• Sand is thicker than blood: Summer travelers prefer beach over family, survey reveals

    Elizabeth Ruiz / EPA

    Beach vacations are popular, in part, because they are affordable to other getaways, according to findings from the 2012 Flip Flop Report, released Wednesday.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    With summer starting just weeks away, you might be starting to plan that big trip to visit the folks or other family.


    Unless, that is, you’re like many travelers and you’re planning on hitting the beach instead.

    That’s among the findings of the 2012 Flip Flop Report, a global survey sponsored by Expedia.com and released on Wednesday. When asked if they could take only one holiday, 33 percent of respondents said they’d prefer the beach vs. 10 percent who said they’d want to visit family or relatives.

    “Beaches are definitely top of mind right now,” said Joe Megibow, vice president and general manager. “But even if you take seasonality out of it, beach-going and travel have been best friends for years.”

    The survey, which included 8,599 consumers in 21 countries, also found that:

    • 52 percent of respondents worldwide expected to vacation at the beach in the next 12 months, up from 45 percent last year, although, sadly, only 23 percent of Americans expected to do so;
    • When at the beach, 60 percent of Americans preferred doing nothing/relaxing vs. exercising (13 percent) and “posing for pictures you wouldn’t want business associates to see (2 percent);
    • 38 percent of Americans cited prevalence of sharks when picking a beach vacation vs. 67 percent of Singaporeans and 70 percent of Brazilians;
    • 2 percent of Americans have sunbathed nude vs. 8 percent of Spaniards and Indians and 15 percent of, wait for it, Germans.

    Silly statistics aside, the most telling insight, perhaps, is that 77 percent of travelers (and 78 percent of Americans) cited the “estimated price of total vacation” as their top concern when choosing a beach destination.

    “It’s less about whether they spend more or less; it’s more about how much buying power they have with their budget,” said Megibow. “As flights get more expensive, they don’t fly or they fly and spend fewer days.”

    That impression is echoed in two other reports released this week. On Tuesday, AAA released its annual Memorial Day forecast, projecting that budget-minded consumers will still travel but that they’ll stay closer to home, take shorter trips and decide to drive rather than fly.

    Also on Tuesday, a new report from Deloitte suggested that 54 percent of Americans would take a trip between June 1 and Labor Day, a slight increase over the 52 percent who did so last year. With airfares and gas prices up over last year, says the company, travelers will be on the lookout for deals, discounts and complimentary amenities.

    For fliers, that may mean choosing airlines that don’t charge to check bags or use onboard Wi-Fi; for hotel guests, seeking out complimentary breakfasts and free parking. At Expedia, the priority travelers are placing on their budgets has prompted the company to launch what Megibow says is its largest summer sale ever, with some 12,000 participating hotels in 700 destinations.

    As for the 77 percent of Americans who don’t expect to take a beach vacation in the next 12 months, one last study might be worth considering. Released last month, a paper by researchers at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health in the UK revealed that visits to coastal environments resulted in greater calmness, enjoyment and refreshment than visits to other outdoor locations, such as rural settings and urban parks.

    By that token — and regardless of the dent it may make in your budget — a beach vacation could be priceless.

    More stories you might like:

    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

     

    2 comments

    Show more
    Explore related topics: , , , , , ,

  • All aboard for private train travel

    Courtesy Patrick Henry

    The Warren R. Henry is a dome car that was built in 1955 for the Union Pacific Railroad.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    With Amtrak on pace to set another ridership record this year, it appears millions of Americans are reserving seats on the nation’s rolling stock. Some are going a step further and reserving entire cars.


    “Chartering a private rail car is a civilized way to travel,” said Bart Barton, publisher of Private Varnish, the magazine of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners (AAPRCO). “It’s a step above Amtrak — and sometimes two or three steps.”

    And just like Amtrak, the business is seeing a rebound. “Last year, the charter business was down,” said Barton, “but during the first part of this year, it seems to be coming back pretty strong.”

    Of course, traveling by private rail car is not as simple as hopping on the Downeaster or Heartland Flyer. In most cases, the cars are owned by individual railfans and chartered by groups that must reserve them well in advance. Outfitted with chefs, stewards and well-stocked kitchens and bars, the cars are hooked on the tail end of long-haul Amtrak trains, which, needless to say, imposes limitations on itineraries and schedules.

     

    “Mostly it appeals to people who have a love of railroads from the '40s, '50s and '60s,” said Patrick Henry, owner of the Warren Henry, a 1955 dome lounge car with a formal dining room, and the Evelyn Henry, a 1954 sleeper car with six double bedrooms and one queen suite. “It’s Americana at its finest.”

    Courtesy Patrick Henry

    The Warren R. Henry offers a panoramic viewing room upstairs.

