Hello everyone. I hope your summer has been a nice one.
A few months ago I decided to create a list of things that I wanted to do during my lifetime. It includes places that I'd like to see and things that I'd like to expierece. I'm happy to report that I got to cross something off of that list just a few weeks ago. I got to gamble in Las Vegas!!!!!!
About 2 months ago, my mom applied for tickets to see a Wheel of Fortune taping at the Venetian and I've been wanting to go to Las Vegas for a few years now. Well, about 6 weeks ago my mom found out that she had won the tickets. I could barely talk when she called me at work to give me the news. She tried to get 2 more people to go with us but it ended up being just the 2 of us. We could only afford to go for 1 night but it turned out to be a very fun trip. We drove down highway 99 and go to Las Vegas at about 8pm the night before the taping. If you're driving from Northern California it'll take you a good 10 hours. We checked into our hotel (The Excalibur) and then hit the strip. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were several walkways above the street that pedestirians could use instead of having to cross the street at the street level. That really made it easy for getting around. I also made it a point to go to the slot machines at every casino that we went to but I didn't win anything.
The Excalibur ended up being a very good place for us to stay. I was able to get the room for $30 using the hotel's direct website and signing up to get their newsletter (that gave me an additional discount so I only paid $24 for the room). With taxes and the $10 resort fee the total bill came out to about $40 which is something that I'd never thought I'd ever see at a hotel in Las Vegas. We had 1 room with 2 queen-size beds. We were in tower 2 and had a view of tower 1. Everything about the room was nice and comfortable aside from the bathroom fan not working, 1 lightbulb missing and not being able to see a deadbolt lock on the door but that was at 2am after being out on the strip so perhaps I missed it. The bathroom had a lot of couterspace and a huge walkin shower which was real nice. The beds were comfortable and overall the room was very clean. We didn't get to see any of the shows there but hopefully next time I go I'll get to see either Thunder from Down Under (at the Excalibur) or the Chippendales (at the Rio).
Our first stop of the night was at MGM Grand which was right across the street from the Excalibur. It was huge. It had this amazing grand stair case that leads right out to the pool and several huge lion statues (including 1 in the lobby and 1 outside). Next we went to New York New York. That's the one that has a rollercoaster going right thru the hotel. No I didn't go on it but you could see it go by every few minutes. They also had this arcade area for kids to hang out while their parent's were at the casino. Our final stop for the night was Paris Las Vegas. It had a nice replica of the Eiffle Tower outside and as soon as you walk in, you feel like you're in Paris. Almost everthing had something written on it in French and the shops and restaurants had French architure designs.
The next morning we ate breakfast (and our only real meal there) at the Sherwood Forest Cafe at the Excalibur. There wasn't anything fancy about it but the food was good and so was the service. Then we headed off to the Venetian for the taping. It turns out that Wheel of Fortune films an entire week of shows in 1 day. We stayed for the 1st 2 tapings and then decided to leave since we were driving home that night. The taping itself was fun but long since it takes a while to get everyone into the studio and they take breaks in between each segment and show. Nobody won the big prize but I did get a picture of Vanna and Pat. The Venetian was just like Paris Las Vegas since it's designed to make you feel as if your in Venice, Italy. It has this really blue ceiling that makes you feel as if you're outside. The Gongalo's looked like fun but we didn't have the time or money to ride one. Our next stop was Treasure Island. That's the one with the pirate ships outside. I went inside for a few minutes while my mom waited outside since she was guarding a space for us so that we could watch the pirate show. It ended up being 2 pirate ships (1 with pirates and 1 with sirens (ladies)) fighting each other. Needless to say, the ladies sunk the pirates' ship. They had pyrotechnic's and real flames going off which was cool. Our final stop was Ceasar's Place. It was nice and it had a lot of high end shops inside. It also had a spiral escalator which I thought was cool. After that we had to head home since I had to work the next day and needed to get some sleep.
Lesson learned here: spend more than 1 night in Las Vegas.
Until the next line....
