Many people travel during the holidays, as well as during vacations. Likewise, business deals are often made as a result of travel. When selecting a hotel, you can learn a lot–and improve your luck–from the Feng Shui of the building.

For example, is the hotel’s main door at the center, left side, or right side of the building? If the door is at the left side, you’ll probably get good advice about things to do and places to see in the area. If the door is in the center, it’s ideal for business travel. However, if you’re on vacation, the best location for a hotel’s door is on the far right side. In Black Hat Feng Shui, the far right side supports travel and indicates helpful people.

If the hotel has a concierge, he or she should be facing the front door. If the concierge has his or her back to the front door, or–worse–is positioned behind a column, don’t be surprised if you received a chilly reception and limited help. Then again, that may not be very important to you.

For the best experience, choose a hotel where the guest rooms open onto a corridor rather than directly to the outside. In Feng Shui terms, if you walk outdoors to your hotel room, the hotel management may not have a sense of connection to its registered guests.

In other words, once you’ve registered and arranged payment for the room, you may feel as if you’re on your own.

Hotel guest rooms can also indicate good or bad Feng Shui. The bed that you are going to sleep and should not be in direct line with the door; they rarely are. Likewise, if the bathroom is at the far left or far right corner of your room, ask for different floor plan. Any other placement of the bed and bath is fine.

Check the view from your window. If you’re only sleeping there overnight, any view is fine as long as it is not a slum. However, if the view is important, if you’ll conduct meetings in your room or suite, or if all you see is poverty, request a different room with a better view.

Many business travelers are phobic about staying in a room above the third floor. Therefore, those rooms are often empty and also provide some of the best views. In addition, if you stay on the top floor, you won’t have of the sound of footsteps overhead. Finally, in Feng Shui terms, higher rooms are generally better; there is less (literal) weight on top of you.

Consider the impression that you received upon entering the hotel as well as your guest room. Look for these Feng Shui signals: Lighting should be adequate, neither glaringly bright nor too dim. If a strong aroma indicates a heavy reliance on air fresheners, look for other signs of problems with housekeeping. From the moment you enter the hotel, you should feel comfortable, relaxed, and welcomed.

Keep in mind that most hotel chains use the same floor plans repeatedly. Therefore, you can visit hotels near your home before you travel. Whether your local hotels are Hiltons, Holiday Inns, Marriotts, or some other line, you can get a good idea of their typical Feng Shui, and what to expect at related hotels when you travel.

Once you have chosen a hotel chain that meets your standards and offers consistently good Feng Shui, make that your first choice when you travel. This will reduce stress by making travel planning simpler, and improve your travel experiences.

(c)2005, Aisling D’Art, Houston, TX

Aisling D’Art is an artist and a Feng Shui consultant. (Feng Shui is pronounced like fung shway. It is the Chinese art of design and placement.) She is the Feng Shui columnist for BellaOnline.com, and offers free Feng Shui advice at Shui To Go! – www.ShuiToGo.com

If you?re accustomed to traveling within the United States on vacation, you can traditionally expect a hotel to ask you to choose your bed size (a king, a queen, or two doubles) and whether or not you want smoking or non-smoking. Things aren?t necessarily the same when visiting the U.K., and you need to know some of the differences before you make your room reservations in order to avoid disappointment.

First of all, en suite bathrooms are not always customary in London. If you?re visiting an upscale hotel or a chain, you can feel confident that there will be a bathroom with either a tub or shower accessible in your room. However, since bed-and-breakfast options are affordable and popular with tourists, you need to ask and confirm that you?ll have your own bathroom when you arrive. Otherwise, you may find yourself sharing a communal restroom ? just like in a college dorm.

Air conditioning is not always available either, so it?s best to inquire in advance if you?re traveling to London in the summer months. Many smaller hotels and B&Bs will offer fans in their rooms. Otherwise, you?ll be opening the window and hoping for the best. Smoking and non-smoking options are becoming more widely available in England?s capital city. You?ll need to make your request in advance, not upon check-in.

Finally, room types are very different. While it?s nearly impossible to find a hotel or motel in the U.S. with a single twin bed in the room, it?s very likely you will be given just such a room if traveling alone and ask for the wrong thing. A single room is for one person, with a single bed. A double room is for two people, with one double bed. (Many advertise queen-size beds in their double rooms, but they certainly don?t feel as large as American-sized mattresses.) A twin room is for two people, with two single beds. A triple is for three people, usually with one double bed and one single but sometimes just three single beds. Finally, a quad is for four people, with two double beds, four single beds, or one double and two singles. You can see how it gets confusing!

