tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101622942007-08-09T07:45:59.728-07:00:- ABlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-77050729988865791042007-08-08T22:51:00.000-07:002007-08-08T23:08:23.882-07:00Andalusia Alabama AL HotelsAllStays has new confirmed evaluations of the following hotels in Andalusia, Alabama as of this writing. So here is the rundown of all hotels that we have in this town. You can click the name for the official website and we list the direct phone number as well.<br /><br /><span class="n"><a href="http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=01070">Best Western Andalusia Inn</a></span> <a href="http:/Services/legend.htm"><img src="http:/images/2stars.gif" alt="hotels rating" border="0" height="10" width="54" /></a> - <span class="d">$$</span><br />305 West Bypass, Andalusia AL 36420, 334-222-9999<br />This is a normal middle of the road Best Western. You get what you expect. No real raves or complaints here. The staff was nice and the room was clean.<br /><a href="http:/Special/petfriendly.htm">pet friendly hotel</a> - pool - restaurant - <a href="http:/Special/high-speed-internet.htm">high-speed internet</a><br />[<a class="map" href="http://booking.allstays.com/hotel/10004884-10192153M.html"> Map </a>] [<a class="chr" href="http://booking.allstays.com/hotel/10004884-10192153R.html"> Check Hotel Rates & Information </a>] [<a class="rve" href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g28992-d72271-m10556-r78268-a_aid.CD1052-Reviews-Best_Western_Andalusia_Inn-Andalusia_Alabama.html" target="_blank"> Hotel Reviews </a>]<br /><br /><br /><span class="n"><a href="http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/hotel/AL035">Comfort Inn Andalusia</a></span> <a href="http:/Services/legend.htm"><img src="http:/images/2stars.gif" alt="hotels rating" border="0" height="10" width="54" /></a> - <span class="d">$$</span><br />1311 East Bypass, Andalusia AL 36420, 334-222-8891<br />Two shifts and two experiences. One shift was rude and the other was cheerful and pleasant. The location is good overall. It's a lottery overall as what you'll experience<br /><a href="http:/Special/high-speed-internet.htm">high-speed internet</a><br />[<a class="map" href="http://booking.allstays.com/hotel/10004884-10196780M.html"> Map </a>] [<a class="chr" href="http://booking.allstays.com/hotel/10004884-10196780R.html"> Check Hotel Rates & Information </a>] [<a class="rvn" href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g28992-d72888-m10556-r78268-a_aid.CD1052-Reviews-Comfort_Inn-Andalusia_Alabama.html" target="_blank"> Hotel Reviews </a>]<br /><br /><br /><span class="n"><a href="http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=08806&brandInfo=DI">Days Inn Andalusia</a></span> <a href="http:/Services/legend.htm"><img src="http:/images/2stars.gif" alt="hotels rating" border="0" height="10" width="54" /></a> - <span class="d">$</span><br />1604 E. Bypass US 84, Andalusia AL 36420, 334-427-0050<br />Room was clean and nice for a Days Inn. What you expect and nothing more.<br /><a href="http:/Special/petfriendly.htm">pet friendly hotel</a> - pool - fitness center - restaurant - <a href="http:/Special/high-speed-internet.htm">high-speed internet</a><br />[<a class="map" href="http://booking.allstays.com/hotel/10004884-10198767M.html"> Map </a>] [<a class="chr" href="http://booking.allstays.com/hotel/10004884-10198767R.html"> Check Hotel Rates & Information </a>] [<a class="rve" href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g28992-d72275-m10556-r78268-a_aid.CD1052-Reviews-Days_Inn_Andalusia-Andalusia_Alabama.html" target="_blank"> Hotel Reviews </a>]<br /><br /><br /><span class="n">Scottish Inn Andalusia</span> <a href="http:/Services/legend.htm"><img src="http:/images/2stars.gif" alt="hotels rating" border="0" height="10" width="54" /></a> - <span class="d">$</span><br />1421 East Bypass US 84, Andalusia AL 36420, 334 222 7511<br />Good location to highway. Showing it's age with wear and tear and some things that probably just won't come clean and should be replaced.<br />[<a class="map" href="http://booking.allstays.com/hotel/10004884-11283711M.html"> Map </a>] [<a class="chr" href="http://booking.allstays.com/hotel/10004884-11283711R.html"> Check Hotel Rates & Information </a>] [<a class="rve" href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g28992-d247960-m10556-r78268-a_aid.CD1052-Reviews-Scottish_Inn_Andalusia-Andalusia_Alabama.html" target="_blank"> Hotel Reviews </a>]<br /><br />Go here for our normal <a href="http:/us-alabama-hotels/andalusia-hotels.htm">Andalusia hotels</a> page.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-40792565307749824662007-07-26T13:11:00.000-07:002007-07-26T13:21:56.362-07:00Hotel Website Design: High End Hotels With Low End WebsitesAn example of a hotel website that violates so many web design rules, that it makes the site almost unusable, is <a href="http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/">Wynn Las Vegas</a>. Don't go there yet. The website has one entry point and is all multimedia. You get sound and video. If you don't have the right browser and the latest version of Flash on your computer, you won't get anywhere. You'll get a blank screen with no option to get any more information.<br /><br />You don't have a newer computer? You are not on a high-speed connection? You are in a library? You have pop-ups blocked or disabled? You work at an office that doesn't have all the bells and whistles in the budget for their computers? You don't want your computer speakers betraying what you are doing on company time? You are listening to your own music or video and don't want to hear Steve Wynn, the owner of this particular hotel, talking to you? Don't go to the official website. This is one of those cases where you get more readable information at a third party travel website like us or others.