use a mobile application that delivers my groceries at the time I need them. If a brand doesn’t adjust to my needs I find another one, and if there is no brand that caters to my needs I start convincing investors to fund one, I don’t bother to type my “i” in capital because I know my PC is smart enough to do that for me, my father’s generation will call this lazy and I will call this smart, I value honesty and I respect my superiors but I do not hesitate to point them wrong when they are! I voice out my opinion to the brand I use because I want to belong, and because I know my opinion will help shape it, and if the brand doesn’t listen I speak to another one.
as an Employee I’m inspired by greatness, I grow up watching success of brands like google and apple and I am hungry for greatness, if you want to capture my attention you better be good at it, and there has to be something in it for me, I don’t mind making a mistake but I do mind coming in second.
After spending almost 5 years of my career with one brand I decided that my learning curve has ended and it’s time to experience something new, at the time of my job hunt I had a difficult choice between 3 employers and I really think if you’re planning to hire or cater to a millennial one day you’ll be interested in the reasons behind my choice.
My interview was casual, after the regular screening from Human Resources I had a cup of coffee with my new boss to be, after your typical Q&A session he explained to me his understanding of the trends of this market and verbally confirmed that he believes I’m the right man for the job, after finalising the details of the package and benefits, it was one sentence that made me chose this job,it was his quest for greatness rather than ordinary, his words were crystal clear: “I’m looking for a team to do something great or not do it at all Basel!”
sounds simple, and basic, but as a marketing professional that was one of the essential messages that I try to live by every day, not every video you post on youtube goes viral, and not every advert you create will have your expected return on investment, unless you aim for greatness, you will fail! and there it was, knowing that I would have the support of someone that wants to achieve greatness is all it took, next thing you know I was the new Director of Marketing at the Wyndham Grand Manama. (hotel picture above)
That greatness attitude was applied from day 1, the hotel building I entered was constructed with the objective of greatness in mind, our first brainstorming session was held to discuss suite room benefits, and after a heavy session we crossed all our ideas and started over, although every idea that has been applied and succeeded was interesting, we wanted every detail of our guest experience to be something that people will talk about, we want every single choice we make to be your next Instagram post, or your inspired tweet, and that’s why this hotel will succeed, in attracting the best talent, and later on the best customer there is in town! it speaking the language of Millennials before it was even built
on a promotional folder of the building, there was a quote, I’ll end with it!
“There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?”― Zaha Hadid | https://medium.com/@baselq/a-millennials-confession-letter-61b8900d5623 | ['Basel Qabouq'] | 2017-01-04 11:03:21.853000+00:00 | ['Leadership', 'Millennials', 'Management', 'Hotel', 'Marketing'] |
When AI Works For You | ”Thank you for your stay, we hope to see you again” — this phrase has been almost customary in a lot of self-respecting hotels. However, now, on the cusp of 2021, it pays for hotels to turn this routine saying into a guarantee if they want the guest to come back to the hotel next time.
How does one achieve that? AI knows no equal when it comes to gathering and analyzing ANY data. This provides booking managers with an excellent opportunity to “have their finger on the pulse” at all times, monitoring if the guests were satisfied with everything during their stay, what they liked and what they didn’t, and mend the situation as fast as possible. By minimizing the negatives and amplifying the positives while staying in close contact with the guest who has already stayed in your hotel at least once.
If the guest feels that the hotel is their friend, that the hotel remembers their visit, his preferences — the chance of their coming back next time they are in town will be much higher. It is essential to be careful in reminding the guest about your hotel. This is where, again, AI knows best: it relies on the data showing, for example, that the guest was on a business trip last year, and is coming back for the annual convention next year.
After all, if Expedia and Booking.com are so enthusiastic about investing in software solutions, and always ask their users the question “You have stayed at hotel A and left a positive review. Would you like to book it again? Here’s the best price for these dates:”, why not borrow this approach? | https://medium.com/modihost/when-ai-works-for-you-6f60f40597d0 | [] | 2020-10-13 13:14:11.886000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'AI', 'Hospitality', 'Hotel'] |
Madurai located on the banks of Vaigai River, is the third largest city in Tamil Nadu state. | Madurai — Offers Numerous Sightseeing Opportunities
Madurai located on the banks of Vaigai River, is the third largest city in Tamil Nadu state. This 2500 year old city is located close to Coimbatore and Chennai. This city has been inhabited for at least two millennia. The Nayak kings of Madurai and the Pandyans built this city in Dravidian architecture and style. Towards its western region lies the beautiful Nagamalai and Sirumalai hill where agriculture is the main activity. The Periyar Dam nurtures this agricultural land. People can make the most of affordable Madurai travels to see the place.
Madurai climate is hot and dry. There are a number of sightseeing opportunities offered by this ancient city. On referring to the Madurai map you get to know that there are numerous palaces and temples to see in this beautiful city. The Meenakshi Amman Temple with 33000 sculptures, dedicated to goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva is a historic one and a prominent landmark. The complex is housed in the 14 gateway towers.
Surrounded by a mountain range, Fortune Pandiyan Hotel Madurai features rooms with flat-screen TVs, situated in landscaped gardens. Offering free parking, it features a spa, outdoor pool and fitness centre. Air-conditioned rooms at Fortune Pandiyan feature classic wood furnishings and neutral fabrics. They are equipped with a flat-screen satellite TV and safe. Private bathrooms have a hairdryer and bathtub.
Tourists can consider any of the affordable Madurai Hotels and restaurants offer delicious international food and local cuisine. Popular snacks are the idly, vada, sambar and coconut chutney. Many of the travel companies organize tours and travels within the city, regions close by and abroad. For your travel needs you will need to select one of the best Madurai travels offering great leisure, comfort and relaxation on the trip. Reputed travel and tour agencies offer personalized and authentic services, car rentals and car hire services in Madurai.
For more information about Madurai travels Online Booking Services, Please visit our website for booking Madurai | https://medium.com/@indiahotelsroom/madurai-located-on-the-banks-of-vaigai-river-is-the-third-largest-city-in-tamil-nadu-state-d05c3121bca5 | ['India Hotels Room'] | 2015-11-25 10:31:58.373000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotels'] |
Extracts From My Family History Articles | Founder Of Psionic Medical Society
The Times, Saturday, Oct 14, 1978 it was reported that George Laurence died at home aged ,88 and a memorial service for him and his wife Minnie who died in June of that year was held at 11.00 on Saturday 28 October 1978 at St. Marys Parish Church.
I never met my ancestor but would liked to have known him. Did you know him? He was born into a Quaker family on 19 October 1880 in West Derby, Liverpool of Thomas Davy Laurence, a prosperous Temperance Hotel proprietor, Chairman of the Select Vestry who organised the Liverpool Workhouse and soon to be magistrate.
His mother was Kate Parkes whose father was an independent clergyman. In 1904 George qualified in London as a doctor and surgeon and in 1915 as a surgeon in Edinburgh. Whilst training to be a Doctor he married his first wife Olive in 1907. Once qualified he worked as a local doctor in Chippenham, Wiltshire.
In 1934 his father who was living with him died. George had also been present in Torquay in 1929 when his mother Kate died. In 1922 when the Temperance Hotel was demolished Thomas had resigned as local magistrate to look after his sick wife in Torquay. After her death he moved to Chippenham to live with his son George. Olive had two children, Robert Wilton and Mary Blanche.
From June 1942 to end of May 1954 he was employed as Works Medical Officer who was also in charge of Welfare being Chairman of the Works entertainment committee for Westinghouse Brake and Signal, whose employees rose from 2,500 in 1942 to around 4,500 in 1954. In 1953 his first wife died and he married Minnie Pike.
Upon retirement he moved into private practice in Wargrave, specialising in homeopathy. In collaboration with two others he published a book called Psionic Medicine and founded the Psionic Medical Society. He lived at Mumbery Lodge, School Hill which he had built for him, now demolished. Were you one of his patients, did you know him? Please could you tell me more about him?
Letter printed in the Wargrave Times
Laurence's Liverpool Temperance Hotel > Thomas Davey Laurence
In the 1861 census there is a small girl of 10 called Rosamond Evison and her sister Mary Ann in her uncle William’s hotel Laurences Commercial and Family Temperance and both are observing Williams father, Thomas, age 79 ruddy faced coal merchant from another era in deep discussion with his son.
Others present are her relatives: William Michaels wife, Francis Ann Laurence 42, Emily Laurence 19, Fanny Caroline Laurence 5, Charles Michael Laurence 4, and the hotel’s customers: William Davies 41, commercial traveller, David Bickerton 30, commercial traveller, and the hotel’s employees that later in life she will join Mary Milling 33, waitress, Helen Parsons 23, housemaid, Mary Ann Halliday 22, kitchen maid, Elizabeth Meakin 28, chambermaid, Jane Carson 47, cook , William Williams 21, boots.
William Michael’s son Thomas Davy, her cousin is due to transfer to the Newcastle Quaker meeting on 28 August 1862 and live and work at 174 the High Street, Sunderland, age 14 training with Quakers Joshua Wilson & Brothers to be a wholesale grocers’ assistant. His future wife, Kate, age eleven, lived with her father Reverend William Parkes from 1855 to 1864 in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland. Maybe, they met.
`Family and Commercial’ perfectly describe the Laurence family through the Nineteenth Century.
Thomas Davy Laurence the later proprietor of the Temperance Hotel was born in Sheffield in 1846 to William Michael Laurence and Frances Davy. William Michael LAURENCE was a son, one of five children of coal merchant Thomas LAURENCE and his wife Mary TEFT who lived and worked in Louth, Lincolnshire. William moved to Sheffield where he married Frances Anne DAVY who came from a very respected Quaker family, originally from a small village outside Keighley.
He married Kate on 6 July 1870 at Great Georges Street Chapel in a ceremony conducted by her father William Parkes who was an Independent Minister. They did not live at the hotel and over the years moved to various properties in the more prosperous areas of the city, accompanied by at least two servants and a monthly nurse.
Thomas Davy returned to the Liverpool Quaker meeting on 25 April 1867. In his will his father William Michael added a codicil to his original. The codicil dated 19 August 1869 stated “ I have lately entered into Articles of partnership with my son Thomas Davy for the carrying on the business of Hotel Keeper at the Temperance Hotel, Clayton Square, Liverpool for a term of five years and have also sold unto him one half of all the household goods furniture and other effects in the said Hotel including one half of the Goodwill for the sum of three thousand pounds to be paid and secured to me with interest …” It also states that his son could purchase the Hotel for twenty thousand pounds or write a letter to his executors and purchase it for three thousand pounds. His father died on 3 February 1874. The five year term would have expired on 19 August 1874.
BACKGROUND
Achitecturally, the hotel is made up of two early Victorian classically styled houses. They often had decorative French balconies on the first level. LAURENCES Temperance Hotel was made up of two properties, 20 and 21, Clayton Square.
20, Clayton Square
After four years William Brown moved his business here in 1841 to re-establish his Browns Commercial And Family Hotel. It had twelve rooms. One famous occupant was the American Frederick Douglass who wrote a letter to various English newspapers expressing his dismay at the racial prejudice he experienced from the Captain and crew of the ship, Cambria.
March 1854, William was involved in a court case, involving theft. On Saturday in October 1853, Mr BEVERIDGE, a commercial traveller in confectionery, who had used the Hotel for four years, left his writing desk containing £64.00 some of it in gold, with other writing desks in the hotels commercial room. On Tuesday the desk had disappeared to be found later rifled through. The court found in favour of Mr. Brown, as Mr Beveridge had not properly looked after his property.
By the 1851 census William Brown had moved to Sheffield, his wife’s birthplace, to take up the trade of Fruiterer. His hotel was now the home of John Arkwright, married, 50 (b 1811) who was a mariner from Liverpool, Lancashire and his wife Jane also from Liverpool and their son and daughter, James and Margaret Ann. William took over 21, Clayton Square first in May 1856, acquiring 20, Clayton Square between 3 May and 13 May 1864.
21, Clayton Square
In 1822 it was the home of Mr Hartley of the English Opera House who gave a series of lectures on poetry, and in the same year the residence of Mr Young who performed part of Shakespeares King Richard the Third.
In the 1851 census the property was leased by a Joseph MARTIN, a Widower, aged 53, Hotel Keeper Kirby, Warwickshire MARTIN, Charles Son Unmarried M 23 1828 Clerk In An Office Liverpool, Lancashire BOOTHBY, Harriet Esther Servant Unmarried F 41 1810 House Keeper Treuddyn, Flintshire DIX, Sarah E Unmarried F 18 1833 Bar Maid Fenton, Staffordshire JONES, Catharine Unmarried F 28 1823 Cook North Wales WILLIAMS, Jane Unmarried F 24 1827 Chambermaid Welshpool, Montgomeryshire FOSTER, Jane Unmarried F 21 1830 Waitress Huyton, Lancashire IRVING, Mary Widow F 23 1828 Kitchenmaid Holyhead, Wales JONES, Mary Unmarried F 21 1830 Waitress Welshpool, Anglesey HEWETT, Ivar F 16 1835 Chamber Maid Flintshire, Wales BIRCHELL, Eliza F 23 1828 Chamber Maid Manchester, Lancashire RADCLIFFE, Sarah Servant Unmarried F 27 1824 Waitress Bedford, Lancashire, Anne Unmarried F 16 1835 Kitchen Maid Taplow, Flintshire, Wales EMMERY, Henry Servant Unmarried M 21 1830 Porter To Boots Stone, Staffordshire JONES, Thomas Servant Unmarried M 36 1815 Porter To Boots Kearn, Montgomeryshire, Walesn SHEEN, Charles Servant Unmarried M 14 1837 Porter To Boots Liverpool, Lancashire MOORE, Edward Widower M 47 1804 Agent Isle of Man GILL, William Visitor M 47 1804 Gentleman Isle of Man BRINSLEY, Richard Visitor Unmarried M 40 1811 Commercial Traveller Southport, Lancashire MORGAN, John M Visitor Married M 33 1818 Commercial Traveller Maiden, Essex HOGG, John F Visitor Married M 54 1797 Commercial Traveller Hull Kington Hall WHITE, Edward Visitor M 54 1797 Commercial Traveller Leicestershire nf BAKER, Joseph Visitor M 36 1815 Commercial Traveller Littleworth, Leicestershire PLUMLEY, Josiah F Visitor M 34 1817 Commercial Traveller Wolverhampton BLOGG, John Visitor M 45 1806 Commercial Traveller London
The Hotel in Manchester
In 1849, William bought the lease for a hotel at 30, Piccadilly, Manchester and moved to that city with wife and family. In the Leeds Mercury dated Saturday June 24 1843 A.H.Smith the new owner of 30, Piccadilly advertises the opening of his new hotel as a Temperance Hotel and family and commercial boarding house ‘within a few minutes walk of the Centre of the Town, and very favourably situate for those en route to and from London. Omnibuses pass the House to and from the the various Railway Stations. Private sitting rooms with cheerful aspects.’ His next advert in the Leeds Mercury, Saturday, May 11, 1844 describes the Hotel as ‘having been considerably enlarged’ and it provides ‘Breakfast on the Table upon the arrival of the London Early Train at Five a.m., and well-aired Beds always ready.’ I have not discovered why A.H.Smith decided to leave as Hotel Proprietor. In the Advertisements & Notices section of The Liverpool Mercury dated Tuesday, February 6, 1849 William Michael Laurence published his first advert for his new venture. It announced the opening of Laurences Temperance Hotel Family and Commercial Boarding House 30, Piccadilly (late Smiths). The Above house is within five minutes walk of the London and Birmingham and Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Station. The House has been thoroughly refitted and beatified, and every attention will be paid to the comfort of Commercial Gentlemen and Families who honour us with their patronage. Excellent Private sitting rooms and every attention has been paid to the comfort and cleanliness of the tied rooms. In the March edition there is a second and last advert exactly the same as the above. William and his young family lived at number 28, according to the water damaged 1851 census.
Where did Thomas Find The Money To Buy A Hotel?
In the Manchester Examiner for Saturday, December 20th, 1851 are advertised THE BRITISH MUTUAL LOAN ASSURANCE CLASSES FOR MANCHESTER. It states “The FOURTH MEETING of Class no.1. and the FIRST MEETING OF Class B, no.9, will be held at Laurences Hotel, 30, Piccadilly, on Friday evening, the 26th instant, at six o’clock, when a SALE of SHARES will take place. These loan classes afford great opportunity to the borrower, for return of capital, by easy payments spread through a term of four years, whilst they secure a most ample return to the investor. Applications for shares, and other information, may be obtained on application to Mr.Laurence, at the hotel.”
The same interest in providing financial services continued when he moved to Clayton Square. The Liverpool.Mercury for Monday, December, 30, 1861 has William as one of five trustees of the SECOND ROCK PERMANENT building society and in an advert in the Liverpool Mercury, Monday, April 6, 1863, W. M. Laurence is quoted as the President of the CROMWELL PERMANENT BENEFIT BUILDING SOCIETY and Mutual Investment Fund. In the Daily Post, Thursday, December 19, 1867, he is quoted as one of the persons to communicate with if you wish to join the THIRD PRUDENTIAL BUILDING SOCIETY. In the Daily Post, Wednesday, March 11, 1868 for the EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING of NESTOR PERMANENT BUILDING SOCIETY W.M.Laurence is president.
In 1864 when Thomas purchased the other half of the hotel he began to develop it. The best description of what it became is in an advertising article called “A Century of Progress” published in 1900. It states, “the number of rooms was increased from tweve to “boast of no less than eighty. The premises, as they at present stand , consist of an exceedingly handsome four-storeyed brick building, with a bold frontage of seventy feet, and having an ornamental balcony running the whole length of the first storey. On the ground floor there is a capital billiard saloon, perfectly equipped, and provided with a first-class full-sized table; a large and exceedingly comfortable dining room, and a capitally appointed commercial-room, besides ten well-lighted stock-rooms, several of them of a very large size. Ascending to the first floor, one comes upon a cosy coffee-room, private sitting-rooms, and apartments en suite. Here again we find several new stock-rooms. The upper-floors are fully utilised for the bedroom accommodation, each chamber embodying all the latest hygienic improvements in the way of lighting, ventilation, &c. “
1915 Advert
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT
At Preston in 1833 Joseph Livesey opened the first temperance hotel. In simplistic terms the battle in Liverpool was between Cain, a Conservative who owned breweries, pubs and hotels and the Liberal party that promoted temperance. Thomas Davy was an elected member of the Liberal party. He promoted temperance through encouraging speakers such as the American Neal Dhow, who was also a Quaker. Neal Dhow on his visit to England to promote ‘The Maine Liquor Law’ had a public breakfast at Laurences. In 1857, J B Gough, recently disembarked from The Niagara steamship, the eloquent temperance advocate’, also had a public breakfast at Laurences, before delivering a two hour lecture promoting the ‘Maine Law’.
THE LIBERAL PARTY
In July 1865, a crowd gathered in Clayton Square awaiting Liberal candidates who had been defeated in the local election to appear and make speeches from the elaborately decorated balcony of Laurences Hotel. Thomas Davy was elected to the Lime Street ward in 1890, having in 1877 been a Liberal member of the Liverpool Select Vestry that managed the cities Workhouse.
STAFF
The longest serving staff member was linenkeeper Rosamond EVISON, a niece of William Michael LAURENCE. She was born in Quarry Lane Louth on 1 August 1850 the daughter of Mary Ann LAURENCE and John EVISON, a local butcher. Mary Ann was one of the daughters of Thomas Laurence and sister to William Michael Laurence. From 1861 she is registered on the census as living and from 1871 as working at Laurences Temperance Hotel. She never married and the last reference to her I can find is at the age of 61 in the 1911 census performing the same job she began about 40 years ago. Her sister worked briefly there too, as Housekeeper.