    It’s also a more diverse experience than many people may realize. As the leading organization for private rail-car owners, AAPRCO currently lists 63 cars available for charter, ranging from “party cars,” designed for special events and other one-day excursions, to combination sleeper/lounge cars configured for multi-day, cross-country trips.

    Among the most posh are the so-called “business cars,” luxury-appointed sleeper/dining cars that railroad executives utilized to travel in comfort as they conducted business around their steel-railed empires.

    The Chapel Hill, for example, features mahogany interiors, original brass hardware and vintage railroad silver and china. With a formal dining room, lounge area and four bedrooms, it’s a classic example of what fans of private train travel refer to as a yacht on rails.

    Not surprisingly, such travel doesn’t come cheap. On the Chapel Hill, a three-day charter between Cincinnati and Washington, D.C., will cost around $20,000 as will a similar trip between Chicago and San Francisco on the Warren and Evelyn Henry cars. The former sleeps six; the latter, up to 10.

    “It sounds like a lot, but remember, that includes a chef, a steward and your food and beverage,” said Henry. “In most cases, it also includes your alcohol which is really popular because it’s about the only thing to do other than watch the scenery go by.”

    The rates also include the haulage fee — currently $2.10 per mile — that Amtrak charges to pull private cars as well as other ancillary charges.

    There are also less expensive ways to get a taste of the experience. As past president of AAPRCO, Stan Garner operates the Pony Express, a 1941 baggage car turned party car with paneled walls, antique bar and parquet dance floor. Designed to carry 25 to 30 people, one-day excursions between Los Angeles and San Diego typically run $4,500 to $5,000, making it a unique venue for birthday parties, anniversaries and weddings.

    “It’s about enjoying the trip,” said Garner, “instead of trying to get somewhere in a hurry because you’re just not going to.”

    That’s a big part of the appeal for John Bertini, a Houston urologist who has chartered private train cars on several occasions for family vacations. “It’s an opportunity to slow down, to enjoy a different perspective and to spend time together,” he told msnbc.com. “It’s something we don’t get to take advantage of in our hurried lives.”

    Which, says Bertini, speaks to yet another benefit of traveling by private train car — the benefit of what it isn’t.

    “It’s not having to take your shoes off; it’s not having people be rude to you, and it’s not having to be crammed in a seat for hours,” he said. “Imagine the opposite of your typical travel experiences — that’s what the private rail-car experience is like.”

    More stories you might like:

    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

  • World's longest water coaster opens in Santa Claus, Ind.

    Courtesy Holiday World

    Thrill seekers who don't mind getting wet are in luck. On Friday, Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., unveiled Mammoth, the world's longest water coaster.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    When it comes to attracting customers, the attractions business is often likened to an arms race in which competing parks do battle over who has the biggest, fastest and wildest rides.


    These days, you could say it’s being fought with water cannons as parks invest in new water rides that promise faster speeds, steeper drops and more intense thrills.

    Case in point: the new Mammoth “water coaster” opened Friday at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind. Located in the park’s Splashin’ Safari area, the ride features seven hills, multiple twists and turns and a length of 1,763 feet, making it the longest water coaster in the world.

    “It’s bigger than big,” said spokesperson Paula Werne of the 69-foot-high, $9-million ride. “We thought Wildebeest [the park’s existing water coaster] was huge but Mammoth takes it up a whole other notch.”

    Other parks are also unveiling new water rides this summer, a trend that observers say speaks to both the competitive nature of the business and consumers’ expectations.

    “If you’re not keeping up with the latest and greatest, you’re going to have trouble getting the kind of attendance you need to be successful,” said David Sangree, president of Hotel & Leisure Advisors LLC. “And with prices as high as $30 to $50 a day, you have some pretty high expectations.”

    “The perception of water parks and water rides is making a shift,” said Brad Goodbody, marketing manager for ProSlide Technology Inc., the company that created Mammoth. “Previously, they were seen as theme parks’ poor cousins but now you have rides that will get people to come back month after month.”

    If that sounds appealing, here are three new rides that’ll be making a splash this summer:

    Courtesy Holiday World

    Riders of Mammoth, the world's longest water coaster at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., could experience feelings of weightlessness during the ride.

    Mammoth
    Like Wildebeest and a handful of other water coasters, Mammoth uses the same linear induction motor (LIM) technology — basically a series of magnets — that newer roller coasters use to propel passengers uphill. Seated in six-person circular rafts, riders may find themselves facing forward, sideways or backwards and may even experience the weightless feeling known as “air time” as they crest each hill.

    “There’s nothing like seeing your friends and family members getting soaked, getting scared and screaming and laughing,” said Werne.

    Mile High Flyer
    Visitors to Water World in Denver will also be able to notch a water coaster experience this summer, albeit on a slightly smaller scale than at Splashin’ Safari. Set to open in mid-June, the LIM-powered Mile High Flyer will feature five hills, four-person rafts and speeds of 15 to 20 mph. In a novel twist, the park is incorporating sound effects, including the familiar click-click-click of a traditional coaster lift hill.

