National Hawaii Day is today, July 5. To mark the occasion, yours truly, a 35-time visitor to the islands, is offering up some thoughts on special hotels and resorts you should consider for your next trip. Remember to visit responsibly and respectfully. Side note: Travel + Leisure came out with their list of the top 20 resorts of Hawaii on Tuesday, July 9. I believe eight of their top picks are on my list below. O’AHU Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina: Resting alongside the Aulani Disney resort outside of Honolulu, this is a chill spot overlooking a pretty Read more
Hyatt
Swoop today will launch non-stop Charlottetown service from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport as it greatly expands its presence in Atlantic Canada. Swoop on Sunday launched its inaugural flight to Charlottetown Airport from Hamilton International Airport. Later Sunday, Swoop operated operate its first non-stop service between Edmonton and Halifax. Starting June 16, Swoop will begin non-stop service to Charlottetown from Edmonton International Airport. In the coming weeks, Swoop, a subsidiary of WestJet, will be adding service to Moncton and Saint John, NB and Deer Lake and St. John’s, NL, as well as adding frequencies on existing routes to Halifax “As Canada’s Read more
This is one of a series of blog posts on the FUTURE OF TRAVEL in this wild time of COVID-19. Today I look at several aspects of the hotel industry. Virtually everyone in the travel business worth talking to has conceded that business as usual won’t work in this new age of the coronavirus. Cruise ships are stepping up their game, airlines are mandating masks on board for passengers, and hotels are making adjustments of their own. Last week, Marriott got things started by announcing a major cleanliness program that they hope will make would-be customers feel more confident in Read more
Hotel Wi-Fi is one of those touchstone issues travellers love to talk about. Who’s got the best? And who’s got it for free? There’s a new study out from Hotel WiFi Test that ranks hotels around the world, which is a great idea. The bad news for Canadians is there’s no Canada table. But there is date for Europe and the U.S. and Asia, so it’s still pretty useful. And a bit surprising. Despite continuing criticism, there are far too many hotels in the U.S. that charge for Wi-Fi, which I’ve argued is like charging for water in the shower Read more
What a great, progressive step. Hyatt Hotels has announced that, starting February 2015, ALL guests in ALL Hyatt properties will get free Wi-Fi. In a great item posted at skift.com, writer Jason Clampet notes that “the rollout will include all hotel brands, including the select-service Hyatt Place properties and up through its premium Park Hyatt offering. Use of Wi-Fi will not be limited to members of its loyalty programs, as was previously done at some brands. Hyatt Gold Passport members will have access to premium Wi-Fi service at some properties.” “Internet connectivity is no longer an amenity. It has become Read more
