7 Days; 7 Travel Stories

1. Group Think

More group travelers are using the Web to arrange their plans. The research firm PhoCusWright estimates that groups of leisure travelers ranging from 5 to 19 people spent $15.3 billion on hotels, air fares and car rentals in 2005. By 08 that number could exceed $18.9 billion. Family reunions are the most popular type of group leisure gathering, followed by sports outings, wedding parties, and association or community group gatherings.

The two top online group travel companies are http://www.groople.com/ and http://www.groupabout.com/, which have teamed with other travel companies to serve as a bridge between Web sites. Groople works with Travelocity, SideStep and Kayak, while GroupAbout works with SideStep and Orbitz.

http://www.hotelplanner.com/ has a slightly different business model where groups tell it the city they want to visit and what their needs are, then collects online bids from hotels in that city. Once the group accepts a bid HotelPlanner creates a customized Web site for the group that allows individuals to book rooms. Meanwhile, www.Priceline.com began letting groups of five to nine people reserve hotel rooms by either bidding for rates or booking published rates; groups requiring 10 or more rooms may request bids from hotels. A “Meet Me In” program offered by Travelocity enables groups of up to four people to travel from two different cities, meet at one destination, and buy a discounted package.

Other companies specializing in planning rather than booking group trips include them http://www.triphub.com/ and http://www.triporama/.com. Triporama lets travelers share research and coordinate plans and provides links to Web sites like Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and CruiseShipCenters International.

Some cruise and hotel companies have also made the planning process easier for group trips. Last year, Carnival Cruise Lines introduced CarnivalConnections.com, a site that helps groups plan trips. Carlson Hotels Worldwide gives groups that reserve a block of guest rooms a customizable Web page for booking and paying for their accommodations, while the InterContinental Hotels Group gives groups a customizable Web page for booking. NY Times

2. Fidelocity

Travelocity was fined $182,750 by federal regulators for booking trips between the US and Cuba. The US government said the company had violated the prohibition nearly 1,500 times from January 1998 to April 2004. Said a Travelocity spokesperson: “The trips to Cuba were unintentionally permitted to be booked by consumers online because of some technical failures several years ago, and it’s just now being finally settled.”

3. Those Goo Goo Googly Eyes

American Airlines is suing Google, accusing the Internet company of violating trademark laws and selling search words involving American’s name such as “American Airlines” and “AA.com” to other companies. Reuters

4. Hot Spot Influencers

Could Sarande, a coastal town at the southern tip of Albania be the next travel hot spot, replacing new comers such as Vietnam, São Paulo and the Caribbean island of Vieques? Enter John Stoll, Crystal Cruises director of land programs whose job it is to scout out new -- and often obscure -- destinations. Of course, luck and market forces play a role in the rise or fall of a destination. But in many cases, their fortunes reflect the remarkable influence of a small cadre of people like Stoll.

W Hotels relies on Ross Klein, who spent most of his career as a marketing executive for Ralph Lauren and Liz Claiborne. For inspiration, Klein picks up vintage travel magazines from the 1950s and '60s at flea markets. He looks for destinations that were once popular and today might have a retro-appeal. Add to the influential’s list Scott Woroch, who helped bring the Four Seasons to Malaysia and who spearheaded the opening of Ritz-Carltons in Moscow and Bahrain. And Adrian Zecha, the chief executive of Amanresorts, a Singapore-based hotel chain. Zecha spends two-thirds of his time on the road, often staying at his own hotels, where rates routinely top $600 a night, or looking for new places to expand.

At Club Med, any new project in the Western hemisphere needs the green light from Nicolas Boudet. One of his most important resources is a 50-year Club Med veteran named Gerard Joachim, the company's marine consultant, who tests the waters at potential resort sites by peeling down to his bathing suit and swimming or snorkeling in the ocean. Being the first to discover a new spot can reap big rewards. Besides tax breaks and other government incentives, hotels can claim the best site before the masses come rushing in. It also helps attract well-traveled customers looking for something new. WSJ

5. Online

Microsoft Corp launched Microsoft Streets & Trips 2008 with Connected Services. The updated version of the program combines the travel and mapping softwarefor the United States and Canada, a Global Positioning System (GPS) locator, and a new MSN Direct receiver, providing drivers with current traffic updates and competitive gas prices without needing an Internet connection. Streets & Trip with Connected Services also integrates with Live Search Maps, allowing consumers to find up-to-date local information that can be saved to take on the road. CNNMoney.com

For the 20-something-crowd--An online network of travelers who are tired of staying in hotels and hostels and want to see the world with a free place to crash—often on someone’s couch, www.couchsurfing.com. Boston Globe

While most world stock markets are reeling from the credit concerns and re-evaluation of risk, there is one market that just keeps on trucking--China. The reasons are relatively straightforward: There are no subprime and real estate credit issues. The Olympic build-out is occurring as well, and everything that goes with that, including travel. Many people inside China are turning to online services to book this travel. The biggest and most well known is www.Ctrip.com. This is the Chinese equivalent of Expedia or Travelocity. Interestingly, they cater to a growing middle class. Thestreet.com

6. Ditzney

Poor visitor numbers at its Hong Kong theme park may force Disney to seek refinancing of its share of the joint-venture project with the Hong Kong government and postpone the construction of a new theme park in Shanghai. Disney, which owns 43 percent of the shares, projected 10 million visitors annually by 2020 for the Hong Kong park. Hong Kong Disneyland averages 11,000 visitors daily and is still well short of its 34,000 capacity. Disney said it still has to tap visitors from mainland China.

The theme park, which opened in September 2005, is yet to reach four million visitors in its second year of operations, far lower than the 5.2 million reached during its first year. The small size, lack of sufficient attractions and rides to occupy visitors for a whole day have contributed to the problems facing Hong Kong Disneyland. The clash of cultures from shark's fin soup in menus to a "lack of cultural relevance" may account for some the problems facing Disney, says one expert. "Some of the shows and rides at Hong Kong Disneyland are presented only in English.” ETN

7. The Green Line

An arid region on the eastern tip of Crete is the proposed site of the $1.6 billion Cavo Sidero resort development. If all goes according to plan, this highly publicized year-round resort will sit on 6,000 acres and make claim to being the largest eco-friendly development in southeastern Europe. But there is a catch. Local environmentalists say water-starved Crete cannot support this development which would include hotels, vacation homes and golf courses. Indeed, signs of an environmental crisis are everywhere in the region. Parts of Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey are facing desertication or the degradation of once-fertile soil because of overbuilding, overgrazing and an explosion in hothouse agriculture. Hoteliers say they are adopting greener practices to ease the concern. NY Times

One for the Road: For many years hitting golf balls into the ocean off cruise ships was sheer ecstasy for duffers. The fun ended in 1990 when the International Maritime Organization prohibited the dumping of plastic water into the sea, including those little pockmarked white balls. But in the 1990s two developments brought cruising and golfing closer together: the computerized golf simulator and itineraries that include stops to play golf on real courses. The bill for simulated cruise golf with lessons and equipment can run about $250. The onshore version upwards of $500. NY Times

Rich’s Weekend Reader is published by AndTyler222 Communications. All rights reserved. Information from various sources and mostly rewritten.