    King Cobra
    Take your typical tube slide, outfit it in red, white and black scales, and have it end in the gaping maw of one of the scariest species of snake on the planet and you have King Cobra, the newest addition to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in Jackson, N.J.

    Once in the belly of the beast, riders race down side-by-side tubes, hitting speeds of up to 32 mph, before plunging down a 25-foot, 50-degree slope that resembles a cobra’s extended hood and fanged jaws.

    “It’s not a new technology,” said spokesperson Kristin Siebeneicher. “It’s a way to evolve the classic thrill of a waterslide.”

    Alas, you’ll have to wait a little longer to experience it. The ride is expected to open in early July.

    More stories you might like:

    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

     

     

  • Three North American luxury hotels celebrate 100 years in 2012

    Matt Sayles / AP

    In this April 25, 2012 photo, the entrance to the Beverly Hills Hotel is seen in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Beverly Hills Hotel is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    Travelers looking forward to a little luxury in the coming months may want to look backward instead. From Boston to Beverly Hills, iconic hotels are celebrating their 100th anniversaries with historic tours, special events and package deals.

    “The years between 1897 and 1912 represented a golden age of outrageous luxury hotels,” said Andrew K. Sandoval-Strausz, associate professor of history at the University of New Mexico and the author of “Hotel: An American History.”


    In fact, 1912 can be considered something of a watershed year. “It’s not just what came before; it’s what came after,” said Sandoval-Strausz. “The income tax was imposed in 1913 by the 16th amendment. Before that, rich folks just had a colossal amount of untaxed income and there had been a burst in hotel building to accommodate them.”

    Alas, those days are long gone — heck, for most us, they never existed — but it’s still possible to get a taste of the good life at hotels that recall that golden age. For history buffs and well-heeled travelers, here are three hotels celebrating 100 years of luxurious lodging:

    The Beverly Hills Hotel
    Before there was a city of Beverly Hills, there was The Beverly Hills Hotel, which opened its doors on May 12, 1912. Ever since, the famous “Pink Palace” has served as a swanky second home for celebrities and Hollywood stars from Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

    Travelers interested in reliving that rich history can sip vintage cocktails in the Polo Lounge — try the Rebel, inspired by Dietrich, or the Norma Jean, named for Monroe — or book the Centennial Celebration package, which includes accommodations, breakfast for two, two vintage cocktails, a 100-year keepsake candle and box of chocolate truffles. Prices start at $660, which, needless to say, is a wee bit more than the $12 a single room cost in 1912.

    The Fairmont Copley Plaza
    1912 was a big year in Boston with the opening of Fenway Park, the Franklin Park Zoo and, on August 19, the Copley Plaza. Designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, who also designed the Plaza Hotel in New York, the Beaux-Arts landmark offered rooms for just $3.50 per night.

    A century later, the hotel is now wrapping up a $20 million renovation and celebrating its centennial with 100 days of events, activities and package deals. The Celebration of a Century package, for example, starts at $100 and includes lodging for two, a private hotel history tour and history booklet.

    And speaking of special celebrations, the hotel is offering an even better deal to any guest who stayed at the hotel on their honeymoon. Bring your original bill and they’ll charge you the same rate you paid on that happy occasion.

    Ritz-Carlton Montreal
    Known as the “Grande Dame of Sherbrooke Street,” the Ritz-Carlton Montreal was not only the finest hotel in the city when it opened on December 31, 1912, but also the first in the world to bear the Ritz-Carlton name, in honor of legendary hotelier Cesar Ritz, who helped establish it.

    Alas, Montreal-bound travelers will have to wait to experience it as the hotel closed in 2008 to undertake a $150-million renovation that will showcase redesigned rooms, private residences, a Tiffany store and restaurant by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud. A reopening date hasn’t been announced, although the hotel is accepting reservations for arrivals from June 1 and beyond.

    More stories you might like:

    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

     

  • Technology in nature: 3 apps for national-park-bound travelers

    National Geographic

    A screenshot of the National Geographic National Parks App, which offers guides to 20 of the country's most visited national parks.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    Most people head to the national parks to gaze at the scenery. This summer, though, don’t be surprised if more of your fellow visitors are staring at their smartphone screens.

    Chalk it up to a proliferation of new apps that offer insights on trails, points of interest and park programs — even as they raise concerns about whether technology enhances or detracts from the experience.

    “My concern is that they can distance people from the parks because they’ll be glued to their phones and won’t notice what’s going on around them,” said Kurt Repanshek, editor in chief of National Parks Traveler. “A smartphone app cannot duplicate a ranger tour.”