Avoid a surprise at checkout and ask if breakfast and especially VAT (value added tax) are included or not in the price of your nightly room rate. If breakfast is included, it?s a great way to save money each day of your vacation. Tax is 17.5% and can add a considerable amount to your final bill.

London Vacation Experts look forward to providing you with accurate, up-to-the-minute information about planning your London travel! Our website contains the most helpful tips, reviews, and resources for air travel, accommodations, ground transportation, sightseeing, restaurants, and entertainment. Visit us at online: http://www.londonvacationexperts.com.

If you’ve been budget travelling in the more so-called developed parts of Asia, such as Hong Kong and Japan, you’ve probably had to skimp on comfort when choosing accommodations. If you ever want to pamper yourself though and not spend much more than you would at most youth yostels, you should certainly check out the hotels in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

This city in northern Thailand is the second largest in the country after Bangkok. Don’t let this fool you though. Not only is it cooler and much less crowded than it’s big brother to the south, but it is also within spitting distance of some of Thailand’s most beautiful forests and mountains which are home to many of the country’s famed hill tribes.

Furthermore, Chiang Mai is a safe and convenient city with many excellent hotels. Too many in fact. The current glut of extra hotel rooms during all but the busiest holidays combined with the current favorable US dollar to Thai baht exchange rate has created an excellent opportunity for budget travellers.

In fact, a recent check of hotel prices there turned up many rooms with plenty of space, comfortable beds, air-conditioning, satellite tv, fridge and shower for less than $25.00 per night. Furthermore, hotel room prices in Chiang Mai are listed per room, not per person. This means an even better bargain if you are travelling with someone. Keep in mind, most hotels offer an extra discount for booking online, but it never hurts to call the desk and check too.

The next time you find yourself getting weary of sleeping in dorm style rooms and sharing toilets, consider enjoying a few nights of comfort at a Chiang Mai hotel.

Jim Allen lives and travels in Asia and writes frequently on Chiang Mai, Thailand. You can research Chiang Mai hotels at his website: http://www.YourChiangMai.com

Located in a picturesque valley in western Wyoming and surrounded by spectacular mountain ranges, Jackson Hole has been called ?the last and best of the Old West.? The town of Jackson (at the end of Jackson Hole) features a charming square complete with western boardwalks and elkhorn arches, plus a number of designer shops, caf?s, restaurants, and art galleries. This frontier-town-turned-ski-resort has over two thousand hotel rooms to accommodate the droves of tourists that filter in throughout the year. With Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park nearby (which attract nearly 6 million people each year), visitors can enjoy terrific fishing, hiking, camping, rafting, climbing and, of course, skiing. Jackson Hole also puts on several great festivals, including a Summer Music Festival and Fall Arts Festival.

Blessed with pristine forests, sparkling lakes, and expansive meadows, the area is an absolute haven for outdoor recreation and adventure. Though Jackson Hole is better known for outdoor pursuits such as fishing and skiing, the town is blessed with one of the best eighteen holes in the country. The award-winning championship course at the Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club has attracted the likes of Bill Clinton and George Bush. Best of all, it?s open to the public.

- One of the biggest draws in Jackson Hole is the wonderful fishing that can be found in the nearby rivers, lakes and streams. The 1038-mile Snake River boasts some of the best fly-fishing anywhere and attracts thousands of eager anglers each year.

- The terrain of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is generally regarded by skiing fanatics as the most varied, challenging and breathtaking of any ski resort in the United States.

- The National Museum of Wildlife Art showcases perhaps the finest wildlife art exhibit in the country. Housed in a 50,000 square foot castle-like building, the museum features 14 galleries and over 2,000 paintings by many renowned artists, including John J. Audubon, Charles Russell, Albrecht Durer, George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt and many others.

- If one is visiting Jackson Hole during the winter months, one should take time to visit the National Elk Refuge, home to the largest gathering of elk in North America. Beginning in late autumn, thousands of elk make the long trek from the high country down to Jackson Hole.

- If one wants to get a bird?s eye view of the magnificent expanse of land that comprises the Great Valley, one must take a Jackson Hole Aerial Tram Ride. Located at Jackson Hole Ski Resort, the tram lets one scan the mountains and surrounding area from a dizzying height of 10,000 feet. At that elevation, it can get quite chilly – even in the summer months.

