Author: blogger
There is no doubt that one of the most visited cities in the world is New York. Being center to almost everything, like art, business, and entertainment, it is not surprising that this city is visited by over 39 million people every year. That is why Luxury hotels New York City is very much in demand to give the proper accommodation to the millions of tourist that visit the big apple.
There are a lot of luxuries hotels that tourists can choose from, all of them vary in one thing or another but the sure thing is all of them offer nothing but superb service and accommodation. You can also be assured that all hotels are equipped with state of the art facilities.
One of the best Luxury hotel New York City is The Carlyle, a rosewood hotel. This hotel is second home to a lot of famous and highly respected personalities. This exquisite hotel is ideally positioned in the Madison Avenue. It offers various great services that guests will surely find very pleasing. They have a state of the art spa facility and fitness center for those who want to unwind from all their stress. They also have an onsite fine dining that serves great food. This hotel also has a high speed access to the internet.
Another pride of the collection of the Luxury Hotels New York City is the James hotel. This hotel is sophisticatedly designed so as to provide a comfort and style to the guests; it features a lot of great services like state of the art technology and guest centric service. They have provided a large stylish room for banquets and meetings. There is also a fine dining that serves good food near the hotel. Surely, this hotel will be able to provide all the services you will be looking for in a hotel accommodation.
The James hotel also belongs to the myriad of Luxury hotels New York City that speaks of luxury and superb service. Its stunning design, overseen by the famous and legendary Jacques Grange that features artworks from famous artists who have been compromised to create unique masterpieces for the hotels collection of great artworks is what really captures the heart of their guests. Aside from its stunning exterior and interior design, it also offers superb hospitability and service, not to mention the world class facilities they offer their precious guests.
Things are really starting to heat up in the northern town of Pinetop, Arizona in preparation for the 20th Annual White Mountain Bluegrass Music Festival. Music lovers from all over the country will be staying at hotels in Pinetop AZ to check out this years exciting event August 14 and 15th at the Hon-Dah Resort & Casino.
As usual, this years festival features a Dutch Oven Cook-off. To be part of this competition, entrants must be members of the International Dutch Oven Society, cook over a charcoal fire up off the ground and use ingredients prepared from scratch on site including cutting of meat, vegetable, other ingredients and marinating. This is an exciting and time-honored part of the festival and each category is judged by professional, qualified judges.
The White Mountain Bluegrass Festival features bands and other groups from the Southwest. Ben Sandoval is a featured performer who has been involved in folk music, old time fiddling and bluegrass and old-time country music since the 70s. Ben has been very active organizing other shows including the Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival in 1979, the Gisela Bluegrass Festival in 1981 and the Prescott Bluegrass Festival in 1982, the Morman Lake Festival and Paysons White Mountain Bluegrass Festival.
This years festival will also feature Mark Phillips and Third Generation Bluegrass Band. Mark started playing bluegrass at the age of 14 with his father, Wayne Phillips, who formed the band. Mark’s first instrument was the banjo. He currently plays guitar for the band as well as the mandolin and the bass and sings most of the leads. The band also features Roger Starnes, a Fort Worth Texas native who plays banjo, guitar, mandolin and dobro. Kendall Murphy is also in the band as well as Michael Morrison and
Jake Gathright – the newest member of IIIrd Generation who plays mandolin.
The White Mountains Bluegrass Festival is conveniently located near many Pinetop Arizona hotels and also features the music of The Bost Family, a six piece, hard-driving, bluegrass band from Cochise County, Arizona. The festival also includes gospel music on Sunday, jam sessions, family entertainment, food and some arts & crafts.
HOSPITALITY IPTV True Unified Communications for Hotels
IPTV is the new buzz word in the hospitality sector and with good reason as it opens up a whole new world of interactivity and endless possibilities, which ultimately increases guest satisfaction and if designed correctly, will increase hotel revenue. However according to Wowtels managing director, Pietro Casoar, (www.wowtel-dreamwise.com), the Dreamwise IP unified communications system can provide much more than just TV to hotels. In this article we shall explore some critical elements that can dramatically benefit hotel operators by implementing the Wowtel Dreamwise system.
Lets take a look at some of the key points regarding the current conventional technology used in vast majority of hotels today. Conventional TV systems (Hotel MATV) consist of 2 main features:
A limited number of Live TV channels due to the coaxial cable networks installed
NVOD or Near Video On Demand
the technology falls short of providing any additional information and interactive services that may provide any real benefit to the guest and hotel at the same time. NVOD in itself is quite limited and is more than an inconvenience to guests as it requires them to wait for the movie to start, rather than immediately viewing the movie once the movie purchase has been made, says Mr. Casoar.