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Hotel check in/check out times. Patience is a virtue.
I've been in the hospitality business for almost 5 years now and it never ceases to amaze me that guest's don't seem to understand that hotel's have guaranteed check in and check out times for a reason. So many times I've had people come in several hours before check in time and I have to tell them that I can't check them in until later on (which in most cases is still 2 to 3 hours before the guaranteed check in time). I can't tell you how many times I've been on the receiving end of someone else's frustration because they show up 5 or 6 hours early and aren't able to check in right away. The same goes for check outs. Many times the guest tells me that they thought the check out time was later and when they ask for an additional 2 or 3 hours they get upset when I tell them what the absolute latest time that I can allow is.
Many hotels require that guest's check out by 11am or 12 noon. Any later and the guest could end up having to pay an additional fee since they are delaying the housekeeping staff from inspecting and cleaning the room. This means that the housekeeping staff has to wait until later on in the day to service the room therefore the hotel will charge a late check out fee which could be any where from 1/2 a day charge to an additional night's charge. This also means that the hotel can't rent that room until later on in the day which could mean a loss of revenue for them.
Many hotels also don't guarantee check in's before 2 or 3pm. This is so that the housekeeping staff has enough time to ensure that all rooms have been cleaned and inspected properly. Even if you request an early check in, chances are that you'll be charged an early check in fee. Hotels do this because you are using their services longer than expected and therefore means that you are creating more work for the hotel staff and possibly even costing them more money.
Here's what I suggest that everyone does when making a hotel reservation. Find out what their check in and check out times are by going to their direct website or by calling the hotel directly. If you want to check in early, call the hotel ahead of time and ask what their early check in fee is. If you would like to check out after the required check out time, call down to the front desk no later then the night before you check out and ask what their late check out fee is. This way you won't be taken by surprise when you arrive at the hotel and when you go to pay the final bill.
Until the next line......
Many hotels require that guest's check out by 11am or 12 noon. Any later and the guest could end up having to pay an additional fee since they are delaying the housekeeping staff from inspecting and cleaning the room. This means that the housekeeping staff has to wait until later on in the day to service the room therefore the hotel will charge a late check out fee which could be any where from 1/2 a day charge to an additional night's charge. This also means that the hotel can't rent that room until later on in the day which could mean a loss of revenue for them.
Many hotels also don't guarantee check in's before 2 or 3pm. This is so that the housekeeping staff has enough time to ensure that all rooms have been cleaned and inspected properly. Even if you request an early check in, chances are that you'll be charged an early check in fee. Hotels do this because you are using their services longer than expected and therefore means that you are creating more work for the hotel staff and possibly even costing them more money.
Here's what I suggest that everyone does when making a hotel reservation. Find out what their check in and check out times are by going to their direct website or by calling the hotel directly. If you want to check in early, call the hotel ahead of time and ask what their early check in fee is. If you would like to check out after the required check out time, call down to the front desk no later then the night before you check out and ask what their late check out fee is. This way you won't be taken by surprise when you arrive at the hotel and when you go to pay the final bill.
Until the next line......
Friday, April 30, 2010
Cruising Solo
Hey everyone. I hope that all of you are getting excited about summer time. I personally can't wait for the warm weather and sunshine to come.
I'm sure that many of you have already started planning your summer vacation. Maybe some of you plan of sticking close to home and seeing the sites that your local area has to offer. Maybe some of you plan to go somewhere far away that you've never been to before.
Some of you might even be taking part in cruiseline history. According to a recent article in my local Sunday newspaper, Norweigan Cruiselines is launching their newest cruise ship this summer called The Epic. Sure she will be absolutely luxorious and beautiful but she will be the first cruise ship by a major cruiseline to offer accomodations for single passengers. For years, single passengers had to pay for accomodations for two people since it was almost unheard to take a cruise alone. The cruise ships would have to book passengers into rooms with two beds and charge them the same rate even though only one bed would be occupied.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Washington D.C. (2002)
Hello everyone. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying our first few days of spring. Summer travel season is just around the corner so I thought that today I would share about one of my experiences in 2002.
