Season's Greetings

And much happy, healthy & safe traveling.

"Reputation Management" Tarnishes Credibility of Customer Reviews

Some hotels pressure guests to writer favorable online reviews -- sometimes even before they've stayed

"It's not enough to ask guests for a write-up on a popular site such as TripAdvisor or Yelp after they've checked out. Lately, some innkeepers have been pressuring their customers to say positive things online — in extreme cases, even before they've checked in.

"Take what happened to Pam Stucky when she recently made a reservation at a small hotel in Scotland. Before she arrived, the owner sent her an e-mail soliciting a recommendation on TripAdvisor, even though she'd never been to the hotel."

That was the lead consumer advocate Christopher Elliott used in his syndicated "Travel Troubleshooter" column that appeared in today's Denver Post travel section. "called "Some hotels cross the line for a good review" was the title of the column about some properties' practice of "reputation management" of consumer reviews on the Internet. Big Internet sites have policies in place to assure that reviews are legitimate and untainted. TripAdvisor.com's is,  "Property owners are welcome to encourage their guests to submit user reviews upon their return home, but they are not allowed to offer incentives, discounts, upgrades, or special treatment on current or future stays in exchange for reviews."

Neither this site nor my http://www.culinary-colorado.com/ have the rep or the reach of Tripartite.com or Chris Elliott's various online, print and broadcast presence, but fans and foes of specific businesses have tried to sway customers to or from a place. This has happened with my culinary blog more often than this travel blog.

Back in 2008, I posted news of Duy Pham, a classically trained chef who had been with several noteworthy Denver restaurants, who opened Restaurant Fifteen Twentyone in Pueblo, a city known more for its Mexican food and blue-cheese curds than for French bistros. Someone who clearly had it out for him left some nasty, unsubstantiated accusations as comments to my posts, all under the cloak or anonymity. I deleted them, not because I believe any restaurant or other business is immune to criticism, but undocumented, anonymous vituperative comments have no place here. I haven't been in Pueblo in a while, but as far as I can tell, it's still around -- no mean feat in a struggling community and a shaky national economy.

On the flip side, I didn't have much good to write about the food at Boulder's Scotch Corner, a pub with a great location, good booze, abysmal food and questionable service. I try to give any business the benefit of the doubt when I write, because I am mindful of the challenges they all face, but in my post, I took the kitchen to task about such simple-to-rectify issues as toast that was burned on one side and untoasted on the other, square pastry dough placed on a round pot-pie so that it came out with four burned triangles, two salt shakers and no pepper on our table, and no shakers of either sort on others, I suspected that the owners encouraged their loyal customers to leave comments debating my evaluation. If they had trained their kitchen and waitstaff a little better, the pub might still be in business -- although more likely, the high cost of occupying a large space on a visible downtown corner was partly an issue in its demise.

But back to the original topic, we travel writers are always suspected of being unobjective because travel providers court us with generous hospitality. I would like to think that we can be more objective because we have been to more hotels, flown on more airlines, have dined out more, etc. than the overage traveler who could be more susceptible to the offer of an upgrade or some other perk in exchange for a favorable post somewhere.

Elliott cited MeasuredUp.com, a social network site created in 2006 to enable customers to review and rate how how businesses have treated them. It serves as a conduit for complimentary or aggrieved customers to the appropriate individuals or departments in a business and for those businesses to respond. Travel is one of MeasuredUp.com's categories. If you have a comment or complaint, it's another avenue to get the word out, pro or con. And of course, TripAdvisor. Yelp and other social networking sites do welcome legitimate, uninfluenced comments.

Viscape's List of Top Travel Blogs

Travel Babel named as one of Viscape's Top 15 for 2008

Viscape (short for "Visualize Your Escape") has included this blog on its list of the top 15 travel blogs of the year. I'm thrilled to be included on the site describes itself as "a social marketplace for travelers, owners, and real estate professionals to come together to network, exchange ideas, conduct business, meet and organize trips around vacation properties and second homes." Of their selection, they wrote "Viscape really wanted to gear this to individuals sharing their passions and travel experiences, but some of the 'big dogs' in travel blogging can’t be ignored. (Ah..hem… National Geographic being the biggest)! Happy reading and happy travels!"

