« March 2008 | Main | May 2008 »
Last Minute Accommodations
April 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Cinco de Mayo weekend is the perfect excuse to travel somewhere exciting and celebrate. Go out to California, Las Vegas, or any of these amazing weekend deals. Why stay at home when it's the perfect time to enjoy an inexpensive weekend getaway? Take a look at the deals below and find the destination you've been waiting for.
* Bakersfield, CA
* Colorado Springs, CO
* Atlanta, GA
* Detroit, MI
* Las Vegas, NV
We look forward to your stay with us and providing you SuiteSavings rates every weekend!
Healthy Business Travel
April 28, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Rewarding yourself for putting up with a long security line and delayed flight by hitting the Cinnabon counter may be good for your mood, but certainly not for your waistline, as one business traveler found out. And after a long day at meetings, the easiest thing to do is to head back to the hotel, order a pizza for dinner, and call it a night. But these choices may make you unhappy in the long run. So how can you pile on the frequent flier miles without packing on pounds?
According to health experts, the key is planning ahead. Have an idea of a nutritious meal that sounds good to you before you get to the restaurant. Bring exercise DVDs or make a commitment to do push-ups or sit-ups in the hotel each night. Pack snacks like nuts or fruit to hold you over during delays, traffic, and other unforeseen hold-ups.
These are all simple things that will make you healthier when you travel. And while it’s easier said than done, if you plan ahead you’ll be more likely to have the motivation and resources to follow through.
Hotel Savings
April 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and it's the perfect time to get in an early vacation before the summer crowds. Take this weekend for yourself to explore a new city. And by going on a spur of the moment trip, you can get some great last minute deals. See below for some weekend bargains.
- San Rafael, CA
- Destin, FL
- Minneapolis, MN
- Albuquerque, NM
- Chicago, IL
We look forward to your stay with us and providing you SuiteSavings rates every weekend!
Graduation Traveling
April 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
It's that time again. Seniors across the country are donning cap and gown and family members are flocking to watch. Between high schools and colleges, spring is a time for graduation and celebration. Whether you are friend or family, here are a few tips to help you play supporting cast for the big day.
Before heading to any graduation, be sure to check the weather report. You may be outside for a while during the ceremony so sunscreen is crucial and a jacket may be very welcome if it's windy. Also ask about the school’s rain policy since many schools only provide a few tickets per student if the ceremony needs to be moved indoors.
With a little thought and creativity, you can get the perfect graduation gift. To figure out what to bring for the young grad, check out these graduation gift ideas. Alternatively, consider getting a frame for the diploma or a meaningful book, like Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss.
While you're visiting to share in the special day, accommodations can be tricky. To find a close, comfortable hotel, check out Extended Stay Hotel’s list of hotels near colleges and universities.
While you are on the road, remember that others are starting their biggest journey.
SkyMall Catalog
April 22, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
You’re sitting on a plane, bored, and decide to flip
through the SkyMall catalog in the seat pocket in front of you. And while the guillotine cigar cutter
and other items are laughable, every once in a while there’s a product that’s a
really good idea, like the virtual keyboard. Am I the only one tempted by this catalog?
Spring Festivals
April 17, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
As the weather gets warmer, the time to head outside draws nearer. And with all the festivals taking place across the country over the next few months, there are plenty of excuses to get out and celebrate. Take a trip to one of these 2008 Spring Festival destinations and join in the fun!
From music to flowers, there are festivals for everyone to find something entertaining. Go down to New Orleans for the Jazz Festival, Santa Cruz for the Blues Festival, or Chicago for the Salsa Festival. And perhaps the best yet, the Green Apple Music Festival for Earth Day has been expanded to new cities. For the festival this year, there will be free concerts in New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, Miami, Denver, Dallas, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
No matter where you plan to roam this spring, keep a look out for a local festival. Just be sure to bring an umbrella and have a nice dry place to go nearby, like an Extended Stay Hotels suite.
