Sheraton is rolling out new automated checkin machines designed to allow checkin and checkout in under sixty seconds. Sheraton Speed Check is the most flexible kiosk of its kind, offering guests’ the ability to receive messages, additional room keys and upgrades, change room type, and view, print and email personal folios, in addition to check-in and check-out. There was a contest to name the machine, and the winning answer is “Sheraton Speed Check” .. which I think is a really great name, especially since that was my suggestion. (For the record, my other entries were Sweet Service Checkin Center, Sheraton Full Service Check-in Center, Sheraton Instant Rest, and the Sheraton eService Machine).
Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for April 2004.
New Loyalty Programs
It seems like you can earn miles and points everywhere these days — and not just for spending on your affinity credit card, either. Brand spanking new programs include Benihana Emporer’s Club, Pizza Hut VIP Program (previously mentioned here), and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Friend of Steve Card.
Finally a United offer for Washington, DC
Earn 2,500 miles per domestic roundtrip (or Canada) to or from Washington-Dulles. This bonus can be earned 6 times and is applicable for travel completed between June 15 and September 30, 2004. Valid on United/United Express/Ted only, not on codeshare flights. Registration required.
Mercenaries and Private Contractors
There’s an ongoing discussion amongst several blogs about whether contracting for private security forces is a good idea. Mark Kleiman argues that hiring people at higher contract prices to deliver skills developed at government expense is a bad idea, amounting to competing with ourselves. Eugene Volokh offers up commercial pilots as a counterexample. [M]any Air Force pilots get better-paying jobs with the airlines when they leave the service. They’re selling to private airlines skills that were acquired at public expense. Some of them might leave the service earlier because of these job opportunities. Should we be worried about that? Should we try to keep the airlines from hiring them away? I realize the situation isn’t completely analogous — the government generally doesn’t do much hiring of private airlines for military transport (though I vaguely recall…
Mileage Sweepstakes
Points.com is giving away a million American Airlines miles (10 prizes of 100,000 miles apiece).
Random and Unrelated Cool Stuff
Sprint will give you a free ear bud for your cell phone. If you sell things on eBay, you will want to check out BidBot which will analyze past eBay auctions and help you get the best price for your merchandise. Google has a new shopping tool called Froogle. If you think data protection is cool, you may want a free “Backup for the Future” t-shirt. Or maybe you’d like a free book, 151 TIPS FOR MATURE TRAVELERS.
Flowers Bonus Miles
Earn 20 United miles per dollar spent at FTD.com, and this time the offer isn’t even intended to be targeted at 1Ks.
Private Eyes, They’re Watching You
The Transporation Security Administration is examining the use of RFID-tagged airline boarding passes that could allow passenger tracking within airports. Katherine Albrecht wonders whether the TSA will time how long she spends in the ladies room.
Inside the Mind of a Hotel
This 2002 article tells Utell properties (e.g. ANA, Sofitel, Jurys) how they should set up their Priceline rates and how they should treat Priceline customers.(Hat tip to a post at BetterBidding.com.)
High Speed Internet on the Train
Amtrak is testing high speed wireless internet access aboard some trains in California, with plans to roll it out to the Boston-New York-Washington corridor.. (as with all things Amtrak) eventually.