Here's the list of their 15 selected travel blogs and Viscape's comments on why they selected these:

1. National Geographic Intelligent Travel - "... they use those already extensive resources to create an entertaining and very informative blog about the known and unknown places of the world."
2. Traveling Mammas - "...great tips on great (and not so great) places to visit with children and how to have the best family vacations [by] four ladies [who] are a true traveling inspiration!"
3. Brooke vs. the World - "Brooke is a 25-year-old traveler from central Illinois on an extended journey to see the world....she made a promise to spend a large part of her life experiencing cultures other than her own."
4. Everything-everywhere - "[Blogger] Gary Arndt has... one goal in mind: see everything there is to behold....See what he sees through both words and photographs."
5. Travel Babel - "Claire Walter is a travel writer and began blogging in 2006. Now, she shares with her readers the latest news and trends of the travel industry."
6. Olga the Traveling Bra - "Want a good laugh, but still be informed?...Specializing in travel adventures that won’t disappoint!"
7. Killing Batteries - "Leif Petterson’s blogs are more than just fun and educational to read; they’re hilarious as well...."
8. The Perrin Post - "Travel tips from Conde Naste Traveler Magazine’s Wendy Perrin.... consumer news editor. She writes a practical advice column...[and] features on a wide variety of travel topics."
9. The Lost Girls - "Three twenty-something New Yorkers who ditched their media jobs to embark on a yearlong, round-the-world journey in search of adventure and inspiration."
10. LA times Daily Travel Deals Blog - "Hand-picked advice about travel deals and steals from some of the most comprehensive globe trotters on this side of the equator!"
11. Gas.tron.o.my - "If trying new food dishes is one of the sole reasons for visiting new places, then you should be reading Gas.tron.o.my...."
12. Travel Betty - "All about fearless travel for women! ...Travel From pampering to roughing it, [Travel Betty is] an experience collector [who] desires to be the old woman with the good stories. To her, travel is freedom."
13. Candy from Strangers - "Join the ever-lasting search for the best piece of chocolate or perhaps lollipop. Malena, a candy lover (like us) travels all around the world searching for the next best piece of candy...."
14. Delicious Baby - "...Take advice from Debbie, someone who can help make travel with your kids exciting (she has two delicious children of her own) and more enjoyable for everyone."
15. Viscape - "Are you visualizing your escape this minute? Well, Viscape can help you find the perfect place to stay or go on your next vacation. Read all about the latest trends in the real estate and the travel markets."

Bad Air Year

The year 2008 has not been kind to airlines -- or passengers

The Colorado media has, of course, been reporting extensively on the crash-and-burn of Continental Flight 1404, which had just taken off from Denver International Airport bound for Houston International. "DIA Crash Injures 38," the Sunday Denver Post page-one headline trumpeted. "Plane Mishap Hurts 38," wrote the kinder, gentler Boulder Camera. The Boeing 737 airliner accident was all over the airwaves all weekend long. The plane veered off the runway, shed an engine somewhere along the way, burst into flames and came to battered and bruised rest near an airport fire station.

It got me thinking about how cavalier many of us travelers tend to be about reading the safety in instruction card that shows where emergency exits are located, and whether or not we are the best passengers to wrestle with the emergency door, should the plane need to be evacuated. It also got me thinking about what a tough year 2008 has been for air travelers. Here are just a few of the incidents and accidents I've blogged about this year:

