Travelore Tips: Recommended Things To Do In Hong Kong

In a city that is only 1,000 square kilometres, how much can there realistically be to do? Most visitors to Hong Kong scour the city from the Peak, shop till their hearts drop and eat well, but after your stomachs are full and your wallets are empty, what’s left?, blogs Chinmoy Lad. Here are three alternative itineraries you can enjoy on your next trip to Hong Kong:

Take a harbour cruise

The coastline and surrounding waters of Hong Kong is one of the busiest harbours in the world, and therefore one of the city’s greatest assets. It is no surprise that boat trips are popular, particularly in summer with a group of friends or to celebrate special occasions.

Aqua Luna offers high-end catered harbour cruises to celebrate such special occasions. The pictured Aqua Luna, with its bright red sails, is distinguishable from a distance. Modelled after an old Chinese junk boat, the handcrafted boat was was built specifically for the Aqua Restaurant Group, employing only traditional shipbuilding methods.

For a more cost-efficient option, there’s always the Star Ferry, an iconic institution that still traverses from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon. While the ride is much shorter now than it used to be thanks to heavy reclamation and the resulting inevitable narrowing of the harbour, it is still one of the city’s most incredible attractions, used as much as a mode of transport as a tourist hotspot.

For more incredible sights and sounds that make up Hong Kong, from the commonly visited sites to the more obscure, check out the official Hong Kong Tourism Board Facebook fan page, Discover Hong Kong.

Go hiking

Despite its relatively small physical size, Hong Kong’s unique topography provides ample opportunities for nature lovers to explore the wilderness. Approximately only 30% of the land area is actually developed, and a large part of the remainder is specifically reserved as protected country parks and geo parks. The range of topography varies from open grasslands and dense woodlands that encase reservoirs, mountain peak ranges (including the “nine dragons” of Kowloon – a transliteral definition of Kowloon) that rise nearly 1,000 metres from sea level, to sparse, untouched white-sandy beaches that culminate in crystal clear waters that make you feel as if you’ve entered paradise.

As such, hiking (and camping, although not quite as rustic as you imagine it) is a popular activity among enthusiasts, hosting some of the most scenic vistas you would never expect from a trip to one of the world’s most dense cities. The trails range from simple walks upon paved roads, such as the family-friendly walk up Mount Butler/Mount Parker or up to The Peak, to scenic but easy walks along dirt roads such as Dragon’s Back that ends in Shek O, to difficult yet worthy and lengthy expeditions such as sections along the MacLehose Trail in northeastern Sai Kung.

Explore the colonial past

The British Empire governed Hong Kong for over 150 years, so it’s no surprise they left a lasting legacy in this small colony, the crown in the jewel of the Empire at its peak. Arguably, the quintessential British experience is to enjoy afternoon tea at The Peninsula. Afternoon tea is now as much a Hong Kong institution as it is British, with every eatery from small restaurants and cake cafes to cha-chaan-tengs (local restaurants) respectively serving their own twist of the classic.

Alternatively, explore the past in further detail with visits to museums, or key destinations where Victorian-era buildings and neoclassical-inspired structures have stood still, albeit currently used in an entirely more commercial form than previously intended, including the pictured Fringe Club, built in 1892. While many of the city’s glorious buildings were decimated to make room for ‘urban development’ in the past, the recent trend is towards conservation, and more heritage buildings are now appropriately repurposed and their interiors redesigned, while maintaining most of their previous facade.

Source: www.airguideonline.com 

Hilton Honors Program Changes Effective April 2018 (Double Dip Gone)

Hilton Honors has announced changes to its loyalty program that will start rolling out in April, 2018.

Hilton Honors will introduce rollover nights, Diamond members ability to gift Gold or Diamond status after hitting high number of nights, Gold and Diamond members can earn extra bonus points, and they will discontinue Double Dipping.

You can access Hilton Honors web page for these changes here.

READ MORE: Hilton Honors Rate & Bonus Points And Miles Promotions

Rollover Nights

Silver, Gold and Diamond members will have the nights consumed over their elite status rollover to the following year starting from 2018.