    But it can enhance it, counters National Park Service (NPS) spokesman Jeffrey Olson: “We find people are coming to the national parks today with a lot more information so it allows us to get deeper into a particular story that someone’s interested in. Rangers love it when people engage with them on a deeper level.”

    Of course, that assumes people are using their phones to access park information and not to play Angry Birds at the scenic overlook. If you’re among the former, here are three new apps that can help you enjoy the national parks and other outdoor spaces this summer:

    Passport to Your National Parks
    Considering children are among the most tech-savvy of citizens, it’s only fitting that the 26-year-old Passport to Your National Parks program enter the digital age. The free iPhone app is designed to be a complement to the longstanding passport-booklet program in which visitors collect passport-cancellation stamps in the parks that they visit.

    Related: NPS touts green themes and waives fees

    Developed by Eastern National, a longtime non-profit partner of the NPS, the app (free, iOS-only) lets users search for parks by name, state, region or GPS within a 50-, 100- or 250-mile radius. Choose a park and you’re connected to a one-page summary with links to the official NPS site and buttons that let you bring up a map of cancellation stations, record your travels with photos and journal entries and highlight the parks that you still hope to visit.

    Fairly intuitive and fun to use, here’s hoping version 2.0 has a QR code reader so you can forgo the accompanying booklet altogether and get digital “stamps” directly on your phone.

    Sierra Club Trail Explorer
    Up for a hike but not sure where to go? The newly updated Trail Explorer app from the Sierra Club (free, iOS-only) lets users browse more than 40,000 trails from local day hikes to backcountry treks in the national parks. Users can filter searches by nearly a dozen filters (proximity, difficulty, accessibility, etc.) with the results appearing in list or map form.

    Tapping on a specific trail brings up a brief description, along with trail statistics, driving directions (via Google Maps) and, for share-happy hikers, user reviews and photos, links to Facebook and Twitter and a tracking feature that will record your journey. It’s impressively comprehensive with one odd omission for a trail-focused app: In a surprising number of searches, it shows the trailhead — but no trail!


    National Parks by National Geographic
    Just in time for National Park Week, when parks that typically charge admission waive those fees, this iPhone app from National Geographic offers guides to 20 of the country’s most visited national parks. From Acadia to Zion, the app compiles park statistics, weather reports and maps with points of interest, along with social media features, tips from the magazine’s editors and appropriately awe-inspiring images.

    Related: Confessions of a national park ranger

    And, in true NatGeo fashion, it’s the photos — professional, archival and user-generated — that make the app. The only catch is that the overview app and one more in-depth, park-specific guide are free; once the dazzling images draw you in, additional guides will run you $0.99–$1.99 each.

    More stories you might like:

  • National Park Service touts green themes and waives fees

    Getty Images, file

    Pedestrians walk through a cloud of dust and diesel exhaust from a transit bus near Yosemite Village on June 16, 2000, in Yosemite National Park. The National Park Service unveiled an initiative Thursday that aims to focus on conservation, in part by reducing fossil fuel consumption in NPS vehicles by 20 percent by 2015.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    It’s not easy being green, but the National Park Service (NPS) has decided it’s worth the effort.

    On Thursday, the agency that oversees 397 units comprising 84 million acres of land across the country unveiled a new plan to integrate sustainable practices into all aspects of its operations. Announced by NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis, the plan sets out ambitious goals for conserving energy and water, reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and limiting waste.

    "The Green Parks Plan asks each park and office to review routine activities, operations and programs and reflect on how we manage our work to prioritize actions and leverage existing funds to lessen our impact on the environment,” said Jarvis. “Much of our success will hinge on adopting sustainability as a guiding value and embedding it in what we do, every day.

    The nine-point plan covers everything from purchasing decisions and waste management to vehicle use and construction projects. Among the goals:

    • Reduce GHG emissions from on-site fossil fuel and electricity consumption by 35 percent by 2020 from a baseline set in 2008.
    • Reduce fossil fuel consumption in NPS vehicles by 20 percent by 2015 from the 2005 baseline.
    • Reduce system-wide building energy costs by 35 percent by 2016 from the 2003 baseline.
    • Reduce “water use intensity” (gallons per square foot of facility space) by 30 percent by 2020 from the 2007 baseline.
    • Divert 50 percent of annual solid waste from landfills by 2015.

    It won’t be easy given the current budget environment and the fact that the NPS manages more than 4 million acres of maintained landscapes, such as campgrounds and battlefields; more than 3,000 utility systems, and more than 67,000 structures.

    “Unfortunately, the Park Service has lagged a bit — not through a lack of commitment but because of their fiscal reality,” said Mark Wenzler, vice president for climate and air quality programs at the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). “You can’t make it into a clean, green machine overnight.”

