The rest of Q&A

Q – We just spent three nights at the JW Marriott in Dallas and absolutely loved the bed. We both slept like a baby and made up for the sleep we’ve been lost the past several weeks dealing with some issues at home. We’re back a week and my lovely wife instructs me that I am to order the bed. Do I call the hotel or some company that handles it for them?

A – You could contact the hotel directly and ask for Guest Services. But it is highly likely you were sleeping on an 800 coil Serta “Perfect Sleeper”. We would suggest you call a nearby mattress store that carries Serta products. They should be able to get it for you and deliver it quickly. By the way, the top sleep specialists in the nation have pretty much proven that you cannot compensate for lost sleep. The body just doesn’t work that way. Sleep is very much an independent, single event similar to pulling the handle on a slot machine in Vegas, but there are also betting apps which are extremely popular and people visit to go and make some money this way. What happened before has no impact on the event.

Virtually all of the major hotel chains have now gotten into the bedding business. For some, like the Four Season and Ritz Carlton brands, it has become a profitable side business. Our recommendation is to pass on the bed and use the hotels for their specially constructed pillows and duvets.

Q – Just back from a two-week jaunt around the British Isles. We stayed mostly at the better-known chain hotels but we also found some charming three-star places. I thought they were fine but my wife said she felt “itchy” during our last night in Edinburgh and wanted me to ask how we can tell if the hotel washes the sheets and the covers after each guest stay. I’m sure other people who use this site would like to know about hotel policies on changing the linen after each guest stay. The alternative is just too nasty to contemplate, and don’t make me think if the cleaning is for the bugs to, I do recommend the pest control olathe ks work, they will keep everything away.

Homeowners and business owners alike should be encouraged to develop a comprehensive pest control management program. Disease carrying pests can not only cause illness among your family members and even employees or customers, but certain unwanted creatures can destroy the structure of your home or office, contaminate food, and create an unattractive mess. In many cases, it can be very difficult to control a pest outbreak which is why it is always advisable to seek professional extermination or removal services.They have proper instruments and technology gadgets to do proper cleaning. To get more information about these cleaning gadgets you can go here.

Here is guide from the latest buzz b gone reviews. Before we can get into trying to understand whether biological pest control is the answer to the pest-control related environmental concerns, it would be proper to give ourselves a little background information on this whole pest control business; for the benefit of those who may be encountering it for the very first time. Now, pests are organisms (typically insects) that are injurious to the interests of the people who refer to them as such. Thus to farmers, the insects that invade and eat up their crops (whether in the fields or during storage), would be termed as pests.

A – Well you better contemplate it. Hotel cleanliness and night security are two of the issues that are never addressed in hotel or online hotel sales ads expert of you are booking through a premium platform like StayPromo, then you can be assured that all these factirs are considered when they research for deals.

Here are some generalizations and facts that will help you understand how hotel bedding changes are handled by hotels:

• Price dictates everything. The vast majority of hotel chains do not change bedspreads or duvets regularly. The norm is to change them four times per year.
• In most chain hotels in the mid-range to low price category, sheets are not changed automatically each evening. Housekeepers are taught to “eyeball” the bedding, only making changes when they deem it necessary. The number of pieces maids assign for cleaning is carefully monitored.
• Multi-colored bedspreads and duvets are generally a tell-tale sign that the hotel is trying to hide dirt and stains. Hotels that clean duvets after each guest stay like The Ritz Carlson, the Peninsula, and the Four Seasons chain, automatically clean all duvets and bed covers after each guest checks out.
• Sometimes hotel chains maintain stricter cleaning standards at their higher-end brands. Marriott guarantees its covers are changed between guests at its JW Marriott and Renaissance hotels.
• Large three and four-star chains such as Hilton, Sheraton, and Westin ask maids to “look carefully” at bedding each day, removing bedding for cleaning where necessary.
• Some hotel chains, according to Travel + Leisure magazine’s Peter Jon Lindberg, do a regularly scheduled “Deep Cleaning” of each guest room on a regular basis. For the majority of hotels in the United States, a “deep cleaning” takes place every three months.
• When questioned about their bedding cleaning practices, most hotels respond that they clean their bedding on an “as needed” basis.
• Many countries have a higher standard of living than the United States and that tends to translate to higher hotel room cleaning standards. But hotel bedding in underdeveloped countries may have lower standards. Sometimes, as in most of southern Africa, the availability of inexpensive labor and the lower cost of laundering services, combine to elevate room service standards.
• The fact, that no one can ever put in print, is that five-star hotels tend to attract a clientele that has better personal hygiene practices. Every blue light test by investigative reporters in hotels around the country has produced unusually high percentages of toxic materials and insect-borne bacteria. The best defense against getting ill is to stay at the very best hotel that you can afford and to know their cleaning practices before checking in.

