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Volume 7, Issue 1, January 7, 2009 |
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In less than two weeks, on Jan. 20, Barack Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States. Approximately 4 million people are expected to descend on Washington D.C. to witness the historic day. City officials are scrambling to prepare for the crowds and prep hotels, travel services and public transportation for the event.
More than 10,000 buses are expected to bring travelers into the city for the inauguration. Travelers are encouraged to visit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Web site for important pre-trip information. Only authorized vehicles will be allowed to travel on the Teddy Roosevelt Memorial Bridge and inbound 14th Street bridges on Jan. 20. Officials are still finalizing specific road closures. The D.C. Metro, with a 120,000-person-an-hour maximum capacity, will run from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. Crowds are expected to exceed the maximum, so Metro is recommending attendees buy fare cards in advance, avoid downtown transfers and walk from nearby locations. And getting out of the city may prove a more difficult task — departing attendees should anticipate delays of up to eight hours.
Amtrak is planning to expand service between Boston and Washington, while airlines including Southwest, Delta and Northwest are adding up to 5,000 seats on flights between Jan. 16-21. The city is also preparing additional security forces. Another warning to heed – most of the city’s hotels are already booked to capacity.
As the country prepares for the inauguration of its new president, Obama is currently facing a number of issues relating to the travel industry, most notably resolving conflicts and contracts between airlines and unions. The president-elect is also dealing with allocation of funds from the economic stimulus bill. The National Air Transport Association requested $30 billion be spent on the transportation infrastructure, which would create and sustain approximately 830,000 jobs. 
A number of airlines have announced additions and updates to various flight routes. Air Canada announced the launch of daily non-stop flights between Montreal (YUL) and Rome (FCO), beginning June 20. Special introductory fares are being offered. Lufthansa and Ethiopian Airlines have formed a codeshare agreement. Lufthansa codes will be placed on Ethiopian flights between Addis Ababa (ADD) and Rwanda (KGL), Uganda (EBB), Nairobi (NBO), Dar es Salaam (DAR), Kilimanjaro (JRO) and Zanzibar (ZNZ). Ethiopian codes will be placed on Lufthansa flights between Frankfurt (FRA) and Amsterdam (AMS), Geneva (GVA), Stockholm (ARN), New York (JFK, EWR), San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX). Beginning May 1, American Airlines will launch daily non-stop service between Dallas (DFW) and Madrid (MAD). Also beginning in May, Continental Airlines will launch daily non-stop service between Cleveland (CLE) and London (LHR), while suspending Cleveland–Paris (CDG) service. Turkish Airlines has upped the number of weekly flights between Istanbul (IST) and Ashkabad from seven to 10.
Travelta, a Netherlands-based online travel solutions company, unveiled a location-based hotel finder for mobile phones, a first of its kind. Available online, the mobile Web site allows users to locate and book nearby hotels based on GPS/Cell-ID location. Additional information on offer includes availability of room type, pricing, check-in/check-out times, images and hotel classification. Book rooms by calling the appropriate phone number and quoting a provided reference number. The service currently hosts 80,000 hotels worldwide with more added daily.
Air New Zealand’s Boeing 747 jumbojet completed the first flight powered by second-generation biofuel last week. The jet was powered with a 50/50 mix of jet fuel and jatropha tree oil in one of its four engines. The flight departed from Auckland (AKL) for a two-hour test flight. The test flight ran normally and as expected. Air New Zealand plans to use 10 percent of its fuel from sustainable resources by 2013.
Etihad Airways announced plans to upgrade its first- and business-class seating. Plans for first class include introducing a new suite-style product. Business-class seats will be refreshed from the 2006 remodel, with a larger table, wider armrests, more storage space, increased privacy for the middle seat and enhanced entertainment features. United Airlines has also introduced its fully flat business-class seat on the majority of its Boeing 767 fleet, with planned completion of the upgrade by May 2009. The airline will completely outfit the B747 fleet by October 2009 and will start upgrades on the B777 fleet in September 2009.
More than 50 AirTran Airways employees worked with Habitat Orlando to build homes for 58 families. The crewmembers worked on Staghorn Villas, an $8 million town home community that will provide affordable housing to the community. The community will also be energy efficient, with fluorescent light bulbs and other standard green features. This is the second consecutive year AirTran Airways has worked with Habitat Orlando. AirTran also opened registration, for the third consecutive year, to AirTran U, a program designed to help college students travel at affordable rates on a standby basis. Visit the Web site for more information.
