Just because a hotel — or nearly every hotel in town — is sold out, doesn’t mean there isn’t Priceline availability. It isn’t often that this winds up being the case, but it’s an important lesson nonetheless. This week the World Bank is meeting in DC. There are protestors. And there’s a huge pro-choice walk/protest (scheduled around the World Bank, believe it or not… as a way of picking up extra folks to participate who will be in town anyway). Plus it’s school trip time for DC. There just aren’t hotels available in town. The Best Western downtown wants $667. The Washington Terrace Hotel where I can often call up and get a $99 rate wants $1000. So I had someone coming into town tonight and couldn’t get anything on Priceline at the 4* level…
About Gary Leff
Double iDine Miles on America West
iDine is offering 20 America West miles per dollar through June 30th, except on Fridays and Saturdays. Registration required.America West is also offering double FlightFund miles for travel to London on Virgin Atlantic Airways Upper Class between May 1 and July 31, 2004 and 6000 miles for 3 stays at Starwood hotels.
Free cigarettes
Print out form here. If you don’t smoke, you can trade ’em for cool stuff on the inside. While you’re at it, you can get free Reach Access Dental Floss, free dog treats, free Habanero HOT sauce, free Claritin and free Advil Allergy Sinus.
Quiz time!
Which New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Are You?
A New Hyatt in Afghanistan
Via Instapundit, a new Hyatt Regency will be built in Kabul, Afghanistan. Currently reasonable accomodations are more or less limited to the Hotel Inter-Continental. While it doesn’t look bad, on-line booking is limited to an email query form on the Ariana Afghan Airlines website. Interestingly the Hotel Inter-Continental is not in any way related to InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. Similarly in Iraq, there’s a Sheraton in Baghdad and Basra. Sort of. (The Basra Sheraton was bombed last year. Here’s a photo of the looting. The Baghdad Sheraton was attacked last month.) The hotels aren’t part of the Sheraton hotel chain which is owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and you won’t be collecting Starwood Preferred Guest points there. It turns out that the properties were ITT Sheratons prior to the Gulf War. They continued to…
The European Commission Does Something Right! (Maybe)
The European Commission is funding a test of a system designed to allow mobile phone use inside a passenger aircraft.
I won’t be flying to Tampa anytime soon
This story offers a local Tampa, Florida perspective on airlines scaling back domestic first class. United will serve Tampa only with its all-coach Ted, and much of Delta’s service will be by all-coach Song. USAirways’ 757s offer only 8 first class seats, down from 24. (Separately Continental has been downsizing domestic first class cabins as well.)
Making the best of a bad situation
I guess if I ever had to fly coach I’d want one of these.
Amtrak Bonus
Two roundtrips on Amtrak’s Acela Express or Metroliner by June 15 will earn a free round of golf and free spa treatment. All city pairs are included, so if anyone knows a routing that will allow two roundtrips for less than $108 please let me know. Update: A reader suggested BWI airport (BWI) to Baltimore (BAL). Same-day roundtrips on Acela Express and Metroliner run ~ $35 each ($30 on Saturday with promo code V745). Two of those are enough to qualify for the promotion plus the usual Guest Rewards points on top. Just make sure the coupons will be useful to you before booking!
Cheese promotion
A reader sends along this bizarre promotion. Can you get from London city-centre to Paris or Amsterdam’s city-centre for under
