Posted: 28 Jul 2010 05:02 AM PDT

The Travel Troubleshooter • Christopher Elliott > Tribune Media Services | Posted: Sunday, May 23, 2010 12:00 am |

Hotels want to know who you are, especially if you're reviewing them anonymously.

An increasing number of image-conscious properties have begun connecting the dots between unbylined write-ups that appear on such popular travel sites as Trip-Advisor or Yelp, and your personal information, such as your loyalty program preferences.

If you write a positive review, you might expect a reward from the hotel — a gift basket or a discount on your next stay. Pan a property, and you could get a concerned e-mail from the general manager asking you to reconsider your review. You might even get a black mark in the chain's guest database.

John Baird, a lodging consultant in Jacksonville, Fla., says that hotels use locations, dates and user names to triangulate a guest's identity. Once they find a likely match, the review is added to a hotel's guest preference records, next to information such as frequent-guest number, newspaper choice and preferred room type.

"If the post is positive, I can give them a gift basket when they return," he said. Negative? That can generate an e-mail inviting the guest back for a free stay or offering frequent-stayer points as an apology.

"I think matching reviews with guest names is a great idea," he added.

Online review sites such as TripAdvisor don't forbid the posting of personally identifiable information. Unregistered visitors can access details about any user, including an age range, gender, location, "travel style," whether they travel for business or pleasure and even who they travel with. Registered users can send another reviewer a private message through the site. Although TripAdvisor has an extensive privacy policy, the site readily admits, "No website can guarantee security."

April Robb, a spokeswoman for TripAdvisor, said the site considers any effort by a hotel to pressure a guest to remove a negative review to be "fraudulent." Whenever a hotel owner attempts to contact a guest who has posted an unflattering review, a warning appears: "TripAdvisor may penalize owners who attempt to remove reviews through inappropriate threats or coercion."

But privacy policies aren't the biggest obstacles for hotels trying to connect the dots. Rather, it's a hotel's inability to match a name with absolute certainty that makes this exercise more art than science, according to Barry Hurd, the chief executive of Seattle-based 123 Social Media, a reputation management company that works with more than 500 hotels.

"It's hard, because the review services try to anonymize the reviews and the data. They want people to just tell the truth and to assure them there won't be any repercussions," he said. "Hotels, on the other hand, want them to put a name on the review — so that they know who you are."

Hurd says that an overwhelming number of hotels want the information for the right reasons: either to reward a nice review or to reach out to a negative guest to patch things up. And that may be true, for now.

But Hurd says that technology is evolving so fast that in the future, every hotel representative could have a toolbar on his or her computer that reveals everything about a guest at the click of a mouse — every review, guest preference and even the likelihood that you'll be positively or negatively inclined toward your stay.

Helen O'Boyle, a Seattle-based computing consultant, is troubled by hotels that name-match. She is careful not to reveal personal information. "Let's just say that I'm glad my ratings site nicknames don't look like my real name," she said. "And now, if I'm writing a bad review, I fudge the dates a bit and don't mention any particular calamities that might be identifiable with what the hotel knows I experienced — just in case."

I have a few additional recommendations. Zero out your geographic location, and wherever possible, don't answer profile questions such as "I travel with" or "My travel style."

And never, ever, include any information in the review itself that could identify yourself. Those are dots you probably don't want a hotel to connect.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. You can read more travel tips on his blog, elliott.org, or e-mail him at celliott@ngs.org.

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Missing lodging tax payments found

Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:22 PM PDT

YORK — For months, the county commissioners and the York County Visitors Bureau have had a weird feeling. The local hotels and campgrounds have been as busy as usual, but the lodging tax receipts have been way down.

"Something's just not right," Commissioner Chairman Gus Brown said two weeks ago.

Bob Sautter, the executive director of the York County Visitors Bureau (YCVB), said the same thing.

"Everyone says business has been good, but we're just not seeing the influx (of lodging tax funds) that we used to," Sautter said earlier. "It makes you wonder if something's not right."

So they decided to ask for some help at the state level — requesting the Nebraska Department of Revenue to check whether York County's receipts have been actually correct.

This week, the answers came — and in York County's favor.

"Apparently, there was a coding error of some sort and the funds were allocated to Lancaster County, instead of York County," says Sally Ruben, YCVB chairman. "Yes, there was definitely a mistake."

And it was an expensive mistake. Worth $122,000.

"The error was confirmed this morning (by state officials)," Sautter told the county commissioners. "We still don't know exactly how it happened."

Brown said the wrong reporting had probably been going on some 22 months.

"We believe it could have been something as simple as coding," Ruben said again, noting that would have happened at the state level. "We just kept saying the receipts weren't right."

"At least, now we know," Sautter said. "I was talking with my counterpart in Norfolk, and we normally have a considerable higher amount in receipts than they do. But they were even $20,000 ahead of us, so I knew something was wrong. It bothered me that we were consistently down when other counties along the interstate were up or staying the same. It's nice to know what happened."

The amount is substantial, considering total annual receipts have been in the $125,000 to $140,000 range.

Now that the accounting error has been found, the $122,000 will be returned to York County, where it will be placed in the two accounts that support tourism and promotional efforts for this area (with a little more than $61,000 going into each).