This trip was my high school graduation present from my mom and step dad. A few months before my graduation I found out that they were planning a trip to the east coast so that my step dad could go to a G.I. Joe convention in Norfolk, VA. My mom was planning on using this time to visit some friends of ours in Lancaster, PA which is where I was born. I didn't have any memories of Lancaster so when I heard about this I literately begged them to take me. Much to my delight they agreed. We left California around 8pm and flew to Atlanta, GA which is where all of us (my mom, my step dad, his friend and myself) would need to catch connecting flights. As soon as we landed, the guys had to head right to their flight for Norfolk while my mom and I had about a 3 1/2 hour layover until ours left for Harrisburg, PA. We got something to eat, found where the gate was that our flight would leave from and decided to walk around the airport. If you've never been to the airport in Atlanta, it's huge and you can easily miss your flight. By the time we got back to the gate for our flight they had just closed the door. They opened the door and let my mom go but stopped me and searched my stuff. By the time they let me go, I hurried as fast as I could down the Jetway and realized that I needed to go down to the tarmac. No one was there to tell me where to go so I stood there literately asking myself "Where do I go?." Finally one of the ground crew members pointed me in the right direction and when I turned around only then did a see a women waving at me with my mom right behind her. They kept telling her to get on the plane but once she saw that I wasn't behind her she refused to get on without me. When we got on the plane one of the other passengers was nice enough to move to another seat so that we could sit together. It was one of the smallest airplanes that I'd ever been on. There was 2 seats on each side of the plane, 10 1/2 rows of seats (we were directly across from the lavatory) and only 1 flight attendant. Normally I love to fly but on this flight I was just praying that we got to Harrisburg safely.
Once we got there, the trip was a lot of fun. As soon as we landed and got our bags, our friend drove us to Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. I was surprised at the fact that I didn't feel tired since I had only a little bit of sleep on the flight between California and Atlanta. Next we drove by Hershey Medical Center which is where I spent the week after I was born since I was born premature. We finally drove past Lancaster General Hospital which is where I was born and went straight to our friend's house from some much needed rest. On our first night in Lancaster we had dinner with an Amish family at their house. I only saw the inside of their kitchen but they were very nice and their little boy who was about 2 just loved me. Afterwards I was supposed to hang out with our friend's daughter and her friend but we ended up just watching a movie after I feel asleep in her car. The next day I went to the mall with her and 2 of her friend's and that night all of us went and watched some fireworks.
Our friends had decided that they would also take the week off that we were out and that we would all go on vacation together. After 2 days in PA the 5 of us drove down to Alexandria, VA. On our wasy through Maryland we had to go through this really long tunnel and there was a lot of traffic. Whenever my mom goes through a tunnel she plays that game where you have to hold up your feet and hold your breathe until you're out of the tunnel. All of us kept on saying that she couldn't do it but she actually did. My stepdad joined us the next day after the convention was over and his friend flew back home to California. While in Virginia we stayed at the Fairfield Inn which is a timeshare place. It was in Old Town Alexandria and was made of brick just like most of the buildings around it. It felt like a 5 star hotel and was nice. We could see the Washington Monument outside our window and if we walked down the block we could see the Capital Rotunda. Our unit had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, a diningroom and a living room with a sofa bed. My mom and stepdad let our friends have the suite since was his birthday while they took the other bedroom and us teenagers shared the sofa bed. The staff there was very nice and the concerige was very friendly. His name was J.R. Every single time we went to him for something he was very helpful. Every time we made a meal in our room someone would go take him a plate. Apparently we weren't the only one's who did that because one night he came to out unit to return a plate that wasn't ours. When we left everyone took pictures with him and he always had a smile on his face.
