Destinations
Renovations near complete at Fairmont Princess AZ
The 25-year-old Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is further raising its status as a premier property in Scottsdale as it nears completion of a comprehensive remake. Renovations worth $25 million have been to its meeting spaces, dining concepts, retail venues, spa and exteriors, and are slated for completion in spring 2013. This latest round of refurbishments wraps up a five-year $60 million capital investment project at the resort. In Oct. 2012, it debuted the new Palomino Conference Center, making it the largest meetings resort in the Fairmont portfolio worldwide....
Aston helps stock the pantry at Big Island condo resorts
Aston Hotels & Resorts has recently partnered with Island Grocery Service to offer personal shopping services at all three of its Hawaii Island condominium resorts. These include Aston Kona By The Sea, Aston Shores at Waikoloa and Aston Waikoloa Colony Villas. Guests can shop online for grocery and personal care items and have them delivered and stocked at Aston's in-room kitchens prior to their arrival. Items ranging from top-quality local products to trusted national brands are available....
Canadians staying home for Easter: Hotwire
Hotwire.com, a leading discount travel site, has unveiled its top 10 most popular Easter destinations for Canadian travellers, based on hotel bookings. Compared to last year's list, travellers seem to be opting for more local trips this year, with national metropolitan hubs rising in popularity. "With big-city business travel slowing down over the holiday, lots of high-demand cosmopolitan areas have rooms to spare. Hotels are offering spectacular deals, and incredible destinations like Toronto, Montreal, Orlando, Chicago and Minneapolis are offering rooms for $80 or less,"said Pierre...
Aqua Hospitality appointment
Aqua Hotels & Resorts, a division of Aqua Hospitality (http://www.aquahospitality.com), has announced the appointment of Evelyn Shiroma to the new position of director of Property Sales & Revenue for Aqua Waikiki Wave and Aqua Waikiki Pearl hotels. "Evelyn has been a valuable member of the Wave and Pearl teams since she came on board in 2006 as sales manager,"said Lynette Eastman, Area General Manager. "Her experience and professionalism have served us well and she continues to surpass our expectations. Her promotion is truly well deserved."In her new position, Shiroma is responsible for...
Africa in the spotlight
When travellers are in search of a summer vacation, the recommendation should be Africa, according to Goway Travel. Africa is of course a vast and wondrous continent, and, according to Goway, has a number of destinations that are at their best from June to August. Purists will tell you that the best game viewing in Southern Africa is in their winter months of June, July and August. The reason for this is that it's very dry, the grass is sparse and the animals are increasingly concentrated around water sources. Also the risk of malaria is at its lowest in these months. June to October is also...
Former Nevada riverboat to set sail in Saskatoon
A dinner cruise riverboat that once sailed the Colorado River at Laughlin, NV has moved to Canada and will soon start operating tours on the South Saskatchewan River from Saskatoon. The one-time "Fiesta Queen"has been renamed the "Prairie Lily"for its new career in Saskatchewan, and operated its first river cruises in the summer of 2012. Even in that shortened season, it served over 16,000 passengers, offering sightseeing tours, dinner cruises and charters through one of the world's best-kept urban river valleys. Over this winter, the 120-passenger Prairie Lily has undergone major renovations...
A first for Puebla
The Mexican state of Puebla is hoping to capitalize on its city of Puebla being the first non-beach destination to host Mexico's annual tourism show of Tianguis in the show's 38-year history. "We've been very honoured to have you here and hope this is the first of many visits to our state."Puebla governor Rafael Moreno Valle told Tianguis delegates Wednesday. Moreno Valle cited a host of attractions for visitors to the state, including pre-Columbian archeological sites, Spanish colonial architecture and what he praised as a sound tourism infrastructure, and noted that last year the New York...
JTB shows the ‘love’ for agents
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has launched its new travel agent specialist store, A One Love Rewards, giving agents an extra incentive to book Jamaica vacations. The program serves as a dedicated training platform for the travel agent community to become experts on the destination. With the rewards store, graduates for the program can shop for a range of items such as accommodations and Jamaica-branded merchandise, including photo frames, iPad cases and duffel bags, using points earned based on hotel rooms booked. The store currently includes merchandise from Round Hill Resort & Spa, Half...