Fancy hotel rooms don’t necessarily equate with luxury. A new Vrbo/Harris poll of some 1,700 travellers from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia finds that travellers place greater value on the consistent delivery of the fundamentals. In an increasingly competitive market, mastering the basics can be more important to travellers than offering additional amenities or elaborate in-home experiences. The poll asked for travel opinions for people who have stayed in a vacation rental and found that 86% would pay more for a place to stay that had a higher-quality listing. Respondents made it overwhelmingly clear that quality is not Read more
Canada
Canadians claim to be the best hotel guests in the world. But they’re still swiping the odd hotel bathrobe or smuggling food from the breakfast buffet. A study by Hotels.Com found that 88% of Canadians consider themselves considerate guests, and that 44% of Canadians voted themselves the most courteous guests in the world, while ranking Americans as the rudest hotel guests (42%). Yet 27% of Canadians admit they sometimes smuggle food from the breakfast buffet or swipe hotel bathrobes and slippers. How Canada Ranks the World’ Most Polite Guests, by Country Canada – 44% Japan – 22% Sweden – 11% Read more
The Royal Mail Ship Segwun, the oldest operating steamship in North America and a symbol of Muskoka, has been named “Ship of the Year” by the Steamship Historical Society of America. The award was given to officials of the Muskoka Steamships Discovery Centre on Aug. 8 in a ceremony on the dock in Gravenhurst, Ontario. “On behalf of the Steamship Historical Society of America (www.sshsa.org ), I am delighted to announce that R.M.S. Segwun has been selected as our ‘Ship of the Year’ for 2026, our most prestigious award,” said society president Pat Dacey. “As a result of a nomination Read more
WestJet has begun cancelling flights as a potential strike looms in less than 24 hours. The airline today said it has been forced to cancel 309 flights due to the potential strike. FlightAware.com, a website that tracks airlines, said WestJet has cancelled 115 flights for Saturday and 188 for Sunday, plus 11 for holiday Monday. The Calgary International Airport departures page was showing cancelled WestJet flights to Toronto, Chicago, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Montreal and Honolulu. The Vancouver International Airport departures page was showing cancelled WestJet flights to Toronto, Calgary, Atlanta, Maui and other airports. WestJet said Read more
There’s still nearly two months left of summer (fall doesn’t arrive until Sept. 21), which means there’s plenty of time to get out on a road trip and enjoy great places in the U.S. and Canada. Here are a few personal faves. COOL SPOTS IN THE U.S.A. PITTSBURGH I grew up near Oakland, California and our family had season tickets for the Oakland Raiders football team. I hated the Pittsburgh Steelers with a passion. Years later I was working in the sports department for the Toronto Star, and talked my editor into having me drive to Pittsburgh to Read more