<br /><br />Whether it is the ego of website designers or the hotel owners, this kind of hotel website makes it difficult for you to be a customer. You shouldn't have to hunt for phone numbers. You can't find a phone number on Expedia, Hotels.com, or Orbitz, so you should be able to easily find it on the official website. Having a website come up as a blank page on millions of computers is like a business having an unlisted phone number and locked doors. You shouldn't have to upgrade your computer to check out a hotel. You shouldn't have to mute your computer or wake up your family (or boss) to check out a hotel.<br /><br />There are many hotel websites that are like this so <a href="http://www.wynnlasvegas.com">Wynn Las Vegas</a> is not unique. We are just picking an example that you may have heard of before.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-14641015777687983492007-07-14T10:00:00.000-07:002007-07-17T08:07:32.788-07:00Camping for Free (and Longer): Fresh WaterBoondocking, camping without hookups, requires you to use your RV differently. Rather than simply just plugging in and hooking up, you have to think about your habits and change them to live comfortably for a longer period of time in your self contained RV.<br /><br />We prefer camping in nice quite places. Just us and nature. Yet we still take showers, run our furnace, connect our laptop to the internet, watch tv, drink hot coffee and ice cold beverages. We have solar panels on the roof of our RV and an expanded bank of AGM batteries so our power feels like it's unlimited. (More on this in other articles.)<br /><br />The biggest challenge to staying out on your own is water and your grey water tank. Here are some of our latest water tips to help stay out longer.<br /><br /><ul><li>Carry extra water jugs. We carry a couple of expandable 5 gallon jugs. You can carry these in storage or in your shower as you drive. We have a filtered water jug that we fill up with this water. We then use that water for coffee, drinking, ice cube trays. We also put a water container with a on/off spout on the edge of the sink for quick rinsing of silverware or cups. This allows us to save the water in the tank for showers. It is easy to fill up the five gallon jugs almost anywhere. And if these are too heavy, use milk jugs or whatever is good for you. Hose hookups are more difficult to find.</li><li><a href="http://www.platypushydration.com/">Platyplus Hydration</a> makes the best bottles we've found. We use them every day as refillable water bottles. They collapse and are light weight, perfect for hiking, backpacks or in your RV where space is important. We freeze them at home and on the road and take them out and about. You'll have cold water for hours as they melt. They make them in sizes from a half liter to 6 liters and you can get them at many sporting goods, outdoor type stores and <a href="http://www.platypushydration.com/dealer_locator/websites.aspx?RightNav=DealerLocator&Inside=2">websites</a>. Get your own water filter or pitcher at home, re-use these bottles and save money (and the land-fills) from buying expensive store water. 25% or more of which is just tap water in disguise anyway.</li><li>Waiting for hot water is the biggest waste. Catch this water in your jugs or a pot and use it for other purposes.</li><li>You can purchase mild anti-bacterial wipes to clean things and use less water. Clean with these wipes and then do a real quick rinse. Unless you use all plastic and paper dishes and utensils. (That creates a waste issue of another kind.)</li><li>Note the size of your black and grey water tanks. Grey water tanks usually fill up much faster. Empty larger water containers (pots, dishwater) down the toilet once in a while. You don't need to use the water pump as you flush and you are shifting the balance of your waste.</li></ul><br />Using some of these tips will help you stay out longer and save money. We love campgrounds but they are expensive to stay in every single night. Every night you boondock or just park somewhere overnight saves you $20 or more, depending on where you usually hook up.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-1062467393736407652007-07-14T09:33:00.000-07:002007-07-14T09:58:13.143-07:00Defined: What is boondocking? (Free Camping)RV Parks are expensive if you are out on the road for any extended period of time. And if you are full time? Well, you know how expensive they are. RVers have long looked for free places to park and do so in greater numbers today. They may call it dry camping, <a href="http:/c/wal-mart-locations.htm">Wal-Mart parking</a> (parking in a parking lot overnight) or boondocking. All of these are just camping without hookups. People used to refer to living out in the boondocks, so boondocking came from that. Camping out in the country far away from utilities and crowds. Dry camping, referring to no water/sewer hookups, can be done in many <a href="http:/Campgrounds/">RV parks</a>, <a href="http:/Campgrounds/state-park-campgrounds.htm">state parks</a>, forest parks or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land.