Status Gifting

Diamond member that reach 60 nights can gift Gold status that will be upgraded to Diamond if the gifter reaches 100 nights within a calendar year.

Milestone Bonuses

Hilton Honors members will earn 10,000 bonus points for every ten consumed nights starting at 40 nights. Members will receive a special additional bonus of 30,000 points when they hit 60 nights within a calendar year.

Earning Changes

Here where some will earn less while others earnings will remain the same.

Previously, all members basically earned 15 points per USD charged (before elite bonus) if they chose Points + Points as their Double Dip preference.

As the Double Dip option is REMOVED, the base earning going forward is effectively reduced by 33% that is then replaced by higher elite bonuses.

Here’s the comparison between the OLD and NEW earnings scheme assuming Points + Points Double Dip option previously

Base 15 points versus 10 points (33% reduction)

Silver 16.5 points versus 12 points (27% reduction)

Gold 17.5 points versus 18 points (3% increase)

Diamond 20 points versus 20 points (no change)

Double Dip Gone!

Hilton Honors has decided to discontinue Double Dip altogether that has been the only program that has allowed member to earn both points and miles at the same time.

Instead of earning five additional Hilton Honors points per USD, the member has been able to earn 1 airline miles with number of partners (the number of miles have varied depending of the partner).

Hilton Honors also had never ending promotions with airlines from double to quadruple miles that you could combine with bonus points offers. You could easily earn 3 to 4 airlines miles per USD spend in addition to the bonus points if you followed LoyaltyLobby.

Conclusion

Hilton Honors used to offer fixed miles option that was discontinue back in 2013 (read more here) and has spent very little time promoting this earning option as of late. It has, however, been very good way to earn bonus airlines miles throughout the year and I have personally taken advantage of it on every stay.

The extra bonus points for Gold and Diamond members for every 10 nights starting at 40 nights is a good way to reward those that actually stay at hotels.

Marriott Rewards announced that they were ending rollover nights this year while Hilton Honors is now introducing them.

It is nice gesture that Diamond members can gift Gold or Diamond status, but these require high number of nights.

Overall, it is unfortunate that Hilton Honors decided to end the Double Dip option and the extra points over 40 nights won’t replace this.

Here are the Hilton’s Frequently Asked Questions for Gifting status:

1. How do I qualify to gift Gold or Diamond Status to another Hilton Honors Member? 
Qualifications to gift Gold to another member are 60 qualifying nights in one calendar year. Once a member reaches 100 qualifying nights in a calendar year, their gift is automatically upgraded to Diamond status for that same member who received the Gold status. The ability to gift status will begin in April 2018.

2. How many gifts of Gold or Diamond status can I earn and provide within one calendar year?
A member can only earn one gift of Gold or one gift of Diamond within one calendar year. If a member is gifting Diamond, the gift must be given to the same member who received the gift of Gold per calendar year.

If the member did not elect to gift Gold status after they hit 60 nights and before they reached 100 nights, then the member can simply gift Diamond status to any member of their choice once they hit 100 nights.

Example: Once you reach 60 nights in 2018, then you can gift Gold status to one other member.

Example: Once you reach 100+ nights in 2018, then you can gift Diamond status, to the same member that received the Gold status. If no gift of Gold was provided in 2018, then you can simply gift Diamond status to any member of your choice after hitting 100 nights.

3. For one stay, how many rooms will count toward achieving eligible nights to unlock the ability to gift elite status? 
Earning nights toward gifting status will follow the same rules as earning nights toward elite tier status – i.e. a Member will only receive credit for the nights stayed for one room, not multiple rooms booked for the same duration by the same Hilton Honors Member.

Example: If you book two rooms at the same hotel for a one night stay – you will earn Hilton Honors Points on both of the rooms, but you will only receive one night credit total toward achieving the ability to gift elite status.

4. Can I gift status to the same member every year? 
Yes, if members qualify to gift status the following year then they can give it to the same member each year. Members will have to re-elect that specific member who is receiving the status each year, as the gift will not automatically carry over.

