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After a busy day of meetings on the road, a room is just a room, but some hotels offer an added touch to win the hearts and repeat stays of business travellers. We scouted out a few stand-out perks and amenities, that seem like good ideas in their own right.
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Digital diaries. Bedside reading at select Fairmont Hotels includes a Kobo eReader, pre-loaded with a library of new and bestselling Random House books. It’s a perk of the Fairmont President’s Club guest loyalty program. |
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More cranium, less calories. Who needs chocolate at bedtime: turndown service at the Wit Hotel (stands for “whatever it takes”) in Chicago’s Loop has been known to include mini Rubik’s cubes, light bulb-shaped stress balls, or old school paddle ball games. |
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A gift for germophobes. Hyatt Hotels recently adopted the Pure Room system to offer hypo-allergenic rooms and suites in all its full-service properties worldwide. Appealing to guests with asthma, allergies and respiratory sensitivities, the Respire by Hyatt claims to eliminate up to 98 per cent of airborne viruses and bacteria in rooms, as well as pollen and other irritants. |
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Woof service. For those who don’t suffer from allergies, Man’s Best Friend could be a powerful loyalty draw during those long trips away from home. Cessna, the hotel dog at the business-minded Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel, has her own facebook page, and is available for walks with guests. |
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Stretchin’ out. Miami’s Epic Hotel may be focused on meetings, but appeals to its taller guests with 13 premier guestrooms dubbed Tall Rooms. What makes them tall? Extra-long beds (96 inches) and raised showerheads. |
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Belt-tightening. What do you mean the event isn’t business casual? To help guests avoid wardrobe faux-pas, The Jefferson Hotel in Washington, DC, keeps a selection of basic black belts and dress shoes to replace those you might have left at home. |
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The anti-amenity. A growing number of hotels offer discounts or other rewards to guests who choose to skip the housekeeping and save resources for environmental reasons. As part of the company’s "Make A Green Choice" program, individual properties of Starwood Hotels & Resorts offer hotel restaurant credits or reward program points, for up to three consecutive nights. |
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Want to give a shout-out to your own favourite hotel perk you’ve enjoyed or negotiated for? Share it with us on facebook or at IgniteMeetingsConnect. Find more corporate travel and event planning ideas and resources at ignitemag.ca.
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ACTE Canada Education Conference
When: November 7-9, 2010
Where: The Westin Calgary
Why go: Hear new ideas and share strategies on issues impacting corporate travel and business, with a chance to meet other corporate travel managers and source innovative new suppliers.
What’s in it for you: More important, what’s in it for your company if you can help it save time and money on business travel. If you need to pitch your conference attendance to a manager, here’s help with this justification letter PDF developed by ACTE.
More industry events at Ignitemag.ca
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INCENTIVES + MEETINGS
Visual Meetings taps the power of the sticky note
 If you’re looking for ways to revive people from a PowerPoint coma at your next meeting or training session, check out this new book by San Francisco-based organizational Consultant David Sibbit. Visual Meetings: How Graphics, Sticky Notes and Idea Mapping Can Transform Group Productivity. It illustrates ways anyone can use simple visual tools, including drawings, scribbles and the humble sticky note, to help groups share and develop ideas. For a preview, watch this 10-minute video of the author speaking while the book was in development. |
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CORPORATE TRAVEL MANAGEMENT
Deadline for Secure Flight data for US air travel
A caution to any DIY travel arrangers who book flights to the US without corporate travel agency support: You or your travellers will be refused a boarding pass if passenger data doesn’t match the US Transport Security Administration’s (TSA) Secure Flight requirements, as of Nov. 1, 2010. This is the passenger profile data the TSA runs against the No-Fly list for all US transborder travel – or any travel through US airspace – before tickets can be issued. While most travel management companies have been updating passenger profiles for months, non-compliant travellers could find themselves grounded or delayed if the following information is not in the booking:
- Passenger name, exactly as on his or her passport
- Birth date
- Gender
- Passport number
- Passport expiry date
- Citizenship
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CORPORATE GIFTS + REWARDS
Ritz puts on the rewards
For the first time, luxury hotel brand The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has launched a loyalty program, Ritz-Carlton Rewards. It aims to offer access to exclusive members-only perks such as organized tours in places such as China and Egypt and photo workshops with National Geographic Expeditions. The company, set to open its first property in Toronto, will also recognize members of Marriott Rewards, run by its parent company. |
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| Share your event news, case studies or story ideas with us here at ignitemag.ca. |
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A job that makes a difference in kids’ lives
If you’d like a role to improve the quality of life for kids with cancer, the non-profit Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario immediately needs a Conference and Educational Events Coordinator. You’d plan and organize everything from professional education to government consultation meetings to community outreach events with children and their families. Find full details on the POGO website, and apply before Oct. 25, 2010. |
Get people there to get the job done
Far from your ordinary business travel requirements, the Edmonton team of privately owned construction and services company, Ledcor, needs help to get its people to its building sites around the province, whether that’s in camps or in conventional accommodations. For the right person, the Camp & Travel Administrator offers responsibility for booking travel plans for all projects staff and hourly employees. See more online at the company’s career section. |
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