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So far no international classification for hotels exists,but that hasn’t stopped ambitious hotel marketers from slapping any number of stars, diamonds, cacti on their properties and touting them as 5 or 6 or even 7 star properties,whatever that may mean in real service and amenities.

I think the ratings inflation trend began with the Xanadu-  frenzy in Dubai, especially with the luxury hotel, Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs), built on an artificial island and billed as a 7-Star s

We reported frequently in New Media Travel that hotels notoriously use photos of empty swimming pools, restaurants and rooms in their marketing material for fear of offending potential customers. Their thinking is that couples without children, for example, will be discouraged by pictures with children in them, while families may be be turned off by photos  featuring adults.

Enter Socialgraphics which claims the days of travel marketers having only the basic customer information they ask for, a

What would you guess most determines how we choose a hotel? Price? Location? Recommendation by a friend or someone else?

In a connected social media world, it's surprising to discover that what our friends, and friends of friends recommend, say on Facebook or other sharing platforms, counts for only 6.8 % in determining what influences our hotel choices.
"Past experience" weighs in at 11.9%.

In truth, according to Hotelmarketing.com what actually influences a hotel choice is location.
For exa

 http://http://www.examiner.com/article/ulagalla-is-an-amazing-destination-sri-lanka

There are some places so special that one feels the need to tell everyone but at the same time would like to keep it a secret so as not to have it inundated with people. Such a place is Ulagalla Resort in the heart of Sri Lanka. Ulagalla is located between the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Anuradhapura, which was once the capital of Sri Lanka; and about 20 miles north of Dambulla, which is also a UNESCO World Her

New England is not an easy place to get to know, especially in its winters when the dark and the cold and the snow hold the land in a formidable grasp, and the people disappear into their homes and cafes for months.

But that can also be the fun part of New England, and especially the iconic state of New Hampshire

Here the spirit of Robert Frost is alive and well, his woods fill with snow, are dark and deep, and the lights on the landscape come from villages in the hills,  and especially old in

Have you ever stayed in a convent?  Surprisingly, many of our fellow travel fanatics out there have shared with us that they have, indeed, spent some time staying in converted nunneries or convents.  Besides the inherently peaceful aura that seems to surround these modernized convents, many of them are located in absolutely gorgeous locations, and offer the traveller a different perspective.  I'd like to share our experience at El Convento, a gorgeous hotel in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Read

Do you like to work out in your hotel’s gym when you’re away? If you happen to be staying in Denmark’s Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, keeping fit while traveling will help generate the hotel’s electricity and earn you meal vouchers in their restaurant. The flagship eco-hotel is the first hotel in Denmark to generate all of its power from renewable sources – solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling pumps, and stationary bicycles connected to generators which provide the hotel’s electricity.

I stayed in Paris with a friend two weeks ago, and it was awesome. It was the second time I went to Paris, but for the first one I didn't stay in an hotel. This year, my friend and I saved some money to have an unforgettable trip to Paris. We chose the Moderne St-Germain Hotel ( http://www.hotel-paris-stgermain.com ), following my uncle's recommendations, and were completely overjoyed when we discovered the hotel and our room!

You don't have to play golf to enjoy a stay at PGA National Resort & Spa. But it helps.

Although the plush Palm Beach Gardens resort radiates with recreational diversions, golf is the engine that keeps it humming.

With prime time for snowbirds right around the corner, the South Florida oasis

will open a new course Nov. 1 and will welcome participants to its "Institute of Performance," a training facility designed to help both beginners and professionals -- plus the vast army of golfers who rat

The Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania has it all – luxurious accommodations, private cottages, excellent dining, a world-class spa, two swimming pools, four golf courses, boutique shops, and, oh, so much more. And of course it is in the Sweetest Place on Earth.  

Located on a hill with a view of Hershey gardens and the countryside, The Hotel Hershey is a member of Historic Hotels of America. Built during the 1930s during the Great Depression, the construction meant that the people of Hershey

Fall is a beautiful time along New York St’s Hudson River. Plan a Columbus Dayate weekend at the historic hotel high above the Hudson. Savor the spectacular fall foliage as you boat, hike, take a carriage ride, mountain bike, play golf, or simply sit back and relax while savoring the view. The air is crisp, activities abound, and all that’s missing is you.

The Mohonk is the perfect place for a romantic getaway. Check out its couple’s special (Nov. 30- Dec. 2),  perfect for couples who crave time

We hope so.

When New Media Travel spoke to the owners of 40 Putney Road, a Brattelboro, Vermont,  B&B,  we were curious about  how this new brand of innkeepers was using social media to build a loyal client base.
Inn owner Tim Brady said something very interesting.

In a discussion about TripAdvisor and its huge influence on hotels, inns and B& B’s, Brady said that he’d rather have his guests tell him, directly, what they liked or didn’t like about staying at his place.

He made a lot of sense. A

Our recent trip to Asia solidly cemented my opinion that South East Asia is still very grateful and anxious to encourage tourism.  Thailand, in particular, really set itself apart from any other place we have traveled to.  Our stays at both the Bangkok Mandarin Oriental, and the Mandarin Oriental Dhara-Devi in Chiang Mai, were superlative.  Having experienced these hotels first-hand, I can see why the Mandarin Oriental chain is consistently voted as having some of the top hotels in the World, wi

Philadelphia is home to America’s most historic square mile.  While that may seem like a small area, once you start walking from place to place it isn’t so save steps and stay at the Omni Hotel Independence Park.  It is just a few steps from Independence National Historic Park, the Liberty Bell, the Betsy Ross House, and all the must-see sight. Plus, the Four-Diamond luxury Omni Hotel is the perfect place to rejuvenate at the end of the day.

From the minute you are greeted by the doorman and en

Sleeping with the fishes in pet friendly Springfield MO

University Plaza Hotel is providing a new up-“scale” complimentary service. Guests can have a live goldfish in the room during their stay. Ask for Chip, Flipper, Sparkle or Blondie when you check in.

“Our complimentary goldfish service has proven to be extremely popular, especially for people missing their pets,” said Robert Henley, in a press release. “Guests comment that they find the goldfish calming, even entertaining,” Henley is general

Reviews are critical to the hotel industry’s success. In fact, they’re critical to just about any business, but hotels are especially vulnerable because a hotel stay is a big emotional and financial investment, and travelers want to get it right.

So they read many hotel reviews, and read them carefully. Hotel Marketing says that reviews can make or break a hotel, but the site asks, who really writes hotel reviews.
Do women write them more than men?
Do men have more positive or negative things t

Marti Mayne  one-ups Katniss, Peeta and company by turning The Hunger Games  into No Hunger Games.

Their bed and breakfast packages give food to the local food pantries and other “no-hunger” causes in the towns and regions where the "No-Hunger Games" B and B’s are located.
The Capital gang and the denizens of its Districts should rejoice.

In the hugely popular movie, the characters fight for survival.
Instead of the “survival of the fittest” in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy and movie, Mayne and her

Many travelers traverse the planet in search of unique adventures, places to eat, and the out of the ordinary places to stay. One adventure, only a lucky few will ever get a chance to experience is to stay at a hotel made of ice, Every winter in Sweden, Norway, and in Quebec, Canada you can go to sleep on a bed made of ice. But you better get there fast before the snow melts your hotel away and you have to wait 9 months, as Ice Hotels are open for business for around three months. Hotels sculptu