<br /><br />A more recent reference to this term is parking in rest areas, casinos, <a href="http:/c/wal-mart-locations.htm">Walmart (and others) store parking lots</a> and <a href="http:/c/truck-stops-locations-map.htm">truck stops</a>. The noise is getting louder and these are all thrown in together. At AllStays, we have <a href="http:/c/wal-mart-locations.htm">guides for store parking lots</a>, <a href="http:/c/truck-stops-locations-map.htm">truck stops</a> and then we have campground listings. We don't mix them at this time. We do have more remote and primitive camping listings than anyone else but they are listed together with pay locations. So you have all the options.<br /><br />We have also found some small towns that allow free overnight parking right in their town parks. These are few and far between but we are working on a guide to find them.<br /><br />Boondocking now encompasses all of these methods but we prefer to still think of it as being out in the remote wilderness with only the sounds of birds and scurrying animals, not truck engines.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-81726303319840490482007-07-12T17:15:00.000-07:002007-07-12T17:19:34.854-07:00Does Age of Hotel Factor in Your Selection?How long does it take for the average chain hotel to decline? We notice how certain chains come on the scene and then go downhill. The locations either become poorly rated or change brands. A Red Roof Inn becomes a Motel 6. A Travelodge becomes a Thriftlodge. Is this to protect a chain's name? Is it to hide from negative reviews on the internet and in guide books?<br /><br />An entire brand can change over the years as well. Travelodge began as a budget motel in southern California. I recall when Travelodge seemed to try to be more expensive and catered to business travelers in their ads and locations. I stayed at some nice brand new ones in the 1990s. Now some of the worst rated properties are under the Travelodge brand and it's more of a low budget brand than before.<br /><br />Holiday Inn is a brand that had a roller coaster ride over the last thirty years are doing much better now. They have many new or renovated buildings and some old Holidays Inn have changed to another name.<br /><br />Hampton Inn launched in 1984 and have held up well. Many locations are nicer and more expensive than they were when they opened. They recently began a Cloud Nine campaign with better mattresses and their prices tend to be higher than most "budget" hotels. But the reviews we see are also consistently good. Hilton bought the chain in 1999.<br /><br />Many chains have flagship brands that are considered high end and slowly turn those into their lower end brand names over the years.<br /><br />We have been adding build dates to our listings for those who pay attention to that. If a building is only a few years old, it has less chance of being in decline than one built in the 1970s. It would be deemed by most people to be safe. On the other hand, some of the finest hotels in the world may be a hundred years old. So travelers need to look at both age and the brand. A thirty year old EconoLodge is far different than a eighty year old Ritz-Carlton Hotel.<br /><br />Do you or would you consider the age of a property when booking a hotel? Will a "brand new" location look better to you than an older chain location, even if it still has good reviews?- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-33940781277459025872007-07-12T14:50:00.001-07:002007-07-12T14:56:25.961-07:00California Campgrounds and RV Park MapWe finished expanding the west. We added a page that shows all of our <a href="http:/Campgrounds/California-campground-map.htm">Campgrounds and RV Parks in California</a>. This is a huge new page using Google Maps and will need some time to load depending on your connection. This is so you can look at a state map and get an idea of where camps are as you travel. This also gives you an idea of where the more remote areas are and where campgrounds are few and far between. This new California page is for both those in RVs and tent campers as it shows campgrounds down to their most primitive levels, even a walk-in spot along a river. This map includes private, BLM, Forest Service and State Park campgrounds, many of which you won't be able to access with a larger size RV.<br /><br />This is for general planning and <font style="font-weight: bold;">should not be used to find the campgrounds as you drive. These GPS coordinates are just not accurate enough to rely on.</font> It is more about the general vicinity. Use any directions we have on the site or on the official links to find the campgrounds. Check these links first for updates, closures and more detailed descriptions of features and amenities.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-44895111931077612272007-07-02T11:47:00.000-07:002007-07-02T11:57:09.522-07:00Primitive CampingWhat is primitive camping? It is where you'll find campsites, usually further out in nature and away from towns, that are not developed. You'll usually have toilets (but not always) and not much else. No hookups, no running water, no showers, no fancy buildings or amenities. The site may be totally free or a minimal charge that you pay on the honor system. It is usually the Forest Service or BLM that controls these lands. The sites will always accommodate tents and maybe small RVs. It is more difficult to go to these kind of places with big RVs. They may be on remote forest roads or on top of mountains. You may even have to hike or boat in to a site.<br /><br />Primitive camping is common out west where there is more land. Generally, in the eastern half of the United States, you won't find as many primitive options.<br /><br />We love primitive camping and are expanding our listings to include every place we can find, no matter how small or remote. We added some large map pages that help show all places to camp in a state, including primitive campgrounds. We plan on adding more features related to primitive and tent camping in the near future. We realize not everyone has a big rig or wants to stay in crowded RV parks.