Summer is here the sun is out and the temperatures are rising. With the warmer weather there are several things you can do to make traveling easier and less stressful for you and your family.

If you are traveling by car this summer get your car checked out. A quick check of your cars coolant, hoses, belts tires, oil, battery air and fuel filters can help avoid breakdowns sitting in the hot summer sun waiting for AAA to come fix your car. Carry liquids in your car with you and encourage people to drink more often then thirst requires, children dehydrate at a much faster rate then adults.

If you are traveling by rail this summer there are a few things to keep in mind. Each rail car has it’s own AC unit so if the car you are in is becoming to hot, don’t be afraid to move around.

Many of you will be traveling by air, while the FAA has changed some of the regulations so that we can not be forced to sit on the tarmac more then three hours, any delay on a plane can seem like a life time in the stuffy air. One of the keys to staying cool is to stay calm. The less energy you exert the cooler you’ll stay. Do what you can to distract your mind from any delays, read a book, listen to music, or watch that latest episode of “Lost” you downloaded to your computer.

Till next Tuesday, travel safe.

Jason W. Deeds

Relay For Life is a fun-filled, overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money to help the American Cancer Society save lives, help those who have been touched by cancer, and empower individuals to fight back against the disease. During the event, teams of people gather at Conestoga Valley High School and take turns walking or running laps around the track. Each team tries to keep at least one team member on the track at all times. Please join us for the 2010 Relay For Life of Lancaster and help us reach our goal of raising $800,000!

Thank you for your support!  Thank you Hospitality for Life team members!

I’m a big fan dining local, but when I talk to many of our travel guests I’m surprised to find that they don’t take the time to find local places to dine. When I have asked why this is I get everything from, “That restaurant is too far away”,” We don’t know where we’re going”, or “We just want something we’re familiar with”. While all of these are reasonable, with a little effort the experience of visiting a local establishment can change your entire outlook on a location.

So how do you find these “Hidden Gems?” Well you could drive around the town and get lost and find some great locations, but if “Getting Lost” is not your style then here are two great resources to find the great local dinning experiences.

Many of the cities have  Convention Visitors Burros who put out guides and have websites that highlight the great local venues and attractions. A great example of this is Lancaster County’s own PDCVB website and Map & Overnight Getaway Guide. This site highlights many of Lancaster’s great local dining selections.

Stop into a Hotel (even if you aren’t staying there) and ask the front desk staff about local selections. Front Desk staff at hotel are full of information on local dining, attractions and shopping. It’s a wealth of local information at your finger tips. Not only can you tell you the name the place, the hours of operation, and maybe even book you a reservation, they can also give you one thing that is left out of many guides . . . personal experences and opinions.

So next time you stop in town, stop by the desk ask for Jason.  I’ll be happy to tell you were you can find your new favorite eatery!

Till next Tuesday, travel safe.

Jason W. Deeds

Yes we are aware that this weeks Travel Tip Tuesday is being released on a Thursday. We have a good reason.

For several months I have been talking to many people at the work place about social media and engaging the audience and getting involved in the conversations that are already out there in the travel industry.  Today we are taking the next step.  With so much of the travel industry jumping on board with Social Media there are many great deals out there if we just open our eyes. Included in that now is Hilton Garden Inn Lancaster! We are now offering a special rate bookable directly through the hotel front desk reservations. We will be adding the rate information to our Facebook account, twitter account, foursquare and now on the Google coupons! Many other hotels and travel industry groups are doing the same. What specials have you been able to take advantage through social media?

The discount rate is based on availability and can not be combined with any other offers.

For many business travelers time is the most precious resource they have. Today I wanted to highlight a tip on saving time while traveling.

The Hilton Garden Inn brand has been forward thinking with how to interrogate technology and the travel industry. It started with being able to book via your smart phones. Now you can print from you smart phone device or laptop to our business center from anywhere! Most business travelers generally are never more then a foot away from their blackberry, Iphone or Laptop. Ease of access to their personal information including email, spreadsheets,  and contacts is essential. Yet where does the business traveler go when they need to print something quickly for a meeting or interview? They could use the blackberry or Iphone and find the closest Kinko’s drive over their, sit down at a computer upload the information and then print…30 to 45 minutes later they could be at their meeting. OR… Now they can print from any of their mobile devices to the printer in any Hilton Garden Inn Business center and have it waiting in the printer que for them to come release. You don’t even have to be on the hotels wireless network. Land in Harrisburg even before you pick up your rental car you could be sending your print job to our business center to pick up right after you check in.  You can even print your next boarding passes to our printer while you are still at on the road!

Here is a link to the Printer On Website for directions on how to print to the Hilton Garden Inn Lancaster for you next visit!

(Work Smart)

Until Next Tuesday Travel Safe and Smart!

