Another Option for Last Minute Travelers

Many Americans are hitting the road this weekend to celebrate the Independence Day holiday, and with so many of them choosing to travel at the last minute, I thought I'd share a little website I discovered quite by accident. I'm not recommending it, as I've not worked with them before, but LastMinuteTravel.com appears to have connections with hotels in some major U.S. destinations and are assisting them with unloading hotel rooms at, well, the last minute.

They do have availability for hotels in Manhattan, D.C., and surprisingly, even resort areas like Virginia Beach and North Carolina's Outer Banks.

If you've booked through this online agent before, feel free to let us know how your experience was. If you know more about it than I do (i.e., who runs this company?), please feel free to share what you know with "Get A Room!" readers!

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, and remember, if you're traveling and looking for the best gas prices along the way, you can find it on GasBuddy.com. There's also a link in the sidebar.

T-I-P Like a V.I.P.

I am a sucker for good service, and after having read others' recommendations on how much to tip this person or that, I've decided that I might be tipping too much. I don't, however, think this is a a problem, and I'm fairly sure the tipped employees of the world don't mind.

Having worked as a bus-boy, a waiter, and a bartender in my life, I know how much these workers rely on this additional money to supplement their typically low hourly wages. For example, I'm a firm believer when I'm on vacation (or just have time to relax at a bar), that the bartender should get to know me, especially if I expect to spend any time at his bar and definitely if I'm entertaining a client or friend. I'll often tip the bartender $10 or $20 with my first "round" to make sure he (or she) remembers me and that my guest and I will receive prompt service.

And it works every time.

Of course, this isn't as easy to do in a restaurant, where the gratuity you leave will correspond with the total of your bill. But unlike others I've witnessed, I will leave a tip even if the service was poor. I may not leave as much, but I will at least supplement their income for the time they did spend at my table. Because I stink at doing math in my head, I usually tip 20% for decent service (10% x 2 is an easy equation for me to figure out!). I've tipped as high as 25-30% for amazing service, especially when it appeared that the server was just that good at what they were doing, and not simply schmoozing for a bigger tip. The least I've tipped is 10%. I know that when I was a restaurant server, I was required to claim 8% of my sales as tipped income. No tip at all would cost me more than the customer knew.

Then there are the people who pick up my plates at a buffet, where I typically tip based how much I tip on how frequently they didn't annoy me, or how often they allowed me to finish something I was still eating without grabbing for the plate. I don't go to those places very often, but I have a teenager, and he likes them.

But there are times that I'm at a loss for what to tip. I mean, look at the top of my head. Exactly how much should I tip someone to snip that? I'm usually a little upset over the fact that they're charging me full price for less than a full head of hair, anyway, but I digress. I usually tip a couple of bucks, which comes out to slightly less than 20%, but only because it seems like I did more work trying to grow the hair than they had to work to shorten it.

Valet parking is another area where I find myself scratching that same head. When I see the guy has taken my car and parked it a whole ten feet from where I turned it over to him, I wonder if I'm supposed to tip him by the foot, by the yard, or just give him a buck and get my car back. Seriously, I could have walked the ten feet if I'd known my car could be parked there, but I guess that's not an option when you're parking your own.

I usually tip shuttle drivers less than what I'd pay a taxi, but way more than a buck a bag. I'll admit that the highly interactive ones who can't wait to tell you about where you are and what there is to do near the hotel and assume the roll of an ambassador for their city are the ones who receive the most.

I found a chart with tipping guidelines at Tip20.com. It's a fairly comprehensive list, and had the answers to many of my questions, including international tipping standards. You may be surprised at what "standard" really is. Also, Hotel Chick did a nice piece on her blog last July on how to tip at a hotel, which you might find helpful if you're planning a vacation or "staycation" in the near or distant future.

"Stay-cations" Save Gas and Money!

I recently had to take a trip from Virginia Beach, Virginia to Lexington, Kentucky. Here's roughly how the money worked out:

5 tanks of gas at $60 a tank: $300.00
2 night hotel stay: $200.00
Meals for 2: $120.00
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Grand total: $620.00

Go ahead and add in the $76.00 speeding ticket, the $20.00 computer diagnostic testing I had to have on my car three hours into the trip, and the $259.00 repair work I needed to have done when I got home and this was a way expensive weekend. We got to our destination at 10:30 pm on Friday, after enduring miles and miles of construction work and two severe thunderstorms, then left to come home at 10:30 am on Sunday. It wasn't as if we got away for any great length of time. I also took a day off of work on Friday to make for a three-day weekend, as this trip involved nearly twelve hours--one way--of highway driving with a teenager and a dog in tow. I basically paid $620.00 to spend a day in Lexington, Kentucky. Granted, I had a funeral to attend, but if I was planning to go for just a weekend visit, this would have been a costly day.