Q – My wife and I really appreciate your approach and so we come to you with a question that’s been on our minds for months. You could say we are frequent world travelers. As COO of a large company based in Boston, I travel overseas an average of two times per month. We take three weeks of vacation every year, always enjoying top grade accommodations and services. I am a seeker of high-end services, hate skimping, but the accountant in me demands that I ask “How exactly do you get the best pricing on a top-end hotel room or suite? What is the secret? Is it online, web site, calling direct etc? 

A – The goal of this game is make the consumer feel that he//she has the best rate whenever and wherever they book. In fact, any price that you receive online or from a travel agent is likely to be high because any advertised or available onside pricing is, essentially, being offered to the general public. Hotels do not want their rooms sold online so they routinely require high cancellation policies and assign online bookers some of the worst rooms in their inventory. Hotels want you to book with them directly but they have to offer the same pricing to anyone who contacts them. They cannot offer pricing that will alienate their regular guests.

The bottom line is that anytime anyone quotes you a hotel price, online or offline, you can be pretty certain you are not getting the best price. The best hotel prices are secret, they are never shown to the guest. These room prices are called “Contracted Rates” and tour operators in the country where you hotel is located have negotiated special pricing available through the tour operator or wholesaler. So when you visit Spain and you have arranged a complete itinerary using a Spain-based tour operator, through your travel consultant, you will receive your itinerary with the hotels and it will all have one price. The confidential rates, lower than what you could ever find elsewhere, are incorporated into the itinerary. In that way the hotel fills lots of rooms at the lowest possible price without upsetting the majority of guests who did not book through an in-country wholesaler and, consequently, paid more for their room.

Sorry for the long explanation, but your question required it. Bottom Line: If you actually know the price of your room and have seen it in writing, you are likely paying more than you should.

Q – My wife and I have been following traveltruth for the past eight years. And we always thought we could take anything you said to the bank. But this last story about flying monkeys, horses, and pigs is stretching our credulity. I just can’t believe that any airline is going to let any of these animals into the passenger compartment of an aircraft. And I say this as a certified private pilot. Please retract the story as it demeans the trust we’ve placed in the information that appears here. I’ll grant you this – it’s a good story.

A – Actually, we were being entirely serious and stand by our story. In fact, the photo that accompanies the piece shows a women with a rather hefty pig who was boarded by US Airways at Bradley Field in Connecticut. The pig made a rather huge mess in the aisle soon after boarding and the flight attendants requested that the owner clean the floor before they continued boarding. That resulted in the woman, with her pig, departing the plane. We can’t make this stuff up.

New Department of Transportation regulations instruct airlines to accommodate pre-approved animals that provide “emotional support” to be boarded in the passenger compartment following recommended guidelines.

Q – We will be leaving for London next week flying on United, with a United connecting flight to Lisbon. We just noticed we have four and a half hours between flights. Any suggestions as to where we should eat or shop in the Terminal would be appreciated.

