So, I'm a germaphobe, you would be too!

I've been working in hotels, and in the hospitality industry a while so I can't help but have slightly quirky habits when I travel.  After all, I know what goes on behind closed doors.  I also have too many friends in airlines, tour companies, other hotels, cruiseships.  We have our dirty little germy secrets. 
 
Crazy(?) things I do when I travel...

I always bring my own travel pillow and blanket
I can't tell you how many of my friends have told me stories of movement they've seen under a blanket, sometimes with one person, sometimes with two.  Generally the pillows and blankets aren't sent to laundry unless visibly dirty.  Enough said.   

I never rest my face on my armrest or press my face on the chair in a tourbus.  
Bus seats are not cleaned very often, nor are the armrests. People touch goopy things when sitting around for hours and smear them places they can reach.

I always bring slippers, when staying overnight somewhere
Please don't walk in bare feet.  Carpets are cleaned maybe once a year, tile floors aren't mopped or washed every time.  Many people are really messy if they know that someone else is going to clean up after them.  I've seen lots of mess on floors, all manners of dirty clothes, and food, pets and small child messes.   

Beware the floral bedspread... and bed
If it's not white and crisp, I'd rather freeze with only a sheet.  Patterned bedspreads typically aren't/weren't sent to laundry unless visibly dirty (that takes a long time if it's patterned sometimes).  I also fully open my sheets to make sure there's no hairs in the made bed towards the foot (who wants other peoples hair in their bed?!?) check for bedbug splatter on the wall behind the bed and on the corner and side of mattress (it looks like small dark brown splats).  Trust me, you don't want to be bitten by bedbugs, or take them home with you, (super gross, and so hard to get rid of) Plus you really DON'T want to see your mattress move in the middle of the night.

I bring antibacterial wipes and wipe handles, faucets, switches and toilet
This people think I'm crazy for this, but those people have never seen a blacklight audit.

Do you do anything quirky like me?  Or am I totally phobic?

On that note, hope you like my videos.  I'll be doing a 4 part series on a hotel room blacklight audit, though part 2, 3 and 4 are yet to come.
Part one is pretty tame, glad I didn't find anything...  

How do you pick your vacation spot?

It's my favorite time of year... the time to pick my vacation spot.  One of the best perks of being in the hospitality / tourism industry is the opportunity to travel on a pretty small budget so as long as you're a little flexible with your travel dates.  So, the question now is where to go?   How do you pick a place to go if you can only choose one for the entire year?  (Any pointers?  How do you pick your vacation spot?)  I’m having a really tough time picking a destination this year, and have been doing a fair bit of research, one thing I’m thinking is that I’m going to keep it within the continent.  To help me with a decision, I’ve compiled a top ten list of cities to visit in North America, would you pick the same #1?

#10 ORLANDO
I've never been to Disney anything in my life so I'm thinking go bigger than Disneyland, and head for Disneyworld.  There’s so many things I’ve found you can do there, from waterparks, to shows, and Epcot it’d be a one stop destination.

#9 SAN DIEGO, CA
Sunny skies and 70 miles of beaches (can't complain!), aquariums, zoos, and all sorts of water sports.

#8 LOS ANGELES, CA

Hollywood, Sunset and Venice beach, shopping on Rodeo Drive, riding the roller coasters at 6 flags, and of course a stop at Disneyland.

#7 MIAMI, FL

I had a dream about riding on an airboat through the Everglades and have thought about it evern since.  Would love a walk around Miami Beach and the amazing nightlife wouldn’t hurt.

#6 ATLANTA, GE

This city has so much history, civil war museums, Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site, and things like World of Coca Cola, and arenas where the Atlanta Braves, Thrashers, Hawks and Dream play (that would be for my husband, he really loves his sports).

#5 SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Riding the cable cars, shopping in union square, taking a walk through Fisherman’s Wharf, and visiting the Golden Gate Bridge.

#4 SAN ANTONIO, TX

The Alamo, strolling the beautiful River Walk, the many theme parks, and the chance to watch a Spurs game.

#3 MONTREAL, QC
Beautiful architecture, Saint-Denis Street & Saint-Laurent Boulevard, POUTINE (love it!)  