The wheels on my car weren't the only wheels that were turning on my return trip. In fact, on Monday, I had an interesting conversation with a business associate who shared with me what she did for this year's vacation.

"We went to the beach," she said.

"Really? Which one?"

"This one."

Yep. She took a "stay-cation" right here in Virginia Beach. In fact, she even drove around a little more than she had to so her children would feel like they had actually gone "somewhere." The truth is, none of them cared where they were going. They were just going on vacation. She got out of the house, the kids had an excellent time at a beach, and everyone enjoyed their time away from home.

Her total round-trip mileage was ten miles. She did not encounter severe weather, car trouble, construction zones, bathroom stops, on-the-road meals, or a radar gun.

And they had a blast.

I have to admit, I live less than ten miles from the oceanfront in Virginia Beach, and it's a big day when I pack my son up and head to the beach. But this woman got me thinking...

In the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Clarion Oceanfront Hotel Nags Head and the Comfort Inn South Nags Head Beach have created a special rate for people who live in nearby Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Richmond, Raleigh, and other cities where people would normally venture off to Atlantic City or Myrtle Beach. You do have to know what the name of the rate is to get it, but the bonus is that it will save you 20% off of your hotel stay. In fact, the deal is so enticing that extended-stay guests at The Candlewood Suites Virginia Beach, while they're in town on government or corporate business, are beginning to take a look at ways to get out of town to take a break for the weekend without having to spend a bundle, and are discovering the quick and easy trip to Nags Head is a very good answer. Their company is footing the bill for their "home away from home" at Candlewood, so there's not a problem with having to spend their own money for a little getaway.

I don't know about you, but I'd love a weekend in Nags Head. I'd love for someone to make my bed for me, bring me clean towels, and cook my breakfast, even if it's just to get out of the house and enjoy a change of scenery for a few days. I could drive a mere thirty minutes and enjoy a weekend at the newest hotel in the LHG Family, the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center in Suffolk, VA, where I could take in the awesome view of the Nansemond River while relaxing in a rocking chair on the veranda of this beautifully southern, plantation-style hotel.

Yes, they call it a veranda, which I think is very cool, especially since my first reaction when I saw it was "look at that big ole porch!"

Ixnay the eerbay. I'll have a mint julep, please.

I can do either on less than a quarter of a tank of gas. Nags Head is a whopping eighty-some miles from my home. Suffolk is less than thirty. In fact, I could even head to the oceanfront in Virginia Beach and stay the weekend taking in the sights and sounds of the boardwalk and the Atlantic ocean, and only have to suffer through all of a fifteen minute drive.

I would spend virtually nothing on gas, could enjoy more time at my "destination" since the drive home would last all of a few minutes, and in the end feel as refreshed as if I'd flown off for a week in Maui, minus the extra cash for checked luggage and the long security lines.

So it occurred to me that what some people may have considered to be "day trips" in the past could actually be full-fledged vacation destinations this year. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find people who live in Richmond or Williamsburg spending a weekend down the road in Virginia Beach, and vice-versa. People who used to drive from Norfolk to the Outer Banks for just the day could spend an entire weekend in a place they already know they love.

It's no accident that you'll begin seeing special deals for "locals" at attractions in your area, or special hotel deals for "neighbors" in your hometown. The stay-cation is not just a theory. It's a reality, and a welcomed one as far as I'm concerned.

If you are traveling this summer, are you vacationing closer to home and soaking up (or simply rediscovering) all that's available in your own backyard (or at least less than a tank of gas away), or are you going the distance as you have in years past?

Welcome Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk, VA

The Landmark Hotel Group is pleased to welcome the newest addition to our family of hotels, the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center in Suffolk, VA.

This is a fantastic hotel, situated on six acres overlooking the Nansemond River in Suffolk. The first time the company had me go take a look at it, I came back and said "this one's a no-brainer." It's close proximity to the Norfolk International Airport and the cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth make it a dynamite location for virtually any meeting, seminar, or social event. (Psst! You'll love the veranda overlooking the river!).

