The King Is Back
Clients heading to Southern California this summer should be warned
that So. Cal’s hottest attractions are being kept under wraps as in
mummy wraps.
First, King Tut is back at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
(LACMA) from June 16-Nov. 15, and hotels and tour companies are
looking to cash in on the buzz. The Omni Los Angeles Hotel, for
instance, is offering the “Live Like a King ... Tut” package, that
includes a deluxe room, two VIP tickets to the exhibit, dinner and
more. Not to be outdone, Le Meridien at Beverly Hills, which is
located just five minutes from LACMA, is offering its “Ultimate
King Tut” package that includes a visit to the Tut exhibit in town
as well as a first-class ticket to the Le Meridien Pyramids in
Cairo to see the actual Land of the Pharaohs in person. The price?
A mere $37,500. In addition, tour operator Destinations &
Adventures is launching a series of special monthly Egypt
departures that will focus on the boy king.
Finally, be sure to remind clients that just minutes away from
Disneyland, in Santa Ana, Calif., the Bowers Museum will be hosting
one of the British Museum’s most popular attractions, “Mummies:
Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt.” There should be plenty
on hand to gross out the kids!
For the 12th consecutive year, the Spirit of Washington Dinner
Train brings mayhem and intrigue to the Seattle area this summer.
Actors from It’s a Mystery entertainment group pose as passengers
and blend into the group, leaving everybody a suspect for the
staged murder mystery unfolding aboard the train.
Perfect for groups, the actors incorporate personal information
about the guests into the story to make it a different experience
each time.
www.spiritofwashingtondinner train.com
COMPASS POINTS: New and Noteworthy
New York’s legendary
Algonquin Hotel has put its
own literary twist on a new trend by offering guests iPods loaded
with the latest audio books
...Rosewood
Hotels & Resorts celebrates its 25th anniversary with
the Three Generations of Luxury plan, where families of three or
more generations, staying in three bedrooms for at least three
nights will receive a special rate, a family portrait and a free
family dinner
...The Loew’s Annapolis
Hotel has a loaner of a different sort for guests Luke,
the hotel’s resident Labrador retriever is available for cuddling
and games of fetch
... Miami’s
Bentley
Beach Hotel is turning back the years with its Modern
Miami Vice package, which celebrates the 1984 hit TV show. The
package includes the penthouse suite, a powerboat, a Ferrari rental
and more
...Elite Islands
Resorts’ new Fly and Save promotion offers up to $600 in
savings on American Airlines when guests fly to any of the eight
resorts in the collection
...The
Renaissance Esmeralda, in Indian Wells, Calif., has opened
its Camp Oasis kids’ club, making it the only resort in the Palm
Springs area with an extensive program for kids
... Gutsy
Women Travel is offering a Bring a Friend promotion that
offers $100 off the price of a tour for each friend who books,
while the friend receives $100 off as well
... Thrifty Car
Rental will award travel educators free registration to
ASTA’s World Travel Congress, held this year in Montreal, Nov. 6-11
& There is no place better to spend the Fourth
of July than the nation’s capital, or so thinks the
Fairmont Washington, D.C., which is offering is
offering special rates June 30-July 9
&
Attention runaway brides:
Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht
Harbour, on Grand Bahama Island, is offering a three-night
stay designed to ease pre-nuptial jitters. Brides will receive
sunglasses, a private car and in-suite check-in to keep their
identity a secret; a massage and signature “Conch-tini” cocktail,
to relax their nerves; the resort will send an E-mail to friends
and family telling them the bride is safe and sound; and the resort
will provide a Cold Feet Concierge that will accompany the bride to
dinner
& Suzy Gershman, author of Frommers
“Born to Shop” books, is now available to help guests of the
I
nterContinental Hong Kong create the ultimate
shopping trip
& Recognizing guests’ needs to
stay fit and eat healthy while traveling, the
Westin
Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, home of acclaimed Spa
Mystique, offers the Ultimate Zen Package, which includes a
Sleeping Tiger massage, a yoga class and a healthful lunch at the
spa’s cafe
& Beginning in August, the
Georgian Hotel, in Santa Monica, Calif., will be
offering shopping discounts for guests at local merchants in the
Third Street Promenade mall
&Walt
Disney Resort is offering a discounted “stay, play and
dine” Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining for most nights Aug.
21-Oct. 4. Travel must be booked by July 3
&
For the second year,
Fairmont Hotels across the
nation will be the official hotels of the Save Our History program,
an initiative from The History Channel that promotes history
education and preservation. Each hotel has created vacation
getaways that emphasize the history and culture of the destinations
&Club Med announced the
debut of a new booking engine that makes it easier to for travel
agents at www.clubmed.com
& Until Aug. 15,
guests at
La Quinta and
Baymont
hotels will receive a “Web decoder” they can use to play an
instant-win game online. Each week 100 prizes will be given away at
both chains.