We pretty much spent most of the time there around Alexandria. On our first night there, my mom, our friend's daughter and I went on a "Ghost Tour." Our tour guide was a lady dressed in colonial style clothing and walked us around the city while telling ghost stories. On our 3rd day in VA we all went into D.C. It was beyond humid and we took the local Metro train in. We first went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was awesome. Luckly I've always been interested in space so I had a lot of fun there. Then we walked to the White House. It was I think about 15 blocks away but it might as well of been a million. I would've probably died of exhuastion if we hadn't stopped for drinks and ice cream. Gatorade saved my life that day. We spent about 5 minutes in front of the White House and then headed for the Metro station and went back to our timeshare. That cold shower felt awesome. Over the next few days we just hung out at the timesahre and around Alexandria. We went on a nighttime riverboat ride on the Potomac River and even took in a movie. On the day before we left, us girls went to Mount Vernon which is where George Washington lived. It was really nice and the historians have really done a nice job at preserving it.
On the day we left, our friends drove back to PA while my stepdad, my mom and I drove to the airport in Norfolk to catch our flight home. On our way to the airport we stopped in Williamsburg to see a few shops however this made us miss our flight to Atlanta. We didn't know that on a Saturday you should allow 2 hours to get from Williamsburg to Norfolk. We got to the airport 30 minutes before our flight left but it was past the cutoff time for checking baggage so we had to wait 3 hours for the next flight to Atlanta. By the time we got there we had missed both flights to our area in California and had to spend the night in the airport lounge. It was the most uncomfortable night of my life and I wanted to find the recording that says "please don't leave your bags unattended" and smash it since it went on about every 30 seconds or so. Luckly we all go on the same flight the next morning but the only 3 seats together were in the exit row. Although I was old enough to sit there (I think you gotta be 18 for most airlines), I've always looked young for my age and the flight attendents actually stopped dead in their tracks just to ask me to verify my age. This was after takeoff and while they were bringing the food cart by with breakfast. One of them was actually on the same flight we were on from Virginia the night before.
Lessons learned here:
1) If you're going to D.C. in the summer time, take a car with some air conditioning.
2) Try to find out how much time you should allow to get to the airport so that you don't miss your flight.
Until the next line.
This trip was my high school graduation present from my mom and step dad. A few months before my graduation I found out that they were planning a trip to the east coast so that my step dad could go to a G.I. Joe convention in Norfolk, VA. My mom was planning on using this time to visit some friends of ours in Lancaster, PA which is where I was born. I didn't have any memories of Lancaster so when I heard about this I literately begged them to take me. Much to my delight they agreed. We left California around 8pm and flew to Atlanta, GA which is where all of us (my mom, my step dad, his friend and myself) would need to catch connecting flights. As soon as we landed, the guys had to head right to their flight for Norfolk while my mom and I had about a 3 1/2 hour layover until ours left for Harrisburg, PA. We got something to eat, found where the gate was that our flight would leave from and decided to walk around the airport. If you've never been to the airport in Atlanta, it's huge and you can easily miss your flight. By the time we got back to the gate for our flight they had just closed the door. They opened the door and let my mom go but stopped me and searched my stuff. By the time they let me go, I hurried as fast as I could down the Jetway and realized that I needed to go down to the tarmac. No one was there to tell me where to go so I stood there literately asking myself "Where do I go?." Finally one of the ground crew members pointed me in the right direction and when I turned around only then did a see a women waving at me with my mom right behind her. They kept telling her to get on the plane but once she saw that I wasn't behind her she refused to get on without me. When we got on the plane one of the other passengers was nice enough to move to another seat so that we could sit together. It was one of the smallest airplanes that I'd ever been on. There was 2 seats on each side of the plane, 10 1/2 rows of seats (we were directly across from the lavatory) and only 1 flight attendant. Normally I love to fly but on this flight I was just praying that we got to Harrisburg safely.