5. Can I gift status to myself? 
No, customers can only have one Hilton Honors account, so you can only gift status to another Hilton Honors member.

6. Can I switch my choice if I want to change who receives the gifted status? 
Once a status has been gifted to another member, no change can be made during the same year to remove or change that status.

7. Does the member who received gifted Diamond status automatically get the ability to gift status to another member? 
No, members with gifted Diamond status are not automatically eligible to gift status. The qualification to gift status is to reach 60 or 100 nights within the calendar year and only those who achieve that many nights are eligible.

8. Will my 2017 total qualifying nights allow me to gift Gold or Diamond Status in January 2018? 
As this is a new benefit for our elite members, the qualification for this benefit will begin in the 2018 calendar year and be available for gifting immediately once a member reaches 60 nights (for gifting Gold) or 100 nights (for gifting Diamond).

Here are the Hilton’s Frequently Asked Questions for Rollover Nights

1. What are elite rollover nights? 
Elite rollover nights provide a faster way to earn elite status. Starting at Silver, at the end of the calendar year, any qualifying nights in excess of those required to qualify for your elite status level will be counted toward your elite status qualification for the following calendar year (January 1st to December 31st).

Example: If you reach Silver status after completing 10 nights, but end the calendar year with 30 nights, 20 nights will roll over into the following year. This gives you a jump-start on earning Gold status in the new calendar year.

2. Who is eligible to roll over nights?
All elite tiers (Silver, Gold, and Diamond Members) are eligible to roll over elite qualifying nights.

3. If I downgrade my status during the year, will I still be able to roll over my elite qualifying nights from my new tier? 
Elite members will still be able to roll over their elite qualifying nights even if they have downgraded status during the year.

Example: If you are downgraded to Silver in April (during annual requalification) and stay 30 nights that year, 20 nights would roll over to start the next calendar year.

4. Can I only roll over nights?
Elite members are only able to roll over nights. For more information on how to earn elite status refer to the Membership Tiers page

5. Do I need to sign up to begin earning elite rollover nights?
No sign up is required. As a Silver, Gold, or Diamond member, your elite rollover nights will automatically be applied toward maintaining or achieving elite status in the following calendar year.

6. Will my 2017 nights in excess of my elite tier qualification be eligible to roll over to start the 2018 calendar year?
As this is a new benefit for our elite members, all eligible members can roll over nights achieved during the 2018 calendar year starting on January 1, 2019 and going forward.

7. How many nights at each tier are required to begin counting elite rollover nights? 
At the end of the calendar year, elite members can roll over any qualifying nights in excess of the number required to gain elite tier status:
• Nights 11-39 for Silver members
• Nights 41-59 for Gold members
• Nights 61+ for Diamond members

8. What do I need to do to start accumulating elite rollover nights? 
Stay at any of our 5,000+ hotels and resorts worldwide. We will automatically apply your elite rollover nights to your account at the start of the next calendar year to help you achieve and maintain elite status.

9. How can I find out how many elite rollover nights will apply to the next status year? 
To calculate the number of elite rollover nights you have achieved to-date, you can apply the following formula:

Total qualifying nights at year end (inclusive of rollover from prior year) – any elite rollover nights from the previous year (now expired) – qualifying nights needed to renew your current elite status tier = elite rollover nights for next year.

Example: You rolled over 5 nights from 2018, you stayed 45 nights in 2019 and gained Gold Status. The calculation for 2019 rollover nights would be as follows: 5 rollover nights from 2018 + 45 nights from stays in 2019 – 40 nights needed for Gold – 5 rollover nights from 2018 (now expired) = 5 elite rollover nights into 2020

These elite rollover nights will be automatically calculated for you and applied to your member account at the beginning of the next calendar year – no action is required from you.

10. For how long are my elite rollover nights valid and when can I apply them toward status? What happened to my elite rollover nights from last year?
Elite rollover nights are only valid for the next calendar year and expire thereafter. Elite rollover nights cannot be reserved and applied to a second, third year or subsequent year.