• With uncharacteristic snow and ice this week in the Pacific Northwest, service has just about come to a halt at Sea-Tac International Airport, with the most flight cancellations in 30 years, according to tonight's "ABC News." On the other side of the country, New York airports were reporting delays of up to five hours, as well as dozens of flight cancelations, as was Chicago's O'Hare, which is a chronic winter mess.
• Close to home, Denver International Airport became less international when United dropped its Denver-London nonstop just seven months after inaugurating it, and Lufthansa halted its Denver-Munich nonstop after 1 1/2 years of service.
• Elsewhere just this year, America's skies are no longer plied by TED (United's low-fare airline), Mesa Airlines (a Delta commuter partner), SkyBus (based in Ohio), Aloha Airlines (based in Hawaii) and ATA (based in Indiana). Denver-based Frontier is still flying, but under Chapter XI bankruptcy protection.
• As aviation fuel prices rose over the spring and summer and the recession of 2008 began taking hold, other airlines trimmed flights, mothballed aircraft. bumped more passengers than ever and began charging (or charging more) for checked luggage, curbside check-in, inflight food and even soft drinks, more desirable seats, flight changes and other formerly included services. Av-gas is down, but these add-on fees largely remain in place.
• The Transportation Security Agency has reportedly terminated 465 screeners for pilferage since May 2003. The TSA has demonstrated ineptitude, even wehen there is no malfeasance. you can read some terrible but true TSA tales here and here. The agency also introduced an intrusive full-body scanner at some US airports.
• Violent an anti-government protests in once peaceful Thailand resulted in the closure of airports in Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi and elsewhere for more than a week in late November and early December. Protestors belonging to a group called the People's Alliance for Democracy took over Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport , using the electricity and water and stranding more than 300,000 would-be air travelers, including 240,000 foreign tourists.
• Heathrow's highly anticipated Terminal 5 had such fatal computer problems that instead of a grand opening, it was a grand fiasco. At least 250 British Airways flights were canceled, stranding thousands of passengers and separating 15,000 or 20,000 pieces of luggage from their owners.
• XL Travel and its charter airline went out of business. XL had been a major player in Britain's tourism industry.

P.S. on December 24 - More Air Travel Woes

The Christmas Eve travel news on cnn.com's home page included:

• 18 passengers treated at scene after exposure to de-icing fluid, and fumes send seven Alaska Airlines crew members to the hospital [in Seattle]
• AirTran jetliner skids off runway in Moline, Illinois, TV station reports
• Weather delays Christmas Eve flights across country

P.S. II on December 26 - Still More Air Travel Woes

Now it was Southwest Airlines' turn to do an airport slide. Southwest Flight 688 leaving snowy Chicago's Midway Airport for snowfree Los Angeles slid off a slick taxiway today (Friday) and got stuck snow along the shoulder. Ninety-eight people were aboard, and there were no injuries.

P.S. III on December 27 - Partial Blackout at DIA

A power outage on Saturday, December 27, affected Denver Interational Airport, not the three concourses (or, as they are now called, gate terminals) and not the control tower -- but, you guessed it: the security area, which lost power. The Transportation Security Administration screeners had to do manual security checks, meaning that everyone was patted down or wanded, and all carry-ons were opened. The delay to pass through security was reported to be about 45 minutes. The airport estimated that 155,000 travelers were expected to pass through DIA on Saturday. Oh, the humanity!

P.S. IV on December 31 - The Year's Airline Casualty List

The Cranky Flyer has helpfully posted a list of all the airlines that he knew to have gone out of business in 2008. As a wrote initially, it has been a bad air year.

West Virginia Coal Miner Play

Current coal mine tragedy brings poignant play to mind

Back in 2005, the Denver Center Theatre Company put on "Fire On The Mountain," an achingly poignant musical drama about about the lives and hardships of coal miners in the Appalachian Mountains. Amid the poverty, the heartache and the tragedy, the performers celebrated the mountain culture, lifestyle, challenges and heroics communicated by Appalachian bluegrass music and dancing that revealed its Celtic roots. With soaring voices, fiddles and banjos, the cast communicated the indomitable spirit of the miners and their families.

"Fire On The Mountain" has played in a few other cities besides Denver -- Chicago, Louisville, maybe some others that I couldn't find and New York. Here's a description of the off-Broadway production as seen through New York eyes:

"From the creators of MET’s runaway hit Hank Williams: Lost Highway — is a masterful blend of musical theater and oral history. Drawn from interviews with Coal Miners from West Virginia and Kentucky, Fire on the Mountain's text is intertwined with some of the greatest traditional music and union songs to come out of America in the 20th Century. Actors and musicians (all from Appalachia) share the spotlight, with the latter made up of some of the finest pickers and strummers to ever grace a New York stage at one time.

Powerful social history, moving family drama, and incredible songs (think O Brother, Where Art Thou?) make Fire on the Mountain one of the most unusual and exciting entries of the upcoming Off-Broadway season."

