Travel

Golden Light

A light at the end of the tunnel, a burst a of spring in front of the last winter branches. Two realities the end of winter, the beginning of spring.                        [Author: French la Vie]
Tags: Travel, French la Vie

Tsunami warning system restored after almost weeklong outage, NOAA employees claim gag order, House budget relies on federal bailout, state moving to 10-digit dialing, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Tsunami alert buoy off the Kona coast PC:NOAA Tsunami warning system is restored. The system of ocean buoys that helps warn Hawaii and the rest of the nation about tsunamis is back working after being knocked out of commission for nearly a week. Star-Advertiser.Watchdog blames NOAA for lack of transparency on tsunami tracking system outage. There are new allegations that the staff at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center was told to keep quiet about an outage of a key data system that had be...
Tags: Travel, City, Earth, Hawaii, House, Noaa, Pacific, REC, US environmental protection agency, Hawaii Island, Kauai, Maui, Empire State Building, Department Of Health, Honolulu, Hawaii County

Thank You

  Thank you for your response regarding if and how you saw my blog. For some unknown reason it was not appearing on the 16th to most of you, then popped up twice, then not at all, then come up late on the 17th. I have no idea why. But it is working now so all is good. Wish I knew more about why my blog acts bizarrely sometimes  I hope it isn't imitating me.                        [Author: French la Vie]
Tags: Travel, French la Vie

Art

The area around the Pompidou Museum is loaded with street art. A section of the shut down Stravinsky fountain with a painted wall in the background. This wall painting has been here for years but not the cat next to it. Up the street another wall mural. And this structure. This made me laugh but I suspect it is very irreligious.
Tags: Travel, Stravinsky, Pompidou Museum

A Tokyo peace march of sorts

With only five members, the march, as it was rather boldly called, was a little on the optimistic side. Similarly, the half-hearted outfits consisting of some (mostly) white clothes and mismatched coloured sheets appeared to suggest that things weren’t quite what they seemed. There again, it was all about peace, so their hearts were definitely in the right place. No doubt about that at all. Plus, despite the dubious wardrobe decisions, they looked wonderfully incongruous on a modern Tokyo crossi...
Tags: Travel, Photography, Tokyo

Oil tumbles 8% as uneven vaccine rollout threatens demand prospects

Workers extracting oil from oil wells in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. Benjamin Lowy/Getty Images Brent and West Texas Intermediate oil futures each fell by 8% during Thursday's session. Rising COVID-19 cases in Europe are hurting demand prospects for oil. A rise in the US dollar was also putting pressure on the commodity. See more stories on Insider's business page. Oil prices were sharply knocked down Thursday, hurt in part by a dimmer outlook from Europe as the region ...
Tags: Travel, Europe, France, Oil, Americas, US, Trends, Fuel, Markets, Gas, Paris, Dollar, Italy, Vacations, Treasury, Astrazeneca

Oceania Cruises: New Ship for 2023

? Oceania Cruises: New Ship for 2023 We are very excited to learn that Oceania Cruises is launching a new ship in 2023. We’re excited because it has been nearly a decade since Oceania Cruises put a new ship in the water. Our clients love Oceania Cruises.  Their focus on a fabulous culinary experience and their exciting itineraries keep guests coming back. And a new ship coming in 2023 and a sister ship coming in 2025 will put a cherry on top of their longstanding reputation for excellence. ...
Tags: Travel, Featured, Blog, Vista, Miami, Oceania, Luxury Cruises, Binder, Oceania Cruises, Fincantieri, Roaming Boomers Travel Services, Bob Binder, Oceania Cruises Consumers, Belle Époque Vista, Oceania Celebrity Chef Jacques Pepin Vista, Italy Vista

LUSCIOUS Pasta alla Eoliana or Sicilian Fresh Tuna Pasta

This Pasta alla Eoliana or Aeolian Islands Pasta is something special. It uses sashimi grade tuna cubes, kissed by the heat of the pan but still juicy and tender pink inside with a gutsy caper, olive and herb dressing. This Sicilian recipe is simplicity itself and if you like fresh tuna, this is a pushy recipe!
Tags: Travel, Pasta alla Eoliana

Oil hits skids, drops 7% on worsening outlook for coronavirus in Europe | Reuters

Oil hits skids, drops 7% on worsening outlook for coronavirus in Europe | Reuters Oil prices plunged for a fifth day in a row on Thursday, posting their biggest-one day declines since last summer on growing worries about rising COVID-19 cases in Europe and the strengthening U.S. dollar.Several large European economies have had to reimpose lockdowns as caseloads rise, while vaccination programs are slowing due to concerns about side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine that was being widely distri...
Tags: Travel, Europe, New York, Italy, Poland, Reuters, Reuters Oil, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, John Kilduff, Again Capital LLC, U S West Texas International WTI

U.S. Passport Book or Passport Card – Which Do You Need?