A – You need to get specifics from your travel agent. Our guess is that you are flying British Airways from Heathrow to Lisbon on a code-share with United. That means that BA will actually fly the plane. United flights usually arrive at Terminal 2. We would recommend the new Perfe3ctionists Café which is headed up by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal. (Don’t expect to see him in the kitchen. Most celebrity chefs with outposts at an airport limit their appearances to the departure gate)

For shopping we would recommend the new John Lewis store and the boutiques belonging to Cath Kidston and Ted Baker. There are often delays coming into Heathrow. Believe us, the time will pass quickly.

Q – My wife and I have just spent several hours on the phone trying to actually book seats using miles, miles we’ve earned by being loyal customers. I used to fly for my work so I am in a position to see how the damn airlines have cut and cut the seats they allocate to mileage customers. I’ve about had it. I want to find one or two airlines that still have some portion, some molecule of customer service in their DNA. Is there any way to know which airlines we should fly because they still have some integrity in their frequent flyer program.

A – Airlines have integrity. What they don’t have, however, are policies that reflect a proper appreciation of their best customers. Consumer Reports, one of the organizations whose journalistic standards we greatly respect, tried using frequent flyer miles to book seats on the five most popular US routes. They tested nine major airlines over a period of several months. They found major differences between the carriers.

Delta claims it offers more Frequent Flyer seats in its ads. In fact, the Consumer Reports testing indicates that claim is accurate. Southwest was in second place.

The airlines requiring the most miles with the highest fees were Spirit Airlines and US Airways.

Additional advice from Consumer Reports: Book your mileage seats as early as you can. If you can’t find what you want by going online or by speaking with an airlines reservations agent, contact the “Frequent-Flyer Service Desk”. Every major airline has one.

Q – Do you happen to know which country has the most travelers, meaning residents who travel abroad. The question came up over dinner last night and the answers ranged from the United States, France, and England. Also wondering why you no lo longer answer questions about restaurants. We used to find that part of traveltruth really interesting.

A – In the case of England and France, those are good guesses if you are considering the percentage of citizens who leave the country each year on vacation. Given that only 29% of Americans have a passport, we’re near the bottom of the list of industrialized countries in terms of overseas travel. The answer is that China now sends more citizens abroad than any other nation. Bloomberg BusinessWeek estimates that a staggering 116 million Chinese tourists will travel abroad this year and they will spend upwards of $155 billion.

Perhaps most amazing is the fact that this represents a one year growth rate of 20% among Chinese who leave the country for vacation, making the Chinese the most significant tourism market on earth.

There has been no deliberate attempt to devote less coverage to worldwide restaurant recommendations. We respond to questions asked of us. We think that some of the better consumer travel magazines such as AFAR, Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler are doing a much better job of late featuring hot, new restaurants within their area of coverage. Some of the best restaurant advice can be curated from the blogs of the better Concierge teams at top-rated hotels.

Q –  After only a decade of talking about it, my procrastinating husband has finally agreed to take me on a crossing to or from Europe next year. Wait until he finds out he won’t be able to get ESPN on the ship. We want the best itinerary and ship and we’d love to have as many ports as possible. The world’s champion Pitt fan is retired now, so we can go anytime and we figure we can be away for about two weeks. Is there one particular sailing you would recommend?

A – Our favorite crossing in 2015 is going to be aboard the Crystal Symphony on August 30th from Amsterdam to New York City. This is before the Atlantic hurricane season on a five-star inclusive ship that can handle rough seas well. The 13-Night itinerary includes stops in Edinburgh (overnight), the Shetland Islands, the Farce Islands (Denmark), an overnight in wonderful Reykjavik, Iceland, and Nova Scotia. You can get an outside stateroom at heavily discounted pricing below $5,000 per person.

Q – We were directed to your site by another site. Looking for a ship or a company that supposedly will take you to Antarctica on an actual sailing boat. We can’t seem to find any information on this program and wondering if you could point us in the right direction. My wife and I are in our early fifties, we’re sailors, and we always select the most adventurous way to see a place.  I think that doing Drake’s Passage on a sailboat would be just awesome. 