There were a succession of housekeepers, the last one I can find is Alice S BINNS in 1911. The earliest advert for staff at the hotel was in the May 2nd 1856 Liverpool Mercury and requests a plain cook. Other adverts ask for an Under Boots, Ostrich Feather Hands and Laundress. On each census the staff differ, apart from Rosamond.
One employee, Elizabeth VIGGER, a ‘young woman’ appeared in Liverpool Police Court accused of stealing from the hotel a leather bag, worth £4.00. Using the census material there are approximately 20 Staff to 15 customers.
CUSTOMERS
There are families mentioned as staying at the hotel, but lone commercial travellers are the most common. Some customers, such as John White used the hotel as a contact address for his business selling leases for property or, advertising their services, as A Gentleman Wants an engagement as a selector of cheese and butter in America. Others wrote letters quoting the address of the hotel.
In1880 one customer, Thomas JONES, is given the headline An Madman At An Hotel. He was a gentlemanly looking man who formerly had been an officer in the London & Westminster Bank, Lothbury. At the time he was a pensioner of that institution on £87.10 a year.
He had left home on Sunday 8th August, after having assaulted his mother-in-law, and physically threatened his wife. Since then his family had been trying to have him placed under necessary restraint. The necessary steps were being taken, but on Friday he was lost sight of . He had been confined in the Bethlehem Hospital and was discharged as it was thought he was on the point of death. Thomas recovered his health and mind. After booking into the Hotel, he cut up bedlinen (Rosamond would not have been pleased), threw a brick at the pier glass, doing damage to the cost of £30.00. In todays money this amounts to more than a thousand pounds worth of damage. He stated he had been tipsy from drinking champagne.
The Court submitted him to the care of the workhouse. Curiously, Thomas was Chairman of the Liverpool Select Vestry who managed the City workhouse.
1880 was an eventful year for the Hotel as it also featured in a jewellery robbery. In The Morning Post November 6th it was reported that The London and North Western Railway Company was entrusted on the 29th January with the delivery from Birmingham to Liverpool of three cases of jewellery. A commercial traveller called Mr. Holland, staying at Lawrences Hotel was to take the delivery. Two of the parcels arrived either on the 29th or the morning of the 30th, and were received by Miss Beresford, the clerk of the hotel. She had signed the van drivers note as if there were three, and realising her mistake spoke to the van driver who promised to go back and get it. This parcel consisted of gold pins, signet rings, and other articles. At the last Warwick Assizes the jury had ruled that the Railway Company should pay 1 shilling for the delay, and the value of the missing parcel £47.00. The Railway Company contended that Mr. Hindley, the van driver was not their employee, but the servant of Mr. Thurston, who was employed to collect all such parcels and goods for the Railway Company. Nothing was heard of the missing parcel until the 10th February, when Inspector Allenson of the Liverpool Police was called in by a pawnbroker (not I suspect a Laurence ancestor from Bridgewater Street) and shown several articles of the missing jewellery, which had been pawned by two men named Ralph and Buchanan, who were thereupon arrested on a charge of felony. However, there was no evidence to connect them with the Railway Company or their servants.
In 1891, a five foot copper circulating boiler tank attached to the back of the hotel exploded. It rose into the air and over the surrounding buildings to land in the courtyard of the Central Railway Station. Thomas Davy was in his ground floor office at the time and came out to find out what caused the noise. The explosion caused extensive internal damage to the kitchen and scullery. Surprisingly, no one was hurt, but there were some close escapes.
T.D. LAURENCE PRESIDENT OF LIVERPOOL INVESTMENT BUILDING SOCIETY
In the annual report of the Liverpool Investment Buiding Society stated January 1st. 1924 states:
“ The retiring Directors are…Mr. Thomas D. Laurence. Mr. Laurence does not seek re-election, owing to his having removed to Devonshire. He was the senior member , having been elected to the Board in 1893, and for several.years he filled the office of President.”
HOTEL DEMOLITION
The hotel was demolished in June 1921. In the council demolition records the owner of the property is a Mr. Brown. On the back of the two photos of the demolition taken by the chief librarian of the day is a note stating that the demolition was due to the expansion of Browns Drapers. The Liverpool Echo for Tuesday, August 22, 1916 has an advert for Brown’s Drapers Rebuiding and Extension SALE advises “…To afford their thousands of customers every facility and comfort Brown’s have acquired the adjoining building at the corner of Clayton Square and Parker Street and it is now being ‘re-constructed for them.” The address for Brown’s was 12–14–16–18 Parker Street. Parker Street was immediately behind the hotel, so when it was sold Brown’s attachment_37" align=”alignnone” width=”300"] Demolition, 1922 was enlarged, enabling entrance via Clayton Square.
Thomas Laurence, Coal Merchant and sloop owner
Thomas LAURENCE owned shares in a sloop, called ‘Alpha’, that exported corn to Hull, importing coal on the return journey.
According to local newspaper reports the sloop “Alpha” under Mark AARON’s Captainship also transported coal and goods to Wisbech, Cambridgeshire from Goole returning with corn and fruit. Goole to Wisbech converted to statutory miles is 127.16. Hull to Louth is 32.86. Both would take a few days I reckon. Then there is loading time to add.
One example I have found in the local newspapers. The Alpha under Mark AARON in the Leeds Intelligencer, 18/06/1842, for period June 9–16 coasters inwards for Wisbech with coal, then Lincolnshire Chronicle, 24/06/1842, sailed for Goole with corn and fruit.
The `Alpha`, official number (14410) In the Goole shipping register, NSG/3 page 11, entry relating to ‘Alpha’ dated Jul 1841, the Registration number/year is 30/1841 and name of master: Mark AARON. It states it was built in Thorne in 1841 by William ATKINSON as a sloop. The names of owners at time of registration were Mark AARON, Thorne, master mariner, Thomas LAWRENCE, Louth, merchant, John Booth SHARPLEY, Louth, merchant. Last entry: includes entries to 1854.
Other sections include: burthen: 43 2481 over 3500 tons, Surveying Officer: Thomas Parry TIDE, number of decks: one, number of masts: one, length from inner part of the Main Stem to the fore part of the Stern aloft is 5 feet, breadth in Midships is 13 feet, depth in the hold at Midships is 6 feet one tenth, type of bowsprit: round, number of shares for each owner: Mark had 22, Thomas and John 21 each to make up the 64 shares that were had in a vessel.
Mark had the controlling shares, so Goole to Wisbech and back may well have been his own.
William Atkinson (19 Mar 1787-Sept 1854) was from a shipbuilding family, canal side, Thorne, nr. Doncaster. Mark AARON (1791–6 July 1865), also had a son of same name (1828–1874), who took over captainship of ‘Alpha’.
In 1848, Thomas sold his shares back to John Booth SHARPLEY, who in turn in 1867, sold the ship to William BELL of Hull. Tom LAURENCE became insolvent in 1851.
Sloops mainly handled bulk cargoes between the Humber ports, carrying farm produce from Lincolnshire, coal from the West Riding, bricks and tiles between both sides, cement and chalk stone from Barton and South Ferriby to Hull and transhipping phosphates back to the fertiliser works. In summer the sea going trade would be to Louth, Saltfleet, the ports of the Wash and on south to the Thames, to the north trade would be to Bridlington, the Tyne and all ports between.
Louth Navigation Trust (http://www.louthcanal.org.uk/)
are doing a brilliant job of researching the canal, recording its history and looking after it.
Thomas as Coal Merchant (1826–1868)
Thomas Laurence was my fourth great grandfather. In an earlier article I spoke of his move from his birthplace at Langton by Partney to Louth and his employment as Collector of tolls for the Louth Navigation which went from the Riverhead at Louth to Tetney. This article covers the rest of his life.
In the plan of the Riverhead made by Padley in 1828 on the previous page it shows two properties, one owned by the partnership of Sharpley and Lawrence and the other by Thomas Lawrence. As a Collector of Tolls for the Navigation it would have made sense for Thomas to rent property at the Riverhead. The 1830 and 1832 Returns give a description of Thomas property. In 1830 he still leases land from CHAPLIN F & G for 4s, but as a Coal Merchant and no longer employed by the Chaplin family he has moved away from the Riverhead and owns and leases a House and Shop for 1 shilling. In 1832 he owns a house in Goospool (todays Gospelgate) at 1 shilling and leases land at the River Head from CHAPLIN F & G for 4 shillings and also land from STEPHENSON & WRIGHT at £2.4ad.
The CHAPLIN family seem to have exercised considerable influence from the inception of the canal. Despite the terms of the 1763 Act, Charles CHAPLIN managed to obtain a lease for 99 years, and successful in getting their Bill through parliament in 1828.
Also note that James Pulteney CHAPLIN and the Rev. Henry CHAPLIN were major shareholders in 1840, and would still exert considerable influence.
Control of the management & tolls became virtually hereditary within the Tathwell branch of the CHAPLIN family. When Charles died, he was succeeded by his son Thomas, who in turn was succeeded by a George CHAPLIN, a legatee of Thomas.
Why Did Tom Become A Coal Merchant?
Louth was a growing town, with plenty of coal needed to supply the tanneries, a soapery and several breweries. A carpet and blanket factory needed coal for its steam engine introduced in 1834. By 1835 there were three agricultural machine makers in the town, and by 1855 six. By 1842 there were nine lime kilns. In 1826 it had more corn and coal merchants than Grimsby. In the decade of the 1850 Louth became the third largest town in the county after Lincoln.
In The Lincolnshire Chronicle, dated 1838, 28, December ‘ the tender was accepted Mr. Thos. LAWRENCES, for coals, -WILSONS Silkstone’s, 19s 6d.per ton: good common, 16s. 6d. per ditto.’ to be provided to Louth Workhouse. This is not recorded in the Workhouse Minutes.
In The Lincolnshire Chronicle dated 3 May, 1839, there is recorded the Trust Account of Bolles Charity 1838–1839. In the payments for 1838 are one to Messrs. SHARPLEY and LAWRENCE for £7 17s 2d. In The Lincolnshire Chronicle dated 24, June 1842 for Louth Union Workhouse, best coals at 17s. per ton, common coals at 13s. However, no mention is made of their name in the Louth Workhouse minutes of the time. Only that of George SUTTON.
On 23 April 1847 the Lincolnshire Chronicle records that Sharpley and LAWRENCE were granted a contract to supply Louth prison with coal. In William Browns Louth Panorama of 1844, see picture there is a warehouse at the Riverhead that shows the name of ‘LAURENCE’.
Who was John Booth Sharpley?
The first trade directory reference to the partnership between Tom and John Booth SHARPLEY occurs in 1826.
John Booth SHARPLEY was born 27 March 1800 and died 4 June 1872. His father was Anthony SHARPLEY b. 1771, d. Oct 1834. His mother Ann BOOTH born on 27 March 1800 in Louth, Lincolnshire.
He became a magistrate in 1849 and was a Corn & Coal Merchant. He married Elizabeth HAY on 23 September 1824 at Waltham, Lincolnshire. He was mayor of Louth three times, 1840,1849,1854 He was buried on 24 June 1872 at Louth, Lincolnshire and in 1874 a plaque was erected to his memory in Louth Methodist Chapel.
What premises did they own at the River head?
In the 1828 survey of the LOUTH Navigation by Padley, he gives the following description, the numbers refer to his plan of the Riverhead:
“№13.A. Warehouse at the River Head, length 85 feet 6 inches, breadth 24 feet 24 inches, height of walls 22 feet 6 inches, gable ends, built of brick , and covered with slate; consists of a Ground floor and two others, in good repair, in the occupation if Messrs. LAWRENCE and SHARPLEY.- №13.B consists of an Office, Stable, and Tenement; width of North end 15 feet 5 inches, West side 42 feet 7 inches, width of South end 16 feet 4 inches, brick-work, 1 feet 6 inches high, and wall 9 feet high, North wall 7 feet high, built of brick, and covered with boards 8 feet above the brick-work, built of wood on the East side, brick and wood on the West side; going to decay.-№13.c. part of the above building, length of South wall 29 feet 9 inches, brick-work 4 feet high, wood-work 4 feet 6 inches high, width of ends 14 feet.-13.D. consists of a Shoemakers Shop and a Tailors Shop, length 22 feet 6 inches, width 7 feet 6 inches, South pantiles; in good repair. From №12 to №13.D. inclusive are in the occupation of Messrs LAWRENCE and SHARPLEY, and contain 2 roods and 20 perches.
Louth Navigation
Padley’s 1828 survey and the 1841 Census shows The Riverhead as a clearly a community in its own right. It had two public houses, the Woolpack and the Ship, a butcher’s shop and a druggist (Thomas son Charles who had moved there in 1836) who also functioned as a grocer. It was a busy place with the arrival and departure of boats, goods being loaded and unloaded and grain being prepared for the brewing trade in the drying kilns.
For the craftsmen and labourers there were rows of small terraced houses known as tenements.The artisans who lived here mostly had trades or skills linked to the work of the canal. The largest group were mariners, followed by ship’s carpenters and rope makers. Thomas LAURENCE owned shares in a sloop, called ‘Alpha’, that exported corn to Hull, importing coal on the return journey. According to local newspaper reports the sloop “Alpha” under Mark AARON’s Captainship also transported coal and goods to Wisbech,
Cambridgeshire from Goole returning with corn and fruit. Goole to Wisbech converted to statutory miles is 127.16. Hull to Louth is 32.86. Both would take a few days I reckon. Then there is loading time to add. One example I have found in the local newspapers. The Alpha under Mark AARON in the Leeds Intelligencer, 18/06/1842, for period June 9–16 coasters inwards for Wisbech with coal, then Lincolnshire Chronicle, 24/06/1842, sailed for Goole with corn and fruit.
The `Alpha`, official number (14410)
In the Goole shipping register, NSG/3 page 11, entry relating to ‘Alpha’ dated Jul 1841, the Registration number/year is 30/1841 and name of master: Mark AARON. It states it was built in Thorne in 1841 by William ATKINSON as a sloop.
The names of owners at time of registration were Mark AARON, Thorne, master mariner, Thomas LAWRENCE, Louth, merchant, John Booth SHARPLEY, Louth, merchant. Last entry: includes entries to 1854
Other sections include: burthen: 43 2481 over 3500 tons, Surveying Officer: Thomas Parry TIDE, number of decks: one, number of masts: one, length from inner part of the Main Stem to the fore part of the Stern aloft is 5 feet, breadth in Midships is 13 feet, depth in the hold at Midships is 6 feet one tenth, type of bowsprit: round, number of shares for each owner: Mark had 22, Thomas and John 21 each to make up the 64 shares that were had in a vessel. Mark had the controlling shares, so Goole to Wisbech and back may well have been his own.
William Atkinson (19 Mar 1787-Sept 1854) was from a shipbuilding family, canal side, Thorne, nr. Doncaster.
Mark AARON (1791–6 July 1865), also had a son of same name (1828–1874), who took over captainship of ‘Alpha’.
In 1848, Thomas sold his shares back to John Booth SHARPLEY, who in turn in 1867, sold the ship to William BELL of Hull. Tom LAURENCE became insolvent in 1851.
Sloops mainly handled bulk cargoes between the Humber ports, carrying farm produce from Lincolnshire, coal from the West Riding, bricks and tiles between both sides, cement and chalk stone from Barton and South Ferriby to Hull and transhipping phosphates back to the fertiliser works. In a summer the sea going trade would be to Louth, Saltfleet, the ports of the Wash and on south to the Thames, to the north trade would be to Bridlington, the Tyne and all ports between.
Toms sons also became active in the town, and his daughter married into the EVISON family that became entwined with the history of the LAURENCEs.
Mary Ann LAURENCE, born 1820 in Louth and baptised 29 Jul 1820. She married John EVISON (born 1820, in Louth) in the June quarter of 1846. They had three daughters: 1848 Helen EVISON, 1849 Mary Ann EVISON, 1850 Rosamond EVISON. All born in Louth. The census of 30 Mar 1851 has them living on Quarry Lane.
SHARPLEY And LAWRENCE Partnership Dissolved
In Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury, Friday, December 20, 1850 and quoted in the London Gazette of the time.
Insolvency
In Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury, Friday, January 31, 1851 and the London Gazette:
LAWRENCES ASSIGNMENT
Notice, is hereby given, that THOMAS LAWRENCE, of Louth, in the county of Lincoln, coal merchant, hath, by Indenture bearing date the Seventeenth day of January, one thousand eight hundred and fifty one, conveyed and assigned all his, real and personal estate and effects unto FREDERICK CHAPLIN, of Tathwell, in the said county, Esquire, and WILLIAM ALLINSON DUNN, of Louth aforesaid, gentleman, their heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, upon trust for the equal benefit of all such of the Creditors of the said Thomas LAWRENCE as shall execute the said Indenture within two calendar months from the date thereof; which said Indenture was executed by the said Thomas LAWRENCE and William Allison DUNN on the day of the date thereof, and by the said Frederick CHAPLIN on the 25th day of January instant, and is attested as to the execution thereof by the said Thomas LAWRENCE, Frederick CHAPLIN, and William Allison Dunn, by Field FLOWERS or, of Louth, aforesaid, attorney-at-law, and John PORTER of the same place, his clerk. And Notice is hereby also given, that the said Indenture is now lying at our office for execution by the Creditors of the said Thomas LAWRENCE:-and that all persons indebted to the estate of the said Thomas LAWRENCE, are to pay the amount of their respective debts to the said William Allison DUNN.
Dated the 27th day of January, 1851.
By order, for and WILSON, Solicitors, Louth
In the 1851 census we find Thomas and Mary living with John & Mary Ann EVISON in Quarry Lane, Louth:
EVISON, John Head Married M 30 1821 Butcher (Master 1 Ap)
Louth, Lincolnshire
EVISON, Mary A Wife Married F 30 1821
Louth, Lincolnshire
EVISON, Helen Daughter Unmarried F 3 1848 Louth, Lincolnshire
EVISON, Mary Ann Daughter Unmarried F 2 1849 Louth, Lincolnshire
EVISON, Rosamond Daughter F 0 (6 MOS) 1851 Louth, Lincolnshire
LAWRENCE, Thomas Father-In-Law Married M 69 1782 Coal Merchant Langton, Lincolnshire
LAWRENCE, Mary Mother-In-Law Married F 67 1784 Alvingham, Lincolnshire
LAWRENCE, TEFT Brother-In-Law Unmarried M 28 1823 Watch Maker, Louth, Lincolnshire
FLETCHER, Samuel Apprentice Unmarried M 18 1833 Ap Butcher
Yaxley, Northamptonshire
WRIGHT, Kate Servant Unmarried F 22 1829 House Serv, Louth
STUBBS, Elizabeth Servant Unmarried F 14 1837 House Servant, Grainthorpe, Lincolnshire
Why Did Tom Become Insolvent?
In simple terms, the railway arrived in Louth in 1848 and bought the lease for the Louth Navigation. Also, there was the added competition of more coal merchants in the town. Tom would not have been blind to the effect of the railway on the canal. In 1847 two railway Acts were passed. The first authorised the East Lincolnshire Railway Company to purchase the existing lease for the collection of tolls of the Louth Navigation. The second Act enabled the Great Northern Railway Company to purchase the East Lincolnshire Railway and Canal. In S.M. SIZERS opinion the G.N.R. took on the lease to prevent the canal from competing with them. He, also, asserts that they would have put the toll charges up to the maximum the Act permitted. Making transportation by rail more attractive, and the transportation of coal more expensive.