<br /><br /><a href="http:/Campgrounds/Nevada-campground-map.htm">State of Nevada campground example</a>- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-68419010833944203882007-07-02T11:41:00.000-07:002007-07-02T11:57:53.709-07:00Wal-mart ManagersThis is just a note to clarify something about stores that have "No Parking" signs, as well as those noted as such on our site. If you are at the store or stopping in anyway, go ahead and ask the manager. It may be a local ordinance and they have no choice but to send you away. In many cases, we've heard from travelers where they were welcomed anyway. The signs may be posted as part of a screening process or to discourage trucks and vagrants. Or even to eliminate those who don't bother to ask. They may be happy to have you stay the night if you are a nice respectable RV. Be nice, courteous and brief.<br /><br /><a href="http:/c/wal-mart-locations.htm">Check our Wal-Mart store guide for help, locations and maps.</a>- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-75155242722489513042007-07-02T11:11:00.000-07:002007-07-02T11:17:24.968-07:00Oregon Campgrounds and RV Parks MapAnother state expanded. We added a page that shows all of our <a href="http:/Campgrounds/Oregon-campground-map.htm">Campgrounds and RV Parks in Oregon</a>. This is another large new page using Google Maps and will need some time to load depending on your connection. This is so you can look at a state map and get an idea of where camps are as you travel. This also gives you an idea of where the more remote areas are and where campgrounds are few and far between. You can spend less time scouring your state atlas. This new Oregon page is for both those in RVs and tent campers as it shows campgrounds down to their most primitive levels. This map includes private, BLM, Forest Service and State Park campgrounds, many of which you won't be able to access with a larger size RV.<br /><br />This is for general planning and <span style="font-weight: bold;">should not be used to find the campgrounds as you drive. These GPS coordinates are just not accurate enough to rely on.</span> It is more about the general vicinity. Use any directions we have on the site or on the official links to find the campgrounds. Check these links first for updates, closures and more detailed descriptions of features and amenities.<br /><br />Next to come: California- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-56114269497251730942007-06-30T10:03:00.000-07:002007-07-02T11:27:46.164-07:00Glasgow Airport in Scotland ClosedA burning car slammed into Glasgow Airport terminal in Scotland on Saturday, June 30th. This triggers yet another scare after the UK went on alert over the findings of a couple cars in London with nails and explosives.<br /><br />If you need a hotel in the Glasgow area, <a href="http://booking.allstays.com/nexres/search/power_search.cgi?src=10004884&city=Glasgow&country=GB&clear_cache=y">click here to search for availability.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://news.google.com/?ncl=1117728521&hl=en">See related news articles here.</a>- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-77570643269937623102007-06-29T14:36:00.000-07:002007-06-29T14:51:29.964-07:00Outsourced Travel WebsitesThis is a tough post that no one wants to see in print.<br /><br />Outsourcing is a dirty little secret for many companies, internet companies included. Although no company wants to talk about it, it is in fact a large issue because it affects the bottom line of these companies while it hurts the local economy. The travel industry has felt this impact as well. It is too easy to outsource call center and technical jobs to places such as India. But if jobs keep going away, who is going to have the money to travel and give it to the very same greedy companies that started the downward cycle?<br /><br />Our belief is that if you are calling from the USA, you should get an employee from the USA. If you are calling your favorite travel agent from Great Britain, you probably want to speak with someone from Great Britain as well. Someone who knows the area and can speak your language.<br /><br />Popular travel website companies that outsource many jobs include Expedia/Hotels.com, Orbitz, Priceline, Travelocity and Cendant Hospitality (<span style="font-style: italic;">Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, Wyndham, Baymont, Wingate, Travelodge, Howard Johnson, Amerihost and Knights Inn</span>).<br /><br />We can swear that <span style="font-weight: bold;">AllStays.com </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">does not employ or outsource any job under our control</span>. We don't worry about a stock price and we don't send our own customers out of the country, wherever they may be located. Our website is built here, stored here, programmed here and maintained here. We strongly push for customer service jobs of all industries to remain in this country. Whether we build an office in Las Vegas, London, or Paris, we'll hire locally for that office. For full disclosure however, we do use a outside phone call service center run by another company that remained open in Texas. This company has now begun to outsource some of these positions as well and against our wishes but out of our control. Although we don't agree with this tactic, we are powerless against it at the moment. Until another solution is found, that is what is happening whether we like it or not.<br /><br />So how can you avoid the outsourced position when booking travel? <a href="http:/">Book online right here.