York County lodging tax facts

• Hotels, campgrounds collect a local four percent tax

• Two percent goes to county's visitor improvement fund

• Two percent goes to county's visitor promotional fund

• Taxes are paid by visitors to the county

• Intention is to promote tourism, bring more money to county's economy

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Hilton Hotels Welcomes Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O'Hare

Posted: 28 Jul 2010 07:00 AM PDT

$15 Million Renovation Highlights Change to Rosemont Hotel

Press Release Source: Hilton Hotels On Wednesday July 28, 2010, 10:00 am EDT

ROSEMONT, Ill. & MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hilton Hotels today announced that it has reflagged the Rosemont Hotel at O'Hare as Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O'Hare. More than $15 million has been invested in renovations to the property including the guestrooms, corridors, lobby, health club, meeting rooms, restrooms, conference center, grand ballroom, onsite dining areas, exterior landscape and new porte coche.

"With the addition of Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O'Hare, Hilton Hotels continues to grow its portfolio of premium airport hotels, a hotel concept pioneered by our founder, Conrad Hilton," said Dave Horton, global head, Hilton Hotels brand. "This property reflects our leadership in the business and events market and genuine understanding of what today's travelers need and want. The design, location, practical amenities and state-of-the-art meeting facilities at this property will appeal to leisure and corporate guests, as well as meeting and event planners and participants."

The hotel offers 287 guest rooms and 12 suites featuring in-room amenities such as full HD flat-screen televisions, safes, signature Hilton Serenity beds, high-speed Internet and Wi-Fi access. The 24-hour Hilton Fitness by Precor fitness center offers state-of-the-art cardiovascular and strength-training equipment, an indoor heated pool and outdoor tanning deck located on the top floor. Leading hospitality interior design firms Walsh Bishop of Minneapolis and Duncan Miller Design of Dallas were engaged on the project.

Boasting 26 meeting rooms and more than 22,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O'Hare can accommodate various groups and events. The stunning Grand Ballroom features more than 6,900 square feet of space, which can accommodate up to 800 people theatre style or up to 500 people banquet style.

Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O'Hare offers an Executive Conference Center and top-of-the-line telecommunications equipment. Audio/visual systems are available with full conference capabilities in all meeting rooms. All meeting and banquet rooms are conveniently located on the first and second floors to allow for easy transition between rooms. A kosher kitchen is also available for all events and catering requests.

The newly-renovated property features Liberty Tavern, a full-service restaurant offering a celebration of comfort food with a wide variety of regional specialties and all-American favorites. The casual comfortable atmosphere, modeled after the great American grills of the 1920's, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For lighter fare, the hotel's Grab and Go café offers Starbucks coffee, cappuccinos, specialty drinks, breakfast pastries, sandwiches and salads. In-room dining is also available 24 hours a day for guest convenience.

"Between our kosher kitchen, 24-hour room service, and casual to formal dining options, we are offering hotel guests and visitors a multitude of convenient and healthy culinary choices," said Gordon Humbert, general manager, Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O'Hare.

Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O'Hare is located within minutes of Chicago O'Hare International Airport and adjacent to Rosemont's premier meeting and entertainment facilities. It is connected to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center via enclosed sky bridge and sits just two miles from Allstate Arena and within walking distance of Rosemont Theatre. Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O'Hare offers a unique, upscale experience with accessibility to both metro and downtown Chicago. Learn more at www.hiltonglobalmediacenter.com/Rosemont.

About the Hilton Hotels

Hilton Hotels is the stylish, forward-thinking global leader of hospitality that welcomes guests in more countries than any other full-service hotel brand. The Hilton brand currently includes more than 530 hotels and resorts in 76 countries, and plans to serve travelers in 80 countries by the end of 2011. By offering innovative products, services and amenities, Hilton enables travelers to be at their best 24/7, whether traveling for business or leisure. Start your journey at www.hilton.com. Hilton Hotels is one of Hilton Worldwide's ten market-leading brands.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 91 years, Hilton Worldwide has been offering business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,600 hotels and 599,000 rooms in 81 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. For more information about the company, visit www.hiltonworldwide.com.

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Looking for Lolla lodging? Act fast

Posted: 28 Jul 2010 10:33 AM PDT

Posted by Josh Noel

One of the bigger hotel weekends of the year is nearly upon us. It is also known as Lollapalooza.

The three-day Grant Park rock fest -– which counts Lady Gaga, Soundgarden and Arcade Fire among this year's headliners -– is August 6, 7 and 8. A call to the Chicago Office of Tourism revealed that downtown hotels are mostly sold out for the weekend, but a few still have availability, including:

Amalfi Hotel. Limited availability starting at $299 per night.

The Elysian. Limited availability starting at $675 per night. Price includes complimentary rides to the festival in a BMW.

Hard Rock Hotel. Offering a "Groupie 101" package for $499 per night that includes room and several parties and events.

The James. For the big spender in your life, The James is offering a package that includes two passes to the fest, two tickets to an after show each night (MGMT, The National and Phoenix), car service from the hotel to Grant Park and breakfast for two each morning from David Burke's Primehouse. Cost begins at $898 per night with a three-night minimum.

Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel. Rooms available beginning at $264 per night. Offering up to 25 percent off the best available rate with a non-refundable pre-pay promotion up to seven days prior to arrival (so hurry if you want to apply it to Lolla).

The Trump. Limited availability starting at $575 per night.

Among those full are: Best Western River North, Congress Hotel, Chicago Marriott Downtown, Palmer House Hilton, The Sax, the InterContinental, the Park Hyatt, all Kimpton properties (Monaco, Burnham, Allegro and Palomar), Hotel Felix, Hilton Chicago, Days Inn Chicago, and Homewood Suites.

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Hotels Lodging

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

“Hotels try to identify authors of anonymous online reviews” plus 3 more

“Hotels try to identify authors of anonymous online reviews” plus 3 more

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