If you’re trying to decide between a U.S. Passport Card or a Passport Book, there are important distinctions between the two that you should know before your purchase.   Here are the differences between a Passport Card and a Passport Book... Read More The post U.S. Passport Book or Passport Card – Which Do You Need? appeared first on Cruise Maven.
Tags: Travel, Plan Your Trip

"Their passion for nature cuts to the heart of what Scandinavians call friluftsliv (pronounced free-loofts-liv)."

"The expression literally translates as 'open-air living' and was popularised in the 1850s by the Norwegian playwright and poet, Henrik Ibsen, who used the term to describe the value of spending time in remote locations for spiritual and physical wellbeing.... Today, the phrase is used more broadly by Swedes, Norwegians and Danes to explain anything from lunchtime runs in the forest, to commuting by bike (or on cross-country skis when the snow falls) to joining friends at a lakeside sauna (ofte...
Tags: Travel, Health, Law, Milwaukee, Bbc, Henrik Ibsen, Danes, Ibsen, Ann Althouse

Stay Safe Using the InvoTech UHF-RFID System for Contactless Linen and Uniform Inventory Management

InvoTech provides a completely contactless solution for everyone in wardrobe and housekeeping operations dealing with linens, uniforms, and laundry activity. Using the latest RFID technology, you can track your linen and uniform inventories, maintain proper PAR levels, and manage laundry activity without physical contact.
Tags: Travel, Contactless Linen and Uniform Inventory Management

Horwath HTL Market Report: Bali Hotels & Hotel Residences

One year after the pandemic decimated global tourism, Horwath HTL Indonesia and C9 Hotelworks, take a quick look at full year 2020 hotel market performance and demand trends in Bali.Bali hotels have struggled to keep afloat, domestic tourism has provided a lifeline but hotel performance hit rock bottom. Not surprisingly much of the expected new supply is also in limbo. In residences, a new trend has appeared in luxury property sales.
Tags: Travel, Bali, Indonesia, Bali Bali, Hotelworks

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort Selects Cloud5 to deliver fast, dependable HSIA Services

Cloud5 Communications, a leading provider of communications solutions for the world's top hotel brands and management companies, today announced that Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort in Western North Carolina recently deployed the Cloud5 HSIA solution into their 1,100 room property and will now be extending the deployment as part of their expansion project scheduled to open later this year.
Tags: Travel, Western North Carolina, Harrah, HSIA Services, Cherokee Casino Resort

​Data With Destiny: 2021 Hotel Sourcing Can Be A Gamble Unless You Put Your Chips On Analytics

The rapid rollout of vaccines in key markets could unleash demand for business travel this year. Nevertheless, hotel rates are expected to fluctuate like a lottery machine and some of the effects of a yearlong strain on the resources of hoteliers and corporates alike, are only being felt now. With uncertainty ahead, it's no wonder that hotel sourcing can feel like a game of roulette.
Tags: Travel

European, Middle Eastern & African Stocks - Bloomberg #UAE #Kuwait #Israel #SaudiArabia #Qatar close

European, Middle Eastern & African Stocks - Bloomberg #UAE #Kuwait #Israel #SaudiArabia #Qatar close [Author: [email protected] (Rupert Neil Bumfrey)]
Tags: Travel, Qatar, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Bloomberg UAE Kuwait Israel

Hotel Data Conference Set To Take The Global Stage

The Hotel Data Conference: Global Edition will feature 78 speakers across 12 hours and five world regions on 25 March 2021. Co-hosted by STR and Hotel News Now with principal sponsor IDeaS, the event will be the first global edition of HDC and offer the industry's most comprehensive global data agenda.
Tags: Travel, Hotel News Now, HDC

Blog Post

  My blog appears not to be posting trying to see if this works. If you can see this please can you send a comment or an email. Please tell me if you see this on your email subscription and or through your browser? Thank you.                    [Author: French la Vie]
Tags: Travel, French la Vie

Almost Spring

Photo via Permillion   (Permillion has a beautiful beautiful account on Instagram. She takes photos of books with flowers.) Thank you for all of your wonderful book selections for Gabriel!  Today would have been my brother Marty's 61st birthday. I found Permillion's quote tender, it is almost spring. Almost Grief is a passage of time, the loss, the sadness will become part of us and blending into our being, it will find its place Each season has its purpose, which helps, guides, and is needed t...
Tags: Travel, Marty, French la Vie, Permillion Permillion, Permillion

#UAE economy to post 2.5% growth this year after 5.8% contraction - central bank | Reuters

UAE economy to post 2.5% growth this year after 5.8% contraction - central bank | ReutersThe United Arab Emirates economy shrank by 5.8% last year but is expected to post a 2.5% growth this year, the UAE central bank said in a report on Thursday.The coronavirus crisis last year had a severe impact on the Gulf state, due the twin shock of low oil prices and the impact on vital non-oil economic sectors such as tourism.Real non-hydrocarbon gross domestic product declined by 5.7% last year, accordin...
Tags: Travel, Uae, Gulf, Reuters, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, ReutersThe United Arab Emirates