- In Jackson Hole, the shoulder seasons of Spring and Fall are hidden gems. In Spring, solitude and wildlife abound. Great activities include snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Viewing wildlife is more common as animals come down to the snow-free valley to feed.

- Jackson Hole has several old Wild West watering holes, including the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar which was made famous in the Clint Eastwood film, Any Which Way You Can. One can hop on one of the saddle barstools and order up one?s favorite whiskey or, if one prefers, a soft drink

Jim Hartley recommends that you visit http://www.rustyparrot.com for more information on a Jackson Hole hotel.

Where’s my Lavoris? the Mobil Travel Guide inspector shouted at the poor, cowering room service attendant.

Toothbrush, si?

Yes I see it’s a toothbrush. I know that’s what I asked for. But you should have anticipated I’d want mouthwash, too, you nincompoop! No star for you!

With that pronouncement, the man slammed shut the hotel room door.

If this sounds like an episode from Fawlty Towers, then you don’t spend much time in Miami. As reported in the Miami Herald recently, our community must again hang its head in shame: of all the hotels we have, not one is worthy of five stars. Not anticipating the mouthwash with a toothbrush request actually helped keep the ultra-expensive Loews Miami Beach from getting a fifth star. Because a light bulb was out in a room’s desk lamp at the swanky Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, it failed to earn a fifth star too. Suggestions about getting that elusive fifth star include TV commercials reminding all of us who live here to be more hospitable to visitors, and hiring more English speaking workers because non-English speakers make customer service an uphill fight.

Good luck on both of those initiatives. When we can’t even be nice to ourselves, how can you expect us to be cordial and helpful to tourists? As for finding more English speaking workers for the hotel industry, that will probably never happen until wages rise high enough to attract a broader mix of the population. Right now, the hotel industry rests on the shoulders of immigrants willing to work long hours for little money. So, looking at it from that point of view, it will be a long time if ever before we get that fifth star so our advice is to suck up our embarrassment and learn to live with it.

To be honest with you, we didn’t know it was okay to be anal about this kinda stuff. Since most of the staff have lived here most of their lives, we just expected it to be the norm. Those hard-ass Mobile inspectors must be ex-Marine Drill Instructors. They grade hotels on 750 criteria. But at least we learned one thing, if you don’t get offered a second round at a hotel bar within one minute after finishing your drink, by God, it is your duty to be offended. No tip for you!

D.C. Copeland is a writer and award-winning artist. In 1970, he co-founded Ecology Action of Florida which combined recycling and working the disadvantaged. When visiting Copeland’s personal website and blog http://www.miamivisionblogarama.blogspot.com/, you will discover that Wayne Cochran is the Patron Saint and that many people consider it to be The Rodney Dangerfield of Blogs.

If you are thinking of buying a second home or a vacation home, you should take into consideration the option of getting a condo-hotel unit. It is the latest trend in real estate investment and in travel accommodation terms. If you are still not convinced whether a condo-hotel unit would be a good investment for you, here are some advantages you will benefit from whenever owning a condo-hotel unit.

First of all, you can use your condo hotel unit whenever you feel like having a vacation. This is not the case with timeshares that are allowing you to use your property only for a limited period of time every year.

Secondly, you will benefit from a luxury accommodation treatment. These condo hotels are usually first-class, luxurious properties equipped with the best facilities.

Another advantage is not dealing with any maintenance issues. The maintenance company will take care of everything in your place. This wouldn?t happen if you were the owner of a second house, where repairs were your responsibility.

You will have your own place in the sun. Considering the fact that oceanfront land is limited and expensive, by buying a condo hotel unit you will secure your place for recreation. You will not have to worry anymore about how expensive a vacation can be or about not finding a free hotel room while travelling!

You will even gain money out of this condo hotel unit. Whenever you aren?t using it, you can arrange with the hotel management to put it back into the hotel?s usual rental programme. You don?t have to worry about finding tenants or keeping an eye on them, the hotel management will deal with these problems. The income will be split evenly with the hotel management.

Your investments portfolio will be diversified. Investing in real estate is safer than investing it at the stock market. Owning a condo hotel will spare you the worries about the ups and downs of the stock market.

And, maybe the most important advantage of all, you will save on your taxes. Buying a second home will provide you with a new range of federal tax deductions and tax-sheltered income.

In conclusion, you have all the reasons in the world to purchase a condo hotel unit: it is a great vacation place and also a good source of money!

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