Example: You rolled over 10 nights from 2018, you stayed 20 nights in 2019 and gained Silver status. The calculation for 2019 rollover nights would be as follows: 10 rollover nights from 2018 + 20 nights from stays in 2019 – 10 nights needed for Silver – 10 rollover nights from 2018 (now expired) = 10 elite rollover nights into 2020

Elite rollover nights must be used in the following calendar year from when they were earned. In this example, the 10 elite rollover nights from 2018 must be used in 2019 and cannot be applied to the 2020 calendar year.

11. How many elite rollover nights can I carry over into the next calendar year? 
There is no limit; however, you’ll only roll over nights in excess of those needed to earn your elite status level in a calendar year.

12. Which types of nights are eligible for roll over? What about nights achieved through a promotion?
All qualifying nights are eligible to roll over. Qualifying nights for paid and reward stays (including Points & Money Rewards™ stays) count as full qualifying nights for achieving status and are eligible to be rolled over to the following calendar year.

Any elite qualifying nights earned through a promotional offer (i.e. double night credit) are also eligible and will be counted in the calculation for elite rollover nights.

13. Do the elite rollover nights count towards achieving night milestone bonuses? 
The elite rollover nights will only count toward a member achieving the next status tier.

To achieve the annual Milestone Bonuses the member will need to have stayed at least 40 nights within the calendar year and elite rollover nights will not count toward that total. For the 30,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points milestone at 60 nights, a member will need to have stayed at least 60 nights within that calendar year.

These elite rollover nights will also not count toward any other type of stay bonuses or status offers (e.g. promotional offers, elite status fast tracks, status match, etc.).

14. Do the elite rollover nights count toward achieving the gifting Gold or Diamond status benefit? 
The elite rollover nights will only count toward a member achieving the next tier status. To achieve the gifting status benefit the member will need to have stayed at least 60 nights (for gifting Gold) or at least 100 nights (for gifting Diamond) within the calendar year and elite rollover nights will not count toward that total.

Here are the Hilton’s Frequently Asked Questions for Milestone Bonuses

1. What are Milestone Bonuses?
New Milestone Bonuses allow members to earn a fixed amount of Hilton Honors Bonus Points when they achieve a certain number of eligible nights during each calendar year.

2. How many Hilton Honors Bonus Points can I earn by achieving these Milestone Bonuses?
Hilton Honors members will earn 10,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points at 40 eligible nights and 10,000 Bonus Points for every 10 additional eligible nights thereafter during a calendar year – with no cap. On your 60th eligible night per year, you will receive an additional 30,000 Bonus Points on top of the 10,000 Milestone Bonus Points achieved at that threshold.

Example: That means if you stay 60 nights in a year, not only will you reach Diamond status and start earning 20 Points per dollar spent at most brands, you’ll have also cumulatively earned 60,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with these exclusive Milestone Bonuses.

3. Is there any limit to earning Milestone Bonus Points for members who have achieved at least 40 eligible nights within a calendar year? 
Every eligible night counts – there is no limit to the number of 10,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points you can earn once you hit 40 eligible nights within the calendar year. For example, if you hit 300 eligible nights, then you will earn a cumulative total of 300,000 Bonus Points from these Milestones Bonuses.

4. For one stay, how many rooms will count toward achieving eligible nights and the associated Milestone Bonuses?
Earning nights toward these bonuses will follow the same rules as earning nights toward elite tier status – i.e. a Member will only receive credit for the nights stayed for one room, not multiple rooms booked for the same duration by the same Hilton Honors Member.

Example: If you book two rooms at the same hotel for a one night stay – you will earn Hilton Honors Points on both of the rooms, but you will only receive one night credit total toward achieving the Milestone Bonuses and toward elite status qualification.

Within a calendar year, the total amount of nights that a member could achieve toward these Milestone Bonuses is 365 nights – equivalent to 360,000 Hilton Honors Milestone Bonus Points per year. For more information on the earning rules when booking multiple rooms, please refer to the Accrual of Points page.

5. Do Milestone Bonus Points count toward earning tier status?
Bonus Points do not count towards earning tier status (only Base Points count towards tier status qualification).