#2 TORONTO, ON
This one is mostly to visit my good friends that recently moved and was thinking about combining my top 3 since it's somewhat in the general area.  My husband does really want to go see the Hockey Hall of Fame though, and of course I really wouldn't mind a visit to the Path. (their main shopping area)

#1 NEW YORK
I think this one is my frontrunner, I need my own picture (with me not photoshopped in) of the statue of Liberty and the Empire State building.  I hope to catch a show or two on Broadway, and am definately  going to take in some of the museums.  Last but not least, I'm a die hard shopper and can't wait to excersize my credit card arm, and am really looking forward to wandering around the different neighbourhoods.


Then it'll be a loooooooooong waiting game till I step on the plane.  At least it's something to look forward to...

What?!? Not my $5.50!

"The budget U.S. President Barack Obama submitted to Congress on Monday proposes to slap a $5.50 fee on every visitor from Canada who travels to the U.S. by air or by sea..."

Thumbs down. It's about the principle after all and the anti-Canadian sentiment that I think is behind it. We'll see if tourism in the States suffers because of it, if and when it's passed.

Ooooh Risque!

It's been up since 2006, but I came across the blog for the Yaletown Opus Hotel the other day.  It's actually an  interesting read, filled with (controversial and questionably inappropriate for the industry?) pictures/situations, (see?!), and videos, that would NEVER be acceptable in a big chain hotel and probably be shut down in a day.  But luckily the Opus is an independent boutique style property, so no walking on eggshells there.  And I'm happy for it, because it kept me pretty entertained while reading.  Having worked in hospitality, I couldn't help but literally LOL over some of the scenarios since they've actually happened to me or people I know, with a little more or a little less drama.  In fact, I'm sure that there are so many people out there that can one up any of the Opus' or fellow bloggers comments/scenarios.   I do wonder though, if there are previous or current guests that follow the blog, how they feel about possibly being the inspiration for a post...

They're catering to the lifestyle and interests of its patrons fairly well I think, and albeit a smidge risque at times, they still inform readers about the property, things around the city, and provide insight to the internal workings of the hotel and industry.  Plus, particularly within the industry, they're really tapping into the "something different".

This particular post that I added to my Digg account, is one of a series of 5 written through the eyes of a fictional (?) guests, publicizing their newly renovated rooms "chicklit" style.  I love the concept, though not too sure how I feel about the writing style of the personas.

Thoughts?

PS Happy Valentine's Day!  I'm sure the hotels will definately be busy!

... now what are you going to do?

Outdoor Adventures Whistler is a fairly large and well known company.  Their business supplies a hospitality service to locals and tourists alike which is dependent on a delivering a positive experience, and become a big part of someone's vacation experience.  They're selling their reputation, and representing their city.

Big, bad things happen sometimes.  How you deal with the situation that ensues is what what will define you.

I'm writing about the recent event of sled dogs that were euthanized by a Whistler dogsledding company (Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc.)  that, when faced with a slow business period following the Olympics, decided to lessen their financial burden of feeding and housing 100 of its 350 dogs.  An employee was required to shoot and kill the dogs, the employee claimed post traumatic stress disorder, the accounts from the employee are very graphic and disturbing.   At the time of the incident, Outdoor Adventures Whistler had investment in the company, but was operated by it's own general manager.  The company is now fully operated by Outdoor Adventures Whistler.

On their website there are 4 statements issued.  The general feeling I understand, is that Outdoor Adventures Whistler only recently became aware of the incident, and what measures it had taken to ensure the "good life" of the dogs as soon as it had taken over operations, that Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc was a completely seperate entity, and complete attempted deniability of any previous events.

If it's the intention of the company to continue to operate any of it's other branches of activity, (ATV, snowmobiling, horseback riding...) they really should be giving interviews, blogging and doing more damage control than what's been done so far.  Most people in light of the tragedy won't care if you were 10%, or 100% invested in the company and decisions at the time, because you are the representation here and now.  Yes, it's VERY unpleasant to have have insults and negativity thrown at you, and to have to accept blame if it really wasn't your company's choice.  (Although it's difficult to believe, when there is an investment resting in a company that a loss of 100 dogs wouldn't be questioned or missed.)  But it's about accountability, and something like this will not go away anytime soon.  In any situation no matter how one sided it may seem, you will hope there will be those that will give second chances and have an open mind, but only if there is someone to give the other side of the story and explain.  It's worse (in my opinion) to do nothing but issue faceless statements denying any fault, and to let people get into a mob mentality and have rumors and speculation run rampant.