It's unlike any other Hilton Garden Inn I've ever seen. The hotel and grounds and adjacent park are beautiful, the conference center and meeting space is as contemporary and practical as it is beautifully decorated.

Southern charm and world class hospitality come together at this outstanding hotel and conference center. Please see their link in the sidebar and get to know this hotel.

FrontDeskBlog: Checking in with a Hotel's Front Line!

There's a great list, or at least the beginnings of a great Hotel Blog Link List over at FrontDeskBlog, where Front Desk Boi has compiled a list containing some of his favorite hotel insider and travel blogs.

On Get A Room! I try to provide information from an insider's point of view for traveling consumers to hopefully relieve some of the stress that comes with being away from home, and hopefully shed some light on how the hotel industry can and does work for you. FrontDeskBlog does an excellent job of sharing with you what happens on the other side of the front desk, and provides an insight that you, the consumer (or potential hotel employee), may not have even considered.

As with every other industry, in the hospitality business there are challenges, struggles, frustrations, and yes, opportunities to truly feel a sense of accomplishment. FrontDeskBlog, in my opinion, offers an open and honest portrait with regard to life on a hotel's front line, and is worthy of being listed on your blogroll and followed on your readers. It is as entertaining as it is insightful, and brings a candidly human element back into an experience that probably began with a computer or a telephone call.

FrontDeskBlog has also created a glossary of Hotel Lingo that, for those of you who appreciated the L-I-N-G-O List on Get A Room! back in December, is well-prepared and offers additional terminology from the Front Desk Agent's perspective.

Well done, FDB!

Some Hotels Give You Gas

So here we are, the summer travel season, and already I'm seeing tons of travel incentives that include a free gas card when you arrive at your destination. I can see how this would be an attractive offer to some, especially when you consider that many are paying upwards of $50.00 to fill up their tanks.

But I have questions. How much free gas would it take to persuade you to choose one hotel over another? Would you stay with the highest bidder, or would you have chosen that hotel anyway and the free gas card was just a bonus? Would you choose a hotel offering a lower rate, instead?

Are gas cards as much of a motivator as, say, additional rewards points? How much of a reward would you consider "appropriate?" Would you prefer that the hotel set you up with a complimentary meal, or attractions tickets, or an upgraded room?

I'm curious.

We see a lot of incentives being thrown around this season, but I'd be interested in knowing what would motivate you.

Memorial Weekend Starts Summer's Engine!

Vacationers: Start. Your. Engines!

Memorial weekend in the United States has traditionally been considered the "unofficial" start of summer. Who needs a summer solstice when there's a three-day weekend just waiting for families to hit the beach for some fun in the sun, the mountains for camping trips, to youth soccer tournaments, to Indianapolis for the Indy 500, or to have friends over for a barbecue and an afternoon of relaxation while listening to the "Memorial Weekend 500" on a favorite local radio station. (Does every U.S. city have at least one station that does this every year?).

Of course, I'm listening to see where "Hotel California" by the Eagles comes in, or if Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel" or Dan Fogelberg's "Heart Hotels," or "Suddenly Last Summer" by the Motels make the cut. But that's just me.

At destinations where summer means "peak season," such as Virginia Beach or the Outer Banks of North Carolina, it also means increased hotel occupancy, traffic, and unpredictable gas prices (which is why I've provided the link to GasBuddy.com in the sidebar!). Memorial weekend is one of those holiday weekends that demand for hotel rooms is high, so rates are also high. You can also expect to find increased rates on July 4th weekend, Labor Day, and most weekends in-between. In Virginia Beach, the price you pay for a hotel room is closely related to how far from the ocean you'd like to stay.

On the beach with an ocean view = expect to pay a premium price for a premium room.
Willing to drive stay in a room without an ocean view or drive a few minutes = save money.

The choice, of course, is yours. There are some summer weekends, however, when the hotels typically see less demand, such as the weekend before or after a major holiday weekend. You might get lucky and find a lower rate on those weekends if you plan early enough.

For those who are traveling this summer, and plan to live large on their travels, an excellent article on ProTraveller takes a look at 15 of the coolest hotel suites in the world. For me, the pictures were reason enough to visit the site, but the entire post is well thought out, descriptive, and, well, cool. In fact, some are cooler than cool. If you're looking for an escape from the heat this summer, just looking at the pictures you'll see of the igloo hotel should do the trick!

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend, and welcome to the unofficial start of summer!