</a> Our servers are housed, serviced, secured and maintained in America. Nothing so much as a graphic image on this site was built anywhere else.<br /><br />A more complete list can be found from <a href="http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/popups/exporting.america/content.html">CNN's Lou Dobbs, as a resource for this information here</a>.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-58505715386792925092007-06-28T14:24:00.000-07:002007-06-28T14:30:04.098-07:00Delta Flight 6499: Seven Hours in TarmacvilleAirlines have recently talked about having passenger bill of rights and many have indeed written them up. There is a difference between just writing them and actually following them however. Here is Delta Airlines interpretation of theirs in a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">YouTube</a> video. No food for you!<br /><br />You can also <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=R06dAgpmmbg">join the lively discussion about this video here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/R06dAgpmmbg"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/R06dAgpmmbg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object>- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-31334348054391473682007-06-25T15:53:00.000-07:002007-06-27T16:52:27.102-07:00Idaho Campgrounds and RV Parks MapContinuing our expansion, we added a page that shows all of our <a href="http:/Campgrounds/Idaho-campground-map.htm">Campgrounds and RV Parks in Idaho</a>. This is another large new page using Google Maps and may need some time to load. We like to be able to look at a state map and get an idea of where camps are as we travel. This also gives you an idea of where the more remote areas are and where campgrounds are few and far between. You can spend less time scouring your state atlas. This new Idaho page is for both RVers and tent campers as it shows campgrounds down to their most primitive levels. This includes private, BLM, Forest Service and State Park campgrounds, many of which you won't be able to access with a large RV.<br /><br />Please keep in mind that this is for general planning and <span style="font-weight: bold;">should not be used to find the campgrounds as you drive. These GPS coordinates are just not accurate enough to rely on.</span> It is more about the general vicinity. Use any directions we have on the site or on the official links to find the campgrounds. Check these links first for updates, closures and more detailed descriptions of features and amenities.<br /><br />We have already added these previous large format state pages to most of the western US.<br /><br />Soon to come: California and Oregon.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-58698939134819422172007-06-25T08:51:00.000-07:002007-06-25T09:18:17.982-07:00Gay-Friendly Cities ProsperA recent segment of <a href="http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/inthemoney/">CNN's Inn The Money</a> featured a professor from George Mason University by the name of Richard Florida. He is the author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Creative-Class-Transforming-Community/dp/0465024769">The Rise of the Creative Class</a> and stated that the more "gay-friendly" a city is, the more economically prosperous it can be.<br /><br />He said that the college educated youth are moving to the most "gay-friendly" cities because those cities tend to have the best job markets. Think of <a href="http:/us-california-hotels/san-francisco-hotels.htm">Silicon Valley and San Francisco</a>. Microsoft (and now Google in their expansion) and <a href="http:/us-washington-hotels/seattle-hotels.htm">Seattle</a>. Other cities at the top include <a href="http:/us-massachusetts-hotels/boston-hotels.htm">Boston</a>, <a href="http:/us-oregon-hotels/portland-hotels.htm">Portland Oregon</a> and <a href="http:/us-florida-hotels/tampa-hotels.htm">Tampa</a>-<a href="http:/us-florida-hotels/st-petersburg-hotels.htm">St. Petersburg, Florida</a>. These are cities where open-mindedness leads to innovation and new technology. These cities are prospering and tend to be both more expensive and culturally interesting. You almost don't have to look at hotel room rates in the top and bottom of these lists to know which is doing much better. The gay-friendly cities are much more expensive to visit.<br /><br />The cities at the bottom end of gay-friendly cities? They include <a href="http:/us-pennsylvania-hotels/pittsburgh-hotels.htm">Pittsburgh</a>, <a href="http:/us-alabama-hotels/birmingham-hotels.htm">Birmingham AL</a>, <a href="http:/us-michigan-hotels/detroit-hotels.htm">Detroit</a>, <a href="http:/us-new-york-hotels/buffalo-hotels.htm">Buffalo</a>, <a href="http:/us-north-carolina-hotels/charlotte-hotels.htm">Charlotte NC</a>, and <a href="http:/us-oklahoma-hotels/oklahoma-city-hotels.htm">Oklahoma City</a>. These are not the most prosperous, open-minded cities these days. The kids are leaving and not many new jobs are coming in. The educated youth then goes to where the money and ideas are growing.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-85290829439098349922007-06-22T12:49:00.000-07:002007-06-22T13:19:44.996-07:00Cancellation Fees and Policies In DetailIt is time again to address cancellation policies, fees and charges. Hotels are the ones that charge them but it sometimes appears as if we do.<br /><br />We get emails from upset customers when they are surprised by cancellation charges and sometimes even have to pay for a hotel stay they didn't complete. This anger is directed at us but that fact is that we don't charge any fees at all. The hotel controls the policies and collects the money. We just take all the blame because it's our name on the reservation.