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oil prices

Spiralling oil prices could be bad news for Canadian travellers, and it may only be a matter of time before higher costs are passed on to consumers. Given the current cost of fuel, “we will be looking at a surcharge of some sort when current contracts and futures are over , in all modes of transportation , air , cruise and ground,” said Martin Firestone, head of Toronto-based Travel Secure.   Firestone said companies that ship cars home for Canadians have jacked up rates by $150 per car.   “We can only speculate when this will trickle down to fuel Read more

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Starwood several years ago came up with Aloft Hotels, aimed at millenials with casual, colourful lobbies, snack stations, tons of solid and free Wi-Fi and more. They’re nice properties. I stayed at one in Orlando on Thursday night last week and loved the lobby area (great drinks at the bar and local art work) and the overall feel of the place. So that’s fine. Then today I read that Hilton is developing the “Tru by Hilton” brand, also aimed at millenials. Good idea, and I’m sure Aloft is flattered. But check out the photo I saw on a press release Read more

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Woe is the Canadian dollar, eh? Hovering below the 70 cent line, and causing many of us who like to vacation in the U.S. no end of worry.The price of oil is seemingly to blame, what with barrels going for an unheard of $30 or so these days. As oil prices have cratered, so has the loonie, sparking all sorts of business headlines about what the government should do. At the risk of repeating an age old mantra of mine, I’m disturbed by the lack of talk about tourism. Oh, sure, there’s the odd story about how our dollar is Read more

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