HOTEL
19 February, 2009

City of Anaheim Wins Landmark $21.3 Million Award in Hotel Tax Lawsuit.

The national law firm of McKool Smith represented the City of Anaheim in a recent administrative proceeding that resulted in a $21.3 million award against a group of online travel companies for back taxes, interest and penalties related to the payment of hotel occupancy taxes.
The landmark decision is believed to be the first authoritative ruling that supports the stance of more than 40 other municipalities and governmental entities from across the nation that have filed claims seeking a larger share of hotel occupancy taxes collected by online travel companies such as Hotels.com, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Travelocity.
Attorneys from McKool Smith argued that the city was owed the additional revenue because the online travel companies pay taxes only on the wholesale price of a hotel room booking, but collect and retain taxes on the higher, retail price. The defendant companies are required to pay the city based on rooms booked through their sites between the years 2000 and 2008 in Anaheim.
After a two-week evidentiary hearing, the Hearing Officer found that the online travel companies were both "operators" and "managing agents" as defined by the city's ordinance, which is key in establishing their responsibility and liability.
The Anaheim ruling was issued on February 6. The online travel company defendants, which have filed an appeal, must pay the cash award as a condition to their right to appeal the ruling.

 
Single cruising: A report from a fellow agent in one of my travel groups

I met several happy singles cruising Carnival. As an Agent I was interested in their opinion and questioned them. They were very pleased with cruising in a group setting.  Most of all they enjoyed the camaraderie of the other single cruisers. There were gathering areas on the ship, they had planned activities, at the beach, pool, shopping, nightclub, karaoke, shore excursions, etc.  The option was theirs. I noticed a daily Schedule Board with the days activities posted in the Atrium. Some came alone and were matched up with a roommate, or friends came together looking to make new friends.
They were not there to find a mate, but rather to have fun together, and enjoy new experiences in a comfortable group setting; as there's safety in numbers. Most said they didn't know what to expect the first time cruising with the group, but loved the experience, and each year they look forward to the next. Mixed ages, all walks of life, but did not see senior citizens in group. Call me to learn more about single cruising.  If you just go as a single on a regular cruise the fare is either 75% or 100% for the cabin.

US Airways Drops Charges For Water, Coffee, Tea, Sodas, and Juices

Starting March 1 the airline will no longer charge for their previous complimentary beverages. The airline said since no other airline would match them they were put in a competitive disadvantage and also felt the controversy took away from the airline's real achievement of their improved on time record. The airline says it remains committed to the "a la carte" pricing strategy saying it is a work in progress. Thank you US Airways. Your passengers and crew will be delighted. The airline also announced it would be cutting more flights from Las Vegas. The airline is cutting flights to Portland, OR and Baltimore, two flights to JFK and Calgary and Edmonton will lose their daily flights. This is another blow to Vegas where visitor numbers and occupancy rates were down 4.4% last year. This year is already shaping up for even larger drops in numbers. Some hotels are experiencing less than 50% occupancy.


Is Continental Dropping Some Fuel Surcharges?

Fuel surcharges appear to have disappeared on a number of airfares to Europe from Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Miami. If you're thinking about buying a ticket to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Frankfort or many other cities, now might be the time to purchase while no fuel charges show up.

JUST GOOD TO KNOW - A Warning For Those Cruising To Countries Requiring A Visa

If you are cruising to a country that requires a visa you need to have it in hand or you could be denied boarding the ship, even if you did not intend to go ashore. This happened to a number of passengers sailing to South America from Miami recently. Carnival denied boarding because many passengers had not obtained a visa for Brazil. Check in advance to see whether you need a particular visa for a country on the itinerary. If they honour a group visa issued by the cruise line you are ok. When visiting Turkey last spring the ship obtained the group visa although we had to pay.


Charles de Gaulle Gets Synthetic Turf, learn where ours are located…

The airport is the latest to install synthetic turf to cover the edges of its runways. The company that makes the turf says it improves visibility for pilots by reducing dust and debris and creating a sharper contrast with runway edges. It also eliminates food and shelter for wildlife, which can interfere with takeoffs and landings. US airports that use the turf are Boston, San Francisco and LaGuardia.

ALL FOR THE SAKE OF ART - Venice, Italy: sponsored by Coca Cola?

I understand, but UGH...

by Steve Surjaputra

Despite a boom in tourism, Venice is having trouble maintaining its historic buildings. Add to that the fact that the city is threatened by floods from the Adriatic Sea. Already the government has slashed its budgets for arts and culture by half and invested millions of dollars to build flood barriers so it wouldn’t be swamped by waters coming in from the ocean.
So what’s a city to do? Find a sponsor.
The city council has accepted a $2.7 million subsidy from Coca Cola. Sixty vending machines will sell the drink all over the city, even in the main waterbus stations and St. Mark’s Square, where picnicking by tourists is banned.
Mayor Massimo Cacciari says that due to lack of state funding to conserve the crumbling palaces and churches of the city, commercial sponsorship is “the only financial strategy for safeguarding the monuments of Venice.”  
Of course the newspapers aren’t happy with the decision. They claim that “Venice is not only being swamped with mass tourism and threatened by floods from the Adriatic Sea, but will soon also be awash with fizzy drinks.”
Cacciari, however, has promised that the money raised would be used “with maximum transparency and for the purpose of conservation.”


A GOLFING MESSAGE FROM PRINCESS AND CARNIVAL CRUISES ON BOARD AND ON LAND.

We provide the most comprehensive golf academy experience available anywhere with certified Instruction, the very latest Nike Golf Club custom club fitting and retail program, Virtual Golf Simulation and guided golf excursions to almost every port of call on these itineraries.  
Our onboard Golf Professionals cater to your guests with advanced reservations, priority lesson scheduling and can custom design group programs / tournaments and Nike merchandising for your corporate and incentive clients as well.  

Interesting Links 

American Express
Classic Vacations
Touring Mariner
Airline Meals

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