On 19 Mar 1860, Toms wife Mary died of old age. Perhaps, because he was lonely in the 1861 census Thomas is living at his son William Michaels Temperance Hotel in Clayton Square, Liverpool.
LAURANCE, William M Head Married M 44 1817 Temperance Hotel Louth, Lincolnshire LAURANCE, Francis Ann Wife Married F 42 1819 Sheffield, Yorkshire
LAURANCE, Emily Daughter Unmarried F 19 1842 Sheffield, Yorkshire
LAURANCE, Fanny Caroline Daughter Unmarried F 5 1856 Scholar Manchester, Lancashire
LAURANCE, Charles M Son Unmarried M 4 1857 Scholar Liverpool, Lancashire LAURANCE, Thomas Father Widower M 79 1782 Gentleman Langton, Lincolnshire EVISON, Rosamond Niece Unmarried F 10 1851 Scholar Louth, Lincolnshire
DAVIES, William Visitor Married M 41 1820 Commercial Traveller Bristol, Gloucestershire
BICKERTON, David Visitor Unmarried M 30 1831 Commercial Traveller Scotland MILLING, Mary Servant Unmarried F 33 1828 Waitress Bentham, Yorkshire
PARSONS, Helen Servant Unmarried F 23 1838 Housemaid Liverpool, Lancashire HALLIDAY, Mary Ann Servant Unmarried F 22 1839 Kitchen Maid Liverpool, Lancashire MEAKIN, Elizabeth Servant Unmarried F 28 1833 Chambermaid Liverpool, Lancashire CARSEN, Jane Servant Unmarried F 47 1814 Cook Scotland
WILLIAMS, William Servant Unmarried M 21 1840 Boots Whitchurch, Shropshire
1861 census, date: Sunday 7 April. Her mother dead and her father knowing he was having financial difficulties, Rosamond may have been sent as assurance to be employed in Willam Michaels Liverpool Temperance hotel. So we find her described in the 1861 census
LAURANCE, William M Head Married M 44 1817 Temperance Hotel Louth, Lincolnshire LAURANCE, Francis Ann Wife Married F 42 1819 Sheffield, Yorkshire
LAURANCE, Emily Daughter Unmarried F 19 1842 Sheffield, Yorkshire
LAURANCE, Fanny Caroline Daughter Unmarried F 5 1856 Scholar Manchester, Lancashire
LAURANCE, Charles M Son Unmarried M 4 1857 Scholar Liverpool, Lancashire LAURANCE, Thomas Father Widower M 79 1782 Gentleman Langton, Lincolnshire EVISON, Rosamond Niece Unmarried F 10 1851 Scholar Louth, Lincolnshire
DAVIES, William Visitor Married M 41 1820 Commercial Traveller Bristol, Gloucestershire
BICKERTON, David Visitor Unmarried M 30 1831 Commercial Traveller Scotland MILLING, Mary Servant Unmarried F 33 1828 Waitress Bentham, Yorkshire
PARSONS, Helen Servant Unmarried F 23 1838 Housemaid Liverpool, Lancashire HALLIDAY, Mary Ann Servant Unmarried F 22 1839 Kitchen Maid Liverpool, Lancashire MEAKIN, Elizabeth Servant Unmarried F 28 1833 Chambermaid Liverpool, Lancashire CARSEN, Jane Servant Unmarried F 47 1814 Cook Scotland
WILLIAMS, William Servant Unmarried M 21 1840 Boots Whitchurch, Shropshire
As William Michaels father Tom was also there for the census, perhaps he accompanied Rosamond.
Death
Thomas died of bronchitis and old age on 29 October 1868 at Aswell Lane. In attendance was Richard Boyle, watchmaker, who married Tom’s son Taft’s widow. Teft had watchmaking premises in Aswell Lane for some time.
References
Land Tax research done by Suzanne Mendel.
With kind permission from Liverpool Archives to print photos of Laurence's Temperance Hotel.
With kind permission to print pictures and advice from Stuart Sizer and his work ‘People And Boats’ and provide the detail from William Browns 1844 Louth Panorama.
“Alpha” information kindly provided by Goole Maritime Museum | https://medium.com/@PaulDragonwolf1/extracts-from-my-family-history-articles-43efba294d3e | ['Paul Brookes'] | 2016-12-15 12:55:32.685000+00:00 | ['History', 'Genealogy', 'Liverpool', 'Hotel', 'Industry'] |
Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa: a world-class hideaway | Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa is a world-class beachside property located in Mactan Island, Cebu. It’s as opulent as other Shangri-La properties around the Philippines but this is our favorite so far because of its breathtaking white cove that stretch out into crystalline waters.
Our first family getaway
For our Mactan trip, we were to spend a four-night staycation at the lovely Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa. Khris and I were very excited since this is our first family trip.
After all, Shangri-La is known for its luxurious hotels and resorts. Add to that the fact that Cebu is one of our favorite destinations, with its cosmopolitan vibe that is devoid of the clutter and harried pace of Metro Manila.
Our flight to Mactan
We were booked for an early flight via Cebu Pacific because we wanted to have time to explore Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa.
Check-in at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa
There were already many guests lined-up at the check-in counter by the time that we got there, even if it was early in the morning. Nonetheless, check-in was a breeze and we were handed our key cards as soon as we finished filling out the usual forms.
Our room
My sister-in-law booked an adjoining room for us. Our room was at the ninth level which gave us a good view of the sea from our window.
As soon as we were inside, we immediately checked out the amenities. It had the standard large-screen LCD television, a study, telephone, mini bar, and a personal refrigerator. The bathroom had a sink, toilet, shower, bathtub, and all the toiletries to ensure that our stay is as comfortable as it can be.
The big queen-size bed looked inviting and tempting. We would have wanted to sleep but we could not help but go outside and explore the vast gardens and walkways of the property.
Things to do in Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa
1. Explore the property
This is what we did on our first day at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa. We did a walking tour around the gardens, we checked out the amenities, and observed the busy buzz of the hotel personnel preparing for events as well as evening activities.
All that walking around through the property was enough to occupy our whole afternoon. Likewise, it familiarized us with the whole hotel so we would already know what to do and where to go in the subsequent days of our stay.
2. Swim in any of the hotel’s inviting pools
There are several swimming pools within the hotel grounds. If you do not feel like going to the beach, this is the best option to enjoy some sun and water. Kids, most especially, will love the children’s pool that features a play area.
3. Take a dip in the beach
Probably one of the best features of at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa is its white sand cove. The sand is powdery fine, similar to that in Boracay. What’s good about the beach is that it’s not crowded plus there are no beachside bars to distract swimmers.
In addition, the water is crystal-clear. You can actually fishes swimming beside you. Throw a bit of sand to the water and the fish will flock around the bits of sand, thinking that it’s food.
4. Spend a quiet afternoon by the beach and watch the sunset
If you want to take a break from all the swimming and water activities, you can spend a quiet afternoon at the beach under the shade of an umbrella.
Take a good book with you and read, then wait for the sun to set. It’s a view that you will definitely enjoy.
5. Have a great night out at the bar
If you love night outs, then head over to Cowrie Cove Bar, located right at the garden. Order a nice drink and enjoy the lively music curated by a guest DJ every night. You will also be treated to a show as bartenders show off their skills.
6. Visit the open-air chapel
There is an open-air chapel at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa’s garden. If you want a moment of peace and quiet, you can visit the chapel and have a few minutes of prayer.
7. Book a relaxing spa session at Chi, The Spa
If you want a relaxing treatment for your aching muscles, then book a satisfying wellness session at Chi, The Spa.
Upon entering Chi, The Spa, you will immediately be greeted with an uplifting vibe and aroma. The calming music is the perfect invitation for you to lie down on a massage bed and let yourself be pampered.
8. Sleep all you want
What’s stopping you from sleeping? You are on vacation, anyway, so take advantage of the opportunity to recharge yourself. You do not always have to be up and about and on the move to be able to say that you had a worthwhile vacation. Sleep is the ultimate relaxation.
Dining at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa
There are several dining options at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa so you do not need to go outside to eat. Nevertheless, if you do want to go outside the hotel and try other restaurants, you might not find one within the immediate vicinity of the hotel. You can get a cab to take you to a well-known restaurant around the area or take the hotel’s shuttle bus to Cebu City where there are more restaurant options.
Anyway, these are the options that we tried at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa:
Acqua Restaurant
We ate most of our meals at Acqua Restaurant. The interiors of the restaurant are bright and spacious, and the tables and seats were comfortable.
We tried Acqua Restaurant’s sinigang na baboy and crispy pata. The sinigang na baboy is a huge bowl of steaming broth with vegetables and chunks of pork.
The hot soup looked really tempting but, on my first sip I was taken aback because it was too sour, like jaw-numbing sour. I like my sinigang sour but it should still have the right balance of saltiness and spice. Anyway, I just added a dash of salt to my soup and that did the trick well.
The crispy pata is another story though. Clichéd as it may sound, but it was sinfully good! The pork skin was crispy and it had the right level of saltiness. The meat was tender and went well with the spicy vinegar dipping sauce.
We also tried the Greek and Caesar Salads, and the seafood pasta. The Caesar Salad was good; the vegetables are fresh, crisp, and just lightly dressed but it was intensely flavorful. It had chunks of feta cheese which lent a salty-creamy taste to the salad.
The seafood pasta, on the other hand, was extremely satisfying. It had generous helpings of seafood slices swimming in copious amounts of red sauce.
The restaurant’s staff were also very gracious. When we had lunch here, our orders came late, so the restaurant crew said that we can get dessert from the buffet area. I loaded a huge plate with chunks of fresh fruit and I got myself scoops of ube and vanilla ice cream with all the delicious toppings.
In general, service was good and fast. The staff was very accommodating of our requests. However, since this is a hotel restaurant, expect the food to be pricey.
Tea of Spring
Our family had dinner at Tea of Spring during our second night at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa. As the name suggests, Tea of Spring offers oriental cuisine in its menu.
The interiors are reminiscent of well-known Chinese restaurants in Manila, with red lanterns hung throughout the place. The tables are big — perfect for any family gathering or celebrations. As can be expected, hot tea is served free and overflowing.
We ordered yang chow fried rice, braised minced beef wit h bean curd sauce, stewed pork ribs, fried chicken for the children, chicken noodle soup, and vegetable and seafood omelet.
I first tried the stewed pork ribs — it was tender enough but there was nothing splendid about the taste. The braised minced beef was also tender. It had a well-balanced sweet-salty taste but, nonetheless, also ordinary.
What I enjoyed most was the chicken noodle soup and the omelet. The egg noodles were very firm and tasted rich. The warm soup that was bursting with flavor was a good complement to the rich noodles. This dish had huge slices of shitake mushrooms and fresh Chinese lettuce. As for the omelet, well, you can never go wrong with any fried dish with egg.
One thing I discovered during that night was what my sister-in-law called “extraordinary sauce” or XO sauce. We really did not know what it was made of. It looked like the usual chili-garlic sauce in siomai joints but it tasted “funky” at first but it made any dish, whether meat or soup, really delicious.
I really would not consider it as a superb dinner, but it was, all in all, satisfying. Service was good and fast. What’s more, the food was more affordable at Tea of Spring as compared to Acqua Restaurant.
Room Service
We tried Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa’s room service on our last day at the hotel. After spending the morning at the beach, we ordered fried chicken and pancit before returning to our room. We wanted a quick and light meal since we were still full from our breakfast.
However, when we returned to our room, we were surprised to discover a wonderful spread of Cebu Lechon and a big bowl of puso waiting for us. This delicious feast was a complimentary meal courtesy of the hotel.
For those who are not familiar, puso is rice encased in woven coconut leaves and then steamed or boiled. This is how Cebuanos typically cook and consume their rice. It is usually sold in roadside stalls or eateries and commonly eaten with meats and sauces without the use of utensils.
On the other hand, Cebu lechon (whole roasted pig) is a mouthwatering dish that the province is also famous for. The cooking method is similar to that of other lechon varieties in the Philippines — whole pig is skewered on a bamboo pole and slowly roasted over hot coals or firewood.
What sets Cebu Lechon apart is that is that the meat and skin are generously seasoned with herbs, spices and salt, infusing a rich flavor to the dish. Most Cebuanos would tell you that you do not need a sauce to go with it and it’s true. The flavorful meat and crunchy skin can be eaten without having to dip it in a sauce.
I first tasted Cebu lechon at Waterfront Hotel in Lahug during one of our corporate events some years ago and I immediately fell in love with it. For me, a trip to Cebu is not complete without having a bite of Cebu lechon.
The skin is my favorite part because it was very crunchy and tasty — much like chicharon but with a more robust and richer flavor.
Our Cebu lechon came with a vinegar dipping sauce with slices of red onions and red chilies. It was my first time to try dipping Cebu lechon in vinegar and I must say it was very good. The spicy vinegar provided balance by cutting the richness of the meat.
Lobby Lounge
We did not really try the food at Lobby Lounge but Khris and I had coffee here one night. What stands out in the Lobby Lounge is the ambiance.
The cool sea breeze, the music, the easy chatter and busy buzz of the people coming and going all the more emphasized the feeling that we were on a holiday.
How to book a room at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa
If you are interested to book a room at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, you may use the link below to get the best price:
If you want to find out their latest promos and offers, you may get in touch with them through the following contact information:
Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa is located at Punta Engano Road, Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan, Cebu 6015 Philippines
Credit cards are honored at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa | https://medium.com/@dadonthemoveph/shangri-las-mactan-resort-and-spa-a-world-class-hideaway-bc1fb4ecde8b | ['Ivan Jose'] | 2020-10-13 03:08:07.112000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotel', 'Travel Guide', 'Itinerary'] |
Great Travel Tips For Having A Wonderful Ladakh Tour! | Great Travel Tips For Having A Wonderful Ladakh Tour!
A tourist who has a love for adventure and shares a great feeling for nature and natural aspects, Ladakh tour is the best travel option to go with. It is a real paradise on this earth and hence, a tour to Ladakh gives you an impression on heaven that you get on being on this earth only. Ladakh is the highest plateau of J&K state. The amazement of this place encourages tourists to gaze around its surroundings for hours. The beautiful snow-capped attractive Himalayas ranges which are dotted with alluring green shaded pine trees and the chilly weather present an ever-lasting impression to vacationers.
The overall location of Ladakh is simply beautiful as it is located at 3500 meters height above the sea level and is spread up in the Himalayas lap, this place is actually a must-go tourists spot in Indian tourism. Due to the rarely visible natural elements and mesmerising location of this place, it has become a favourite destination of adventure lovers, young generation of India and honeymooners. So, whichever tourists’ category you fall in, a tour to Leh Ladakh will always prove the best tour experience of your life. However, to make it actually mesmerising and memorable for your lifetime, here are few great tips that will help you having a wonderful tour experience in this region.
Book Luxury Cottages In Ladakh To Ensure Convenience & Comfort During Your Tour –
If you care for high quality accommodation during your tour, then you should only book luxury cottages in Ladakh. These cottages present amazing amenities, services and overall stay experience that you cannot have by staying in a hotel room or in resort. These luxury cottages present a fully personalized experience that you won’t feel like you are away from your home. Though all the services that make you feel comfortable in luxury cottages in Ladakh appear to you immediately on your command. So, to get the best time during your tour, you should not forget to make advance booking in luxury cottages in Ladakh.
Other Important Tips For Having A Great Tour In Ladakh –
· As the location of Ladakh is at high altitude, so you should prepare to bear harsh sun during your tour around this region. Therefore, do not forget to carry a sunscreen lotion with you that protects your skill from being damaged by sun rays.
· Sometimes, the Ladakh weather turns to be nasty. Therefore, it is a good idea to leave your cottage in group and take a tourist guide who will keep you supervising during your tour. Before stepping out from your hotel, make sure to pack a small bag carrying woollen clothes as it protects you from extremely cold weather. Here, the days are often sunny, so wear light cotton outfits when you going to tour around the town in daytime.
· There are some prohibited areas in Ladakh. So, we suggest not to enter to those areas just to try adventure as it may turn to be life-threatening event for you. | https://medium.com/@jamesmartel496/great-travel-tips-for-having-a-wonderful-ladakh-tour-3ffb7214727d | ['James Martel'] | 2016-12-21 14:35:55.299000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotel', 'Hotel Accomodation'] |
5 most beautiful ski hotels in Europe | 5 most beautiful ski hotels in Europe — the bright idea of travel “tourism subtleties”. Best holiday starts here, on the “subtleties”.
Tours New Year around the world
Fireplaces in the room, multi-storey spa, runs directly from the threshold, restaurants Michelin-starred dining, stunning views from all windows — all this can be found in the most luxurious hotels in European ski resorts.
The Grand Hotel is the Tschuggen (Arose, Switzerland)
Each of the 130 rooms of this elegant hotel in the Swiss Arose careful attention to detail and decorated in their colors, down to the color of the door handles. His main pride — the one of the largest spas in Europe Tschuggen Beerhouse. It covers more than 5,000 m² and is located on 4 levels. Above design wellness center worked famous architect Mario Beta, and all the interior of the hotel was decorated by the Swiss architect Carlo Rampazzi.
Apart from the huge spa with an abundance of a variety of procedures, the hotel has its own cable car leading to the ski slopes and the restaurant of author cuisine.
The Grand Hotel is Des the Kaminski Baines (St. Moritz, Switzerland)
Another luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps — Kaminski Grand Hotel Des Baines in St. Moritz. It is located next to the cable car station leading to the slopes of the Corviglia region.
This hotel is famous for its gastronomic delights. On its territory there are as many as three restaurants with a Michelin star and Asian dining outlet, where you can find almost any delicacies. Incidentally, in the Christmas and New Year’s Eve (December 24 and 31) Les Seasons restaurant offers free gala dinners absolutely for all guests.
Lech Aurelio (Lech, Austria)
Hotel Aurelio Lech — one of the most elegant Austrian ski spas in Austria. Its rooms are elegant and tasteful: the furniture of fine wood, natural fabrics from Africa and France, as well as panoramic windows with views of the ski slopes.
Access to the ski slopes at your doorstep, and the hotel has a restaurant serving classic Austrian cuisine and a spa. Separate pride of the hotel and restaurant in particular — is the wine list, where you can find several rare and vintage varieties.
The Chalet Zanier the Le (Magee, France)
Hotel Le Chalet Zanier — the three luxury chalets in the French Alps. A total of 12 deluxe rooms, almost all have a private terrace and fireplace. Hotel in Magee is renowned for its secluded location and a high quality wellness center with pool, sauna and hammed.
The Schlock Liebenberg Hotel is (Kitzbuhel, Austria)
This hotel is a real 16th century castle, situated on the outskirts of Kitzbühel. Despite the fact that the building itself is old, everything inside is equipped with the most modern way: comfortable and spacious rooms with a seating area, a spa, restaurants, etc. The scenic views. Austrian Alps open here from almost every window, including an indoor pool and a Finnish sauna.
Hotels in Ooty | https://medium.com/@alwoodlandooty/5-most-beautiful-ski-hotels-in-europe-f9ebeeef805c | ['Alwoodlands Hotel Oorty'] | 2016-12-21 13:38:26.376000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Skiing', 'Hotels'] |
How to Measure Risk in Hotel Investing | How to Measure Risk in Hotel Investing
Commercial real estate (CRE) investments are risky. Of course, with CRE, you have the benefit of a physical asset backing the investment — unlike most public securities.
That said, the business plan and sponsor may add or subtract risk depending on the approach.
Risk Levels
CRE investors measure risk on a spectrum from Core to Opportunistic.