    Still, there has already been progress as new facilities and operations adopt more sustainable practices. Among them:

    • John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Ore.: Using solar power and other energy-saving systems, the ranger residence in the monument’s Painted Hills Unit is so efficient, it meets all its own energy needs with enough left over to charge the site’s utility vehicle.
    • Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Calif.: Set to open on June 9, the Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center scores high on several sustainability fronts. It’s being built in the repurposed stables of the King Gillette Ranch (lower construction costs), it will be shared by four agencies (fewer buildings required) and it will meet its own energy needs via a 95-kW solar array.
    • Mammoth Cave National Park, Ky.: On April 27, park officials will cut the ribbon on several green vehicles, including four propane buses, two propane pickup trucks and a small Global Electric Motorcar. They’ll replace four older buses (three 1990 models and one from 1977), two bi-fuel pickup trucks and a gas-powered golf cart.

    In and of themselves, such efforts may seem small but they also serve as examples that can inspire park visitors to adopt more sustainable practices, says Wenzler: “When you think of parks, you don’t think of them as big polluters but they get almost 300 million visitors every year that they can influence.”


    That’s especially pertinent now, he added, noting that National Park Week (April 21–29), when the parks that charge admission waive those fees, starts Saturday and the summer travel season is around the corner.

    “As we approach the heavy visitor season, it’s really important that the parks show what they’re doing to address climate change and sustainability,” he told msnbc.com.

    Or, as Kate Kuykendall, public affairs officer for the Santa Monica Mountains unit, put it: “This is the Park Service walking the walk.”

    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

    More on Itineraries

     

  • Travel's silly season: rat racing, cricket spitting and mullet tossing, oh my

    Courtesy Flora-Bama

    The mullet toss in Pensacola, Fla., features contestants hurling the small saltwater fish as far as they can into Alabama.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    April, wrote the poet T.S. Eliot, is the cruelest month but, here in the Overhead Bin, we think it might also be the weirdest.


    In fact, with upcoming events dedicated to tossing mullets, spitting crickets and racing rats, we’re at a bit of a loss. With so much bizarre behavior on display, we’ve been unable to come up with a consensus on a candidate as this month’s inductee into the Weird Festival of the Month club.

    Instead, here’s a look at a trio of contenders and an invitation to weigh in on their offbeat eligibility and, perhaps, check them out during your travels.

    Courtesy Beth Henley

    Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., hosts the Running of the Rodents each year.

    Rat racing
    In 1973, Sister Julia Clare Fontaine, a professor at Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., overhead a student complaining about the “rat race” of finals week and an idea was born. Now in its 40th year, the Running of the Rodents (April 12) is like a mini-Kentucky Derby with rodents instead of horses.

    The race, which has been nicknamed “the most exciting two seconds in sports,” pits student-trained rats against each other on a 0.024-furlong (15.8 feet) oval. This year’s theme is Viva Rat Vegas and will feature contenders including Vivian Vegas and Liberatce.

    Alas, there are no Derby-esque mint juleps involved, said school spokesman Rick Barney, although he suspects a few may be enjoyed later in the evening.

    Cricket spitting
    Yes, cricket spitting, in which adventurous contestants pop flash-frozen, semi-thawed, adult brown crickets into their mouths and then proceed to see how far they can spit them. Held April 14­–15 this year, the competition is part of Bug Bowl, an annual celebration of all things buggy sponsored by the Entomology Department at Purdue University.

    The event traces its roots to the mid-1990s after Professor Tom Turpin heard someone standing by a booth selling roasted crickets say, “You know, if I were to put a cricket in my mouth, I’d spit it from here to that tree.” Officially launched in 1997, the current record, said Turpin, stands at 37 feet, 9 3/4 inches.

    He also reiterated the competition’s principal rule. “Once they’ve stepped into the cricket-spitting circle, they have 20 seconds to spit their cricket,” he told msnbc.com. “But we’ve noticed over the years that it doesn’t normally take that long.”

    Live Poll

    What event would you rather participate in?

    View Results
    • 180991
      Rat racing
      14%
    • 180992
      Cricket spitting
      3%
    • 180993
      Mullet tossing
      26%
    • 180994
      Um, I'm good
      57%

    VoteTotal Votes: 400

    Mullet tossing
    Most folks, we assume, like to catch mullets, the small fish found in the Gulf of Mexico. But in Pensacola, Fla., it seems, they’d rather toss them. Sponsored by the Flora-Bama Lounge, Package & Oyster Bar, the Interstate Mullet Toss (April 27­–29) earns its pan-jurisdictional name because contestants stand on the beach outside the Florida bar, grab a mullet from a bucket and see just how far they can throw it into Alabama, a few feet away. The current record, says event coordinator Cheryl Lange, is 189 feet, 8 inches.