Once we got there, the trip was a lot of fun. As soon as we landed and got our bags, our friend drove us to Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. I was surprised at the fact that I didn't feel tired since I had only a little bit of sleep on the flight between California and Atlanta. Next we drove by Hershey Medical Center which is where I spent the week after I was born since I was born premature. We finally drove past Lancaster General Hospital which is where I was born and went straight to our friend's house from some much needed rest. On our first night in Lancaster we had dinner with an Amish family at their house. I only saw the inside of their kitchen but they were very nice and their little boy who was about 2 just loved me. Afterwards I was supposed to hang out with our friend's daughter and her friend but we ended up just watching a movie after I feel asleep in her car. The next day I went to the mall with her and 2 of her friend's and that night all of us went and watched some fireworks.
Our friends had decided that they would also take the week off that we were out and that we would all go on vacation together. After 2 days in PA the 5 of us drove down to Alexandria, VA. On our wasy through Maryland we had to go through this really long tunnel and there was a lot of traffic. Whenever my mom goes through a tunnel she plays that game where you have to hold up your feet and hold your breathe until you're out of the tunnel. All of us kept on saying that she couldn't do it but she actually did. My stepdad joined us the next day after the convention was over and his friend flew back home to California. While in Virginia we stayed at the Fairfield Inn which is a timeshare place. It was in Old Town Alexandria and was made of brick just like most of the buildings around it. It felt like a 5 star hotel and was nice. We could see the Washington Monument outside our window and if we walked down the block we could see the Capital Rotunda. Our unit had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, a diningroom and a living room with a sofa bed. My mom and stepdad let our friends have the suite since was his birthday while they took the other bedroom and us teenagers shared the sofa bed. The staff there was very nice and the concerige was very friendly. His name was J.R. Every single time we went to him for something he was very helpful. Every time we made a meal in our room someone would go take him a plate. Apparently we weren't the only one's who did that because one night he came to out unit to return a plate that wasn't ours. When we left everyone took pictures with him and he always had a smile on his face.
We pretty much spent most of the time there around Alexandria. On our first night there, my mom, our friend's daughter and I went on a "Ghost Tour." Our tour guide was a lady dressed in colonial style clothing and walked us around the city while telling ghost stories. On our 3rd day in VA we all went into D.C. It was beyond humid and we took the local Metro train in. We first went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was awesome. Luckly I've always been interested in space so I had a lot of fun there. Then we walked to the White House. It was I think about 15 blocks away but it might as well of been a million. I would've probably died of exhuastion if we hadn't stopped for drinks and ice cream. Gatorade saved my life that day. We spent about 5 minutes in front of the White House and then headed for the Metro station and went back to our timeshare. That cold shower felt awesome. Over the next few days we just hung out at the timesahre and around Alexandria. We went on a nighttime riverboat ride on the Potomac River and even took in a movie. On the day before we left, us girls went to Mount Vernon which is where George Washington lived. It was really nice and the historians have really done a nice job at preserving it.
On the day we left, our friends drove back to PA while my stepdad, my mom and I drove to the airport in Norfolk to catch our flight home. On our way to the airport we stopped in Williamsburg to see a few shops however this made us miss our flight to Atlanta. We didn't know that on a Saturday you should allow 2 hours to get from Williamsburg to Norfolk. We got to the airport 30 minutes before our flight left but it was past the cutoff time for checking baggage so we had to wait 3 hours for the next flight to Atlanta. By the time we got there we had missed both flights to our area in California and had to spend the night in the airport lounge. It was the most uncomfortable night of my life and I wanted to find the recording that says "please don't leave your bags unattended" and smash it since it went on about every 30 seconds or so. Luckly we all go on the same flight the next morning but the only 3 seats together were in the exit row. Although I was old enough to sit there (I think you gotta be 18 for most airlines), I've always looked young for my age and the flight attendents actually stopped dead in their tracks just to ask me to verify my age. This was after takeoff and while they were bringing the food cart by with breakfast. One of them was actually on the same flight we were on from Virginia the night before.
Lessons learned here:
1) If you're going to D.C. in the summer time, take a car with some air conditioning.
2) Try to find out how much time you should allow to get to the airport so that you don't miss your flight.