6. When will I receive these Milestone Bonuses? Will any nights from stays in 2018 (before the new earn rates begin in April) be counted toward these new bonuses?
All eligible nights stayed during the 2018 calendar year will count toward these new Milestone Bonuses.

Members who have reached more than 40 nights stayed before April 2018, will see the new bonuses credited to their accounts in April 2018 for those nights already achieved since January 2018. Members will then earn any subsequent bonuses throughout the year as they hit more milestones above 40 nights.

Example: If you have 60 eligible nights between January 2018 and April 2018, you will receive 60,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points. Calculated as 30,000 Bonus Points for the three 10,000 bonuses at 40, 50, and 60 nights as well as an additional 30,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points for hitting the 60 night milestone – all those new Milestone Bonus Points will post in April 2018 for the member activity in the first 3 months. 

7. When will these Milestone Bonus Points post to my account?
In April 2018, members will receive these Bonus Points once completing the qualifying stay that achieves the Milestone Bonus. These Bonus Points will then be posted after check-out for that qualifying stay.

Here are the Hilton’s Frequently Asked Questions for Elite Bonuses

1. How is Hilton Honors providing an easier way to earn points?
We are simplifying how you earn Points when you book direct and stay with us. Members will continue to earn 10 Points per dollar spent (5 at Home2 Suites by Hilton and Tru by Hilton) and starting April 2018, elite tier bonuses will increase for Silver (20%), Gold (80%) and Diamond (100%) members. This means we are saying goodbye to Earning Style Options, including Points & Miles, and making it easier for Silver, Gold & Diamond members to earn more Points on hotel stays.

You will still earn elite tier status through stays, nights and eligible spending — no changes there — and continue to convert your Hilton Honors Points into miles with participating airline programs around the world.

A Hilton Honors Exclusive: Milestone Bonuses – Members will also earn 10,000 Bonus Points on every 10th night, once you reach at least 40 nights in a calendar year. It’s not a limited time offer, no registration is required and there is no cap — the more you stay, the more you earn! And on your 60th night per year, you will receive an additional 30,000 Bonus Points.

Yes, that means if you stay 60 nights in a year, not only will you reach Diamond status and start earning 20 points per dollar spent, you’ll have also earned 60,000 Bonus Points with this exclusive milestone bonus.

2. When will these new elite bonuses be effective?
Hilton Honors elite members will begin earning new elite bonuses starting April 2018. Members will see these Points posted on their account page at HiltonHonors.com and in the Hilton Honors App at that time.

3. How do I become a Hilton Honors elite member?
An elite member is a Hilton Honors member who has obtained status tiers Silver, Gold or Diamond. The way a member obtains status has not changed – the amount of nights, stays, and eligible spending is still the same to earn and maintain elite status. To find out how to earn elite status refer to the Membership Tiers page.

4. What if I have selected an Earning Style Option of Points & Points or Points & Miles?
You will be able to edit your Earning Style Option selection and continue earning additional Points or Miles until April 2018 at which point Earning Style Options will be removed for all members and replaced with the new elite bonuses for Silver, Gold & Diamond members.

5. Can I still earn Miles for my hotel stays? 
Beginning April 2018, new elite bonuses will replace the Points & Miles and Points & Points Earning Style Options. Members will not be able to earn miles on stays, but can continue to transfer their Hilton Honors Points into Miles with Hilton Honors travel partners.

Members can visit this page to reference the current set of Hilton travel partners that participate in exchange of Hilton Honors Points to Miles.

6. How can I convert Hilton Honors Points into Hilton Honors’ travel partner currencies?
For Hilton Honors members who wish to convert Hilton Honors Points into other travel partners (e.g. airlines, rail, etc.), they can visit the exchange page to learn more about how to convert their Points.

