Jaunted - Tag: What Recession

Las Vegas: Senator Swoops In To Save Frivolous Travel, Christmas

egw — 2009-07-31T10:59:26-05:00

Has the junket become an endangered species? Not if Harry Reid has anything to do with it! The U.S. Senate Majority Leader (D-NV) has unveiled the Protecting Resort Cities from Discrimination Act to keep destinations unfairly tagged by the recession from those sweet, sweet tourist dollars.

Reid is a travel busybody; he was criticized earlier this year for making sure the stimulus plan involved an allocation for a high-speed train from Las Vegas to Anaheim, but this time he means business.

The act, co-sponsored by Florida senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez, would prevent federal employees from writing off certain destinations in their convention plans. Which certain destinations, do you think? Probably places like Florida and Vegas. Rahm Emanuel even rolled up his shirtsleeves and got into the fray on this one, declaring in a letter that government agencies should strive for "reasonable" costs, rather than avoiding expenditures by how they might look.

If this bill not only goes through but is acted upon, Las Vegas will once again make out like those pirates on the Amazon this week. Good show, Harry Reid! Your suitcase full of cash is in the Presidential Suite at the MGM Grand.

[Photo of the Las Vegas Airport: Bj�rn Giesenbauer]

St. Tropez: Bar Refaeli Seeks Solace in St. Tropez Nightclub

juliana — 2009-07-27T09:27:49-05:00

We're heading into the final month of summer here and you know what that means--celebs will be descending en masse in St. Tropez on the French Riviera for their annual pilgrimage of partying, yachting, topless sunbathing, and more partying.

But it looks like Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue cover girl, Bar Refaeli is getting a head start. The beauty was seen partying it up with Brazilian polo player and entrepreneur Ricardo Mansur, leading us to believe that her on-off boyfriend, Leonardo DiCaprio, is once again "off." This Ricardo dude might also have it out for Leo as he reportedly once dated Leo's ex, Gisele Bundchen, as well.

'Motorcycle Cruises' Offer Best Of Both Boomer Worlds

egw — 2009-07-24T15:26:55-05:00

Typical cruises are fun, but they're just way too safe these days. Unless you happen to be pitched overboard, you will probably come home safe, sound and fatter. Take a motorcycle cruise, though, and you could add a swell layer of road rash to your sunburn! Plus, your kids will think you're bad to the bone (note: actual results may vary).

The Tennessee-based company ETA Travel is having a banner year organizing motorcycle trips around Royal Caribbean cruise routes, even expanding to the city of Baltimore for next year's.

Shanghai: Shanghai Wants to Keep Luxury Travel Alive

egw — 2009-07-17T16:08:11-05:00

Some cities look at this economic downturn and see the collapse of their tourism industries; Shanghai sees dollar and yen signs. China's biggest city is aiming to take over the luxury business market while it's on sale, even as next year's World Expo looms large.

Just as its fellow countrymen in Beijing did a general tidy in advance of last year's Olympics, Shanghai hotels and outfitters are cranking up their luxury offerings even in a time when there may not be anyone to enjoy them. The centenarian Peace Hotel is getting a major facelift, and a brand new all-glass cruise terminal opened in November to pull in shore excursions from far and wide.

Abercrombie & Kent Discounts For Rich Recessionaries

egw — 2009-07-10T14:54:51-05:00

Do you have money to throw around yet? Because we've been in this recession for a fair bit, and hopefully people have been more frugal, luxury tour providers like Abercrombie & Kent are betting on people wanting to spend whatever savings they've scrounged. Because of this, you can now take advantage of slashed prices on trips like a 17-day excursion into India, which is now only $9,625. They're right that selling that same trip right now for its original price of $13,000 is a tough push, but $9.625 is too close to five figures for us yet.

Closer to home, the city of Myrtle Beach has already declared that the recession is over because a poll is up in showing "interest" in it as a vacation destination, even though bookings are down. And after a spa industry group reported that spa trips were up 18 percent last year, spas everywhere promoted themselves as a staycation with an edge. Keep in mind that some of these trips easily hit the four figures, and we're still not convinced that spa vacations or A+K tours are the best decision to make, even at the end of a recession.

[Image: Abercrombie & Kent]

Yacht Away The Recession for $1 Million a Week on 'Mad Summer'

JetSetCD — 2009-07-08T16:50:30-05:00

When we aren't out jetting around on LCCs, busing to Baltimore for $1 or hopping a high-speed train, we like to fantasize about that other form of transportation: the almighty ship. So to allay our own curiosity as much as yours, we're spotlighting yachts with either notorious owners or histories...or both. Know of a bootylicious boat? Let us know.

Stinking up the hotel scene right now is the news that Jeff Soffer, the billionaire behind The Fontainebleau in Miami, has sought bankruptcy protection for his Las Vegas Fontainebleau venture. As a result, his lavish lifestyle is under the microscope and items of gritty luxury come out to play. For example, his 257' yacht, the Mad Summer, launched only last year.

Charleston: Public Servants Lead Charge Back To Expensive Travel

egw — 2009-06-26T15:36:15-05:00

This week we were treated to the riveting story of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, who used state funds to meet his lady-love journalist in Buenos Aires. Sanford told his staff he was on a much more modest jaunt to the Appalachian Trail, which indicates that maybe he had a shred of shame about the whole business, but in the end, he said, "Well, it's not like I have any presidential ambitions, right?" Last year's luv guv Eliot Spitzer opted for the more budget-friendly train tickets and D.C. hotel accommodations, but those were different times.

Sanford's not the only one who feels the world has turned around enough to allow for gleeful spoiling at taxpayer expense: The Detroit Free Press reported that the trustees of the city pension fund spent $380,000 on travel last year, and then tried to cover it up when the paper sued for records. With 21 trustees, that's an average of $18,095 per person, although one trustee, Ronald Gracia, spent $105,000 of it alone, including an $18,600 trip to Hong Kong.