Weekend Hotel
April 15, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Spring break is over and summer is still weeks away. But after a long weekend, there's no reason to stay inside for another weekend. Get outside and enjoy the sunny weather! And since it's the weekend before Earth Day, it may be a good time to stop in a park or go for a hike and enjoy nature. For some great prices on accommodations this weekend, here are the latest deals:
- Phoenix, AZ
- Tampa, FL
- Boston, MA
- Las Vegas, NV
- Washington, DC
We look forward to your stay with us and providing you SuiteSavings rates every weekend!
SSD Technology
April 14, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
You're next laptop could be as thin as a magazine. With the new solid state drive notebooks coming onto the market, the technology is here today.
It's on the expensive side now, but having the computer's hard drive space on a portable drive instead of taking up space in the computer has definite advantages. Flash drives are fast since they don't have to spin up or spin down. And with fewer moving parts, the flash drives are more stable and reliable. Also, with a flash drive, if you fill up one card, you can always invest in another. But the drive may take longer to fill up than expected.
Flash memory card technology, originally popularized by digital cameras and mp3 players, has now advanced enough to be used to create replacements for entire computer hard drives. The amount of space on these new drives is getting bigger every day. Solid state drives are already measured in the tens of gigabytes. The MacBook Air is already using this solid state drive technology to revolutionize their laptops and these sleek computers are on sale now. There's something to be said for waiting a little bit until the price comes down, but once they are, this technology promises to be the next leap in laptops.
And storage space in general is getting cheaper and more accessible. Researchers have been able to create a consumer hard drive that can hold a terabyte of information. That's 1,000 gigabytes! Meanwhile, Fujitsu has created a commercial portable hard drive that has 300 GB and is only 2.5 inches for laptops. That is currently about 10x larger than most SSDs, which currently top out at 32 GB (although 64 GB is coming soon).
16 Travel Hacks from Seasoned Professionals
April 11, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Being travel fanatics, we often take it for granted that everyone knows the inside scoop on how to score the best seat on a flight or the lowest airfare. Still, there is a massive share of the public who doesn’t know about some of the simple ways to play the system. So, for those folks, we present our top 16 No-Brainer Travel Hacks:
1. Save on Parking. As airport parking costs rise, it pays to book ahead online. Parkrideflyusa.com offers buy 3 get 1 free parking discounts to military members, free travel insurance on your flight, and even a rewards program which earns you free day parking credits.
2. Want a seat upgrade? Good luck, it is getting tougher to play that game. Still, if you want to give it a go, be sure to check in online 24 hours ahead of time, as priority is often given to the earlier check-ins. Also, it helps to be in an airline’s (free) rewards program. Many gate agents can now see your miles status when your booking is pulled up, and upgrades are more likely to be given to loyal miles members.
3. Since it is difficult to get a seat upgrade to first class, be seat savvy when you book. Pick the location of your seat at checkout; if the booking tool you are using doesn’t allow you to do that, call the airline directly. Depending on the type of plane you fly in, bulkhead seats or seats in emergency exit rows can have more legroom. The definitive source on what the best and worst seats are is a site called SeatGuru.com.
4. Find the Lowest Air Fare… Really! Where do the big boys, like Kayak, FareCast, Hotwire, and Orbitz get their rate and availability information? ITA Software provides technology for accessing airfare and availability to all of these travel giants, as well as many direct carrier sites. Visitors can log on as a guest and get a comprehensive list of flights with rates and even warnings like “long layover” or “tight connection”. The interface is a bit cumbersome in comparison to other travel sites, but the rich information is worth it!
5. If you are going to be in the airport for a long time, try purchasing a day pass in one of the airline clubs. Often times, the cost for a one day trial is offset by the free internet access and complimentary light breakfasts or snacks. Additionally, if you decide to become a full member, you can usually apply the amount you paid for your day pass to the annual fee.
6. Some airline club memberships give you automatic access to other clubs. For example, if you are a member of United Red Carpet Club, you can also get into some lounges operated by Star Alliance member airlines and US Airways.