7. How can I convert other Hilton Honors’ travel partner currencies into Hilton Honors Points? 
For Hilton Honors Members who wish to convert Points or Miles from other travel partners (e.g. airlines, rail, credit card, etc.) into Hilton Honors Points, they can visit this page (for airline and rail partners) and this page (for credit card partners) to gain even more Hilton Honors Points.

by

 John Ollila www.loyalitylobby.com 

Hotel Best Rates Guarantee Promise Is Often A Hoax

Trump SoHo New York hotel

Hotel companies want you to stop shopping around. So why bother going to trivago.com, to agoda.com, to booking.com, to hotels.com, to expedia.com, to orbitz.com, to otel.com, to priceline.com, or to americanexpress.com and the many more available channels? Hotels don’t want you to compare rates, especially if you are a loyal member of their hotel group loyalty program, such as the World of Hyatt, Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors, Starwood Preferred Guest, and IHG Rewards Club, among others.

As a matter of fact, hotel companies will threaten you NOT to book through what they say are “third party channels,” because if you do, your stay will mean zero points and zero status nights in the hotel loyalty programs. In order to reach an elite status with a hotel or airline, one needs to be loyal. Don’t make the mistake of being loyal to a brand and then booking through your travel agent, your meeting organizer, or one of the many known booking channels. You will never earn any status points that way, because your nights won’t count. So again, we ask, why bother even signing up for a hotel loyalty program?

Here is what hotel companies are advertising on their websites.

• The Lowest Rates Are on Hyatt.com
• Get Our Lowest Price, All The Time, When You Book on Marriott.com
• IHG – Choose from our great brands. Best Price Guarantee. Book direct now!
• We guarantee you always get the lowest price when you reserve a room through an official Hiltonbooking channel
• Best Rate Guarantee* If you find a lower qualified rate** within 24 hours of booking, we’ll match it – and give you a 20% discount or 2,000 Starpoints®

Sounds good, right? But not really. Here is the catch.

The following is a typical response you will get when shopping on a third-party website and find a sometimes significantly better rate.

First, the hotel doesn’t want you to book anything on the third-party website. What the hotel wants you to do is to fill out a lengthy form and ask for the “best rate guarantee.”

After you submit this form, it takes 24 hours for a response. If you’re at an airport trying to book a hotel for the same night, obviously, this “guarantee” will never work.

For a future stay, you most likely will get this response:

HYATT: “I am excited to hear of your desire to stay with us and your interest in our Best Rate Guarantee program. After researching, I was unable to validate your submission based on the Expedia screenshot that represents a “Private Sale Price of 59%, including a $100 Resort credit” which is a membership-only price package thus making it an invalid for the Hyatt Best Rate Guarantee. As indicated, the guest went to expedia.com and signed into the site, thus opening up the member pricing options.”

This means if you use a booking website, you are always asked to establish a sign-in. There is no cost to do so and no membership – it’s simply a username and a password. BUT, once you do this, then hotel companies consider you to be a “member” of that travel booking club, and there goes the option to use the hotel’s best rate guarantee.

In many cases, once you go back to the third-party website a day after the hotel has “investigated” and turned your claim down, you won’t be able to get that special deal anymore, because it has already been sold out.

Sometimes it pays, however, to be more firm instead of accepting this unfriendly hotel response. In the case of a Starwood Hotels and Resorts reservation, a claim to bring a nightly rate down from $280 to $89.44 plus receive a 20% additional bonus was honored, only after being threatened with a bad review on trip advisor, a filing with small claims court, and a letter to the editor.

This was the initial response by STARWOOD:

Thank you for your interest in the Starwood’s Hotels & Resorts Best Rate Guarantee program. It is always a pleasure hearing from our Gold members. I hope my email finds you well.

Please be advised that as per my understanding, I have processed the claim for a Premium room as originally booked. However, I request you to please mention the room type on which you want to get your claim processed in the New Starwood Room Type section in the future.

I have reviewed the rates for The Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa for the dates of your claim on our website and found a rate of $257.04 USD plus taxes and fees per night which is lower than the rate of $280.78 USD plus taxes and fees per night found on hotels.com. Since the rate is lower on our website, I am not able to approve your claim. To find the complete details of the Best Rate Guarantee program, please refer to our published terms and conditions.

So what happened here? Starwood looked at a higher room category on otel.com, the competing site. The claim was clearly for the lowest category, since the category names did not match on otel.com and westin.com, but this seems to be just another way to deny claims.