Core — stable cash flow and little to no deferred maintenance
— stable cash flow and little to no deferred maintenance Core Plus — stable asset with potential value enhancement from minor tweaks to operation or property
— stable asset with potential value enhancement from minor tweaks to operation or property Value Add — unstable asset with value enhancement from operational turnaround or renovation
— unstable asset with value enhancement from operational turnaround or renovation Opportunistic — defunct operation or non-existent property with value creation in construction or rebuilding operations
Hotels generally fall in the Core Plus to Opportunistic risk spectrum for a variety of reasons.
To start, every hotel will come with a brand-mandated change of ownership property improvement plan (PIP). This requires the new owner to make capital improvements to bring the hotel to current brand standards.
Additionally, hotel investments are more like an operating business with a real estate component than the other way around. This comes with a variety of risks associated with the strength of your operator.
As you would expect, the higher risk should accompany a higher return on investment.
Identifying Risk
Real estate investments trade within an opaque and illiquid market, which is in stark contrast to how public markets operate. Therefore, measuring risk is much more difficult than how you would approach a typical public equity or debt investment.
Hotel investment risks fall into three broad categories:
Operations — risks associated with the operation of the hotel. These are associated with both top line production and how much of that flows to the bottom. It also includes the general liability risks that are readily apparent and insured against. Property — risks associated with the condition of the property. These may include useful life of mechanical systems, quality of the building envelope, and binary risks associated with renovations (i.e. whether the work gets done). Property risks also include the natural disasters and other clear risk factors that you insure against. Market — risks associated with macroeconomic conditions. They may appear in the operation, property, or capitalization of the asset. This is a catch-all for everything out of the sponsor’s control. However, an astute sponsor will identify them and establish appropriate mitigation measures to address these risks.
This framework will give you an eye for what to look for in an investment’s offering documents. A private placement memorandum identifies these in a comprehensive legal way. However, you should look for indications of each throughout the presentation and discussions with the sponsor.
Evaluating Risk
Very few risks are easily quantified.
In many cases, you have to look to your gut for direction on how to evaluate risk. However, you should also rely on the sponsor to answer questions related to how she intends to address the three areas identified above, especially for items within her control.
Let’s look at an example.
Courtyard by Marriott in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is, currently, not getting its fair share of bookings and the average daily rate is just below market average. The sponsor established an operational turnaround plan, and the PIP is expected to cost $20,000 per room.
This is clearly a value add deal because of the scope of the renovation and the need to catch up to the market. Therefore, I would expect the investment returns at the project level to be >20% IRR and >2.0x multiple.
The most glaring risks center around the operator’s ability to close the gap with the market. A renovation will probably have a big impact, but it must combine with a robust revenue strategy that includes corporate groups and airline contracts.
Courtyard is a strong brand, especially with business transient guests, so that doesn’t present a major challenge. Still, it’s important to evaluate the competitive set and proposed new supply to ensure you’re not splitting that distribution channel with a Residence Inn, full-service Marriott, or some other Marriott-branded property in the market.
About the Author
John Wijtenburg is a hotel investor and blogger at Hotel Investor Toolbox. You can connect with him at LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. | https://medium.com/@johnwijtenburg/how-to-measure-risk-in-hotel-investing-5428bd93216f | ['John Wijtenburg'] | 2020-10-13 15:32:48.178000+00:00 | ['Commercial Real Estate', 'Real Estate Investments', 'Investing', 'Risk', 'Hotel'] |
The Bed & Breakfast Guest House in Noida at Budget Price | The Bed & Breakfast Guest House in Noida at Budget Price
Many of the travelers prefer to stay at bed and breakfast guest houses. These kinds of accommodation are considered to be reasonable and also provide them with the luxuries that are offered by the other expensive hotels. Many of the boutique hotels are now adopting the bed and breakfast module as these are especially popular with the international guests as well. They offer luxurious facilities to their guests and make sure they are comfortable.
The bed and breakfast guest houses are especially popular with guests who are traveling on a budget and would not like to compromise on the quality of services. It is highly preferred by business travelers who like to stay at quaint places that offer good facilities. The luxury bed and breakfast hotels allow the guests to stay for small duration also. This helps the travelers to cut down on their travel expenses.
Most of these guest houses have spacious bed rooms so that the guests can feel comfortable. The rooms have attached baths also and are equipped with all the modern facilities. Since the luxury hotels cater to a limited number of guests only, the guests are able to get quality service. The staff at the luxury bed and breakfast hotel caters to their needs efficiently. This helps the guests to enjoy a better stay.
When choosing a luxury hotels with bed and breakfast facilities, there are a number of things that should be considered. For instance, many of the guest houses are located on the outskirts of the main city. This makes it difficult for the travelers to commute easily. So if you are planning to stay at a guest house then you can make your reservation at luxury guest houses like Modernio. The boutique hotel enjoys a central location of Noida City and offers good bed and breakfast facilities to the guests.
The facilities offered by the luxury bed and breakfast should also be considered before you make your reservation. If you are on a business trip then you may like to look for guest houses that have a business centre. A guest house that has a wi-fi facility and a business meeting room should be considered. This way you can entertain your client at the hotel and can check your business mails regularly.
The kind of food served at the bed and breakfast hotels should also be considered. A luxury serving multi cuisines can help you get a better variety and you would not have to compromise on the quality of food.
Modernio Guest house in Noida has these kind of facilities at very budget price. It’s very near to City Centre Metro Station and running in a commercial complex. There are lots of facilities available here like SPA, Snooker, Restaurant and more. | https://medium.com/@modernioguesthouse/the-bed-breakfast-guest-house-in-noida-at-budget-price-8b74e8548e88 | ['Modernio Guest House'] | 2016-12-15 11:47:30.796000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotel', 'Guest House'] |
Everyone should have at least three ICE numbers on their phone | She’s in a jam and he’s got HotelNowNow.com’s concierge line.
Everyone should have at least three ICE numbers on their phone
I remember watching a movie in the late nineties where the victim of a car crash had amnesia and no identification on his person. Doctors searched his phone and couldn’t figure out who to call no “Mum”, “Dad” or “Sweetheart”. Then one of them tried looking for ICE numbers and found two. ICE in this instance stands for ‘In Case of Emergency’. That was the most useful thing I got out of an otherwise crappy movie.
This is where ICE numbers come in… if you ever need urgent help, or lose your phone; people can dial the ICE number on your phone. You could even save the important stuff on the single digits i.e. dial 1 for Dad, 2 for Mum, 3 for Bae and so on.
A typical ICE number is next of kin
Now let’s see how an ICE number could be useful to you the owner of the phone as well. Imagine you frequently drive from one state to the other on business. You always make it home at the end of the day but today the traffic is bad and you can’t get home. What do you do, drive around looking for hotels with cheap but secure accommodation?
Only one number would be useful to you 24–7 in the aforementioned scenario; 01–8881111. It’s the Hotelnownow.com concierge line; simply dial it when you have an accommodation emergency and someone will get you a booking within your locale. I was a boy scout and still believe the motto ‘Be Prepared’ works for everyone.
With all the events, weddings, parties and traffic mishaps that spring up especially during the last quarter of the year, saving 01–8881111 under ICE wouldn’t be such a bad idea. You can thank me later. | https://medium.com/@RealTriple_X/everyone-should-have-at-least-three-ice-numbers-on-their-phone-6c2052a94d23 | ['Ig'] | 2016-12-16 15:58:25.768000+00:00 | ['Ice', 'Hotels', 'Travel', 'Traffic'] |
Eco-friendly & Natural Bamboo Toothbrush Bamboo Comb & Bamboo Razor — Highly Recommend | Eco-friendly & Natural Bamboo Toothbrush Bamboo Comb & Bamboo Razor — Highly Recommend
For hospitality industry, around 100 million pounds of plastic toothbrushes, combs and shaving razors end up in landfill sites each year. In order to reduce the amount of plastic that exists, Petop Hotel Supply offers biodegradable bamboo toothbrush, comb and shaving razor over the world for hotels and resorts.
Latest new bamboo toothbrush is made of bamboo handle, natural and durable, with soft and nice bristle, lightweight, hygienic and resistant. Bamboo toothbrush can come in a kraft paper bag which is 100% recyclable as well. Bamboo toothbrush is biodegradable, natural and eco-friendly, which means when you brush, you protect your teeth, also the planet. Biodegradable bamboo toothbrush is a nice alternative to the classic plastic toothbrush. Petop Hotel Supply specially design an adult size bamboo handle and small head that is ideal for aged care, which is very comfortable and durable.
Bamboo comb is the beautiful and sustainable alternative to plastic disposable comb for hotels. It’s not only eco-friendly to earth, also it’s static-free and softly brushes hair in a safe way and helps maintain healthy hair. Wooden comb easily distributes natural oils from the scalp throughout the entire hair strand, and leaves hair less greasy looking. Disposable plastic comb in hotels produces so many waste that is bad to planet. Wood comb is natural, biodegradable and eco-friendly alternative to plastic one. Impress your guests with our latest new natural wood comb and send query to Petop Hotel Supply.
Bamboo shaving razor is an effective swap for plastic-free shaving, total zero waste and environmental friendly to planet. It has natural bamboo handle and for men and women use. Sustainable and eco-friendly.
Sleek and durable wooden razors help acquire a more smoother and closer shave. Using a bamboo razor is one of the sustainable alternative to reduce waste. Easy way to encourage this plastic free option. For more details, please refer to Petop Hotel Supply and get query. | https://medium.com/@petophotelsupply/eco-friendly-natural-bamboo-toothbrush-bamboo-comb-bamboo-razor-highly-recommend-a56580e0208e | ['Petop Hotel Supply'] | 2020-12-28 07:07:05.448000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Hospitality', 'Bamboo', 'Toothbrush'] |
The Advantages of PHP Based Hotel Reservation Portal System | The Advantages of PHP Based Hotel Reservation Portal System
A PHP based hotel booking portal system is a powerful and efficient online booking or reservation site script. It is the fully functional and best PHP solution that can be used in managing small to average sized hotels, guesthouses or holiday flats.
This particular system will begin, as soon as it is installed, the online reservation as well as the customer management in just a few minutes. This has been specifically designed in order to simplify the whole task of hotel booking online. Any administrator could manage the types of rooms available, the hotel rates as well as the available options for booking. Powerful online reservation and administrator panel manager at the back end may include reports and invoices functionality.
The visitors would be able to search for room’s availability through the use of a PHP based hotel reservation portal system. They can also view the room’s inventory and check the availability including the booking in real time. A PHP based hotel reservation portal system is considered as the best tool to use for any of the following:
· Online hotel reservation and management
· It can be used in any website offering breakfast and bed
· Hotel reservation system with real time availability
· Automatic booking engine for 2 or more hotels
· Integration booking engine with existing site
· Quick delivery & assured file download
Most businesses these days choose to use an online reservation software system because it comes with different advanced features. With the help of all these features, it will be easy to keep all the records of the business in a systematic arrangement. This software offers to customize the website of all business work according to the requirements and specifications.
Aside from that, it is easy to make a category between the rooms, location class and any other options available for the convenience of visitors and customers. This type of software has been proved to be very useful as it will allow customizing each aspect of the website. In addition to that, adding the newly customized aspect in the hotel search section is available so as to make the navigation a bit easier for visitors.
Consistent development & refinement process makes this type of software mature and stable. It is also a realistic business solution that ensures the success of hotel business. The hotel booking system is flexible, and reasonably priced, no need for coding, and also simple to integrate. | https://medium.com/@phptravelscript/the-advantages-of-php-based-hotel-reservation-portal-system-21d4da587231 | ['Sabina Yeasmen'] | 2015-11-29 05:04:25.798000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Travel'] |
Festivals of Udaipur and their Significance | Festivals of Udaipur and their Significance
Festivals are an important aspect of Indian culture, and there’s no way you can come to India and miss the many festivals celebrated here. To get a flavour of this country and its culture, you should visit the many states during some of the festivals. One of the country’s most culturally-rich states is Rajasthan. Udaipur is an important city in the state, and is known for its vibrant culture. While Diwali, Holi etc are festivals common to a vast majority of the country, here are some festivals unique to the Udaipur region, and the significance of each of them:
Speaking of summer…
Gangaur festival: A summer festival, Gangaur / Gauri pooja is performed by women seeking a happy married life. The goddess is also a symbol of fertility and harvest, apart from fidelity in marriage. The festival is celebrated after Holi, and involves collecting ashes post the Holi fire. Barley and wheat seeds are buried in the ashes, and watered till they germinate. One week after Holi, the idols of Isar (Ishwar) and Gauri are made. Gauri is a spring-related festival and is all about abundance, growth and prosperity.
Heralding the rainy season
Hariyali Amavasya: This festival is celebrated during the monsoon, and the scale of celebrations is really huge. Hariyali means greenery, and therefore, a sapling is planted on this day. Also, the festival marks the beginning of the rainy season. Amavasya is the moonless night, and Lord Shiva is worshipped on this occasion. People fast the whole day on the day of Hariyali Amavasya. The festival/fair is held at the Sahelion ki Bari and Fatehsagar Lake. Sahelion ki Bari is a popular haunt in Udaipur, and is a well known garden.
· Celebrating the arrival of spring
Mewar festival: Indian festivals are all about celebrating seasons, be it summer, spring or the monsoon. The Mewar festival marks the arrival of spring, and is celebrated with great pomp and enthusiasm across the town of Udaipur. Processions of Isar and Gangaur (Gauri) are taken out across the city of Udaipur. The procession culminates at Lake Pichola’s Gangaur Ghat. The festival is also marked with music and dance programmes. To catch the full glory of the Mewar festival, you should visit the areas in and around Bagore ki Haveli or Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal. You can also enjoy the spectacular fireworks display as part of the festival.
Stay and local experience
Udaipur is called the ‘Venice of the East’, thanks to the many lakes in the city. You should visit this city of lakes and palaces to enjoy the essence of Rajasthan. Udaipur is also a great place to explore if you are a foodie, and want to taste the local culinary delights. In terms of accommodation, there are plenty of options on offer, from a range of medium and budget accommodation choices to 5 star hotels in Udaipur. There are many resorts in Udaipur that offer a rich experience, in terms of food and cultural extravaganza. | https://medium.com/@daisyjohn/festivals-of-udaipur-and-their-significance-7bb8e66c8f80 | ['Daisy John'] | 2015-12-23 06:02:02.806000+00:00 | ['Festivals', 'Udaipur', 'Hotels'] |
Rocking The Daisies: The Eco-Friendly Music Festival | I recently attended Rocking the Daisies, a four-day music festival in Cape Town, South Africa. The event took place October 1st through the 4th. This year was the festival’s 10th birthday and the really went all out for the occasion. With 9 stages and over 22,000 people in attendance, the festival was an amazing scene to behold. There was a wide range of music styles from jazz to reggae to Cuban to funk.
Some of the larger names to headline the event include: The Kooks, Milky Chance, The Cat Empire, Crookers, Scuba, Thomas Jack and Betoko. The festival featured over 180 acts, including both local performers and larger, internationally recognized groups.
Furthermore, the Daisies coincided with the Rugby World Cup this year. In the Rubgy World Cup Village, attendees could go watch South Africa or other participants play their matches, witch provided a very electric atmosphere to watch the games.
What makes Rocking the Daisies particular unique, is the message of greening and being socially and environmentally conscious. SA’s Premier Music & Lifestyle Eco Festival is committed to limiting its impact on the environment through the reduction in trash and litter. Festival attendees can regularly be found assisting the festival crews in keeping the area clean throughout the weekend.
As South Africa’s premier eco-friendly music and lifestyle festival, Rocking the Daisies has continued to raise the bar, incorporating innovative environmentally conscious products into the festival and spreading the message of ‘play hard, tread lightly.’ The festival utilizes solar and wind powered electricity, biodiesel generators, LED lighting, biodegradable soaps, recycling and tree planting initiatives to name a few. Rocking the Daisies is committed to becoming the most carbon neutral green event possible.
In the Green Village, you could tap into “your inner Eco-Warrior” with the solar-powered Hemp Stage lineup, environmentally-conscious vendors and much more earth-friendly activities.
Rocking the Daisies was an amazing opportunity to enjoy amazing musical acts, both local and international, while taking part in a festival that is committed to improving the environment at the same time. | https://medium.com/@mackprioleau/rocking-the-daisies-the-eco-friendly-music-festival-747a8c2495c8 | ['Mack Prioleau'] | 2015-10-25 23:53:47.151000+00:00 | ['Festival', 'Travel'] |
Loft Film Fest in Tucson Initiates First American CICAE Art Cinema Awards | The Loft Film Fest is the first American festival member of the International Confederation of Art Cinemas (CICAE), which brings together more than 3,000
screens and approximately 16 festivals across Europe and around the world to promote the production and exhibition of quality independent films from all
countries in all countries.
The CICAE award is designed to bring attention to excellent films in order for them to be seen in art houses around the world. The CICAE award is given out
at festivals including the Berlinale Forum and Panorama, the Sarajevo International Film Festival, the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
The Loft Film Fest jury for documentary features includes Peter Belsito, film biz consultant, fest panelist and guest blogger for SydneysBuzz on Indiewire,
actress/writer/producer Yareli Arizmendi (“Like Water for Chocolate,” “A Day Without a Mexican”) and Beverly Seckinger, director of University of
Arizona Center for Documentary and Docscapes.
The short film jury includes Francesco Clerici, director of “Hand Gestures,” Max Cannon, creator of the alternative comic strip “Red Meat”, and Lupita
Murillo of KVOA News 4 Tucson.
The documentaries in competition are:
“Florence, Arizona”
Florence, Arizona is a cowboy town with a prison problem. Founded in 1866, this bastion of the Wild West is home to 8,500 civilians and 17,000 inmates
spread over nine prisons. Through an unconventional lens, the documentary film “Florence, Arizona” weaves together the stories of four key residents
of Florence, whose lives have all been shadowed in some way by the surrounding prison industrial complex. The result is an intricately crafted cinematic
tapestry, threaded through with deep strands of Americana, humor, intimacy, and pathos, revealing as much about ourselves as it does about our modern
carceral state. (Dir. by Andrea B. Scott, 2014, USA, 78 mins., Not Rated) Official Selection: DOC NYC
“Chuck Norris vs. Communism”
In the 1980s, under the Nicolae Ceaușescu regime, Romanians suffered from little access to foreign goods as well as an information blackout the Communist
bureaucrats used to ensure ideological purity. But in clandestine screenings at neighbors’ homes of smuggled VHS tapes dubbed by a one-man distribution
network, people got a glimpse of the Western world and a culture of muscular individuality with heroes like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sylvester Stallone, and,
of course, Chuck Norris.
In “Chuck Norris vs Communism,” one sees the power of film to change individuals and whole societies. Through the stories of the hardworking female
dubber (the most famous voice of Romania), the memories of everyday citizens, evocative re-creations of the time, and an enormous selection of clips from
’80s movies, first-time director Ilinca Calugareanu presents a film about the unexpected consequences of mass entertainment, leading to the conclusion that
the greatest threat to Ceaușescu’s dictatorship might just have been the VCR. (Dir. by Ilinca Calugareanu, 2014, UK/Romania/Germany, in Romanian with subtitles, 83 mins., Not Rated) Official Selection: Sundance Film
Festival, Hot Docs
“Bounce”
From Brazilian favelas to dusty Congolese villages, from Neolithic Scottish isles to modern soccer pitches, “Bounce” explores the little-known
origins of our favorite sports.
The film crosses time, languages and continents to discover how the ball has staked its claim on our lives and fueled our passion to compete. Equal parts
science, history and cultural essay, “Bounce” removes us from the scandals and commercialism of today’s sports world to uncover the true reasons we
play ball, helping us reclaim our universal connection to the games we love. (Dir. by Jerome Thelia, 2015, USA / Brazil / Congo / India / Ireland / Italy / Mexico / UK, in English with subtitles, 71 mins., Not Rated) Official Selection: SXSW
“Double Digits: The Story of a Neighborhood Movie Star”
Deep in the recesses of YouTube there is an ingenious artist who cannot be stopped. He consistently churns out 3–4 original feature-length films a year.