230 E. 51st St.
New York, NY 10022
212 355 0300
www.thepodhotel.com
I’ve been eager to stay at The Pod ever since it opened a year ago in New York City. The Hotel’s great location on Manhattan’s East Side is close to several good Japanese restaurants and convenient to Grand Central Station. Its target market is the 35 and under traveler and I imagined a hostel-type facility not suited for business travelers. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered how wrong I was.
The hotel’s owners converted the former 1930s-era Pickwick Arms Hotel into a 347-room, imaginative property that offers a wide range of accommodations — singles, doubles, queens and townhouse suites — all at extremely competitive rates. The property also offers bunk-bed rooms with shared baths at very low rates, but all the rooms, cleverly streamlined and functionally outfitted by designer Vanessa Guildford, look and feel more like a cabin on a deluxe ship than an inexpensive midtown hotel.
I loved the translucent, sliding bathroom door that revealed a clear shower stall window. I liked the clean, white industrial-style bathroom tiles, the aluminum sink and towel rack and the rain showerhead. My queen bedroom was compact, but did not feel close, with a large window overlooking Lexington Avenue. The wooden louver blinds, carpeting and attractive blonde wood headboard and bedside book tables were a nice complement. A 17-inch LCD flat screen was mounted on the wall and an iHome clock radio with iPod docking station was next to the bed. Free WiFi is available.
The lobby was unique with its green resin reception desk, illuminated artwork and 1950s style colorful sofa and chairs. It is stylish and inviting and check-in was fast and friendly. As it was a December visit, I was not able to have breakfast in the hotel’s nice looking, but snow covered, outdoor garden café, open from spring to fall, but there are lots of coffee shops and delis on the streets nearby. During warm weather the garden café serves light breakfast fare, as well as organic juices, teas and coffee. There is also a rooftop deck, with guest seating, which I did not see.
The Pod is certainly not a “hostel” hotel and, despite the lack of room service and a year-round on-site restaurant, the property offers everything a traveler would need for one, or several, nights. European business travelers have already discovered The Pod and budget-conscious American corporate travel managers are not far behind.
Score: ••••• Ron Bernthal
Concorde Hotels & Resorts is offering a sunny respite from the dreary winter weather. At 25 participating properties, the Winter Offer gives travelers a special rate, around $125 per night, and a complimentary buffet breakfast. Through Feb. 28, this special offer is available in 12 worldwide destinations. Some participating properties include Hotel Lutetia, Don Carlos Leisure Resort & Spa, Hotel de la Paix and Villa Massalia. Call 800 888 4747 or visit the Web site for more information.
In celebration of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s “Magnificence of the Tsars” exhibit, London’s Egerton House Hotel is offering a special V&A package. Through March 29, the package, beginning at £ 309, includes early check-in, late check-out, guaranteed upgrades, English breakfast each morning, a vodka martini and caviar blinis together with afternoon tea and a glass of pink Champagne and exhibition tickets to the V&A with exclusive access to the Members’ Lounge. Guests staying two or more nights in the hotel’s V&A suite will receive a complimentary private tour with museum curators. Call 44 0 20 7589 2412, email or visit the Web site.
Loews Philadelphia Hotel is offering visitors the chance to explore the “America I AM: The African American Imprint” exhibit at the National Constitution Center. The exhibit features more than 300 artifacts and an interactive component. The America I AM Premier Package is available Jan. 15 through May 3 and includes overnight deluxe accommodations for two, two VIP America I AM tickets with priority exhibit access and access to the permanent exhibits at the National Constitution Center. Book online or call 215 231 7333.
International Expeditions is starting off the New Year with a special offer on Amazon Voyages and Galapagos Voyages. Book the vacation packages by Feb. 15 and receive free in-country airfare for travel from April 1 through Nov. 27. The special offer represents a $410 savings per visitor. Amazon Voyages are 10-day excursions aboard a riverboat with a variety of daily excursions, available for $3,048 with in-country airfare savings. Galapagos Voyages, also 10 days, brings travelers up close and personal with exotic wildlife, available for $4,998 with in-country airfare savings. Visit the Web site or call 800 633 4734.
Korean Air has partnered with Preferred Hotel Group to offer hotel visitors a chance to earn SKYPASS frequent flyer miles. Each time you stay at a Preferred Hotel Group property, you will earn 500 SKYPASS miles, valid only for U.S. travel. Between Feb. 1 and April 30, double miles are offered for any stay at applicable properties. SKYPASS membership card must be presented at time of reservation or check-in and consecutive nights are considered one stay. Visit the Web site for more information.