When my husband and I saw it in Denver, we stayed for a talkback with the actors following the performance. The exchange between cast and audience was both beautiful and sad. Many many audience members came from mining families -- some current, some reaching back into Colorado history -- and all were able to identify with what happened on stage. If "Fire On The Mountain" comes to a theater near you, go see it. If it returns to  this area, I'd gladly go again.

Carry-Ons in the Overhead? Spirit Charges $45

Nudist resorts jump on this lousy new policy to promote the "Nakation" concept

Spirit Airlines has positioned itself as a low-fare airline, further dangling the carrot of attractive MasterCard benefits in front of passengers. But now they've added a cruel new stick, if you'll excuse the scrambled metaphor, by charging $45 (yes, forty-five dollars) for each carry-on that goes into the overhead bin, beginning August 1. What a wretched idea, paying $90 roundtrip for luggage that passengers themselves handle  -- one that I hope doesn't catch on.

Miami is their hub, and they fly to/from several other South Florida airports too. From/to points north, flights serve Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angles, Myrtle Beach New York (LGA), To the south, they fly to/from a bunch of Caribbean islands, Cancun in Mexico, several Central American cities, Columbia and even Lima, Peru.

Arthur Frommer, who has been helping travelers save money since he wrote "Europe on $5 A Day" decades ago, too Spirit to task for this terrible policy. In a blog post, he noted, "According to USA Today, Spirit receives three times the number of complaints made each year about the much larger Southwest Airlines. Its policies of customer service (or lack of it) have been widely discussed and condemned.[Then he wrote about the $45 bag fee]...Since Spirit also charges for suitcases checked aboard such a flight (it was the first airline to do so), a passenger can avoid such expense only by traveling without any luggage at all. It's hard to imagine a more inflammatory action."

"Nakationers" Save Luggage Fees

I have to hand it to the American Association of Nude Recreation for responding quickly to Spirit's new baggage-on fees by pointing out that, "Traveling with luggage is an ever-increasing inconvenience and expense - even if you don’t check your bag." The association points out that for a "Nakation" – a vacation in one of its 250 members -- the all of the necessities for a week (sunscreen, cap, sunglasses, shoes and toiletries) can go in a small carry-on that will fit under the seat, avoiding even Spirit's crappy carry-on bag fees. To avoid one last hassles involving security screening, don't bring one large sunscreen but rather two or three that are 3 ounces or less, Put them in a one-quart, clear plastic zip bag along with such optional toiletries as deodorant (well, maybe that should be optional), lip balm, contact lens solution, etc.

I've often joked (not within any official's earshot) that if the Transporation Security Agency screening becomes any more intrusive, we'll all have to go through the checkpoints butt-nekkid. Call it a pre-Nakation.

Frontier Introduces Three-Tier Fare Pricing

Frontier now offers a more customizable fare structure

Denver-based Frontier Airlines (route map right) has introduced air fares on three price tiers that it cleverly calls AirFairs: the "economy" fare with nothing included (no checked included and no flexibility to change tickets), the "classic" fare (including two checked bags, snack and drink, and in-flight television) and the fully refundable "classic plus" with checked luggage and in-flight entertainment also included.

The "classic" fare starts at about $20 more than the "economy" fare and includes two checked bags and an in-flight movie, which the airline reminds passengers is a $46 saving right there. Higher tiers also net more points for members of its Early Returns frequent-flyer program.

Take only a carry-on and bring your iPod, and "economy" will probably suffice. Traveling on business and need tun-on-a-dime fare flexibility, and "classic" or "classic plus" might be the fare for you. The new fare structure was soon compared (favorably) with Southwest's flexible "business select," "anytime" and "wanna get away" fares. To book it, you have to buy your ticket from the Frontier website, because Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity and other booking sites display only one fare class for each flight.

Meanwhile, sometime on Tuesday, Denver International Airport expects its 50 millionth passenger of 2008 to travel through. The city is planning to make a big deal of this, with Mayor John Hickenlooper planning to greet whoever that person might be and pass out commemorative items of some sort to passengers on hand. Despite the recent erosion in air travel, this will be a record year for DIA. In 2006, a record 49.8 million flew in or out of DIA.