He’s made action movies, horror movies, westerns and more. He’s not rich, he has no crew, no formal training and aside from his action figures, plays
virtually every part. Welcome to the inspiring, imaginative, and often handmade world of Ultra-DIY filmmaker Richard ‘R.G.’ Miller, a 50 year-old man who
creates impossible blockbusters from his tiny studio apartment in Wichita, Kansas. His dream audience? More than 9 people. (Dir. by Justin Johnson, 2015, USA, 76 mins., Not Rated)
“Right Footed”
Born without arms as the result of a severe birth defect, Jessica Cox never allowed herself to believe that she couldn’t accomplish her dreams. An expert
martial artist, college graduate and motivational speaker, Jessica is also the world’s only armless airplane pilot, a mentor, and an advocate for people
with disability. Directed by Emmy Award winning filmmaker Nick Spark, “Right Footed” chronicles Jessica’s amazing story of overcoming adversity and
follows her over a period of two years as she becomes a mentor for children with disabilities and their families, and a disability rights advocate working
in the U.S.A. and abroad. (Dir. by Nick Spark, 2015, USA, in English with subtitles, 82 mins., Not Rated)
“Hand Gestures”
“Hand Gestures”
follows the process of creating one of Velasco Vitali’s famous dog sculptures, from wax to glazed bronze, at the Battaglia Artistic Foundry in Milan. The
film observes the work of a group of skilled artisans in this 100-year old foundry and reveals the ancient traditions of bronze sculpture making, unchanged
since the sixth century B.C. This method is not taught in school, but is passed on in the ancient oral tradition and through apprenticeships from artisans.
This documentary observes and feels the work of the Battaglia Artistic Foundry: a place where the past and present share the same gestures and where each
gesture is a sculpture itself.
An artist who sculpts, who works the waxes, is treated in the same way as a craftsman who turns that wax into bronze, building and destroying other
ephemeral sculptures: they have been making the same gestures for centuries, and by showing this to the camera they reveal historical “jumps” in time.
Director Francesco Clerici has made a fine-tuned, carefully-observed study of a glorious thing to watch: artisans practicing their craft on film. Winner of
the FIPRESCI award at Berlinale Forum 2015. (Dir. by Francesco Clerici, 2015, Italy, in Italian with subtitles, 77 mins., Not Rated)
Official Selection: Berlin International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival
“Beaver Trilogy Part IV” (USA, dir. Brad Besser)
In 1979, KUTV in Salt Lake City acquired a new video camera. Trent Harris, a producer for the station’s offbeat show Extra, ventured out into the
parking lot to test the new equipment and happened upon a young man taking pictures of the station’s news helicopter.
The kid, calling himself “Groovin’ Gary,” was the self-proclaimed Rich Little of Beaver, Utah. His infectious personality and small-town impressions of
John Wayne, Sylvester Stallone, and Barry Manilow piqued Harris’s interest enough so he gave him a business card and asked that he alert him if anything
newsworthy happened in his hometown. What happened next would become the foundation for “Beaver Trilogy,” a unique collection of films that
documented Harris’s multiple attempts at re-creating the original magic of the Beaver Kid. Director Brad Besser dives deep into the mystique of this cult
classic, unraveling the mystery of Harris’s original inspiration. “Beaver Trilogy Part IV” explores the line between the quest for fame and the
exploitation of those who pursue it. (Dir. by Brad Besser, 2015, USA, 84 mins., Not Rated) Official Selection: Sundance Film
Festival, Hot Docs
The short films in competition are in two programs:
Program 1
Program 2
The awards will be presented on Sunday October 25 before the final screenings of the festival: “Mia Madre” at 7:15PM and “Eisenstein in Guanajuato” at 7:45PM.
Tickets and passes on sale now at www.loftfilmfest.org. | https://blogs.sydneysbuzz.com/loft-film-fest-in-tucson-initiates-first-american-cicae-art-cinema-awards-421d2bbc69ff | ['Sydney Levine'] | 2016-09-29 18:25:56.250000+00:00 | ['Festivals', 'International Film'] |
Durga Puja — Lights, Cameras and Actions | Edit: The Puja is coming to an end today. As we say in bengali — “asche bochor abar hobe” (it will happen next year again). Added few snaps from old pujas of the landlords/zaminders/royals.
Arguably the biggest festival of India is ON right now. Kolkata is bustling with the joy of festivity. The madness is flowing across the streets, lanes and bylanes. Sharing few snaps of the festival — wish you a very happy Durga Puja and Dusshera.
A large sunflower themed “pandal” where the Goddess is located. Thousands of such pandals are dotting the city
The traditional Durga idol gets new shape by the various installation artists
Some pandals highlight the old Kolkata charm
While some believe in grandiose
the creativity goes on a spree
The Goddess at her best with her family
Decoration using bamboo!
The lights
The Camera(s)
And some action
The rural drum beats in an Urbane Puja pandal — check out the man in dark glass at the back of the stage, must be the Manager ;-)
Creative representation gone a bit stretched :)
Little volunteers showing you the way
She studies in standard 6, and was worshipped as Durga in one of the royal houses in Kolkata. Kumari Puja, where a girl is worshipped as the goddess is practised in some of the pujas, including Belur Math (Ramakrishna mission)
Used in sandhi Puja
Durga Puja is also a time for reunion, of meeting relatives and friends after a long time
The old houses get a fresh coat of paint possibly, while they open up to the commoners
And the jewellery pieces come out of closet
The structure and story of the idols differ
But the spirit remains same — of worshipping the goddess
Finally a short 17 second video of the Bisharjan (Immersion) procession from Sobhabajar Rajbari — they are taking her to Ganges.
#DurgaPuja #Durga #Kolkata #Festival #PhotoStory | https://medium.com/life-of-a-technologist/durga-puja-is-reaching-its-crescendo-357c2e45e151 | ['Subhamoy Chakraborti'] | 2017-06-05 09:03:57.864000+00:00 | ['Durga Puja', 'Kolkata', 'India', 'Festivals'] |
Coming to the AFI FEST 2015: ‘Embrace of the Serpent’ | From Latin America “Embrace of The Serpent” (“El Abrazo De La
Serpiente”) is a coproduction of Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina.
This is a favorite film
of mine and is the Colombian contender for Best Foreign Language Oscar
nomination by Colombia’s Ciro Guerra whose past film “The Wind Journeys” also captured
an existence far from our own reality.
This film and the Venezuelan contender “Gone with the River” by
Mario Crespo are the first shot in the Amazonian rainforest in over 30 years.
“Embrace of the Serpent” premiered in the
Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it was
awarded the top prize, the CIACE Art Cinema Award. It also screened at the TIFF
this September.
It signals a new trend in world cinema, the stories
of indigenous people from their particular points of view. While Sundance has been supporting Native
Cinema for many years, now world festivals are also featuring them in greater
numbers.
Both blistering and poetic, the ravages of
colonialism cast a dark shadow over the South American landscape. “Embrace Of The Serpent” is the third
feature by Ciro Guerra.
Filmed in stunning black-and-white, the film
centers on Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and the last survivor of his people,
and the two scientists who, over the course of 40 years, build a friendship
with him.
The film was inspired by the real-life journals of
two explorers (Theodor Kock-Grünberg and Richard Evan Schultes) who traveled
through the Colombian Amazon during the last century in search of the sacred
and difficult-to-find psychedelic Yakruna plant.
The film screens at AFI on November 6 at 6:30 PM and on November 9 at 1:00 PM
AFI programmer Landon Zakheim describes the film
here:
The shaman Karamakate waits warily by the edge of
the river as a German explorer approaches. The stranger seeks the Yakuna, a
legendary rare flower that can cure the man of his mysterious sickness. Only
the shaman knows its location, hidden deep within the recesses of the Colombian
Amazon, but he is distrustful. It is white men who made him the last of his
tribe. But the explorer knows of others of his kind, and so a perilous bargain
is struck. Shifting between these events in 1909 and 40 years later, when an older
Karamakate brings another foreigner on the same journey through a ravaged jungle…
Ciro Guerra’s masterful use of monochromatic black-and-white, symbolic
landscapes, overwhelming soundscapes and haunting, elliptical editing blend
together to elevate ethnographic odyssey into a hypnotic and methodical work of
pure cinema.
It will be released stateside by Oscilloscope in
New York on Wednesday, February 17 and in Los Angeles on Friday, February 19,
with a national rollout to follow.
International Sales Agent
Films Boutique has sold to Natyls for Denmark, Diaphana for France,
Magyarhangya for Hungary, trigon-film for Switzerland.
Director: Ciro Guerra
Screenwriter: Ciro
Guerra, Jacques Toulemonde Vidal
Producer: Cristina
Gallego
Executive Producer:
Cristina Gallego, Raúl Bravo, Marcelo Céspedes, Horacio Mentasti, Esteban
Mentasti
Director of Photography:
David Gallego
Editor: Cristina Gallego,
Etienne Boussac
Production Designer: Angélica
Perea
Music: Nascuy Linares
Cast: Jan Bijvoet,
Brionne Davis, Nilbio Torres, Antonio Bolívar, Yauenkü Miguee
Colombia | Venezuela |
Argentina, 2015
122 min.
Feature
Connect with AFI FEST at facebook.com/AFIFEST,
twitter.com/AFIFEST
and youtube.com/AFIFEST.
Free tickets:
http://afi.com/afifest/freetickets.aspx | https://blogs.sydneysbuzz.com/coming-to-the-afi-fest-2015-embrace-of-the-serpent-2c02b9edf1b1 | ['Sydney Levine'] | 2016-09-29 18:27:25.833000+00:00 | ['Festivals', 'Colombia'] |
Fall fun with wines, brews and views! | Fall fun with wines, brews and views!
This is one of my favorite times of year. The weather is chilly, I can curl up by the fireplace, and sip…cold beer! That’s right, even the Wine Brat loves some beer from time to time.
On Sunday, November 15th, beer lovers from the Bay Area will converge on Fort Mason to celebrate with the BevMo Holiday Beer Fest. Over 50 holiday, Sesasonal & Special, and soon to be released brews will be poured, and all of the beer will be available for purchase at BevMo.
Seasonal brews go back as far as the art of brewing itself, where these big bold sippers were made to celebrate the coming of winter. The Medieval Monks, the first professional brewers, added special ingredients to create warming beers to get us through the long cold winter. Today, brewers use these old methods and add new techniques and flavors like fruits, herbs, coffee and chocolate. Mmmm chocolate!
Join me and The Beer Wench for this special event! Tickets are $35 adn can be purchasd HERE, which includes all of your beer tasting. Food will be available for purchase as well.
Next door to the Beer Fest, the SF Vintners Market will be the first and only wine tasting and buying event in the Bay Area. On November 14th and 15th at Fort Mason Center over 300 wineries from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Russian River Valley and beyond will be pouring their favorite wines including new releases, special collections and hard to find vintages for you to taste. The fun part about this event is that you can actually buy the wine after you taste it, something that hasn’t been done until now due to licensing issues and legal tangles.
The brainchild of Cornelius Geary and Jeff Player, founders of Wine 2.0 and RadCru.com, this event promises to be a good time. WIth the economy still in the dumper, smaller wineries struggle to get their wares of there. These event will get the winemaker closer to the customers, and allow us to buy what we like without searching out after a tasting. In addition to the winemakers at many of the winery booths, we’ll be hosting a special section for “Major famous” winemakers and wine industry celebs where you can get a few minutes of personal time and a quick picture with the winemaker!
Tickets for the SF Vintners Market are $15 each day for General Admission, or $50 for a VIP ticket which allows you access to a special VIP section each day. You can buy tickets HERE.
I hope to see you there! | https://medium.com/luscious-lushes/fall-fun-with-wines-brews-and-views-cd7cfa69d236 | ['Thea Dwelle'] | 2016-11-21 17:10:09.211000+00:00 | ['Beer', 'Events', 'Festivals'] |
Personal Live Streaming — A New Headache for Content Management? | Only a few years ago communication from attendees at an event consisted of the occasional phone call (if you could make one) and maybe a text or two. The phenomenal success of smart phones and social media has changed all that at a pace no one was expecting.
We raced through textual commentary and onto photo commentary within a couple of years, a development which saw a huge shift in network demand on event sites, the few bytes of a text message replaced by megabytes of high resolution photos.
Now we are seeing the next shift into video, initially starting as a ‘record and upload’ approach but rapidly shifting to live video streaming with some current generation smartphones capable of 4K ultra HD video at more than 50Mbps! Last week Facebook announced Live Video, their offering in the live video streaming arena to compete with Periscope and Meerkat, a reflection on how fast the area of personal video streaming is moving. The key point is that Facebook Live Video is integrated into their main application removing a barrier to usage and fuelling more rapid adoption across its massive existing user base.
The data demands of such use are vast, especially in a high density environment such as an event and therefore, for the moment, this is likely to restrict the growth to some degree, however, it is happening and with it comes a significant shift in thinking about how content from live events is managed.
Putting aside the technical pressures on event networks in terms of capacity the real question is about the content. We have seen the shift from ‘no cameras’ to a reluctant acceptance that the control of photos from event sites is pretty much impossible, even though many artists do not like the sea of people watching events through their phones. Increasingly there is some acceptance of a time shifted amateur video appearing on YouTube but the idea of real-time video streaming takes the subject of content management to a new level.
For organisers, promoters and artists the question is do you try and stop it from occurring using either technical or physical approaches, or accept it and turn it to an advantage. Technically restricting video streaming on an event managed and controlled Wi-Fi network is perfectly feasible but on the 3G/4G mobile network services it would come down to discussions with those operators as to whether they would be prepared to block streaming from specific cell towers during an event which is unlikely, although in reality at present it is unlikely these networks would be reliable enough to support a video stream.
Alternatively, rather than trying to block at source, a continuous scan of live streaming services to identify and remove streams could be employed but the effort required to do this would be huge and would not be successful without the support of the service providers such as Facebook & Periscope.
Physically trying to control it becomes a question as to how strong do you get with identifying and removing abusers, an approach which can cause tension between fans and artists, would require additional resource to police and would never be entirely successful.
Is the answer then to accept and adopt, finding ways to benefit from this new communications channel? Does it really harm the event or the artists to have boundless unmanaged content strewn across the internet? On the other hand, do you want someone wandering around backstage streaming everything? Or someone in the front row streaming what could be a surprisingly high quality and atmospheric video? It’s a copyright nightmare but potentially provides massive exposure.
Technology is not only at the source of this issue it is also likely to be part of the solution too but not before event organisers decide on approach. One thing we do know from technology over the last twenty years is that it cannot be ignored, it is the ultimate disruptor and will always find a way of winning through.
Related
Originally published at www.etherlive.co.uk on December 12, 2015. | https://medium.com/@ChrisUKGreen/personal-live-streaming-a-new-headache-for-content-management-76ce42601de7 | ['Chris Green'] | 2016-01-22 13:16:52.869000+00:00 | ['Streaming', 'Events', 'Festivals'] |
Lady Filmmakers Festival Kicks Off Today With Script 2 Screen Program to Create Opportunities for Women In Film. | “Lady Filmmakers has been so important as a venue in Los Angeles for women filmmakers to present and screen their work, and one of the most amazing things they do is Script 2 Screen where they are actually fostering and championing talent by finding interesting writers, staging readings, and then producing short films. What other festival does this? It’s incredible.” — Producer Cecillia Peck
The 7th Annual Lady Filmmakers Festival begins today and will run throughout the weekend. Lady Filmmakers screens a record number of films directed and filmed by women! The festival boasts 4 feature films and 42 short films with several World, US, West Coast, and LA Premieres in Beverly Hills, CA. The festival kicks off with a “Havana Nights” Opening Party at the Crescent Hotel featuring Live Latin Music and Cuban inspired cuisine.
Lady Filmmakers is a festival that recognizes and celebrates the tremendous contribution of women to film and the importance in the collaborative spirit amongst men and women,” says DiSalvo Viayra. One goal of the festival is to screen high quality, entertaining independent US and international films to show people that they can enjoy Indie films just as much as the big blockbusters. The fest promotes artists and musicians, recognizes and empowers lady filmmakers, artists, and musicians from all ethnic, religious, and LGBT communities.
Lady Filmmakers Honors Marion Rosenberg, OBE for her leadership and tremendous contributions to film. She served as Executive Producer on Columbia’s HOLLOW MAN. She was the Executive Producer of REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, directed by Sam Mendes for Dreamworks. Marion co-founded BAFTA LA, and was its Co-Chair from 1987 to 1995. Until 2008, she served as Chair of the UK Film Council US Advisory Board.
Lady Filmmakers is more than just a film festival. Under the new 501©(3) IRS Tax Exempt Charity Status, The very first Script 2 Screen Film produced by Lady Filmmakers, The Bay Laurel, written by Jan Militello, directed by Lis & Brenda Fies, premieres Sunday October 25th at 8:00 pm at the Laemmle’s Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills, CA. “The Bay Laurel” stars Emmy winner David Lagos.
The S2S Program is an extension of the writing contest where award-winning scripts are workshopped and given a Staged Reading in front of a live audience. The script “Pyne”, written by Ingrid Abrams, is in pre-production slated to shoot in November directed by Cecilia Peck. The film stars Adrian Pasdar, Sandra Seacat and Ajarae Coleman. This is just one of the new programs launched to create opportunities for women and diversity in film & the arts!
Special industry speakers confirmed are Ivy Kagan Bierman (Entertainment Lawyer), Tara Kole (Entertainment Lawyer), Andrew Sugerman (Premonition, Conviction), Louise Levison (The Blair Witch Project), Hammad Zaidi (Lonely Seal Releasing), Gil Cates Jr (Life After Tomorrow, Lucky, Job), Pam Dixon, CSA (Zorro, City Slickers, Gosford Park), Kerry Barden, CSA (Boys Don’t Cry, American Psycho).
This year’s festival will screen films from Brazil, Norway, Spain, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Republic of Georgia, and Australia. Films will showcase up-and-coming as well as celebrity filmmakers and actors including Courteney Cox, Laura Dern, Rita Wilson, Anna Paquin, Sharon Stone, Maria Bello, Olivia Wilde, Chris Evans, Danny Glover, Glenn Close, James Brolin, and David Lynch.