7. Need to talk to a human being? Road Warriors don’t have time for annoying and usually unhelpful phone tree routing. Check out GetHuman.com. The site, a creation by the man who brought you Kayak.com, lists the numeric or vocal codes you can use to quickly bypass the tree and get to a live operator. Need to talk to a human at an Extended Stay Hotel? Just click on any hotel's name on our corporate website, call the hotel directly and stay on the line.
8. If you are going to book a flight using your miles, book as far in advance as possible; 330 days in advance is when you need to start calling. And we mean start calling at midnight on the 330th day! Be prepared to talk on the phone a lot. There are often few seats per flight that can be purchased using miles. If it will be a long flight, you may have better luck purchasing the seat and then using the miles to upgrade. Be aware that you may need to meet certain conditions in order to redeem your miles: for example, you may have to fly using your mileage program at least once every three years, your miles may expire after a certain number of years, you will likely have to pay fuel and other surcharges, and your miles will only be redeemable for tickets up to a certain value. If you are in multiple mileage reward programs, try using a service like Mileage Miner to keep track of your flight, hotel, rental car, and even credit card miles.
9. If you use a credit card to book your flight, call your card company and ask to be switched to a mileage card program prior to booking. Delta, Continental, and most major carriers have partnerships with card companies so that each purchase earns miles in that airline’s rewards program. Often, you get bonus miles just for signing up.
10. Got Kids? Sign them up for mileage programs. It’s about time they start earning their keep, anyway!
11. (Free) Membership in a rental car rewards programs often gets you an upgrade on your vehicle. Although membership in an airline rewards program is seldom an advantage in scoring an upgrade, rental car programs are a different story.
12. Search for Rental Car deals on Hotel sites. Often times, hotel chains have agreements with rental car companies which entitle visitors from the hotel website to a special offer. Although the offers are designed for that hotels’ customers, anyone can take advantage of the savings. For example, clicking here will take you to a Hertz discount page designed for Extended Stay Hotels' guests.
13. Don't buy the rental car insurance. Instead, call your credit card company and ask if it insures your rental car; if so, book with the card and get the insurance for free.
14. Book your flight directly on an airline’s site, rather than calling. Direct rates are often the best, and some airlines will charge $10-$20 for booking over the phone.
15. Play the Bump Game (if you are flexible). Be sure to schedule your flight during peak travel times. These flights are the most likely to be cancelled or oversold, hence increasing the chance that you can score a free round trip ticket for your inconvenience. Survey the scene: if there are others that look interested in getting bumped, then take the first offer, otherwise, hold out and then haggle.
16. SHAMELESS PLUG: Even if you won’t be traveling on an “extended stay”, check out the rates of Suite hotels, like Extended Stay America, Extended Stay Deluxe, and Homestead Studio Suites. These hotels offer full kitchen suites and laundry, in addition to the regular amenities, and rates are often significantly less than non-extended stay hotels, particularly during off season.
Airline Closures
April 10, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Aloha, ATA, and Skybus all folding is bad news for travelers. With the high price of fuel, other airlines may follow. As bankruptcy, closures, and other issues plague airlines, keep an eye out for potential mergers and going out of business announcements that could affect your travel plans. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to ensure that if something happens to the company you’re flying with you can still avoid getting lost in transition.
A recent MSNBC article pointed out some valuable travel tips for unexpected changes in the airline industry. These tips include taking your business card off your luggage and spending airline miles sooner rather than later. Alternatively, if you haven't planned your trip yet, a merger can mean opportunity. Look to other airlines offering lower prices to lure customers away.
For airlines going under, the situation is a little more difficult. If the airline you're taking is showing signs of trouble, consider buying travel insurance. If your flight has already been affected by one of the recent airline closures, call the airline to get a refund and if that doesn’t work, dispute the credit card charge. And even before you get your refund, book as early as possible on a different airline if your trip is important.
Any disruption in an airline can cause delays and confusion, closures, mergers are no exception. But with a little preparation, you and your trip plans can remain relatively unscathed.