Here is the second response to this claim after it was first denied:

Thank you for your email regarding your Best Rate Guarantee claim for The Westin Las Vegas Hotel, Casino & Spa. I appreciate the opportunity to address your email.

After reviewing the claim, I show a room type was not listed on the competing website or our hotel website, and our associate processed the claim for the room type listed on the reservation.

Please know I have processed the claim once again; only this time I have processed it for the standard room at the hotel. Your claim has been processed for the traditional room.

I am pleased to advise your claim is approved. I was unable to locate availability for a Traditional room on our website, though I was able to locate availability on otel.com, which allows me to offer you the approved rate of 89.44 USD, plus tax and amenity fee, per night, and an additional 20% off the rate as requested.

My advice: Cancel the booking altogether and select an independent hotel that doesn’t play games with loyal customers. Travel agencies and tour operators should avoid brand hotels to not upset clients with a loyalty program or put pressure on those hotel companies to treat travel agents, tour operators, and meeting planners fairly.

Tourists Offered Free Hotel Stays During Italy’s ‘Barter Week', November 14th-20th

© Heinz-Peter Bader / Reuters

The initiative called Barter Week gives those who may not normally afford it a chance to travel

Visitors can barter their skills and services, such as language lessons, website translations, and musical performances, for free hotel stays at thousands of Italian bed and breakfasts (B&B) from November 14 to November 20.

The initiative is called Barter Week and gives those who may not normally afford it a chance to travel.

Barter Week has been held annually since 2009 and runs from November 14 to 20. It was started by an Italian B&B booking website after it has discovered that one of its B&Bs used barter instead of normal payments for its business.

Prospective guests can browse a wish list of B&Bs and contact them to negotiate a stay. They are also encouraged to take the initiative and suggest their own offers which the hotels may respond to.

The wish lists have a huge range of proposals as payment for a hotel stay. Some owners of B&Bs ask for music lessons or olive harvesting. Others seek help with practical tasks such as gardening, laundry or olive picking. A lot of hosts allow travelers free nights in exchange for quality local produce from their country.

English tea, a gramophone, homemade soap, yoga class, old bird cages, sushi making lessons are all among the hoteliers requests.

In the first year of the scheme around 1,000 Italian B&Bs signed up to barter. The number of hotels taking part has doubled since then.

Initially Barter Week was offered for just one week during the low season but some B&Bs now accept barters year-round.

Last year the Barter Week saw over 10,000 requests and proposals listed on the website.

Hotel Workers Are Coming Clean About The Industry’s Dirtiest Secrets

Getty Images

They’re purportedly coming clean on the anonymous posting app Whisper.

“This blanket only gets washed once a year,” reads one nightmare-inducing post onWhisper, an app that lets people post anonymously. Hotel staff—from front desk clerks to belhops to housekeepers—have been using the site to reveal some of the hotel industry’s dirtiest secrets.

The posts can’t be fact-checked, of course, but they do make for a fascinating (if unsettling read). Revelations include confirmation of the long-held suspicion that hotel lobbies arekept cold on purpose to discourage loitering; that your room service tray may be missing a few French fries by the time it reaches your room; and bed linens may not be as clean as you would hope. “I’m a maid at a hotel and sometimes when I’m lazy I reuse the sheets on the bed and make them look nice. I always feel bad for the next people,” wrote one hotel employee.

Other posts reveal that when a hotel receptionist tells you the place is booked, they may be too lazy to actually check if there is room in the inn. More posts reveal that, yes, the staff canhear you, those bed sheets might get re-used a few times, and if your key card stops working over and over again, you could be the reason for it.

Some secrets reveal kindness on the part of the staff. “I work at a hotel, whenever someone comes in who can’t afford a room, I give it to them for free,” reads one post.

But most of the posts serve to remind hotel guests that hotel staff members are people, too. “Please don’t yell at me. I’m human, too,” reads a post. It’s important to remember to treat staff with kindness, respect, and human decency. Or else. Plus, sometimes it can score you an upgrade.

by Melissa Locker, www.travelandleasure.com