Visit here for more information. | https://blogs.sydneysbuzz.com/lady-filmmakers-festival-kicks-off-today-with-script-2-screen-program-to-create-opportunities-for-44fc1e2674fd | ['Sydney Levine'] | 2016-09-29 18:29:41.076000+00:00 | ['Festivals', 'Film Festival', 'Women'] |
Top 12 Halloween Music Events & Festivals | Top 12 Halloween Music Events & Festivals Los Angeles: Knotfest Two-day camping and heavy music festival in San Bernardino, California takes place during the weekend before Halloween weekend. Date: 10.24 -10. 25 Venue: San Manuel Amphitheatre, San Bernardino, CA (60 miles northeast of downtown LA) *Both indoor and outdoor stages, on-site parking. Genres: Heavy metal, Groove metal, Death metal, Metalcore, Deathcore, Thrash metal, Nu metal Ages: 10+ Price: $49 to $199+ fees Ticket link: http://livemu.sc/1OFoGVR Hard Day of the Dead HARD’s traditional annual Halloween themed 2-day music festival takes place on Halloween weekend in Pomona, California. Live music starts at 11am each day. Date: 10.31 & 11.1 Venue: Fairplex, Pomona CA (30 miles east of Downtown LA) *Both indoor and outdoor stages, on-site parking. Genres: electronic, hip hop, indie pop, rap, trap, techno, deep house. Lineup: Returning favorites Skrillex, Gesaffelstein, Nero and Deadmau5 with hip hop additions A$ap Ferg, Hot Chip, and newly pop Glass Animals. Ages: 21+ Price: $145+ fees Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1JF9QuA Escape Psycho Circus Insomniac’s annual Halloween 2-day dance party takes place on Halloween weekend in San Bernardino, California. Date: 10.30 & 10.31 Venue: NOS Events Center, San Bernardino CA (60 miles east of Downtown LA) *Indoor tented stages, on-site parking. Genres: electronic, trance, techno, deep house, house. Lineup: Classic EDM acts such as Above & Beyond, Benny Benassi, DJ Snake and Martin Garrix together with techno masters John Digweed and Richie Hawtin Ages: 18+ Price: 2-day $169 + fees Single day $99 + fees Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1HHC1v0
San Francisco Bay Area Boo! SF Newly added Insomniac’s two-night EDM party at Bill Graham Auditorium in downtown San Francisco, California. Date: 10.30 & 10.31 Venue: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (downtown San Francisco) Indoor auditorium, public parking outside venue Genres: electronic, dance, house, trap. Lineup: Big EDM headliners Nicky Romero, Oliver Heldens, Flosstradamus and Seven Lions. Ages: 18+ Price: 2-day $135 + fees Single day $69.5 + fees Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1i6CoH2 (2-day) http://bit.ly/1UOo0jd (Friday) http://bit.ly/1OKBLgU (Saturday) Jack Yo Lantern Single night dance party on the central campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, California. Date: 10.30 Venue: Event Center SJSU (near downtown San Jose) Indoor stadium, on-site parking Genres: electronic, dance, house, trap. Lineup: Deorro, GTA, Makj, Wiwek, Elephante Ages: 18+ Price: $45 + fees Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1FE7fjC
Placerville, CA Hangtown Halloween Ball Hangtown Halloween Ball is a 4-day music and arts festival takes place at the gateway of the picturesque Sierra mountains.The fifth annual Halloween event is coming back this year with colorful Halloween themed ambiance and art installations, artist workshops and a diverse lineup spanning multiple genres of music. Date: 10.22–10.25 Venue: El Dorado County Fairgrounds (45 miles northwest of Sacramento) *Outdoor stages, on-site parking Genres: band, country, rock, folk Lineup: Beats Antique, Break Science, Fruition, Joe Craven, Kung Fu, Lettuce, Mind X, T Sisters. Ages: all ages Price: $20.5 to $1100+ fees Ticket link: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/hangtown-halloween-ball-2015-tickets-15983740799?aff=website
Seattle FreakNight Festival The Northwest’s 19th Annual Halloween Ritual 2-day music event returns this year’s Halloween weekend at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington state. Date: 10.30 & 10.31 Venue: Tacoma Dome, Tacoma (30 miles south of downtown Seattle) Indoor stadium Genres: electronic, dance, house, trap. Lineup: Must-see electronic music acts including Deadmau5, Tiesto, Diplo, Nero, Nicky Romero and Pete Tong. Ages: 18+ Price: $199 + fees Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1LLHBy9
Chicago Freaky Deaky Festival 3-day Midwest Halloween Massive takes place in Chicago, Illinois during Halloween weekend, featuring mixed genres of dance music big names. Date: 10.30 -11.1 Venue: Toyota Park, Bridgeview (15 miles southwest of downtown Chicago) Genres: rap, hip hop, trance, techno, electronic, dance, house, trap. Lineup: Variety of genres favorites such as rapper 2 Chainz and Action Bronson, dubstep guru Bassnectar as well as techno classic Richie Hawtin. Ages: 18+ Price: $179 + fees Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1OmIaRB
Houston Something Wicked Festival Texas’ largest Halloween electronic music festival takes place in Houston, Texas on October 24th and 25th. Date: 10.24 & 10.25 Venue: Sam Houston Race Park, Houston (20 miles northwest of downtown Houston) Genres: trance, techno, electronic, dance, house, trap. Lineup: EDM big names including Above & Beyond, Jack U (Skrillex & Diplo), Steve Aoki and DJ Snake. Ages: 18+ Price: $139 + fees Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1imW5Lw
New Orleans Voodoo Fest 3-day music and arts festival held in City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Voodoo Experience is known for including a mix of genres of international, national as well as regional artists such as Florence + The Machine, Deadmau5, Alesso and the Cult. Date: 10.30–11.1 Venue: City Park, New Orleans (near downtown New Orleans) Genres: indie, indie rock, future house, UK garage, alternative rock, folk, techno, electronic, dance, house, trap. Lineup: EDM big names including Above & Beyond, Jack U (Skrillex & Diplo), Steve Aoki and DJ Snake. Ages: all ages Price: $86 — $550 + fees Ticket link: http://worshipthemusic.com/general-admission/
New York City Pier of Fear: Halloween Night Get ready for another crazy night with EDM icon Skrillex at the landmark music venue Pier 94 by the Hudson river in NYC. This could easily be the most attended Halloween party in the Big Apple. Date: 10.31 Venue: Pier 94, NYC Genres: electronic, trap, dubstep, hip hop, rap Lineup: Skrillex, Marshmello, Sliink Ages: 18+ Price: $85+ fees Ticket link: http://www.flavorus.com/event/SKRILLEX-PIER-OF-FEAR/305290 | https://medium.com/@jeanhwu/top-12-halloween-music-events-festivals-a82ba0eba7d4 | ['Jean H Wu'] | 2015-10-14 07:03:02.518000+00:00 | ['Music', 'Festival', 'Halloween'] |
Festivals. Anim Est. Romania. | Festivals. Anim Est. Romania.
While you are thinking about the skript for the third picture (cartoon) and animators are working on the cartoon, I decided not to disturb them and not to lose time but visit an Anim Est Festival in Romania. Not to go there empty-handed I took our two pictures (movies, cartoons) with me.
Though they did not take any diplomas, no one asked our autographs and we were not driven in limos, generally their attitude was neutral.
But the Festival gave us much more than a Diploma. It gave us Knowledge.
Here are some important conclusions I have come to:
1. Not all festivals should be visited. As it turns out there is a great number of animation festivals being held, from amateurs’ competitions to large studios’ battles. This particular one was a separate amateurs’ competition. We are also amateurs though we represent a Studio. One more thing. Not every festival evaluates the quality of performance.This Festival valued more an interesting, philosophical idea.
In other words, depressive Art House prevailed at the Festival and hence, our entertaining demos were out of place there.
2. English should be learned! We need not only use our body language to speak English but speak English properly.
3. Festivals should be visited (though not every one (see ar.1). You can see how many people are involved in animation, speak to them, realize how entusiastic they are, and your world view is changed into a more positive one.
4. Festivals can give you information about next coming ones, how upmarket they are etc. We got to know about festivals in France, Spain, and Germany, where even to get into a short list will be a great success which can be equal to the Cannes award. We were invited to the festival in Brussels where we might go in February 2010.
5. Festivals are visited not to get awards but for communication and gaining contacts. This might include potential investors (let’s knock on the wood for good luck). We can also speak about our projects. Some Romanian periodicals wrote about us.
6. We are standing at the root of the mountain which name is Animation. And to climb it is not only necessary but also very interesting.
Even if we have an off chance to reach the top. Though anyway we will start climbing. Or we have already began to do it.
Here are some not very important conclusions:
1 .There is no animation studio in Romania which was very surprising for us.
2 Bucurest and Chisinau are twin cities. Either here or there you cannot find a parking place. Neither there nor here is clean. Chisinau is definitely greener. Though Bucurest will spot Chisinau 100 points in architecture.And it also works with our cartoon characters.
Gypsies in Bucurest are very colourful, they made our eyes happy.
3. Romanians are very polite, educated, and well-spoken. At least, I came across those.
4. Guys are dressed brighter than girls. It is difficult to explain, but that was an impression. Maybe I was out of luck. Or those were the gilrs in Bucurest..
5. The Metro in Bucurest is one running carriage. It resembles long sausage. It seems very comfortable.
And to switch into serious mood, the situation brought back the time of 1997 when I was walking along Chisinau streets with my first demo reel being made on my friend’s compter calling at every office asking people to look at what kind of commercial I could make. Then, after a lot of rejections, one month later I found my first customer. That defined my futher way to animation.
Now the situation is very much alike except for the fact that I am going to visit festivals, instead of officies.
Let’s see how it will work and what will come out of it .
3D cartoon about a joyous story of gypsies life and the laws of being.We decised to show you, how the three-dimensional cartoons are made from the begining to the end.
If you like the project “Gypsy” and want to collaborate with us, send your ideas to [email protected]
tigan.md | https://medium.com/simpals-studio/festivals-anim-est-romania-30ab761ec9a3 | [] | 2017-09-15 11:48:30.149000+00:00 | ['Festivals', 'Animation', '3d', 'Storytelling'] |
Tucson’s Loft Film Fest Opens Today with a World-Class Film Program | The Tucson’s Loft Film Fest starts today and runs until Sunday October 25. The program will bring some of the best works from around the globe to Tucson, many of which will be have their local premier during the festival.
The acclaimed drama “Court,” a quietly devastating portrait of political injustice involving an elderly folk singer facing
persecution for his art, is India’s official Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as the winner of the Lion of the Future Award for director
Chaitanya Tamhane at the Venice Film Festival. This is the film’s Tucson Premiere.
“Mustang” France’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar and winner of the Europa Cinemas Label award at the Cannes Directors’
Fortnight, is a haunting portrait of five young sisters struggling to come of age under highly unusual circumstances in a remote Turkish coastal village.
The film makes its Arizona Premiere at The Loft Film Fest.
The Loft Film Fest 2015 will also showcase numerous top prize winners from major film festivals around the world, including Cannes, Sundance, Toronto,
Venice and more.
The highly-anticipated new British drama “45 Years,” directed by Andrew Haigh (“Weekend”), will have its Arizona
Premiere at The Loft Film Fest. This riveting and melancholy tale of a long-married couple confronting a dark secret from their past, has generated major
Oscar buzz and garnered the Best Actress and Best Actor awards at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival for its celebrated stars, Charlotte Rampling
(“Swimming Pool”) and Tom Courtenay (“Doctor Zhivago”).
The moving Italian drama “Mia Madre”from acclaimed filmmaker Nanni Moretti (“The Son’s Room”), stars Margherita Buy ( “Days and Clouds”) and John Turturro (“O Brother, Where Are Thou?”) and tells the story of a harried filmmaker juggling with production of
her new film with caring for her dying mother. Winner of the prestigious Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Film Festival, the film will also have
its Arizona Premiere at The Loft Film Fest.
“Taxi” the crowd-pleasing comedy/drama from Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, (“The White Balloon”) follows the filmmaker himself as he assumes the role of
taxi driver for a number of diverse citizens in his home country, learning about their lives as he ferries them through the city. Winner of the FIPRESCI
Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival,”Taxi” makes its Tucson Premiere at The Loft Film Fest.
Just a few of the other major international festival award winners hitting the screen at the Loft Film Fest include Pedro Costa’s “Horse Money” (winner of the Locarno International Film Festival award for Best Director); Sebastian Silva’s “Nasty Baby,” starring Kristin Wiig (winner of the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film at the Berlin International Film Festival) and “In Transit,” the final film from legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (winner of a Best Documentary Special Jury Mention
at the Tribeca Film Festival).
Many more prize-winning features, documentaries and short films will light up the screen at The 2015 Loft Film Fest. In addition to
acclaimed films, the fest brings an incredible line-up of filmmakers and special guests to Tucson! Rita Moreno (“West Side Story”), Alfonso Arau ( “ Like Water for Chocolate.””Three Amigos”), Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana (10th Anniversary Screening of “Brokeback Mountain”),
Bobcat Goldthwait (“Call Me Lucky”), Michael Joplin (brother of Janis Joplin with the doc “Janis: Little Girl Blue”), Andrea B. Scott (“Florence, AZ”), Francesco Clerici (“Hand Gestures”), Jessica Cox & Nick Spark (“Right-Footed”) and Justin Johnson (“Double Digits”) are among the guests who will be on hand to present films alongside critically-acclaimed films selected from prestigious festivals
around the globe. For more information and to purchase tickets and passes, please visit: www.loftfilmfest.org. | https://blogs.sydneysbuzz.com/tucsons-loft-film-fest-opens-today-with-a-world-class-film-program-dd0aa8899c7c | ['Sydney Levine'] | 2016-09-29 18:23:31.751000+00:00 | ['Festivals', 'International Film'] |
I Cried on my First Day as a Digital Nomad | ..and I couldn’t be more happy that I did.
I didn’t cry because of sadness; noone has passed away. I didn’t cry because I was unhappy with something in my life. I didn’t cry to get what I want. I didn’t cry because I hurt myself. Nor did I cry because I wanted to cry.
I think — although this has never happened to me — I cried because of the happiness of the moment I was experiencing.
This sounds fucking weird right? Especially as an emotionally secure London boy who has just moved away to Thailand… but this is the only way I can rationalise it.
If you care to join me, I’d love to tell you why I think I cried… this is going to be a ramble!
I’m really only 2 days into my journey. It’s the beginning. Although I’ve been away over a week, I’ve spent most of it in Mumbai for a friend’s wedding. There were expectations and things to do, places to be etc. I felt as if I was in transit between 2 different lives. I’ve been waiting for this moment for years… and I’m so happy I’m here, doing it.
Yesterday I met the most awesomely inspiring dude, Peter — levels.io — He’s building cool sh_t to help people live and work where they want. He’s also the guy behind 12 Startups in 12 months. Anyway, he got me setup in my first co-working space, introduced me to a few people and got excited about what I’m working on — Pillow Talk.
I’ve got purpose. I believe I can build something that can make people’s life better, and I’m making it happen.
I’m learning. I’m enjoying a new culture, picking up a new language, smiling to strangers, nodding when saying thanks. All these small things are just fascinating. I absolutely love it.
Anyway, I had my first good night sleep since arriving into Thailand followed by a delightfully healthy noodle soup breakfast. I walked to the co-working space, hacked away and built stuff. I had a couple of coffees, had a ride on the back of a moped and ended up in a beautiful park where the locals were celebrating Loy Krathong.
These lanterns just lit up the lake. They moved slowly, with the light glistening on the ripples of the water. Each lantern has a candle and incense, so the whole park was filled with this beautiful aroma. Many people were in couples, praying, and delicately placing the lanterns in the water. I sat there watching the fish jumping up and splashing. Everyone, all around me, just looked so happy and literally, just like that, I started shedding tears. I couldn’t quite believe it myself. Few things have ever made me cry.
It was as if at that moment everything came together. I was there, just observing, experiencing and feeling. Not the past. Not the future. Just being. There. Present. It felt fucking amazing.
I wish that you will experience this joy too. I’d love to hear similar stories. | https://drrn.net/i-cried-on-my-first-day-as-a-digital-nomad-4a099dfab71 | ['Darren John Smith'] | 2015-10-13 09:38:00.798000+00:00 | ['Digital Nomads', 'Thailand', 'Festival'] |
Top-notch Talent to Attend Whistler Film Festival for WIDC Story & Leadership | Eight women directors from across Canada have been selected to attend the 20th annual session of Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC), which includes the
pilot program, WIDC Story & Leadership. Over the coming months this top-notch group of content creators will develop their feature films and web
series, working with an ensemble of hand-picked professional actors, technicians and other industry experts. A major component of the program takes the
form of an Industry Immersion at the 15th anniversary Whistler Film Festival (December 2–6), and culminates with a three-month mentorship tailored to
advance each director’s project.
Mounting their sophomore feature films are East coast favorites,
Mary Walsh
(“A Christmas Fury,” based on the characters from the riotously-funny TV series “Hatching, Matching and Dispatching”),
Anita Reilly McGee
(“Black Mammy”), and WIDC Feature Film Award-winner,
Jordan Canning
(“Suck It Up”). Weaving fiction into their prolific body of documentary works from Ontario are,
Maya Gallus
(“Nights in the Underground”), and
Frances-Anne Solomon (“Hero”). Also from Ontario is
Nicole Dorsey
, developing a debut feature “Black Conflux,” along with BC-based actress
Ana De Lara
(“The Virgin Mary Had a Little Lamb”). Multiple award-winner
Marie Clements
is developing a new interactive web series “Crooked Bones,” based on the true story of First Nations artist, Connie Watts.
“WIDC understands that being committed to bringing women’s voices to the screen means investing in the storyteller. Not simply as a “one off” but as a
continued partnership between stakeholders who recognize that the development of skill, process, and creation has lasting and profound value,” states Metis
actor/ writer/director, Marie Clements. “I am honored to be in this year’s Story & Leadership Program with some of Canada’s most talented and
innovative filmmakers.”
Award-winning director
Rachel Talalay
(“Dr. Who,” “Tank Girl”) will be one of this year’s key mentors focusing on directing action. This year’s line up also includes peer mentors, award-winning WIDC
alumnae, writer/directors
Siobhan Devine
(“The Birdwatcher,” which premieres at the Whistler Film Festival), and web series creator
Karen Lam
(“Mythos”), along with popular WIDC instructors, writer and Jungian expert,
Dr. Carolyn Mamchur
, and screen-writer / story consultant
Linda Coffey
(“These Arms of Mine”). Industry guests include,
John Galway
(Harold Greenberg Fund),
Maureen Levitt
, (Super Channel), independent producer,
Lael McCall
, (Principia Productions), and Telefilm Canada’s
Lauren Davis
.
“Taking part in this WIDC workshop makes me excited about the possibility of someday having television and film represent the perspectives of women, “
states Mary Walsh, a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Governor General’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the Performing Arts. “Although women make up
51% of the Canadian population, they comprise less than 20% of the directors and screenwriters working in Canadian Film.”
The Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC) program has earned an international reputation for propelling over two hundred Canadian women directors’ skills,
stories and careers to the next level of excellence. Creative Women Workshops Association, The Banff Centre and ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema,
Television and Radio Artists) have been WIDC collaborators, and Telefilm Canada has been a major sponsor since the program’s 1997 inception. WIDC and the
Whistler Film Festival collaborate again through the WIDC WFF Industry Immersion.
The Festival’s online box office is now open for Industry Passes, Festival Passes and Ticket Packages allowing you to select your films in advance and
share them with friends and family.
New for 2015
, WFF has introduced a Festival Credential that provides access to the Music Café, ShortWork Showdown and Festival Lodge, and is included in select ticket
packages if purchased by October 31.
Air travel and ground transportation deals as well as best accommodation rates starting from $89 per night are now available. The Westin Whistler Resort
and Spa is WFF’s official host hotel. WFF has 20 accommodation partners to choose from that offer special rates to Whistler Film Festival attendees. Book
your accommodation early to ensure your perfect match and price. For information, go to
whistlerfilmfestival.com. | https://blogs.sydneysbuzz.com/top-notch-talent-to-attend-whistler-film-festival-for-widc-story-leadership-123b7d141b73 | ['Sydney Levine'] | 2016-09-29 18:30:13.872000+00:00 | ['Festivals', 'International Film', 'Canada'] |
The Nu World At Large (A Review) | I was asked to review and photograph the 2015 Cape Town Nu World Festival, so I did.
Originally posted in July 2015—but with a few amendments made.
THURSDAY
Me: Hello Facebook, I would like to attend the Nu World Music Fest by means of work. Can you provide? Facebook: Yes my brother.
