Business Travel Tips

Hyatt has launched its new co-branded credit card Visa from Chase.

The card offers two free nights as a signup bonus.
You receive two nights at any Hyatt anywhere in the world, anytime, just for using your Hyatt card the very first time.

On the website it reads:

- 3 Hyatt Gold Passport points for every $1 spent with your Hyatt Card at all Hyatt properties;
- 1 Hyatt Gold Passport point for every $1 spent on purchases elsewhere;
- There are no limits to the points you can earn;
- Award nights with no resort, Internet, or redemption fees;
- No foreign transaction fees for international purchases.

Find out details at http://mychasecreditcards.com/hyatt .

Aircell, a leading provider of inflight internet, announced it has installed Gogo Inflight Internet on its 1,000th aircraft.

The aircraft, a Delta Air Lines DC-9, will fly today from Detroit. Its passengers will be greeted by Gogo brand ambassadors, and treated to complimentary Gogo Internet access on board.

Aircell says in a press release that “Gogo Inflight Internet is now available on more than 3,800 flights daily, up from just 2,100 at this time last year.  Roughly one-third of all mainline domestic aircraft now offer Gogo’s Inflight Internet service”.

Gogo service provides passengers with full Internet access — browsing the Web; accessing online music and games; sending and receiving e-mail; and connecting to virtual private networks while flying — on any Wi-Fi-equipped laptop or personal electronic device.
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According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers’ U.S. lodging forecast the lodging industry will continue to experience a modest recovery during the last quarter of 2010.
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ forecast is based on an updated macroeconomic forecast from Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC that reflects a deceleration in the growth of the US economy during the remainder of 2010, but an outlook for a return to an above-trend growth in 2011.

The forecast confirms the return of the business segment with business travel that has reduced the gap to just 3.7 percent below 2007 levels — in the first half of 2009 it had fallen 10.6 percent below 2007 performance.

PricewaterhouseCoopers anticipates that the US occupancy rate will increase 2.6 percentage points for 2010, reaching 57.2 percent, thanks to a growing demand and decelerating supply growth. The pricing outlook for the remainder of 2010, and 2011, has improved substantially, resulting in an earlier-than-expected recovery in average daily rate (ADR) during the second half of 2010. This synergistic effect is expected to result in a 4.1 percent increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR) in 2010.

International and domestic airfare have increased substantially to hit in June new highs since pre-recession levels, the North America Business Travel Monitor (BTM) study reports.

The study, released by National Business Travel Convention – American Express Business Travel shows business travel data and analysis for the first half of 2010, including details of trends in US domestic and international airfare and hotel rates paid this year.

It also reveals that, even with hotel rates decreased slightly compared to the first half of 2009, further increases in demand indicate that hotel price declines will likely cease and even begin to rise in the 2011 negotiating season.

Below the main findings from BTM.

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To help travelers get the information they might need to get through the security checkpoint, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) launched the MyTSA mobile web app and iPhone app.

The applications feature tools such like “Airport Status” providing general airport conditions and delays for U.S. airports and “TSA Guide” including information on TSA’s liquids rules, information on IDs, and tips for travelers with children and those with special needs.

A very useful tool is “Can I Bring”, designed to answer the most commonly asked questions to TSA’s Contact Center about items passengers want to bring onto a plane. Just enter the item you want to pack, and the tool will tell you if it’s permitted and which bag you should put it in.
Here are TSA tips on how to better use the tool:
- Just type the item, for example, “baseball bat” – don’t include “my,” “a.”
- Only enter one item at a time.
- Make sure you’ve spelled the item correctly.
- Enter “deodorant” instead of “Old Spice Deodorant.” In most cases, avoid brand names.
- Instead of typing a general item like “food,” be more specific and type “apple,” “sandwich,” or “yogurt.”

The app also enables travelers to see wait time information posted by other travelers, and return the favor by posting their wait time.

To get the iPhone app, you can download MyTSA on iTunes for free, or look for it on the USA.gov Apps gallery. You can find MyTSA on your smart phone at www.tsa.gov/mobile.
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