Until the next line.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Hotel Registration Slips
Hey everyone.
I hope all of you are enjoying our exciting and fasincating world.
I've been working in the hospitality industry for 4 1/2 years now and you would think that by now that I've seen and heard just about everything but that's certainly not the case. I try to document things that have happened so that I can refer to them later if I need to. In a few more years I could probably write a book about all of my experiences alone. I've had more coworkers than I could count, I've heard numerous denials regarding legitimate room charges, and have heard too many "I didn't know that's" to remember. I've seen damaged rooms due to parties and weather conditions, had to deal with numerous noise complaints because "the walls are too thin," and have had guest's literately yell at me for following orders and procedures when something happened that I had no control over. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the "it was like that when I checked in" line too. It amazes me at what some people think that they can get away with.
Whenever I have a guest check in I always give them a registration slip that I tell them to read and sign before I hand them their room keys. It clearly states hotel policies and procedures such as check in and check out times, if the hotel is pet friendly or not, if the guest's room is a smoking or non-smoking room, and if something is done to the room which will prevent the hotel from renting it following the guest's stay that the guest is liable for those charges. So it amazes me that if something should happen (maybe someone smoked in a non-smoking room or they are still in their room past the check out time without prior approval from the front desk) that guest's will say anything to get out of admitting their responsibility. Many times people will just sign the bottom of the slip without even really looking over what it is they are signing. I would expect that from someone who stays regularly at one hotel but for someone who doesn't travel much or travels all over the place I would expect them to take at least a moment to to read it first just in case there is a policy or procedure that they're familiar with.
Sorry this one's short but that's all for today. Until the next line.
I hope all of you are enjoying our exciting and fasincating world.
I've been working in the hospitality industry for 4 1/2 years now and you would think that by now that I've seen and heard just about everything but that's certainly not the case. I try to document things that have happened so that I can refer to them later if I need to. In a few more years I could probably write a book about all of my experiences alone. I've had more coworkers than I could count, I've heard numerous denials regarding legitimate room charges, and have heard too many "I didn't know that's" to remember. I've seen damaged rooms due to parties and weather conditions, had to deal with numerous noise complaints because "the walls are too thin," and have had guest's literately yell at me for following orders and procedures when something happened that I had no control over. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the "it was like that when I checked in" line too. It amazes me at what some people think that they can get away with.
Whenever I have a guest check in I always give them a registration slip that I tell them to read and sign before I hand them their room keys. It clearly states hotel policies and procedures such as check in and check out times, if the hotel is pet friendly or not, if the guest's room is a smoking or non-smoking room, and if something is done to the room which will prevent the hotel from renting it following the guest's stay that the guest is liable for those charges. So it amazes me that if something should happen (maybe someone smoked in a non-smoking room or they are still in their room past the check out time without prior approval from the front desk) that guest's will say anything to get out of admitting their responsibility. Many times people will just sign the bottom of the slip without even really looking over what it is they are signing. I would expect that from someone who stays regularly at one hotel but for someone who doesn't travel much or travels all over the place I would expect them to take at least a moment to to read it first just in case there is a policy or procedure that they're familiar with.
Sorry this one's short but that's all for today. Until the next line.
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Travel Channel
Hello again.
Whoever created the Travel Channel I would say is a pure genius. It feels like you're getting to travel everywhere without having to leave your living room. The only sad thing is that while your wallet isn't taking a hit you're having to watch someone else have all the fun.
For a long time, I would envy those I knew who had the Travel Channel just because where each of them was living their cable provider offered it. This was before everyone had to switch to digital cable and those who I knew that had the Travel Channel each just had basic cable. For nearly 12 years now, I've been able to have some sort of digital cable (mostly comcast and recently dish network). My mom and stepdad would pay nearly 4 times the cost of basic cable and we would get something like 200 channels. We had almost every single movie channel known to man and just about every single other channel known except for the Travel Channel.