FRIDAY
I’m inside an email searching for my media pass while doggedly manoeuvring through rainy-day Cape Town traffic. The first act already started two hours ago yet here I am on a rendezvous with old compatriot and Black Major’s artist representative Aaron Peters to chaperone Aero Manyelo and Skinny (Blackfoot Phoenix) and Tristan (Thris) — the Boiler Room/NTS DJs — to and from the Colosseum Hotel in Century City. I took him up on this offer because I thought it would be an interesting starting point for my festival report; truth be told, I just wanted to meet some famous people. But things are not going according to plan: Tristan and Skinny missed their flight from Joburg and the weather is getting worse. They’re late, and having only just picked up my camera equipment and car’s backseats from home, I’m late too. Rats! I thought there would be time to impress them with the smooth tunes I just so happen to have in my car — playlists that I made for them this morning — while driving to the clothing sale at Superior Goods, enjoying some free whiskey, picking up some sweet kush (the DJs want a pick-me-up) and just chewing the fat together, you know? Shoot the breeze on the wonderful/atrocious state of the music industry and whatnot.
But no, Aaron and I are now in the reception hall at the Colosseum Hotel, spread out on a shiny couch underneath a sparkling jellyfish chandelier, with Nthato (Spoek Mathambo of Fantasma), Marvin (DJ Spoko) and Aero Manyelo flanking us on either side. We’re waiting for Tristan and Skinny, who’ve gone missing. Aaron’s on the phone: “Yes? Yeah, we’re almost ready. No, the Boiler Room guys are taking a shower. We’ll be at the festival in ten minutes.” He repeats this to roughly seven different callers. Tristan finally makes his appearance, looking tired but smiling: “I think Skinny ran into the shopping mall to buy a pair of Nikes.”
Upon arrival at the festival, set inside Cape Town’s city hall, I immediately head for the food stalls. Sitting on a bench marvelling at the pale sandstone exterior of the building, I’m drinking a beer and eating stir-fried pork courtesy of Lotus Food Trucks. Through the door in front of me is the main stage; Fantasma is performing their brand of noisy rap-rock punkedelia, or whatever. The sound is messy, but then again, I’ve never understood what Fantasma wants to achieve in a live setting. As I stare, Aero appears to my left, giving me a wink and a snap of his fingers. “Happiness costs R50!” I say, lifting my bento box with a smile. He laughs and walks on. Aero is cool. I get up to have a closer look at Fantasma (Spoek is dressed in a pastel-neon overcoat) only to find the sound echoed and layered beyond comprehension. A few feet away from me, a friend is dancing with eyes closed. I sidle up next to her. She yells into my ear: “I’ve been waiting to see these guys for a million years. This venue is so beautiful..” I immediately wonder if I was being too critical of the sound. She continues: “…but how f*cking bad is this sound?” Phew. Finishing with Fantasma and about to turn away, my friend bids me farewell: “I recently discovered you can smoke rose petals and mint instead of tobacco.” She produces a tin filled with rolled cigarettes. “I lined them with THC oil that I made from scratch. Enjoy!” I pocket the joint. I’ll save it for a rainy day.
The downpour is intensifying. I venture upstairs into the tail end of Paul Waxon’s set (so far, so smooth) before making my way to the media hall, wanting to pen down some initial thoughts, including: “New addition to the festival: a mini market of clothes, jewellery and merchandise” and “Attendance is down, diversity is up” and “There’s like 3/4 less white people this year; do white people hate rain?”
Everyone seems to be on the balcony, so I join them for a cigarette. Says one greying journalist to another: “It’s good to see so many people here. It’s such a lovely festival.” She takes a deep suck on her fag, one eye drooped with satisfaction. “I’m very excited to be here.” I head back to the DJ stage where Thris is laying the beats down thick while Blackfoot Phoenix readies his side of the deck, and the floor is pumping. You need more than one pair of eyes to sidestep this crowd of merciless groovers — suddenly I’m spun around to face a man and woman holding onto each other, ready with their best “this-is-my-everything” pose. Without focusing, I take a shot, smile and turn away — straight into Louis Pienaar, keyboardist of Bateleur. Time to smoke those rose petals.
Passing the food court and upstairs bar to where last year’s DJ stage used to be, the space has now been transformed into a strange umbrella installation. I’m unsure whether the umbrellas are purely decorative or meant to keep us dry; either way they’re not very effective. Back at the main stage with my friend Lentswe and company, Simphiwe Dana creates the gravitational pull I’ve been waiting for; she has a stage presence so strong that I am transported elsewhere, thrown off course towards a warmer, drier planet (I am stoned). Jazz, Afro-Soul, “new Miriam Makeba” and “Firebrand” — sure, she’s all that, but judging by the attitude of her dancing and smiling admirers, she’s the little sister who made it big and it feels great to see that in action; to see someone perceived as 100% special and deserving it every bit.
Shane Cooper’s Card On Spokes project delivers anaesthesia-dipped beats from a sensitive world; try as he might to be straight dope, Shane’s musical chops shine through, and that’s a good thing: blessed is the crowd that takes these notes with good strides. Things are picking up; downstairs at the bar, caught in a conversation between my friend Lentswe and Siya (Umlilo, not performing) I toss back a shot of tequila. Next thing I know I’m directing a confusing photoshoot of Siya having a fake meltdown: “Never stop taking photos. You’re a terrible photographer. I’m your muse. Let’s do this again. You think this is original?!
Jbjabkjadbva
It’s late and I’m just about ready to go home, but there’s one more act I should see. Unfortunately Riky Rick has missed his flight; somewhat of a trend at this year’s fest. Thris is covering for him — a welcome change, seeing as many acts lacked transition music between sets — playing to a small but loyal crowd. One last victory lap around the venue to say my goodbyes and I’m out. On my exit, I can hear Riky Rick’s arrival on stage, with the disheartened greeting: “What’s up Nu World! Sorry I’m late. There’s not a lot of you left, but…”
SATURDAY
Slow thoughts, a sore throat and a banana. I check my phone for the time and missed calls; it’s ten in the morning, and no word from Aaron. I was supposed to continue with my chaperoning duties today, but assumed Aaron and the DJs would be too hungover to wake up in time. Turns out I was right. Foiled again, I need a rinse; it’s time to go surfing, so I dial up some friends. Later, on the drive to Muizenberg, my friend Sean notes, “The festival brings together a great bunch of people. Everybody felt friendly and forthcoming.” Smaller as the crowd did seem, I never felt trapped in a conversation. This is an important subject within festivals that is often overlooked; while there might have been snags in the act transitions and the sound (City Hall was designed to expand acoustic sound, and thus doesn’t play well with electronics) the people who attend the festival with you, who truly appreciate the sounds, makes or breaks it for everybody. The sun is out and I’m feeling refreshed. I just hope this weather lasts the night.
Native Young’s anthemic pop comes bouncing down the corridor while I wait for Sean to get his ticket. Inside the main hall, infatuated fans hang from frontman Yannick Meyer’s lips. With a wardrobe treading the line between ’60s psychedelia and your local church nativity play, this band preaches their afro-pop gospel with giddy abandon, and the crowd believes in it; for them, this magic is real. And why not? Looking like a cult-abducted Kevin Parker, dressed in a shiny headband and full-length dream coat, Meyer wields his kalimba like a bible. Closing with “Kings”, the saxophone blares over the combined chants of the band: “Kings of our universe/standing with their feet on the earth.” The crowd barely touches the ground. Compared to Friday night, this is the kind of opener Nu World Fest deserves.
After their set I head backstage to catch a word with Yannick, but blocking my path are some twenty odd American exchange students with similar, albeit loaded, intentions. “They’re so cool,” the one girl tells me, “I just wanna tell them how awesome they are. Do you know them? Oh my god no way, you’re so cool!” Stealthily I fade into the background. I need a break after that performance, and with Zuko Collective starting soon, I want to head upstairs. Nearing the DJ booth I find my feet suddenly performing a U-turn; seems that I still can’t get these babies anywhere near Balkanology music. I think I’ll wonder around for a while.
It’s halfway through the first Zuko Collective song. Lead singer Nozuko Mapoma pierces the concert hall with her heart-wrenching wail while thrashing a cowbell, and I think: Bjork, if she was from Johannesburg. Behind her I see the drummer and bassist power duo; they’re absolutely shredding it, and I think: I’d watch those two as an act by themselves. Next I’m transfixed by the vision that is Thandiwe Khoza, standing closest to where I’m taking photos from, and I think: Sho! She is beautiful. Take a step back and suddenly you realise this isn’t a single-minded band but a talented group of creatives who share Nozuko’s passion for music; she just provides the lead (and heartfelt messages between songs); that and Zweli Mthembu’s clear influence carried over from his main band and last year’s standouts — The Brother Moves On — has made me a fan.
I’m on the prowl, looking to hand out sneak-attack hugs. They don’t always work out to be as cute as I’d expect, but, as usual, an opportunity has presented itself and I cannot look the other way. Aware I’m possibly being watched by several people in the vicinity, I creep up on a fellow photographer standing nearby…
“WAAAAAA!”
“AAAAH! JOHAN!”
“WAAAAAA!”
“NOOO! WHY!?”
“Hello! Who are you taking photographs for?”
She’s here as Bateleur’s photographer. We’re leaning against the stage, chatting about the festival turnout and yesterday’s awful sound, but also about matters of the heart — there’s always time for that. Nicolaas Van Reenen, the lead guitarist and vocalist of Bateleur, walks past us onstage. Jess, the photographer, and I stare at him while whispering his name loud as we can. If we catch his attention we’ll feel validated for being playful. If we’re ignored, we look stupid. “I think we look pretty stupid right now,” Jess remarks.
Bateleur are here today as veterans. I was there when they played the first World Music Festival back in 2012. This is their first show in months, and with these opening notes from Odon Human’s trumpet, I’m assured that they’ve retained their sense of wonder. Standing next to me, Nate, an American from Massachusetts, says of the band: “They sound like Sigur Ros in their quieter moments, but then I also hear…” He pauses in thought. Only a handful of bands can complete that sentence, so I venture with Explosions in the Sky. Nate agrees. “Yeah man,” he smiles, “that’s totally what it is!” But Bateleur can never be attributed to just one sound. I see them as the sum of many parts. They apply a democratic approach to their writing process so that we, the listeners, are essentially presented with six distinct personalities pretending to be one person in a big coat; Muppet Man, if you will. Yup, that’s right– Bateleur is a beautifully echoed, stylishly executed Muppet Man. It’s lovely having them back.
I’m in Bateleur’s dressing room with Louis and Nic, waiting for the others. We’re sitting on a window ledge drinking wine and smoking cigarettes, discussing and celebrating the show. I don’t think I’m supposed to be there and neither does the security guard, but Louis convinces him otherwise. I share some of my field reporting with them: one of the things I heard was that their sound was a bit “underwatery.” Nic agrees with this, saying it lacked some kick. Altogether they’re pleased though, and soon we’re joined by Ma’or (the lead festival organiser) and Thandi from Zuko Collective, both praising Bateleur’s performance. With newfound excitement in the air, we head out to shake our limbs to the Bacardi House of Spoek Vs. Spoko. They’re being announced as we enter the room, and in classic DJ Spoko style, the beat drops in with full hi-hats, no fade-ins. Welcome, friends. You’ve just reached the inside of a Fizz-Pop.
Don’t you just love it when a band knows how to utilise backup dancers that are not only present on cue, but also dominate? Dressed like an ’80s Michael Jackson undertaker, Kanda Bongo Man, hailed as the king of Kwassa Kwassa, graces the main stage with such an ensemble. As is the dance style, my hips move back and forth while my hands move to follow my hips. I’m not doing it very well; in fact, everyone seems to have mutated the kwassa into their own goofball versions. Ducking out for a quick beer run, it appears Mokoomba have succeeded Kanda Bongo Man in my absence, matching their enthusiasm to make it easy for the crowd to stick to the party. With a sincere nod to KBM, they open with an infectious highlife jam, but I have a feeling they’re looking to peak the previous vibe before moving into a new one. Indeed, abandoning all instruments, the four men jump to the front and perform an impeccable boyband dance routine. I’m seeing most of this through a camera and it feels like the MTV Base Music Awards, shaping these acts into household heroes. But as soon as they’ve peaked, they stop us in our tracks. The yellow lights fade into a soft blue. It’s time for “Masangango,” a thrilling, spectral divergent delivered by lead vocalist Mathias Muzaza, dressed in simple but effective black and white. Slowly he entrances the crowd with a sacrificial hymn. As it ends, the drums kick in, the lights turn on and the people whose eyes were closed, open them again.
As I said before, I like Aero Manyelo. He’s got this earnest vibe about him that really resonates in his music. I mean, during his set he says stuff like “Okay, I’m gonna count us down and then we gonna jump. Okay, we gonna jump… We gonna jump… We gonna jump…” eventually concluded with, “Okay let’s jump! Let’s jump!” — it’s cheesy, but it makes you like him more. This wouldn’t be the case if he played your run-of-the-mill “World Music” DJ selections, but as you might suspect, he doesn’t. Aero Manyelo, like his name, is kak fresh. He enjoys himself while he plays. He’s blurring the lines of when the festival will end; in fact I’m caught in limbo, wondering if I’ll dance here every night for the rest of the week. This is the boss level and these are its die-hard challengers. If this is Bowser’s castle, we’re all Mario; as with most endings, our princess is in another castle. Maybe we’ll find her next time.
I gave my number to a lot of foreigners tonight, promising to update them on gigs and festivals in Cape Town, like I’m suddenly so involved in the music scene after covering just one festival. If that were true, I’d feel comfortable saying the festival is still a bit too expensive and needs to tighten up its info for the casual festival goer; People still don’t know how to find their way around; A few acts didn’t play when they were supposed to, which is fine unless no prior notice is given; Nobody likes it when musicians miss their flights (we paid for those flights); Last year’s sense of tension has been lost to a vibe that’s at times overly relaxed; More so than last year, the Lightbulb Sessions seem like an afterthought — either scrap it or punt it. Surrender us to the Nu. But hey, I’m just a guy who needed a ticket. On my way downstairs, Sean is keen to crash at mine. We exit and walk the street towards my car, worn out and sweaty. I had one hell of a good time. | https://medium.com/@phijos/the-nu-world-at-large-9e160a725022 | ['Philippus Johan'] | 2015-12-17 13:23:41.923000+00:00 | ['Music', 'Review', 'Festival'] |
Pencil it in — Food, Art and Jousting | I love exploring. This passion has grown in me since I was a child; countless hours wandering coastlines, different tourist attractions or even going to the Kruger Park to get the ‘full African experience’ with the family. And then off-continent I went! This ‘bug’ is something I will instil in my children. But, as much I have done in life, I haven’t been able to do everything… yet! Here’s some of the must-do’s on my list. This month, Pencil It In is looking at some exciting festivals happening so you can build your world-wide travelling list. From music to the arts we try cater for all our readers — so let’s see whats happening across the planet this week.
Texas Renaissance Festival
Watching Cowboys (John Wayne — the baddest of them all!) and Indians when I was growing up made me want to visit Texas. This Texas festival isn’t quite the Wild West, but it’s definitely all about the old-school. Here’s something I never imaged ever happening in Texas, but something I know would be a ridiculously cool experience.
With over half a million attendees over the whole festival, The Texas Renaissance Festival has really tried to select the best weather periods to allow for the festival goers to really become a part of the festival — without suffering needlessly. You’re encouraged to dress us and get in character while witnessing the amazing theatrics, jousting, archery, juggling — even the old (and slightly non-PC) game of ‘Drench-a-Wench’. The organisers of this festival go so far as to plant actors all over the festival to really bring the renaissance vibe to life — just in case you start loosing your character.
I don’t know about you but I really feel like if you want to dress up and be someone else for the day then the cowboy of middle-ages England, the knight, would be a solid option. It might not be your cup of tea but why not be bold — like a knight -and do something new? If that doesn’t work, pull out your cowboy suit and run around shooting everyone. Everyone wins!
Melbourne Festival
I love Australia as a holiday destination, and next time I go I will be luckily enough to visit my family and my only brother. But now, after reading this, I’m considering going to the Melbourne festival instead… It’s an art festival like no other I have ever seen. It doesn’t focus on one genre (like the typical art fest) but rather on the arts as a whole. From dance to music, film, theatre and visual art Melbourne Festival has it all. For 2 and a half weeks Melbourne is transformed by local and international acts alike and is one of Australia’s most important cultural events on their yearly calendar. “Culture? Australia?”, you hear you wonder? Remember, this is the island that gave us Silverchair, Ruth Park and Simryn Gill — they have culture in spades — mate.
If you not sold on it, watch this:
https://youtu.be/WJDv6_xnkHY
Alba International White truffle fair
Even though I have never been to Italy it’s on my (and most other people’s) bucket list. As are truffles (if you can afford them or find them). Obviously this last event of the week is all over my radar. It’s the mother of all truffle festivals in Italy and its known that it’s not the most expensive which, with the current exchange rate situation, makes it perfect for any fine-dining aficionado. The pungent smell is everywhere while you stroll through the market looking at the various delicacies. However, it’s not just a market — there are cooking workshops, exhibitions, the ALBA truffle show and of course (my favourite), wine tastings. ‘If not, why not”, I always say, so why not go explore Italy with a little bit of a flavour?
There you have it, my top three events happening all over the world for this week. If I’m honest, I’m more of a music festival junkie — but, at the same time, it’s the cultural stuff that really rounds a man out (especially the food ones!). It’s all part my exploring nature and trying something different — why not make it a part of yours?
‘Till next time! | https://medium.com/@EventerpriseAG/pencil-it-in-food-art-and-jousting-749b895dba24 | [] | 2016-05-29 20:08:14.285000+00:00 | ['Festival', 'Culture', 'Events'] |
Looking back at Dour Festival: Radio United. | 25 volunteers passionate about radio, 8 local radio stations/media labs, 8 stages to cover with more than 230 groups/acts in different genres. That was Radio United at Dour Festival. Never before has radio been so full of spirit, passion and endurance, because this year’s edition of Dour Festival was hot in every sense of the word.
The 26th edition of Dour festival meant more than 135 000 tickets sold, 60 000 km in travels and temperatures rising up to 33° Celsius. The festival saw the light in 1989 and has since then evolved into one of the best medium-sized European alternative festivals. Dour basically covers anything from death methal, slash, hip hop, rock, and a great deal of electronic acts. Besides its wide variety of genres, being in Belgium, its location is within driving distance from France, Germany, Holland and the UK.
Apart from a main stage, all other stages are fully decked tents with a capacity between 7000–9000 people. During the evening there are some gaps in the program here and there, which minimises those dreadful clashes. In all, a delicious recipe for a great festival. Still, it remains difficult to fully grasp this festival in just one visit. And if you’re not able to make it, there must be another way to enjoy it. This is where Radio United builds a bridge between the festival and the people. It dives into the vibrant pool of musical diversity and unique atmosphere and molds it into an audio-visual journey through radio, video and social media.
Radio United is a co-operation of independent radio stations and medialabs, launched in 2012. Since then, it has been a strong radio presence covering the whole festival, with 10 hours of non stop live radio and video streaming a day, interviews, audio and video documentaries. Moreover, Radio United has been the only Flemish radio represented at this Walloon festival. Knowing that Belgium is politically and culturally divided in two, this fact is considerably significant.
Hundreds of mails were sent to arrange interviews, material was gathered, meetings were held and a mobile studio was built. So after weeks of preparation, the Radio United crew arrived at Dour Festival. A cosy camp spot was created and the bonding over music could start, while sharing a bottle of water in moments with very high temperatures, or while putting on rubber boots and chatting under umbrellas during heavy rain fall.