Standard MATV Technology
The overwhelming majority of hotels currently use standard MATV systems to provide TV to their guests via RF (radio frequency) equipment and cable called coaxial cable which was invented by Oliver Heaviside way back in 1929. Although the cable is widely used in most hotels and is a legacy technology, it is utilized to provide TV channels, NVOD movies and some promotional media. However according to Mr. Casoar, MATV systems fall short of giving any real interactivity or depth to the hotels communications network. What most people dont realise with current hotel MATV systems is that even though the channels come from a digital source, in 99% of cases the channels are actually converted and broadcast in analogue, thus greatly reducing picture quality, adding probability of interference which most of the time results in snow, thus, amongst so many other factors, basically resulting in a sub-standard service compared to todays high standards. Whereas our Wowtel Dreamwise system works on full digital IP technology, bad picture quality doesnt exist in our systems, says Mr. Casoar.
Conventional TV system shortcomings:
Channels are broadcast in Analogue and in standard definition
No High Definition Channels are possible using analogue
Poor picture quality TV channels
Susceptibility to Interference
Lack of personalization for guests
Limitation of the number of TV channels offered
Incapacity to provide interactive features to guests
No capacity to provide interactive e-commerce or marketing
Why use IPTV over the current analogue Hotel MATV Systems?
IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is a system which Television Channels and Movie content is converted into data and transported through an IP network (a LAN) using either the hotels existing standard copper telephone cables thus eliminating the need for re-cabling or with Fibre Optic or Category 6 cables in new hotels. The digital data is then transported through the IP infrastructure, directly to each room via an IP Set Top Box or IP Television Set and guests can simply access the TV channels and other content using a standard TV remote control. For more advanced usage such as writing documents, emails etc… a wireless keyboard can be used.
What this means is that not only can the hotel now provide 1080p high definition Television and real Video On Demand (VOD), but other technologies such as IP Telephony, Internet and fully interactive promotional services can now be provided to each guest using the same single I.P. network infrastructure thus resulting in reduced cabling and labour costs whilst significantly adding value to the hotels communications system.
What are the highlights that make Wowtel-Dreamwise IP System the best choice?
No limitations on the number of TV channels that can be provided to guests
Provide a comprehensive local and international TV and radio channel line up
True Video On Demand (VOD) with full Play/Pause/Rewind/Fast Forward capabilities
On Demand free movie trailers to encourage movie purchase
Additional local and international Radio Channels (Via satellite and Internet)
Music On Demand (Inc. Music Video) with literally thousands of music titles
Fully customized guest interface and Middleware
Private messaging from front desk to guest
E-commerce and in-house shopping from TV screen
Targeted Direct marketing and Promotions
Full Interactive capability
Personalization services
Online bookings via the TV screen/remote control
Real time weather reports, flight information and other information services
Guests can view their bill before checkout
Full PMS integration for single billing solutions on guest checkout
What are some other services that can be added to the Wowtel-Dreamwise system?
Real time automated IP Security and Monitoring
Hacker detection, Anti-Hacker response and guest protection
24/7 Quality control
IP Telephony and VoIP Communications (including Skype Connectivity)
IP CCTV Security Video Cameras (Including PTZ)
IP Public Address (for security and mood creation requirements)
IP Access Control
IP Intercom
Secure and Encrypted Remote Access
Business applications and Video Games
What are the main benefits for Hotels?
Additional and Increased Revenue Generation
Improved Customer Satisfaction
Immediate Customer Service Response
Interactive Advertising and Promotional Vehicles
Better Market and Hotel Performance Intelligence
Greatly Reduce Printing, Stationary and Operational costs
About the Author:
Andrew Spence is a hotel specialist communications consultant and freelance journalist, with over 35 years experience providing sound advice to the global hospitality / lodging industry.
About Wowtel
Pietro Casoar is the Managing Director of Wowtel and an engineer, who has over 16 years of global experience in the RF and IT industries. He is also the author of several technical papers and presentations relating to RF and IP communications systems. Mr. Casoar is also one of the founders of Wowtel Pty Limited and the Wowtel-Dreamwise system, together with Mr. Vincent Fitzpatrick.
Pietros linkedin profile: http://au.linkedin.com/pub/pietro-casoar/7/165/a61
Wowtel are a manufacturer and provider of full turn-key unified IP communications to hotels, resorts, mining villages, hospitals, retirement villages, serviced apartments, ocean liners, housing estates, government and most major projects. Wowtel operate in the Asian, European and Oceania markets.
Incredible Vacation Packages at New Orleans Hotels
If you would like to celebrate your anniversary or any special event or occasion in a new place and in a new way with your family or business associates, you will definitely get a good head start if you decide to stay at any Marriott line of Hotels, as being one of the luxurious New Orleans hotels, the Marriott welcomes its guests with fantastic vacation packages. For a fun-filled and meaningful holiday with your family, the Marriott Hotel is a great choice to stay. Customers are truly delighted by their great deals, such as complimentary breakfast for parents and two children, and an educational trip around the Audubon Zoo and the Aquarium of the Americas. The Marriott Hotel also invites all the lovebirds worldwide to celebrate Valentines with them, starting off with complimentary gift upon arrival, plus a healthy breakfast served right on your bed. If youre in the city for to treat your work mates with a game of poker or cards, the New Orleans Casino Package courtesy of the Marriott awaits you, with a complimentary ticket and extra bonuses to the Harrahs Casino.
