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Can’t-miss holiday gifts for the traveler in your life

Like a tie for dad, a kitchen appliance for mom, or socks for the kids, there’s no shortage of holiday gift clichés for travelers. Wheeled luggage, ticket holders and inflatable pillows come to mind. Shopping for someone who’s on the go isn’t easy. ...

From CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, Elliott.org,  22 Nov 2009

Westin fat-finger rate should stand

That is, until this past Monday morning, when I received an e-mail from the hotel's director of revenue management saying that the rate was caused by a "keystroke error" during data entry. The actual rate was $289. The Westin offered a rate of $99 per ...

From CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, San Francisco Chronicle,  22 Nov 2009

Related Topics: National Geographic

‘Keystroke error’ turns $289 rate into $28

Question: I recently found a $28 per night rate at the Westin Imagine in Orlando. I was amazed. I booked the room, and several days later I called the hotel to ensure that it was a legitimate rate. They confirmed this, so I booked nonrefundable airfare, ...

From CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, Elliott.org,  21 Nov 2009

"Keystroke goof" worth pursuing

Q: I recently found a $28 per night rate at the Westin Imagine in Orlando. I was amazed. I booked the room, and several days later I called the hotel to ensure that it was a legitimate rate. They confirmed this, so I booked nonrefundable airfare, and ...

From CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, Denver Post,  20 Nov 2009

Cities' taxes slam guests

A study by the NBTA Foundation identified Dallas as one of the most-taxed cities for travelers. Chicago and Seattle also topped the list. (Matt Nager, Bloomberg ) Next time you book a hotel room online, consider what happens to the taxes you've ...

From CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, Denver Post,  20 Nov 2009

Related Topics: Expedia, Inc.,  Travelocity,  U.S. Congress

“CheapoAir made my mother cry”

And they were not tears of joy at having found a bargain. Elizabeth Hutton’s mother, Mary Ellyn, bought a round trip ticket from Cincinnati to Tallinn, Estonia, with stopovers in Newark and Stockholm. But something was wrong with the reservation, and ...

From CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, Elliott.org,  20 Nov 2009

Related Topics: Continental Airlines, Inc.

What’s new on Elliott: CheapoAir made me cry, confusing holiday forecasts, and contagious niceness

This is the online version of Elliott’s E-Mail. If this doesn’t display correctly, why not switch subscriptions to my RSS feed or my daily e-mail newsletter? Looking for the cheapest flight? Please visit our underwriter, Cheapflights.com, which lets ...

From CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, Elliott.org,  20 Nov 2009

Holiday travel forecasts: “Cautious optimism” — or billion-dollar bloodbath?

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. Maybe Mark Twain, or Benjamin Disraeli, or whoever first said that, worked in the travel industry. Because this week, as we look ahead to the busy holiday season, we are presented with ...

From CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, Elliott.org,  19 Nov 2009

After car rental disaster, angry customer mails “gesture of goodwill” back to Thrifty

Like most travelers, Bette Waterstreet doesn’t expect much when she rents a car. A clean, running vehicle that’s in the same car class she ordered will do just fine. But that’s not what she got when she rented from Thrifty in Ontario, Canada, recently. ...

From CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, Elliott.org,  19 Nov 2009

What’s 1.4 percent, really? A second look at the Thanksgiving forecast

After a sharp drop last year, more Americans are expected to travel for the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday, although travel by air will decline. That’s how the play-it-straight AP played the just-released AAA Thanksgiving forecast. How many more Americans? 1 ...

From CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, Elliott.org,  18 Nov 2009

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