Every day started with dividing the tasks equally, ranging from presenting, radio production, live audio captations, preparing interview questions, interviewing, editing and adding that content to the daily shows. A quick visit to the press room before each interview had to ensure nothing had changed in order to continuously respect the agreements made with every artist, artist manager or label.
Radio United covered a wide range of musical genres and interviewed a lot of local and international acts at any hour of the day and sometimes even exclusively. For one, Radio United got an exclusive interview with Claptone, spoke with Cid Rim at 1.30 AM, had a chat with Doctor P and stayed up until 4 AM for a session with Wilkinson.
All this was done by the joined forces of 25 volunteers who each brought their own skills, juice and personality to the table. The daily activities were organised meticulously, with great consideration of the individual requests of each act and with a high level of mutual cooperation. After sometimes suffering through long hours, making deadlines and battling the forces of nature, the crew found the time to relax, enjoy a meal and a drink together and join the party with the other thousands of visitors.
Inspiration comes when you least expect it, but when you put together 25 people who are all their for the same purpose and with the same passion, you see that inspiration being transformed into a admirable dedication, solidarity and inexhaustable drive for creating dazzling, sometimes unexpected results. It basically exhibits why the majority of people do anything: joy. In this case, it is joy times 25. And that was Radio United. | https://medium.com/@ClassyLassy_e/looking-back-at-dour-festival-radio-united-a7e491f9f68d | [] | 2015-10-21 13:03:27.788000+00:00 | ['Radio', 'Festival'] |
Festival that can demolish the evil . | Festival that can demolish the evil .
Festival that is most celebrated with warmth and happiness .
Why cannot do something meaningful to portray those people who are not valued .
Like the glimpse of words and gesture which last for a cobbler , as satisfaction , at days end .
How does a rag- picker sees the world, where her little daughter can fit in .
We don’t mean donation or sympathy here , we mean knowing us more .
Latest trend dwell in startup .
Why cannot we have the feedback round here , basically when engineers built a prototype for those who cannot afford alternative in market.
We can have Theme based on pop up stores of make and create, show our human and plants centred ideation phase .
Examples:
Prosthetic and 3D based arm , or smart stick for old and quick learn books and screen for children who work and school dropouts .
Engineering is for the humanity and by the humanity ,
to solve the problems we face everyday .
Visitors can speak up their message , this get recorded .
This is going to create the purest voice filled air ,where we think for others .
Lease share your feedback .
We need implementation at every level possible .
We need the children to discover about their grandparents and write a journal .
We need to Solve , we all need to .
Subho Bijoya #Durgapuja #greetings | https://medium.com/@saheli/festival-that-can-demolish-the-evil-8da9aaf7caad | ['Saheli Bishnu'] | 2015-10-23 15:31:17.200000+00:00 | ['Solve', 'Festival', 'Engineering'] |
A Conversation with Hou Hsiao-Hsien — Director of ‘The Assassin’ | At the New York Film Festival press screening, Hou Hsiao-Hsien spoke with Dennis Lim about his new film “The Assassin” for which he won Best
Director at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Filmed on location in Japan and on set in Taiwan, “The Assassin” centers on the story of Yinniang, who, abducted at age 10, is now a Tang Dynasty
assassin dedicated to the art of killing until memory transforms her course of action.
The Story
Hou Hsiao-Hsien:
“There is a lot of information from the Tang Dynasty — tales, legends and novels. I first came across this story in college. I wanted to bring this
realism into the film. The story is based on historical facts and then I fleshed out the characters.
I wanted to do this film in the wuxia genre. I wanted to draw inspiration from Samurai movies from Japan as a long tradition of this martial arts practice
that would be more in line of how I see the wuxia genre; it should be based on the realistic depiction of human capacity.”
Working with Actors
Hou Hsiao-Hsien
: “I work with actors and actresses I have worked with together before; they know my style and how I work on set. They will know the script and know the
mood I want to create. There is no rehearsal. They come to the set prepared. They know what the scene is about. I have to set up the lights and camera, and
I set up the dolly and tracks, and then I ask them to go onto the set I created for them. Hopefully they will be inspired by this mise-en-scène, and the
location. The actors immerse themselves and embody the characters. Things happen naturally. Sometimes they do take after take, and when they get too
comfortable, they get mechanical and unnatural. I want to somehow change the scene for them, to really act. The long takes go with that particular way of
directing.”
The Dagger and Action Sequences
Hou Hsiao-Hsien explained how the main character Yinniang has a strategic advantage, using the short dagger; it allows her to swiftly outmaneuver her
opponents’ unwieldly swords.
Hou Hsiao-Hsien:
“To utilize such a short dagger, timing is so important. That burst of action. That’s how I design action sequences. These actors are not trained in
martial arts. There was a lot of training. What I did was divide all the action sequences into small fragments one at a time, and they (the actors) have to
complete it in that short fragment. Still, it takes a long time — to find their weapons, they get injured, they have to rest, and if they shoot the scene
over and over, we have to change location. It’s time-consuming and painstaking.”
Jiaxin, the princess-turned-nun and Yinniang’s abductor, criticizes Yinniang for not following through with an assassination:
“Your skill is matchless, but your mind is hostage to human sentiments.”
“Your heart lacks resolve.”
These two lines are at the heart of the conflict found in Yinniang’s journey in this intimate and powerful wuxia drama.
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College SUNY, and presents international seminars on
screenwriting and film. Author of SAVVY CHARACTERS SELL SCREENPLAYS! and THE SAVVY SCREENWRITER, she is chairperson of Su-City
Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog | https://blogs.sydneysbuzz.com/a-conversation-with-hou-hsiao-hsien-director-of-the-assassin-90462fec5098 | ['Sydney Levine'] | 2016-09-29 18:24:04.924000+00:00 | ['Festivals', 'International Film'] |
My Circle of Light | I’ve recently been attending here in Moscow the 5th edition of the Circle of Light Festival.
The concept is pretty simple, amazing buildings squares places animated in light shows created by different artists from all over the world.
The result is fantastically impressive. My favorite place to attend this festival was the Bolshoi Theater in the very city center. The building in itself, stunning by day, becomes a real wonder during this festival.
Getting out of the metro station, taking the good exit of course (here I was lucky enough to be guided to that one), I suddenly face a totally different square and building than the one I knew. People all around crowding the place to enjoy a show of magical lights lighting up the theatre. I was now in a fairy Moscow.
From my favorite very ‘Bolshoi Like’ traditional theme playing Tchaikovsky and screening some ballerinas to the most futuristic theme inviting a spaceship to crash the building on a techno/deep house music background, or Historical theme going over some part of Russian past. Even a vibrating ‘Galaxy Bolshoi S6’ for commercials. Unrealistic but true, nobody took the call. I also liked a lot all the foreign projects invited to participle to the festival and their creative ideas on how to mix their culture and the local one, very colorful ‘Mexico’ and ‘India’.
I so much loved it that I was ready to watch it a second time in a row, if it wasn’t the cold. | https://medium.com/@geoffroypetit/my-circle-of-light-1250e565d426 | ['Geoffroy Petit'] | 2015-10-21 10:09:05.579000+00:00 | ['Moscow', 'Travel', 'Festival'] |
LatinoBuzz: 1st Central American International Film Fest to Launch in L.A. This November | Central American International FilmFestival (CAIFF)
, the West Coast’s first festival to showcase works from the movement emerging among isthmus-based and emigré Central American filmmakers, has
announced its launch this November 13–15th, 2015 at the University of Southern California.
All the presentations will be open to the public for free.
The Festival will bring the best cutting-edge and modern Central American films to greater metropolitan Los Angeles, home to the largest number of Central
American immigrants in the US and the greatest number of Salvadoran refugees and emigrés in the world. It will also take its annual event on a rotating
basis to Central America.
Founded by film professionals from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala and headquartered in the El Salvador Community Corridor — the first such public
space established by any Central American immigrant group in the USA, and strategically located in the heart of Hollywood — Central American International
Film Festival stands poised to become a key player in forging an innovative industry with Central American roots and international scope, creating new
opportunities for its people through the art of cinema. The festival aims to be a living symbol of awakening for a community whose film expression will enrich Los
Angeles’ cultural life, with works in all genres by young and established filmmakers targeted to its own constituencies as well as to international and
industry audiences.
The Central American International Film Festival will also includes works by filmmakers from a different guest country every year. This year’s guest country is
Mexico.
The first titles confirmed for this year’s edition are the opening night gala film “Cuatro Puntos Cardinales” by Javier Kafie (El Salvador). Red Carpet at 6pm followed by the screening.
“Cuatro Puntos Cardinales” (Four Cardinal Points)
Trailer
Synopsis: “Four Cardinal Points” brings together four inspiring stories from North, South, East and West El Salvador. With a soft poetic veil, these
stories portray a rich cultural, ecological and social diversity, showing a viewpoint of the country that distances itself from the accounts of violence
that prevail in the Central American region.
The closing film will be the West Coast Premiere of the much anticipated “Malacrianza,” from Berlin alumnus and internationally
acclaimed Salvadorian writer-director Arturo Menéndez. Closing night will be on Sunday November 15th.
“Malacrianza” (The Crow’s Nest)
Trailer
Don Cleo, a humble seller of Piñatas, who lives in a little town in El Salvador; arrives at home after a long day of work to find an extortion letter at
his door steps. That letter tells him that if he doesn’t pay $500 in 72 hours, a small fortune for him, he will be killed. He quickly decides to raise that
money whatever way possible with friends, and acquaintances. However, after various attempts and finding himself further into trouble, he decides to
confront his perpetrators. This desperate decision leads him to devastating results.
Among other notable events, there will be a retrospective of the work by Canadian-Salvadorian filmmaker Patricia Chica, followed by an in-depth Q & A with her hosted by Sandra Chavarria, who recently won the Triumph Award for Best female TV host. Saturday November 14th
Take a look at the event page HERE
Patricia Chica’s promo video: HERE
Guatemalan actor Erick Chavarria will be sharing the
secrets of his success and acting tips during a Q & A session on Sunday November 15th
Take a look at the event page: HERE
The CAIFF was founded by Oscar Dominguez of the Salvadorian Corridor, screenwriterJuan Carlos Bojorquez is the festival co-founder and director, head of programming is Academy Award-winner André Guttfreund, head of technical support is Adonai Interiano, head of hospitality is Patricia C. Ovando, and the general planner is Mario Anaya assisted by Erick Chavarria. You can visit the festival’s official Facebook page HERE | https://blogs.sydneysbuzz.com/latinobuzz-1st-central-american-international-film-fest-to-launch-in-l-a-this-november-9236310ea842 | ['Sydney Levine'] | 2016-09-29 18:24:04.950000+00:00 | ['Festivals', 'International Film'] |
Asian World Film Festival Announces Additional Films Out of Competition and Special Screenings (Exclusive) | The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) has added 11 films to their Special Screenings and non-competitive lineup, with “Piku” (India) as the Festival’s
“Centerpiece Screening”, presented by Pelican Executive Suites. Running from October 26 — November 2, 2015 in Culver City and Westwood, California, the Festival features select foreign language
films from the 50 eligible countries in the Asian World region, including films that have been officially submitted as their country’s Oscar® and Golden
Globe considerations. South Korea’s “The Shameless” will officially open the Festival with Taiwan’s official Oscar® submission, “The Assassin,” by master filmmaker as the official
closing night film on November 2nd.
The 11 films include [in alphabetical order by country]: “Let Pan” (Myanmar), “Road to the Sky” (China), “My Voice, My Life” (Hong Kong), “Piku”(India), “Theeb”
(Jordan’s Official Oscar Entry), “Under Heaven” (Kyrgyzstan), “The Thief of the Mind” (Mongolia), “Kid Kulafu” (Philippines), “Steppe Games”(Republic of Burtya, Russia), “4 O’Clock at
Paradise” (Syria), and “From A to B” (United Arab Emirates).
“In every Festival that I have organized, the Special Screenings Category has a unique place in my heart because it is the one that reflects the spirit of
the program over all. It is eclectic, it is a journey of discovery, and does not have the pressure of the Competition Category. Each one these movies has a
different cinematic language, feel, mood, emotions. “Theeb” from Jordan is a beautiful coming of age movie set during the Ottoman Empire. “Kid Kulafu”
(Philippines) is the amazing inspirational story of Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Pacquiao from his humble beginning as a street kid to become one of the greatest
boxers of all time. “4 O’Clock at Paradise” (Syria) is a heart wrenching drama set in today’s war torn Damascus where several characters come in and out from
each other’s daily lives and where you literally live between ‘life and death,’ just to name but few,” said Executive Director of Festival and Programming,
Georges Chamchoum.
The Festival was created by “Heavenly Nomadic’s” producer Sadyk Sher-Niyaz in order to bring the best of a broad selection of Asian World cinema to Los
Angeles, drawing greater recognition to the region’s wealth of filmmakers and strengthening ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries. All films
that participate in the Festival will have a unique chance to be guided through the challenging awards season, showcasing their foreign films to the
Academy, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and all Guilds for enhanced exposure, media attention and awards consideration.
Following the Opening Night Red Carpet Awards Gala and Opening Night Film, the Festival features seven days of films at ArcLight Cinemas in downtown Culver
City and the luxury iPic Theaters in Westwood.
As previously announced, the 16 films in competition include:[in alphabetical order by country]: “Utopia” (Afghanistan), “Jalal’s Story” (Bangladesh), “The Last
Reel” (Cambodia), “12 Citizens” (China), “Moira” (Georgia), “Court” (India), “Memories on Stone” (Iraq), “100 Yen Love” (Japan), “Heavenly Nomadic” (Kyrgyzstan), “Void” (Lebanon), “Talakjung vs Tulke” (Nepal), “The Wanted 18” (Palestine), “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)” (Thailand), “Sivas” (Turkey), “Jackpot” (Vietnam) and “Unsolved Love”
(Yakutia, Sakha Republic).
Throughout the week there will also be expert panels on subjects such as Film Financing and Distribution, PR, Marketing and Awards Campaigns and Cross
Cultural Collaborations in the Festival’s Filmmaker Lounge located at the Culver Hotel.
For more information you can visit the official site HERE | https://blogs.sydneysbuzz.com/asian-world-film-festival-announces-additional-films-out-of-competition-and-special-screenings-350457c265a9 | ['Sydney Levine'] | 2016-09-29 18:25:07.400000+00:00 | ['Festivals', 'Asian', 'Asian Cinema', 'International Film'] |
Beware the barrenness of a busy life. | Beware the barrenness of a busy life.
We are born in a country of festivals where birthdays and death anniversaries bear more significance that the life-story. The day marks the beginning of a Hindu New year and the return of Lord Ram to Ayodhya. But who cares about that ! Now is the time when media is flooded with discussions on ‘Ram was a bad husband’ or ‘Ram bears no significance in the 21st century’ and even ‘Indian gods are all killers and war maniacs’. Surely whatever the truth is, Ramayana and Mahabharatha can be counted as World’s best sellers (Fiction) with global reach to billions. You might not be able to feel the Diwali but surely you can hear and smell this season of smoke and noise.
We are in the times when economies all around the globe are in downfall and some nations are fighting for their sustainable existence. And surely India too. A nation whom the world recognizes as a land of elephants, snake charmers and poverty.
But this is the magical day which has often proved all the economists wrong.
Before 10–15 years, Diwali celebrations comprised of getting your house cleaned and whitewashed before Diwali, buying new clothes, enjoying sweets, meeting friends and lightening clay diyas.Whitewashing has given way to choosing from a plethora of expensive paints for your house. Branded clothes have replaced new clothes and electronic decoration has dethroned the traditional diyas and candles. Wherever they are used, it is their modern avatars- artistically shaped diyas, Chinese lanterns and aromatic candles. Sweets are being gradually replaced by chocolates and cupcakes (those gold foil covered Swiss chocolates or better to say ‘Bilayati Laddoo’ which a traditional Indian will attempt to eat without even removing the wrap) and people have little time and patience to meet friends and relative, let alone the neighbors.
Diwali isn’t what it used to be. It’s not just that India’s festival of lights but should now be more appropriately called as the Festival of Chinese lights because china’s where they all come from. Essence is there, but the flavors have changed, drastically. Dhanteras, which falls 2 days before Diwali, was earlier believed to be a day of Yam, the god of death, is worshiped for protection from untimely death. Some consider it auspicious to buy precious metals like gold or silver on Dhanteras for good luck. Now it’s more about a day to buy sleek I-pods, shiny new laptops, Smartphones, tablets and much more.
It’s not a festival which India used to celebrate out of faith. It was more serene, more pious. But now, it’s commercialized. It’s more of a show. Now it’s the official day and opportunity to show-off, prove others the purchasing power and social status is better than others. What’s more to say about crackers and fireworks, they are loud enough to confuse people if it was a cracker or some terrorist attack.
All the discussions lead us to one thing, especially counting the urban youth count and educated internet savvy India that whatever the mainstream thinks can be changed and its just the way we celebrate has changed. | https://medium.com/@saurabhpareek/beware-the-barrenness-of-a-busy-life-9302c104d802 | ['Saurabh Pareek'] | 2015-10-16 08:54:43.437000+00:00 | ['Diwali', 'Festival', 'India'] |
1988 RV: A Filmmaker’s #TinyHome Remodel | Last November I found this Avion 34' (Airstream-esque) travel trailer on Craigslist for $3,300. I was in Houston and couldn’t pick it up, but my buddies Hunter and Brandon took the reigns and not only did they go pick it up but also talked him down to $2,200 + a new AC, porcelain toilet and left over remodeling supplies from the previous owner’s attempt to do it himself.
Brandon’s Denali HD 2500 pulling the RV from Conway, AR to North Little Rock, AR
To give you some background, my buddy Hunter owns his own business called “Hunters Fix-it-All.” Before I pulled the trigger on the purchase, we had been discussing our plan of attack. We agreed to a time frame of about a month and $5,000 in labor costs… and man was that an undershot of the time it took to get this thing into shape. It ended up actually taking about 6 to 8 months and $9,000 in labor cost. Also, a huge thanks to Hunter’s wife, Olivia, who was so kind to let us park it outside their house so he could have access to his tools and shop right outside their garage.
Avion nestled tightly in Hunters drive-way. *NOTICE the difficulty of its parking and it where it is in relation to the house.
Another look at the parked RV during renovation.
The RV was a great shell but that’s about all it was. You’ll see from some of the initial photos we had to completely rebuild the back part of the RV’s sub floor. We had to pull out the stationary tanks that hold all the drinking, gray and black water. (FYI, for those of you who don’t know what that means: drinking water is your drinking water, obviously; gray water is your shower water and leftover sink water; and black water is your toilet water) You can see a lot of the electrical lines hanging everywhere that had to be made into some sort of light fixture, plug in or hid in some way. The only parts of the RV that we kept were the cabinets w/o the doors and the windows. Everything else was custom designed to fit the small home look we were going for.
RV shell. The very beginnings.
*FYI* the ‘Avion’s’ build is actually superior to that of its competitor, the Airstream. Not only are the walls fully insulated with THICK insulating foam but the floors are made up of two sheets of plywood that sandwich 3/16" polystyrene standard foam sheet. Needless to say, this thing is built to last. Unlike your standard box-y RV, an Avion/Airstream & its aerodynamic attributes allow it to haul down the road and across the country. In the pictures below you can see Hunter sealing the pipes and then adding additional insulation to their build. As if the RV’s build wasn’t robust enough… Hunter was sure to take it up a notch throughout the remodel. | https://medium.com/@baileyeubanks/1988-avion-a-filmmakers-tinyhome-remodel-314530731b5d | ['Bailey Eubanks'] | 2018-07-25 14:33:37.405000+00:00 | ['Tiny House', 'Outdoors', 'Travel', 'Adventure', 'Festivals'] |
Subsets and Splits