One day while I was home our cable went out. After calling Comcast I was told that the service in our area was out because they were making improvements to the service. When the technician mentions that we would be getting DVR service I literately begged him to through in the Travel Channel. He laughed but agreed with me saying that getting the channel would be cool. Soon after that, it was offered in our area and so far, I'm the only one in my house that watches it.
I've always loved watching Samantha Brown. I've always told my best friend that if she was looking for an assistant I would so jump at the chance for that job. I didn't get to watch much of Great Hotels but when I did get the chance to, I try to imagine what it would feel like to walk through those hotels. Sure it's nice to see them on TV but I think seeing them in person would leave a more lasting impression.
I've also loved watching Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America and Passport to Great Weekends. I liked how these shows would highlight the main attractions for certain cities and suggest places to go, things to see, places to eat and even the best time of year to go. It's almost as if you could plan a good portion of your dream vacation just by watching these shows.
Another show that I've been watching more recently is Man v. Food. Adam Richman is definately funny and I admire him for taking on so many challenges that not too many people would dare to take on. I know I wouldn't be able to attempt challenges like that. I wonder just how many restaurants really have food challenges?
Until the next line........
Whoever created the Travel Channel I would say is a pure genius. It feels like you're getting to travel everywhere without having to leave your living room. The only sad thing is that while your wallet isn't taking a hit you're having to watch someone else have all the fun.
For a long time, I would envy those I knew who had the Travel Channel just because where each of them was living their cable provider offered it. This was before everyone had to switch to digital cable and those who I knew that had the Travel Channel each just had basic cable. For nearly 12 years now, I've been able to have some sort of digital cable (mostly comcast and recently dish network). My mom and stepdad would pay nearly 4 times the cost of basic cable and we would get something like 200 channels. We had almost every single movie channel known to man and just about every single other channel known except for the Travel Channel.
One day while I was home our cable went out. After calling Comcast I was told that the service in our area was out because they were making improvements to the service. When the technician mentions that we would be getting DVR service I literately begged him to through in the Travel Channel. He laughed but agreed with me saying that getting the channel would be cool. Soon after that, it was offered in our area and so far, I'm the only one in my house that watches it.
I've always loved watching Samantha Brown. I've always told my best friend that if she was looking for an assistant I would so jump at the chance for that job. I didn't get to watch much of Great Hotels but when I did get the chance to, I try to imagine what it would feel like to walk through those hotels. Sure it's nice to see them on TV but I think seeing them in person would leave a more lasting impression.
I've also loved watching Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America and Passport to Great Weekends. I liked how these shows would highlight the main attractions for certain cities and suggest places to go, things to see, places to eat and even the best time of year to go. It's almost as if you could plan a good portion of your dream vacation just by watching these shows.
Another show that I've been watching more recently is Man v. Food. Adam Richman is definately funny and I admire him for taking on so many challenges that not too many people would dare to take on. I know I wouldn't be able to attempt challenges like that. I wonder just how many restaurants really have food challenges?
Until the next line........
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Welcome to my blog.
Hello fellow bloggers. Welcome to my very first blog. In my blog I hope to express my thoughts and views about our ever changing world including the exciting world of the travel and tourism industry. Although I have not yet had the chance to travel around this great big planet of ours, I hope to use the experience that I have had working in the travel industry to help further promote interest in travel.
Here is a little background on me. I currently live in a huge metropolitan area in California that is known for it's historic museums, beautiful parks, and champion professional athletic teams. Each year, millions of people travel here and it is a pure joy to be able to share this area and my knowledge of it with everyone that I meet.
For almost 5 years now, I'm been working in the hotel industry for a major hotel chain. I originally started working there because I loved the idea of being in being in big, luxurious hotels and felt that this would be a good start for my career. I have since discovered that I also love meeting people from all over the world and working in this industry allows me to learn about other cultures through the guests that I meet everyday. It certainly is fun to meet new people every single day and learn about where they are from.
I hope that you will find my blog useful as well as exciting and interesting. If you have any questions about the exciting world of the travel industry don't be afraid to drop me line sometime.
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