    According to Lange, the 28-year-old event was born after Jimmy Louis, a local musician, returned from a cow-chip tossing competition and set out to recreate the concept in Pensacola. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of cows on the beach,” said Lange, who went on to voice what could be considered a call to action to would-be weird-event promoters everywhere:

    “Hey, you gotta use what you got.”

    More stories you might like:

     Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

  • Turning historic buildings into fine hotels

    Courtesy City of Tampa

    Tampa's Federal Courthouse, which has been vacant for more than a decade, is slated to be turned into a hotel. The Beaux Arts building will feature about 130 guestrooms.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    If your next hotel stay has you dreaming of movie stars or mail carriers, it may not be your imagination. From Los Angeles to Tampa, Fla., to the nation’s capital, hotel developers are embarking on projects that promise to breathe new life into theaters, post offices and other historic buildings.

    “The allure of a historic building is its grandeur, its location and its architecture,” said Bruce Ford, senior vice president of Lodging Econometrics, which tracks hospitality-industry transactions. “To integrate that into a modern development can be a home run if it’s done right.”


    The latest developer to take a swing, of course, is Donald Trump, who announced a deal last month to convert the Old Post Office building in Washington, D.C., into a 260-room luxury hotel. Originally opened in 1899, the Pennsylvania Avenue landmark is famous for its grand Romanesque design and the panoramic views from its 315-foot clock tower.

    “I look forward to preserving and repositioning this treasured landmark for D.C. residents and visitors to enjoy,” wrote Trump in a recent op-ed piece for The Washington Post. “When the project is completed in 2016, I feel certain that everybody will be proud of our enhancements to this already great building. We will not let you down.”

    Nor is Trump the only developer with plans to turn an historic building into a new hotel. With financing for new construction still tight, renovating former post offices, courthouses and office buildings is considered a way to provide uncommon lodging experiences for guests while preserving civic landmarks.

    Among the current projects: 

    • In early January, the city of Tampa announced it had struck a deal to turn the city’s Federal Courthouse into a hotel. Vacant for more than a decade, the Beaux Arts building will feature about 130 guestrooms, said Gary Prosterman, president and CEO of DSG, part of the development team.
    • In late January, the Ace Hotel chain announced it would turn the United Artists Building in downtown Los Angeles into a 180-room hotel. A classic example of Spanish Gothic architecture, the building was originally built in 1927 and houses a 1,600-seat theater opened by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and the other actors who formed United Artists.
    • In September, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants expects to open a 268-room Monaco Hotel in the 1906 Lafayette Building in downtown Philadelphia. The former office building, which has been vacant for several years, is across the street from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

    Such projects speak to both the charm and challenges of adapting old buildings for new uses.

    “What’s really appealing about these buildings is their spectacular architecture,” said Prosterman. “They’re built with materials you really can’t afford to duplicate today.” In many cases, high ceilings, wide corridors and large windows offering plenty of natural light further enhance the experience.

    On the other hand, integrating modern amenities into older buildings while meeting strict requirements for historical preservation is neither easy nor inexpensive.

    “I can pinpoint more than two dozen spots where it’s been done successfully and I can pinpoint more than eight dozen where it’s failed miserably,” said Ford. “It takes a very savvy developer to put it together and it usually takes a big commitment from the city to see it through.”

    Nevertheless, and despite their distinct histories, all of the above projects share a common element that bodes well for their success. Built in an earlier day, when city-center sites were available and affordable, they adhere to the golden rule of real estate: location, location, location.

    “If you’re in the right place in downtown, it can be a slam dunk,” said Joseph McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. “You’re where people want to be.”

    That’s especially true, he said, for the Old Post Office building. “You walk out your front door and you look one way to the Capitol, the other way to the White House,” he told msnbc.com. “If Trump can work it out, he’s going to hit a home run.”

    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

    More stories you might like:

     

  • Florida city strips Guinness bikini-parade record from Australia

    Hundreds of bikini-clad women parade onto Panama City Beach to set a new world record.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    Women’s history marches on and in Panama City Beach, Fla., it apparently wears a bikini.


    At least it did on Tuesday — six days into Women’s History Month, mind you — when 450 women donned two-piece suits, took to the local beach and set a new Guinness World Record for the world’s largest bikini parade.

    The parade, a veritable procession of pulchritude, bested the previous record holder, Gold Coast, Australia (357 marchers), which had previously stripped the Cayman Islands (355) of the distaff distinction.

    “We were able to not just break the record but smash it,” said Dan Rowe, president and CEO of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, which sponsored the effort. “Everybody had a great time.”

    Although clearly a celebration of fun (and exposed flesh), the event also had its serious side, raising $1,000 for Beach Care Services, a local charity that provides assistance to those in need.

    It also entailed strict adherence to Guinness guidelines for such events. According to Philip Robertson, who adjudicated the parade for Guinness, the three main criteria were that all participants had to complete the full, one-mile parade route; they all had to be female and wearing a two-piece bikini (no tankinis or cover ups), and all participants had to keep their own bikinis on at all times and not try to share them.