<br /><br />Most bookings on <a href="http:/">AllStays.com</a> do not have a cancellation fee at all if it is cancelled by a certain time, usually 24-48 hours ahead of the check in date. However, certain rates are negotiated with the hotels and these include cancellation fees and are clearly stated on the pages for the hotels. Please always read this policy (#3) on the booking page. This is stated before you ever enter your personal information. This fee is in place for about 8,000 out of 54,000 bookable hotels listed. It is part of the contract with the hotels for the cheaper rates. The hotel gets a certain amount of money regardless of what happens in the booking. They are set in that point.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/holiday-inn">Holiday Inn</a> is an example of a hotel chain that gives out discounted rates. Whether booking with us or at the <a href="http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/holiday-inn">official Holiday Inn website</a>, if you book one of those rates and cancel, you will pay between one nights rate and even possibly the entire stay. You basically save $5 or $10 a night to give up the right to cancel.<br /><br />This is one of the most frustrating things about the travel industry these days and we hope you will read all of this to see the concrete proof that we are not the ones that caused fees for a cancellation. If it was up to us there would be no fees at all. But we do not control the hotels policies. We just link to them so you can book your travel. When complaining about fees, make sure to include the hotel. They are the ones that got all the money in fees. We didn't get a dime of it.<br /><br />For example, please check <a href="http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/ratesinfotype/?hotelCode=plral&planCode=iddsr&roomCode=kngniddsr" target="_blank">this link from the official Holiday Inn website for this hotel </a>where they charge you one nights stay for the cancellation. We are picking on Holiday Inn in this case but many of the chains and independents do the same.<br /><br />Because the credit card is accepted by us and passed onto the hotel, the hotel can dictate the fees charged and they appear as if they are coming from us. <a href="http:/">AllStays.com</a> does not get a dime of these fees. Zero. They are charges put upon us by the hotel and/or the GDS network (Global Distribution System) which in this case is <a href="http://www.sabre.com/">Sabre</a> which is the same company as <a href="http://www.travelocity.com/">Travelocity</a>. They control the most number of access points for travel agents. You get charged the fee, we take the heat and get nothing for it. You get mad at AllStays or your local travel agent and the big greedy corporation gets the money.<br /><br />You may still want to blame us for charging fees but you can also look up the same hotel on other travel websites like <a href="http://www.expedia.com/">Expedia</a>/<a href="http://www.hotels.com/">Hotels.com</a> (actually same company), or <a href="http://www.travelocity.com/">Travelocity</a>. You will find in most cases, the same exact cancellation fee and policy.<br /><br />And remember that anytime you make a booking for the next day or the same day you are making the booking, you will be paying for the hotel stay. You can't cancel at that point. You are charged the whole room rate because the hotel doesn't have any time to re-sell that room if you cancel.<br /><br />Because we are always trying to make improvements and want to keep your business, please let us know if there is any way we can make the fee more obvious up front. we state the policy before the booking takes place but we realize it takes time to read the text on the page.<br /><br />We don't answer to any stock price and stockholders like other websites. We answer to you. We really are on your side, the guest, but the rules of the game are tough on independents and those trying to do the right thing.<br /><br />Adam Longfellow<br />President, AllStays.com- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-16852933397867465052007-06-20T17:49:00.000-07:002007-07-12T14:55:29.557-07:00Montana Campgrounds RV Park MapWe just added a new large page that shows all of our <a href="http:/Campgrounds/Montana-campground-map.htm">Campgrounds and RV Parks in Montana</a>. This new page using Google Maps is large and may need some time to load depending on your internet connection. We like to be able to look at a state map and get an idea of where camps are as we travel. This also gives you an idea of where the more remote areas are and where campgrounds are few and far between. You can spend less time scouring your state atlas. (<a href="http://www.benchmarkmaps.com/">Benchmark Maps</a> is our favorite.) This new Montana page is for both RVers and tent campers as it shows campgrounds down to their most primitive levels. We include private, BLM, Forest Service, State and National Park campgrounds, many of which you most likely won't be able to access with a large RV.<br /><br />Please keep in mind that this is for general planning and <span style="font-weight: bold;">should not be used to find the campgrounds as you drive. These GPS coordinates are just not accurate enough to rely on.</span> It is more about the general vicinity than precise locations for these. Use any directions we have on the site or on the official links to find the campgrounds. Check these links first for updates, closures and more detailed descriptions of features and amenities.