TravelLeisureNews

May 2008 – How best to celebrate Florida’s hottest new hotel? Check in! Recently opened in the affluent enclave of Bal Harbour Village, The Regent Bal Harbour is welcoming guests with privacy, exclusivity and luxury, the likes of which Miami has rarely seen. All that and much more, including enticing rates this summer season, are yours to experience with the Regent Opening Rates from the first luxury hotel to open in Bal Harbour Village in over 50 years.

Located down the street from the world-renowned Bal Harbour Shops and only fifteen minutes from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale’s international airports, The Regent Bal Harbour is South Florida’s new name in luxury. The hotel boasts dramatic ocean views from each of its 124 guest rooms and bathrooms, never more than two guest rooms per floor; a $4 million, privately-commissioned art collection with works by established and emerging American artists; as well as the first Guerlain Spa in North America, standing at 10,000 square-feet. Stylish interiors are dressed up with rich colors and textures, while signature restaurant 1 Bleu boasts only the second Le Cordon Bleu restaurant collaboration in North America, offering contemporary dishes of the freshest local seafood and green market provisions accented with Mediterranean flair. Read more

May 1, 2008 – St. Maarten in May means fun for mom at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino. With the resort’s new Mum’s the Word package, mothers and daughters indulge with four-nights of fun at the Good Life Spa, relaxing beachfront accommodations, playful island vibes and more!

Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino’s Mum’s the Word package includes:

• Four nights accommodations
  
• Daily breakfast
• Two 55-minute massages
  
• Two manicures
• Two pedicures
  
• Two traditional facials
  

Package is priced at $1,000 based on double occupancy. Valid for travel May 1-31, 2008. Not combinable with other offers. Read more

May 1, 2008 – This May, guests who book a two-night stay Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday at the newly-renovated Hyatt Regency Sarasota will receive a coupon for half off another weekend stay, June 1 – Sept. 30, 2008. The Stay in May, Come Back and Play promotion is just one of three promotions launching at the hotel that present exceptional value.

Though gas prices continue to rise, Hyatt Regency Sarasota guests can keep travel costs to a minimum with a Staycation. Guests booking a minimum two-night stay from May 1 – through Sept. 30, 2008, will receive a $50 American Express gift card for each room reservation as well as complimentary valet service during their stay. The gift card allows guests to refill their tanks or treat themselves to dinner and drinks at Hyatt’s new Currents restaurant during their stay. Read more

April 2008 - Eco-savvy travelers can now enjoy luxury, style and a commitment to sustainability when they visit two premier hotels. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Lexus are partnering to unveil two "Lexus Hybrid Living Suites" geared for eco-conscious visitors, with the first to launch at The Fairmont San Francisco, followed by The Fairmont Washington, D.C. in conjunction with Earth Day 2008.

Guests can sleep, eat and drink sustainably in these unique suites, with every aspect of the room meticulously planned for the eco-minded traveler, incorporating ideas and products from Lexus Hybrid Living partners (lexus.com/hybridliving). Complimentary use of a Lexus LS 600h L awaits the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite visitor who wishes to explore the area in the comfort of a low-emission luxury car that spoils the driver, not the environment. Read more

April 22, 2008 – With women-only vacations still a popular trend among female friends and family looking to bond and share experiences “among the girls,” the Sheraton Cable Beach Resort is offering a special Girlfriend Getaway Package for mothers, daughters, sisters and girlfriends seeking a female-friendly trip to relax, have fun, and reconnect along the beautiful beaches of Nassau, Bahamas.

Girls can have fun when they book Sheraton Cable Beach Resort’s special Girlfriend Getaway Package*, which offers a variety of “girl-bonding” inspired upgrades and amenities such as:

• Ocean View Room
• Breakfast daily at the Bimini Market Restaurant
• One welcome cocktail at the Telegraph Bar (per person)
• One snorkeling trip at Stuart Cove (per person)
• Amenity of wine and cheese delivered to room day of arrival
  

The Girlfriend Getaway Package starts at $309 per night based on double occupancy and requires a minimum three-night stay. Read more

April 2008 – Park City Mountain Resort, in partnership with its parent company Powdr Corporation, today announced that it will offset 100 percent of its power from renewable energy sources beginning in June 2008.

Park City Mountain Resort's purchase of 13.9 million kWh of renewable energy credits (RECs) will avoid nearly 19 million pounds of CO2 emissions annually, which is equal to removing 1,853 passenger vehicles from the road or powering 1,100 average American homes for a year.

"Our decision to offset 100 percent is another positive step towards our commitment to environmental sustainability," said Peter Curtis, president and general manager of Park City Mountain Resort. "Our team works to identify ways that we can reduce our carbon footprint to ensure the continuation of our mountain lifestyle and the quality of life it provides us." Read more

March 31, 2008 -- Think you can’t take a month-long holiday and still keep your business or family finances from taking a permanent vacation? Think again. This summer, Home Office Highway: A Digital Adventure – will hit the road to prove vacation and vocation can travel hand in hand.

Setting off July 4th weekend in a recreational vehicle packed with the latest small office technology, Jeff Zbar and his family will showcase just how productive the modern family can be when traveling the nation’s highways. Wife, Robbie, will manage the family’s home finances. Their kids will stay connected with friends. And Zbar, a widely published technology columnist and author, will chronicle the adventure each day in blogs and videologues as the RV travels from up the Eastern Seaboard – and back again. Read more

March 26, 2008 --Wayfinder, the leading supplier of innovative location and navigation services for mobile phones, today announced that it is introducing its Wayfinder Active™ application in the U.S. and Canada. Wayfinder Active is a free GPS application for mobile phones with a unique combination of maps, GPS recording and statistics that is designed for people who enjoy running, hiking, skiing, biking or other outdoor activities.

Wayfinder Active is a simple, fun, safe and social way to stay connected to others with similar outdoor interests. Once the application is installed on a mobile phone, each user will have access to a world wide map and the ability to record and share routes with a single keystroke. Users can follow in the footsteps of friends’ adventures and training routes by importing routes and tracks directly from and to their mobile phone. Wayfinder Active’s integrated online community, ActiveOutdoor, takes outdoor activities to the Internet, with an innovative, user-friendly and measurable way of sharing outdoor activities. Each activity is recorded in a standard GPX format, and the route is then uploaded to the Internet. If needed, users can preload a specific route onto the phone’s caching memory so they can enjoy their activity without thinking about where they are going. Once a route or training trail is completed, the activity is automatically uploaded to the online community. Read more

March 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- After more than 80 years of bringing people together through the air, American Airlines is now bringing people together through cyberspace on Facebook Platform.

American Airlines has launched Travel Bag, an exciting new application on Facebook Platform that makes it easy for users to share travel experiences with friends in their network; to offer and read reviews and comments on things such as restaurants and shops; and even to create countdowns for upcoming events or trips to let friends know what they're doing to. Read more

March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort announces its Summer Family Fun Promotion, perfect for family travelers seeking a unique and fun filled vacation.

Available June 29 - October 19, 2008 the Summer Family Fun Promotion offers hotel amenities for all guests of the property including a welcome 'Cabo Cooler,' and surprises for children, daily 'Vacation Station' activities, family 'Dive-In' movie and Mexican cooking classes twice a week, kids spa treatments discounted 50% with purchase of a 50-minute treatment, and 10-minute poolside massages. Additional amenities include complimentary use of the Hilton shuttle and wireless Internet access. Starting room rate for June - October 2008 is $229, excluding tax. Read more