    “We had to add [the third one] to make sure nothing untoward happened,” Robertson told msnbc.com. “There have been previous incidents that were a little unsavory.”

    The Panama City Beach event, on the other hand, was strictly PG. “We had young girls as young as three and the oldest was well over 60,” said Robertson. “It was really good to see.”

    Of course, such a prodigious display of diminutive swimwear is unlikely to go unanswered for long and there’s already talk in Australia of pulling down the current winner’s, um, title.

    “I spoke with the folks in Australia last night and [we] are all about the rivalry,” said Paul Tedeschi of StudentUniverse Media, which helped organize the event. “We love the idea that they’re going to try and take the record back, and guess what, if they do, we’re going to do the same next year. Game on!”

    Bikinis too, ladies, bikinis too.

    More stories you might like:

    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

     

     

     

     

  • Mob Attraction muscles in on Las Vegas

    Visitors to Mob Attraction Las Vegas can see an image of actor James Caan, who frequently portrays mobsters, in the skim room. (Courtesy Mob Attraction Las Vegas)

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    If you’re heading to Las Vegas any time soon, don’t be surprised if you find yourself in the middle of a mob war.

    On one side, there’s the new Mob Attraction at the Tropicana Las Vegas, set to open on March 1; on the other, the city-owned Mob Museum, which opened downtown on Feb. 14. Offering different takes on mobsters, gangsters and goodfellas, each one is hoping to stake out its own piece of the action.

    “It’s a new turf war,” said Anthony Curtis, president of LasVegasAdvisor.com. “It’s the South Strip boys against the downtown mob.”

    For those keeping score, the Tropicana attraction is technically reopening after its predecessor, the Mob Experience, went belly-up in September. “We had to create a new name, new logo, new everything,” said spokesman Spence Johnston.

    Like its predecessor, the Mob Attraction is, as the name suggests, more interactive attraction than cultural repository. Upon entering, visitors make their way through a series of immersive experiences that chronicle mob history from immigration — think Ellis Island with foghorns and the smell of saltwater — to a 1930s speakeasy to the back room of a casino where you get to decide whether a cheater gets to walk or take a ride into the desert.

    Along the way, videos by the likes of tough-guy actors, including James Caan, Frank Vincent and Tony Sirico, provide historical insights while real actors portray cops, bag men and bosses. According to Johnston, RFID badges will track visitors’ decisions at various points — for example, to participate in a shakedown or rat someone out — leading up to a final scene in which “they either get made or get whacked.”

    Either way, they live to tell the tale and, presumably, visit the gift shop and view the venue’s collection of artifacts, which include Meyer Lansky’s journals, a home movie of “Bugsy” Siegel and photos of Sam Giancana, Tony “The Ant” Spilotro and other assorted wise guys.

    “These are private belongings from their families,” said Johnston. “They give you a look into the personal lives of these guys. It’s a piece of American history.”

    Of course, whether there are enough Las Vegas–bound history buffs to support, not one, but two, mob attractions is an open question.

    “There’ll be some initial interest but I can’t imagine people coming back after they’ve seen them once,” said Alan Balboni, author of “Beyond the Mafia” and a professor at the College of Southern Nevada. “People still come here for the gambling and sex.”

    Slideshow: Viva Las Vegas!

    Ethan Miller / Getty Images

    Sin City is a major entertainment center and business travel destination, known for its carefully cultivated image, gambling and nightlife.

    Launch slideshow

    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

    More on Itineraries 

     

     

     

     

     

  • Find your inner commando at Machine Guns Vegas

    Model and U.S. Air Force veteran Jeannie Duffy is one of the shoot hosts who is to provide training at Machine Guns Vegas.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    Blam-blam-blam! Pa-pow-pow! Ber-t-t-t-t-t-t, ber-t-t-t-t-t-t!

    If that sounds like a good time, you may want to set your sights on Las Vegas’ newest attraction, Machine Guns Vegas (MGV), which opened its doors Monday. Part gun range, part ultra-lounge, MGV invites visitors to grab the automatic weapon of their choice — Uzis, AK-47s and more — and get in touch with their inner gangster or SEAL Team Six commando.

    “You’d be amazed at the number of people who come to Vegas and want to shoot a machine gun,” said co-owner Genghis Cohen. “It’s an experience you can’t have in a lot of places in the world.”


    Gun ranges, of course, are nothing new but MGV puts a decidedly Sin City spin on the concept, a reflection, in part, of Cohen’s background in the city’s nightlife industry. He originally came to Las Vegas from his native New Zealand to open Tabu, the über-hip lounge in the MGM Grand.