~Jason W. Deeds

Keys for the city is a project of twenty custom designed pianos set throughout the city as in interactive art exhibit. This is another great example of Lancaster’s exploding art scene. Created by Music for Everyone, a non-profit based in Lancaster PA.

“The pianos are intended to engage the public by inspiring people to stop and strike a few keys or play an entire piece,” said John Gerdy, president of Music For Everyone. “This project is a literal expression of what this organization is about – Music For Everyone.”

You might even catch me sipping on a square one coffee and pounding on the keys!

Keys for the City

Keys for the City

With so many different hotels out there it is no wonder that guests can get confused on what each one offers. Hotels really break down into two categories, Full Service and Focus Service with many sub-categories in each.  Finding the right fit hotel for guests can sometimes be as hard as finding the girl who fits the glass slipper. Even within hotel brands, Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt they designed their own Focus Service hotels to target certain travelers.

Full Service Hotels will have everything from banquet space, restaurants, bars, gift shops, valet parking, some even have on site dry cleaning services, spas, and larger fitness centers. Everything you could need and more all in once place. Yet these service are not all included in the price of the room, in fact most full service hotels ask you pay for many of these items. Parking might add anywhere from a few dollars a day to nearly $30.00 a day. Wireless Internet might cost you $10 to $20 a day. Don’t even think about a free breakfast, unless you are a VIP member of their points program. So why do you pay such a higher rates if these other services are not free? You are paying for the accessibility to them, and for many traveling to a new area, having these services at hand can be not only a comfort but a life saver.

Focus Service Hotels will have limited selection of services designed to fit the needs of the travel segment they are trying to target. For instance a hotel focused on leisure family travel is less likely to have meeting rooms and more likely to provide a free continental breakfast. A business travel focused hotel is more likely to have a business center,  free internet access and fitness center but not a game room for kids. These Focus Service Hotels are able to keep their rates lower by only offering services they think their guests will really want and need either free or at a minimal extra cost.

So when planning your next trip don’t just look at the highlight price, find out what it is really going to coast you, are you going to get free parking? Do you need Wifi in your room? Are you kids going to eat for free? Can you get a drink after a long day? Do they have lower rates for long term travelers? Take some time and find out which properties fit your travel needs in each of the brands so that you have access to all those services you need, and want at the price you are willing to pay.

Until next Tuesday,

~Jason W. Deeds

Many hotel chains, including our own, are offering on-line “Advance Purchase” room rates. This program rewards people who book in advance extending reduced room rates of varying amounts based on how much in advance the purchase is made.  The advance purchase is a purchase and requires payment at the time of confirming a reservation.  The payment is nonrefundable and the reservation is unchangeable.

While these rates are great bargains for many travelers, they can sometimes become a bit of a headache when a traveler’s plans make a sudden change. Many people have called and asked if they can change the dates of their reservation and pay a higher rate, and are more than a little frustrated to find out that we are unable to accommodate the requested changes.

When booking your next hotel stay online, if this rate is available to you, take a quick moment and remember these rates are a great deal, but if you are not 100% sure of your travel plans it could cost you more in the long run.

Checking your Room Type Guarantee vs. Room  Preference.

Lately with more and more travelers choosing to book online we are seeing some confusion in the difference between “Guaranteed Room Types” and “Room Preferences”. The online booking sites will not always be able to guarantee traveler’s room type but they will put down the traveler’s room type preference. Many travelers unknowingly assume this is a guarantee for their room type. While all hotels will try and match all of the room requests to the preferences, it can become difficult during the peak seasons and those guests who are not guaranteed will sometimes end up with rooms types they did not request.

What can sometimes compound the issue is that many rates through the online booking systems are advanced purchase rooms which are nonrefundable bookings. While this will get travelers a lower rate, there is little to no flexibility if you need to change your reservation dates.

For many travelers, room type may not matter as long as they have a bed to sleep in. There are circumstances, though, where room type is VERY important for the travels. Parents traveling with 2 children would become very disappointed to find at check in that they only had one king bed rather then the two queen beds. Or a guest requesting a king bed for their anniversary would be a little upset to find two double beds at check in.

So what can travlers do?

1. If you are booking online read through the confirmation completely and make sure your room type is guaranteed, and if the reservation is non-refundable make sure everything is correct before you submit the payment button.

2. If you are confused at all about the reservation call the hotel directly and ask to speak with one of their “In House” reservation staff. They will be able to help you directly with any concerns you may have.

We as hoteliers never want a guest to check-in and be disappointedwith their room or the customer service they receive. With peak season being  right around the corner we are expecting to see more online bookings and this issue may arise more often. So while the hotels will do what they can to make sure travelers are getting what they desire at check-in, travelers can also take it into their own hands to make sure their stays are as stress free and enjoyable as possible!

Until next Tuesday, good travels and safe returns.

~Jason W. Deeds