<br /><br />We have already added these previous large format state pages: <a href="http:/Campgrounds/Arizona-campground-map.htm">Arizona Campgrounds by Map</a>, <a href="http:/Campgrounds/California-campground-map.htm">California Campgrounds by Map</a>, <a href="http:/Campgrounds/Nevada-campground-map.htm">Nevada Campgrounds by Map</a>, <a href="http:/Campgrounds/New-Mexico-campground-map.htm">New Mexico Campgrounds by Map</a>, <a href="http:/Campgrounds/Utah-campground-map.htm">Utah Campgrounds by Map</a>,<br /><a href="http:/Campgrounds/Colorado-campground-map.htm">Colorado Campgrounds by Map</a>, <a href="http:/Campgrounds/Washington-campground-map.htm">Washington Campgrounds by Map</a>, <a href="http:/Campgrounds/Idaho-campground-map.htm">Idaho Campgrounds by Map</a>, <a href="http:/Campgrounds/Oregon-campground-map.htm">Oregon Campgrounds by Map</a>, and <a href="http:/Campgrounds/Wyoming-campground-map.htm">Wyoming Campgrounds by Map</a>.<br /><br />Over time, we will add different icons to distinguish the types of parks on the map. Primitive versus RV sites, etc.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-16427817708224761362007-06-16T18:07:00.000-07:002007-06-16T19:12:03.120-07:00Free City CampgroundsWe pass by many small towns all over the country. We see them fading away with time. Businesses close, people move away, young people relocate to big cities and the population goes down. The only thing expanding is the cemetery.<br /><br />We head to RV Parks in and outside of cities. We pass by rest areas on interstates. We head to State Parks in the country. We pass by Wal-marts and other large stores that let you park for free. They want to treat their customers well and get them in the store to spend money.<br /><br />So why can't small towns do the same?<br /><br />We recently were driving across North Dakota and found a small town of Towner. No pun intended. There are some open businesses and even more closed businesses. One of the showcases of Towner was the Winger Cheese Factory. They have closed due to a lack of small dairy farmers.<br /><br />The town had a nice city park with a couple of hookups, a playground and restrooms. They welcomed RVs to stay there for free. We stopped with enthusiasm. We are happy to stop at the gas station, the local market or convenience store, the coffee shop, whatever a town has left to offer. In this case, the Winger Cheese Factory still had a store open a couple days a week. We bought some cheese.<br /><br />When a town welcomes you to stop and stay, you stop and spend. It is a win for local businesses and the traveler. The loser could be a local campground if there is one. But in most of these towns, there isn't a local campground. These are towns that you bypass on the way to the next spot in Good Sam, Woodalls or whatever guide you are using.<br /><br />Many of us will drive a little less if we can stay and enjoy your warm small town hospitality. So if you are on a local chamber or board, think about this. Do you have a park? Do you have an old parking lot? An old drive-in? An old motel? Maybe some old land that could be turned into something useful to welcome travelers to stay a bit and spend money in your town?- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-38304681223665080782007-04-23T20:47:00.000-07:002007-04-23T20:57:24.510-07:00Parking Overnight at Wal-marts GuidelinesIf you have never stayed or <a href="http:/c/wal-mart-locations.htm">parked at a Wal-mart overnight</a>, please follow some simple guidelines so we don't lose this courtesy.<br /><br />Ask permission. Be polite, friendly, maybe even have a cart of merchandise as you ask the manager. You really don't want security or the police to knock on your door telling you to move in the middle of the night. <p>Don't abuse the privilege by making sure it's just an overnight stop. Leave as early as you can on your trip. You should be gone by 10am or it's becoming a strong case of breaking local vagrancy laws.<br /></p> <p>Don't set up camp. No awnings, lawn chairs, grills and such. If you want to "camp" go find a campground.</p> <p>Show some appreciation. If you stay overnight, buy some supplies, your fuel, breakfast or whatever.</p>Please let us know about your experiences, positive and negative and what Wal-mart location that it happened. Our <a href="http:/c/wal-mart-locations.htm">Wal-mart store guide</a> gets over two thousand visitors a day and this is the place to share your stories.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-90882378273415680362007-03-31T10:27:00.000-07:002007-04-23T20:56:03.092-07:00Average Hotel Prices UpThe average hotel price has increased around 15% in the past year. The industry has recovered and expanded from 2001 when hotel rates dropped sharply to get people traveling again. Some cities have gone way up, like Bangkok at a 55% increase, while others have had a little dip like Washington DC being down by 3%.<br /><br />In general, travel is costing more. If you can plan far enough ahead, booking a room can save you a little money. You can lock in today's rate which may keep going up over the next so many months. Most reservation systems such as ours at AllStays will takes reservations up to about 11-12 months in advance. On the other hand, a major world disaster could drive rates down and you'd have paid a higher rate. It's playing the odds and doing what you are comfortable with to find savings wherever you can.