Destinations
Rooms fully upgraded at Ohana Waikiki East
The Ohana Waikiki East has rung in the New Year with newly upgraded guest rooms, as part of a recent US$2 million renovation of the property. From new carpeting and paint to brand new mattresses and bedding, the hotel’s guest rooms exude contemporary island ambiance. The refreshed rooms feature an island-style design with neutral hues and sandstone accents. Each features all-new bedding atop plush Serta Concierge beds plus 42-inch flat-screen TVs. Bathrooms were also updated with modern handheld showerheads. The property features free Internet access in all guest rooms,...
Early Rocky bookers get credits for adding extra features
From now until Feb. 28, guests booking Rocky Mountaineer packages of four nights or more will receive up to $600 per couple in added value as part of the Stay and Play offer. These can be used to customize Rocky vacations with, for instance, extra hotel nights, additional activities and Alaskan cruises. For instance, the maximum added value of $600 is applicable to new bookings of seven nights or more in GoldLeaf Service on the eight day/seven night Canadian Rockies Highlights & Coastal Passage holiday between Seattle and the...
Kick off Stand Up World Tour at Turtle Bay Resort
Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s fabled North Shore is located at the global epicenter of stand-up paddlesurfing and offering a special package for the upcoming Stand Up World Tour, the official world championship tour for the sport organized by The Waterman League, headquartered at Turtle Bay. Turtle Bay is offering a special five-night stay during the 2014 season kick-off event, the Sunset Beach Pro, from Feb. 8-16. Established in 2009, this global sports competition encompasses events in six countries with participants from 15 nations. The 2014 season will offer major increases in...
Miami heat
It may have been sub-zero temperatures in Toronto last night, but tourism officials from Miami did their best to heat things up during an industry function highlighted by authentic Miami culture and cuisine. Numerous travel partners made the trip from the Sunshine State, including Polina Panopoulos (l) of Eden Roc Miami Beach and Heidi Barfels (r) of Mandarin Oriental Miami, pictured with Bill Talbert, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. Talbert told Press Today that tourism numbers to Miami remain strong, with Canada, Brazil and the cruise...
Family Day weekend deals at Silver Star
To celebrate Ontario’s and Saskatchewan’s Family Day weekend Feb. 14-17 this year, Silver Star Mountain Resort in south central BC is offering deep discounts on lift tickets and accommodations. Those who stay three nights and ski two days at Silver Star will receive 15% off slope side lodging and lift tickets. Also, those who present their valid Ontario/Saskatchewan driver’s license on Feb. 17 will receive 50% off the price of a lift ticket. Silver Star is amongst 24 BC resorts that are participating in the lift ticket promotion. To book, call Silver Star Holidays and quote...
Outrigger appointment
Outrigger Enterprises Group has announced the appointment of Pam Cabrera as director of sales and marketing for the company’s condominium resort division. Cabrera was most recently general manager of the Outrigger Luana Waikiki. In her new position, Cabrera will provide leadership and co-ordination to the Outrigger condominium resort team working closely with island-level management, individual property teams and corporate marketing and sales resources in the development and implementation of new plans and programs to grow revenue and achieve goals for the division. Cabrera...
Houston adds to hotel portfolio
Houston, Texas is getting a second convention hotel, with construction of a 1,000-room Marriott Marquis set for this year with a scheduled completion date of mid-2016. The estimated US$335 million hotel will be connected to the north side of George R. Brown Convention Center, opposite the 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston. In addition, five other hotel properties will be added in Houston by 2016, all near the convention centre. These include JW Marriott (323 rooms, opening this spring); Hampton Inn/Homewood Suites (300 rooms, opening September 2015); Hyatt Place (261 rooms, opening...
2013 new all-time high for tourism to Israel
More than 3.5 million visitors from around the world arrived in Israel in 2013, a new all-time high in travel to Israel, says Haim Gutin, Israel Commissioner for Tourism, North and South America. The US is the number one source of tourism to Israel (20% of tourists to Israel come from North America), followed by Russia, France, Germany and the U.K. Tourists from Canada continue to meet or exceed targeted projections with record breaking months throughout 2013. “It is an unheard of phenomenon that any country’s largest and highest-spending source of tourism comes from 6,000 plus...