    MGV takes a similarly stylish approach, albeit an alcohol-free one, complete with leather furniture, hardwood floors and a bevy of “Gun Girls” led by model and U.S. Air Force veteran Jeannie Duffy.

    Duffy and her fellow shoot hosts will be on hand to provide training — they’re all NRA-certified instructors — and help guests choose from a variety of shooting packages, such as: 

    • Mob ($100): think shotguns and “Tommy guns”
    • SEAL Team VI ($130–$160): Includes M-60 machine guns and other weapons used in the covert operation that killed Osama bin Laden
    • The Compound ($699): MGV’s VIP experience, which includes the use of 16 different firearms, including handguns and semi- and full-automatic weapons; use of a private lounge and firing lanes, and complimentary refreshments

    Such offerings will put MGV in more-or-less direct competition with The Gun Store, a Las Vegas institution that has been inviting visitors to fire off a few rounds for more than 20 years.

    Alas, for those seeking that sexy Vegas vibe, there are no heat-packing “Gun Girls” at The Gun Store. There are, however, two ordained ministers on staff because, yes, they do perform shotgun weddings complete with flowers, cake and weapon rentals.

    Slideshow: Viva Las Vegas!

    Ethan Miller / Getty Images

    Sin City is a major entertainment center and business travel destination, known for its carefully cultivated image, gambling and nightlife.

    Launch slideshow

    As for the new gang moving into town, Gun Store owner Bob Irwin isn’t worried. “It’s kind of like when Mandalay Bay opened,” he said. “Did Caesars Palace close? No, they built a new tower. It just draws more business to everybody.”

    And business is good, says Irwin, because shooting automatic weapons is ultimately just another entertaining attraction in a city that’s built on the concept of giving people the opportunity to do things they might not attempt at home.

    “We have all these things to do other than gaming — roller coaster rides, helicopter flights — and this is one of them,” he told msnbc.com. “It’s on a lot of people’s bucket list.”

    It also fits with Las Vegas’ never-ending commitment to pursuing new ways to entice visitors, whether it be with new hotels, more elaborate shows or the fact that two companies are currently competing to build sky-high observation wheels on or near the Strip.

    “Last year the big story was Dig This,” said Anthony Curtis, president of LasVegasAdvisor.com, referring to the attraction that lets guests operate bulldozers and other pieces of heavy equipment in a giant sandbox. “Not everybody wants to drink and gamble all day.”

    This year, says Curtis, MGV could fit that role. “People want to have different experiences; this one definitely qualifies. It sounds like it has a shot, so to speak.”

    More stories you might like:

    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

     

  • Catch a 'firefall' in Yosemite National Park

    Bethany Gediman

    Every mid-February, the setting sun backlights Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    Lava hasn’t flowed in Yosemite National Park for millions of years, but for the next few weeks, visitors can get a glimpse of a natural phenomenon that echoes the area’s fiery past.

    Instead of molten rock, however, what the locals call a “natural firefall” owes its existence to a fortuitous convergence of water, sunlight and season.

    “There's a little waterfall on the east end of El Capitan called Horsetail Fall that catches the light for just a few fleeting moments,” said filmmaker Steven Bumgardner. “It creates the illusion of a waterfall of fire, not unlike lava.”

    The firefall only occurs for approximately two weeks in mid-February when the setting sun shines up the Yosemite Valley, effectively backlighting the ribbon-like cascade.

    “Some years, it’s bright red; some years, it’s more golden,” said Park Ranger Kari Cobb. “As long as the weather’s clear and there’s enough water, it’ll light up.”

    This year, viewing looks promising thanks to recent snowfall that’s now melting and feeding the seasonal stream that flows into Horsetail.

    “It’s flowing right now,” said Cobb, “but it probably won’t last for two weeks unless we get another storm.”

    While the firefall may resemble lava, it actually takes its name from a more recent page of Yosemite history. From the 1930s to 1968, visitors to the park were treated to the sight of the original Yosemite Firefall, a nightly event in which park employees pushed a pile of burning embers over the edge of Glacier Point, creating the impression of a glowing cascade of water.


    “Eventually, they came to realize that pushing embers over a cliff in Yosemite probably wasn’t the best thing to do,” said Cobb.

    There are, of course, no such concerns with the current version of the firefall, although visitors should realize that its appearance is dependent on natural variables that vary from year to year, day to day and even minute to minute.

    “The whole experience is about an hour although the peak is only a fraction of that,” said Bumgardner, who produced a video of the firefall for the Park Service during last year’s flow.

    “You just never know if that peak is going to be right now or in another five minutes,” he said. “When in doubt, take a picture, wait a little longer and take another.”

    Photographers are perched on cliffs at Yosemite, trying to capture a spectacular scene that only happens this time of year. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

    More stories you might be interested in:

     

     

     

     

     

Older posts
Advertise | AdChoices