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-32956191616476975292007-03-30T08:36:00.000-07:002007-04-23T20:21:20.026-07:00Spring CampingSpring is in the air. The snowstorms should be mostly done now and it's time to think about getting out the tents and hiking sticks. Or maybe de-winterize the RV. Depending on where you are in the country or where you want to go, there are plenty of options around. Find a National Park (with camping) near you with our <a href="http:/Campgrounds/national-parks-locations-map.htm">handy National Park map guide.</a><br /><br />We are still updating our 2007 rate ranges, updates and closures. Most of the information is still accurate and relevant but always call ahead for current conditions when going into more remote areas of the country.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-55206710566413730612007-02-27T11:33:00.000-07:002007-04-23T20:42:34.938-07:00Check Plane ID Number Status For InformationWith all the weather issues lately and delayed flights, it seemed like a good time to remind people of this tip. When checking your flight status ahead of time, we often think to ask about the flight number. Well this number is always scheduled to be on time. An airline will usually say that it's on time when you call. The plane you want could be 5 hours away and they'll still tell you that your flight is on time. In reality you want the plane id number to tell you how your flight is probably going to go.<br /><br />For example, you are in Cincinnati, Ohio. You call and ask "what is the plane id number for flight 573?" They tell you. Then ask, where is plane 21017 (id) located right now?" They tell you it's in Denver, CO." Well, that tells you that your flight in two hours is probably not on time because the plane is not in route to or already at your airport. Sometimes an airline will substitute a plane but that is rare. Most plans have an itinerary and any plane that is in running order is in use somewhere.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-7777862183315497562007-01-26T10:07:00.000-07:002007-04-23T20:27:50.454-07:00Macau overtakes Las Vegas as capitalMacau overtakes Las Vegas as gambling capital of the world. According to published number by the Macau's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, gambling revenue totaled $6.95 billion in 2006. That number could exceed the estimated $6.5 billion in gambling revenue generated on the Las Vegas Strip in 2006. Many of the Las Vegas hotel casinos have already stated that they are earning more from their hotels, restaurant and entertainment streams than the casino floor. Whereas in Macau, the gambling floors are packed while entertainers play to some empty seats.<br /><br />Las Vegas isn't really losing out. Some of the newest places in Macau that likely threw them into the top position, are owned by Las Vegas billionaires like Wynn Resorts and MGM Mirage.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=macau+gambling&btnG=Search">more on this news here</a>- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-78798062472443862422007-01-16T10:47:00.000-07:002007-04-23T20:30:53.565-07:00Rich Blood and Bed Bugs<span style="font-size:85%;">The <a href="http://booking.allstays.com/hotel/10004884-10207239O.html">Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park</a> is one of the most expensive hotels in London. But even high end hotels can have the same family of bed bugs that a run down motel has in the back end of a city. At one of the most prestigious addresses in London, </span><span style="font-size:85%;">you can pay £464 per night and up to £934 per night for a suite overlooking Knightsbridge</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Sidney Bluming, a New York celebrity lawyer, and his wife, Cynthia, are suing the <a href="http://www.mandarin-oriental.com/">Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group</a>. They stayed at the hotel last May and received amenities they didn't want. They left with </span><span style="font-size:85%;">ugly red marks on their skin left by hundreds of bites.<br /><br />The hotel confirmed there was an isolated infestation in one guest room. However, bed bugs travel with you. They nest in your clothes and luggage and go home with you. So it may have been one guest room, but it spreads from there. The Blumings had to fumigate their New York apartment and throw away clothes, bedding and other personal items.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">On a related note, Alison Trainer, an American opera singer, sued Hilton Hotels with claims that she was bitten by bedbugs at an Arizona location.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&hs=uNX&resnum=0&ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8&tab=wn&ncl=1112748666">Read more official news stories here on Google News</a><br /></span>- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-76394892089799879152007-01-14T11:46:00.000-07:002007-04-23T20:27:50.454-07:00Unusual Winter WeatherThis winter is shaping up as an odd one. Overall, the temps are the warmest ever. Yet in some places like the southwest, it is colder than normal. Recent days have had warmer temperatures in Boston than in Las Vegas or Phoenix.<br /><br />How does this affect travel? Places where you normally go to ski or enjoy winter sports are hurting for business. And some warm destinations aren't so warm either. More people just stay home.- Atag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162294.post-77171076670316557402007-01-07T10:06:00.000-07:002007-04-23T20:27:50.454-07:00U.S. 40 Avalanche Highway Is OpenU.S. 40, hit by a massive Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, Jan 6 was re-opened late that night. It is the main highway between Denver and Winter Park, CO. Concerns for future avalanches is still there after three straight weeks of snow storms.- A