Major Gulf markets end mixed, Eastern Co drags Egypt | Reuters

Major Gulf markets end mixed, Eastern Co drags Egypt | ReutersMajor stock markets in the Gulf ended mixed on Thursday, with the Saudi index falling the most, while Egypt was pressured by tobacco monopoly Eastern Company.Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index dropped 1.2%, pulled down by its banking shares including Al Rajhi Bank, which declined 3.7%.Oil prices, a key catalyst for the Gulf’s financial markets, after an increase in U.S. crude and fuel inventories while the ever-present COVID-19 pandemic c...
Tags: Travel, Saudi Arabia, Opec, Egypt, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, New Delhi, Uae, Gulf, Fed, Reuters, Riyadh, Etisalat, Eastern Co, Industrial Development Authority, Rupert Neil Bumfrey

The Data Showing Why OPEC+ Could Keep Oil Supply Curbed - Bloomberg

The Data Showing Why OPEC+ Could Keep Oil Supply Curbed - BloombergOil stockpiles may be coming down, but the world’s big producers can’t afford to relax their hold on production for a while yet. The recovery this year will return less than two-thirds of oil demand lost in 2020 and output restraint will be needed for many months to come.The world’s three major oil agencies — the International Energy Agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting C...
Tags: Travel, Opec, Bloomberg, IEA, EIA, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Rupert Neil Bumfrey

Debt Adviser Talks Hint at Discord on Binladin Restructuring - Bloomberg

Debt Adviser Talks Hint at Discord on Binladin Restructuring - BloombergA debt restructuring proposal designed to prevent the collapse of construction giant Saudi Binladin Group may face more scrutiny from creditors.The lenders that want a bigger say in the process have held discussions with Rothschild & Co. and may decide to appoint the investment bank in the coming weeks, the people said, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.Talks are ongoing, and no final decisions h...
Tags: Travel, Middle East, Houlihan, Saudi Binladin Group, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Houlihan Lokey Inc, Binladin, Rothschild Co, Binladin Restructuring Bloomberg, Binladin Restructuring BloombergA

Is This The Lean Hotel Of The Future? | By David Eisen

In one of many entertaining scenes from the 1981 war comedy "Stripes," peak Bill Murray cajoles peak John Candy to mud wrestle a trio of scantily clad women in a bar. You can imagine what ensues, and if you can't, the internet does.
Tags: Travel, Bill Murray, John Candy, David Eisen

GBTA Poll: Digital Health Verification - The Solution To Safely Resume Business Travel

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world's largest business travel association, today reported on the findings from its 17thpoll looking at the impact of the pandemic on the business travel industry.
Tags: Travel, Global Business Travel Association GBTA

How To Care More About The Customer Than The Sale | By Shep Hyken

It seems that most of the companies that customers love to do business with have something in common. They focus more on the customer than they do the sale. Sure, they want to make the sale, add more revenue and get higher ratings. What company doesn't want that? But when they focus on the customer's needs, the rest seems to fall into place.
Tags: Travel, Shep Hyken

What is the Direct Booking Index™ (DBI) and why should all hotel brands be tracking it? | By Fiona Gillen

As our industry strives for recovery, it's becoming even more critical for hotel brands to build a strong direct channel strategy that guarantees long-term success. In terms of benchmarking metrics for hotels, however, there has been little focus on the direct channel, despite its growing importance in the industry.
Tags: Travel, Dbi, Fiona Gillen

GBTA Supports The European Commission’s Proposal To Introduce A Common, Inter-Operable And Mutually-Recognized Digital Green Certificate

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) - the world's largest business travel association - supports the European Commission's proposal to introduce a Digital Green Certificate that is inter-operable and consistent across Members States. The certificate will verify that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has recovered from the virus, or has a negative test result, to enable the safe and swift restart of business travel in the EU.
Tags: Travel, European Commission, Global Business Travel Association GBTA, GBTA, COVID, Digital Green Certificate

5 Different Travel Personas Every Hotelier Interacts With

Creating the right marketing strategy for your hotel has become a meticulous task. Guest experience is becoming more personalized and customized, especially post-COVID. Even the slightest mistake can lead to a potential marketing disaster. With social media, guests have the privilege of reporting their experiences to a larger audience with minimum effort. This can negatively impact your online reputation. So how do we personalize the guest experience with minimum errors and ensure an unli...
Tags: Travel

Gulf's banking sector ripe for wave of mergers as profitability declines | The National

Gulf's banking sector ripe for wave of mergers as profitability declines | The NationalA new wave of mergers and acquisitions could take place within the GCC's banking sector as profit margins are pressured due to pandemic-induced headwinds, according to S&P Global Ratings.The need for recapitalisation as provisions for bad loans rise and the asset quality deteriorates also supports the case for the consolidation of financial institutions in the region, Mohamed Damak, senior director for financi...
Tags: Travel, GCC, Uae, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Mohamed Damak, Damak