A – This is a wild one but it does exist. Have your travel agent contact Natural Habitat Adventures. They have been using the 75-foot Australis, a true sailing vessel that is equipped for polar ice. The 17-Day Immex program normally goes out with eight passengers from Ushuaia down the Beagle Channel, along the coast of Argentina and then across the Drake Passage to the coast of Antarctica. There will be an on-board biologist and, if weather cooperates, you will be camping on absolutely deserted beaches. They charged $22,995 per person the last time they operated this voyage and that was not for the top accommodation. Get More Information here for best accommodation to enjoy youur holiday. This is easily a $50,000 + adventure. If you are on budget and hunting in search of a durable and high-quality tent, your search ends with ALP Lynx single person tent. Our researches thoroughly check its specs and passed it through the wringer before including this in our list. ALPS is not a novice brand in the manufacturing of backpacking tends, its designed products such as Zephyr is one of the top-selling products on Amazon. The Lynx does not differ much over Zephyr but its cost is significantly lesser. The single person backpack tent comparison comes in hands over $100 price range. The company did not cut the corners, nor integrated it with sub-standard features or manufactured with poor-quality material. By all means, it is on par with other backpacks. As long as the size is concerned, the backpack is only 2 foot 8 inches wide and 7.5 feet long. If you are a larger person, the size might not fit you well. Yes, you get extra space to store things inside, it is long enough for a larger person. The total weight of the backpack falls around 4-pounds, with 2-liter soda bottle thickness. With the Lynx Tent series, you do not need to be worried about the assembly. It adheres to a free-standing design, two aluminum built poles with Plyster ten fly resist water and UV damages. It comes with eight quality zippers, guy ropes, stakes, and one doorway to get inside or go out seamlessly. The vestibule area to store your gear is outstanding integration. It is one of the most notable differences between Zephyr and this. Lynx offers less space inside compare to zephyr but enough for a single person. Yes, the rainfly mesh is lesser, it would not withstand against cold weather, taken down by a bad-weather much easier. The storage features with mesh pockets and a gear loft are important sections to consider in a tent, so the Lynx comes integrated with all. If you are going to hit backcountry and weather forecast tells heavy rainfalls in that area, do not hesitate if you got Coleman Sundome Tent onboard. This is the best selling tent and comes in hands at the affordable price range. The Tent comes with WeatherTec patented system to protect you from soaking. Its welded corners and cover seams keep the water out from you, so you stay dry no matter how much rainfalls. Its large window and vents enhance ventilation and ensure you breath fresh air and stay cool all night. The ground vents push the warm air up and out from the tent, to render a comfortable sleeping experience. It comes with mesh pockets into the tent’s walls for easy storing of small yet, essentials like keys, glasses, watches and other stuff. The tent dimensions are  82.7 inches long, 59.1 inches wide and 47.2 inches height. Two persons can easily fit into it and spent time comfortably. It comes with a 1000D polyethylene floor that is of breathable style and protects campers from extreme weather with welded seams protections. It is coated polyester fabrics on the fly and even on the walls are durable and protects from rough weather conditions. It is easy to set up, one person can pull it up within 10-minutes. It integrates two windows and roof vents for enhanced ventilation, mesh roof also assist in easier ventilation to reduce overall condensation.

Q – We’ve got a situation where I have over a million miles on United and I will lose some of them if I don’t use them. My wife and I are sushi-lovers so we thought we’d do a fast round-trip from LAX  for about a week of doing for lunch and dinner. We hope to take an advanced Sushi course so we have a real appreciation of this kind of dining when we return to Santa Monica. You seem tuned in to the best restaurants. What restaurants should we definitely include?  

A – Ryugin is terrific and quite a modern take on classic sushi. Sukiyabashi Jiro is an incredible spot in the Ginza district made famous by the documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” and we think you should include Sushi Nakamara, considered by many experts to be the best in the city even though it is nearly impossible to find with zero signage.