So Much You Can Save at New Orleans Hotels
A more appropriate choice to learning about the Big Easy its activities, main attractions, and how much you can save on New Orleans hotels and suites is checking out what you can discover through the internet. If youre not so in with the idea, then grab a friend or office colleague who can help you out, or maybe you wouldnt be so bad at doing it yourself after all. Believe me it isnt as hard as you think it is. When you use the search engine, there are several hotel guides that you pop up and these may assist you in making hotel arrangements. Incorporated are names of guesthouses and their charge per room, the services they provide, and most definitely a variety of deals and price-offs that they may have for the month or year. Many reasonably priced New Orleans hotels provide you with the best services including a hotel car waiting for your arrival at the airport. Big savings await you when you try booking from the web.
Quality Service at New Orleans Hotels
One of the most prestigious New Orleans hotels is the Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel, a world class accommodation that provides superior services and the utmost comfort and accessibility. It is among the Astoria line of hotels and is situated downtown – a couple of steps away from the Saenger Theater, just about ten kilometers from the New Orleans Lakefront Airport, and ultimately around 400 meters from the Canal Street. It can be considered a French Quarter hotel, as it is nestled within its walls. There are varied suites to select from, from first class to standard, but which all the same provide sanitary bedding, big and modern television screens, most popular channels, and built-in video games for your convenience and non-stop fun. There are different types of rooms offered, classy to simply comfortable, and all these comprise of a flat screen television, a hypo-allergenic bedding, top rank TV channels, and game consoles that will give you the best experience and enjoyable stay in the city. Staying here at the Roosevelt Hotel would surely make your stay in New Orleans truly exciting and stress-free.
See the Sights at New Orleans Hotels
Vacationers, sightseers, and tourists love to go back to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana because of their endearing sights, parks, great restaurants, museums, and especially New Orleans hotels that are very well known when it comes to accommodations, their service, and the satisfaction they give to each and everyone. One of the famous hotels at New Orleans is The Ambassador Hotel which can be found near at the historic French Quarter. This hotel offers the best rooms you can think of, and the atmosphere and the comfort level they give is unforgettable. The Andrew Jackson Hotel and Astor Crowne Plaza hotel are also great choices for vacationers as they are also located near the Quarter. If you want to visit the Audubon Zoo and would prefer to just walk from there to your hotel, you could try The Avenue Plaza and Hampton inn Garden District hotel. However, if you are up for some great nightlife, the Bourbon Street bars and evening parties would totally knock you off. Aside from those mentioned hotels above, Chateau Bourbon and Dauphine Orleans Hotels may also suite your taste.
During the Caribbean Marketplace event hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) in the Bahamas, leading international hotel chain Choice Hotels International announced plans to expand its business in key Caribbean holiday destinations including Aruba, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States Virgin Islands.
While these markets form part of Choice Hotels long term strategy, spokespeople for the group have stated that opening new Jamaica hotels in 2012 are part of the company’s more immediate plans. Bill Clegg Regional Vice President for Brand Performance and Programs of Choice Hotels International, pegged Jamaica as one of their top five target markets in 2012 in a nod to the growing popularity of Jamaica holidays. We are very keen on re-establishing our presence in Jamaica and driving more business to an already robust tourism destination within the region noted Mr Clegg.
While the Choice Hotels Group is keen to launch its economy and midscale brands to offer affordable Caribbean hotels it is now most excited at the prospect of launching its luxury brand: the Ascend Collection. Choice Hotels provides the opportunity for historic, boutique or otherwise distinctive independent Jamaica hotels to be part of the of the luxury Ascend Collection brand through its membership programme. Jose Salvador Icaza, the Caribbean Franchise Development Director for Choice Hotels International stated the following of the membership programme, Hotel members benefit from our powerful marketing and reservations systems, education and training, and are given the tools to strengthen their commitment to service excellence We’re excited about Ascend and hope to bring Jamaica online in the near future.
Choice Hotels eagerness to launch in Jamaica is part of a growing trend of hotel groups seeking to gain a foothold in the Caribbean island as it continues to prove itself as one of the leading Caribbean holiday destinations. Many people anticipate that the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games will thrust the island further into the spotlight with high hopes of another dominating performance from track and field star Usain Bolt as well as other top performing Jamaican athletes.
Tourism officials in Jamaica have acknowledged the 2012 Games as a key marketing opportunity that can lead to a substantial increase in the number of people booking holidays in Jamaica. Minister of Tourism and Entertainment Dr. Wykeham McNeill noted that the islands sports personalities would be key in building the islands tourism brand and marketing Jamaica holidays to travellers from key international source markets.
In 2009 you experienced the fever Bolt crated at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Berlin. Well its only gotten bigger because Bolt was adding to Jamaicas past Olympians and world record holders. Today the list goes on and on with Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake and Veronica Campbell-Brown, Dr Wykeham said.