Blog Posts

Planning a trip to New York City?.  Welcome!

There are about a dozen IHG hotels in Manhattan and countless more in the nearby other  four boroughs.

Regardless of where you stay in Manhattan, ;your hotel will be safe and  near

-- Excellent public transportation

-- Too many restaurants , from inexpensive to sky high prices.

-- Shopping

- Tourist 'must see's

- -A park or bench to slow down and people watch

You will leave saying;

-- It's a great place to visit, but I couldn't live here or I would live here in a NY minute if I  could . .

- Gosh , it is expensive!

-  New Yorkers are so friendly.  Who knew?

- _   I'll never get used to that Noo Yawk accent.

- I wore out ,in one week, the shoes I've had for 5 years.

- I can't wait to come back and see the stuff I missed

- Next time I will bring half the clothes; twice the money.

The new kid on the block is  the IC Times Square,  opening in July, 44St and 8th Ave.   More tha 600 rooms,  gourmet restaurant  minutes to Broadway shows.;glass exterior, almost completed,  contruction is now on the inside. I report regularly on its progress whenever I pass by.  .

Others in midtown: ;

Candlewood Suites, W 39 St, and HIX, W39 St near Javitz Convention Center, Madison Square Garden, Garment District, walkable to most Broadway theatres.

CP Times Square,  W49 ST and Broadway - recently renovated, big rooms,  a block from Radio City, Rock Center, in the hub of neon  Times Square, near Roclk Center

IC Barclay, East 49 St , off Lexington  and Park  Aves- near UN, Rock Center, St Patricks Cathedral,

Staybridge , West 40 st - near Javitz center, Broadway, Times Square ,

HI West  57 St - near Time Warner Building, Central Park, short walk to Linclon Center

HIX West 46 St. walk to theatre, rock center, DIAMOND district

Downtown

HI Wall street - Water St. opening in summer , and HI Soho Lafayette St. Near ground zero, financial district, Chinatown, Little Italy

Chelsea - great art galleries, interesting neighborhood, north  of Greenwich Village

Indigo, W 28 St and HI , W 27  St -

Wherever you stay, whenever you come,  I think you will feel the energy of the city and  report to neighbrs back home,
" I love New York,"

-

Submission by Stephen Harris, curator of the Oxford University Herbaria.

A herbarium is a collection of pressed, dried plants, and is a fundamental conservation tool. Herbaria are central to the initiatives to catalogue plant life on Earth, the debate about the future of global plant biodiversity and its conservation and understanding plant evolution. There are many herbaria scattered around the world, and may contain a few thousand specimens to more than ten million specimens.

A herbarium specimen comprises the dried plant and, importantly, the label. The label indicates when and where the specimen was collected, together with the plant’s ecology. Thousands of people have collected, thousands of specimens in some of the world’s most remote regions. Each specimen is therefore a record of when and where a particular plant was found but also a historical document. When many herbarium specimens are analysed together it is possible to state where species are distributed and how their distributions have changed over time. Herbarium specimens are also important for correctly naming plants. Furthermore, it is possible to extract pollen and DNA from herbarium specimens, study anatomy and even carbon-date them. Herbarium specimens can be used in ways that the original collectors would have found impossible to conceive. Free from damp, fungi and insects herbarium specimens will survive for hundreds of years. In Oxford University Herbaria we have specimens that were collected in the first decade of the 17^th century by an Italian monk; these specimens are so well preserved they could have been collected only a few years ago.

Oxford University Herbaria has been concerned with biodiversity issues, in various guises, for nearly four centuries. Established in 1621, the Herbaria had its roots in the Oxford Botanic Garden, and is the oldest herbarium in the United Kingdom and the fourth oldest such collection in the world. Oxford University Herbaria contain c. 1,000,000 specimens collected from around the world. Some of the species in the collection are now extinct; whilst other might be known only from the single specimen stored in the cupboards. Today, the collections and the data that they contain are being made available on the web through the botanical research and herbarium management data base BRAHMS online.

Captions

An example of a herbarium specimen collected in Mexico in 1992. This specimen was used to describe a new species in the genus Leucaena (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucaena). The genus includes about 30 species of woody plants, mostly small to medium sized tree. Some species of Leucaena are widely planted in the tropics and subtropics as multi-purpose trees – fast growing, used for firewood, animal fodder, fencing and so on.

Sturt's desert pea, collected by the pirate William Dampier (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Dampier)  in western Australia in 1699 is one of the many historic specimens stored in the Oxford Herbaria. This was 50 years before the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus developed the species naming science now uses. Before this time, all plants were named with phrases in Latin as seen on this specimen. Sturt's desert pea is the national flower of western Australia.

Each of the following InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) brands have distinct brand personalities.  Brand personalities help consumers understand what is being offered. For consumers, a brand's personality can be the most important reason why one brand is chosen above all others. Strong brand identities/personalities help cement an image into the consumer's mind.

Hotel Indigo: Refreshingly Local

Hotel Indigo is designed for the business traveler who is looking for something other than a typical business hotel. Hotel Indigo inspires you with a refreshing experience (which renews your spirit) by offering the feel of a boutique hotel with the benefits of a big hotel brand.

• Engaging Design
• Inspired Service
• Fresh Design 
• Urban Oasis
• Inviting Rooms
• Continuous Renewal
• Inspiration
• Phi Bar & Restaurant
• Pet Friendly                                                                              

Holiday Inn: Change Is Inn                   

• Kids Eat Free
• Free High Speed Internet
• US Today Newspaper
• Guest Champion Position
• New Logo and Signage
• Nascar (US Sponser)
• Room Service Right... On Time
• Best-4-Breakfast Program
• Holiday Inn e*Host

Holiday Inn Express: Stay SMART, Stay REAL

• Free Express Breakfast Bar
• SMART Guest Bath
• SMART Bedding Collection
• SMART Connect
• Free High Speed Internet
• Free Local Calls
• Guest Champion Position

Staybridge Suites: Make It Your Place

Staybridge Suites is an all-suite hotel brand designed for guests to stay connected to their families, friends, and work. Flexible service is provided when away from home, usually for 5+ nights.

• Free Breakfast Buffet
• Evening Receptions
• Free Local Calls
• Free High Speed Internet
• 24-Hour Business Services
• 24-Hour BridgeMart
• Free Guest Laundry
• BBQ Pavilion
• Great Room with Fireplace

Candlewood Suites: Consider Us Home

The Candlewood Brand provides a home away from home experience when traveling for an extended period of time.  Friendly staff and all-suite rooms make guests feel right at home.

• Home Amenities
• Spacious Suites with Full Kitchens
• Large Workspace
• Free High Speed Internet
• Free Guest Laundry
• Gazebo Grill
• Video Lending Library

Related Links

The New Holiday Inn Website: Redesigned from the ground up for easier use.

Best-4-Breakfast Program

Ronald's Post:  His expectations of the hotel brands

We, this week received our copy of Intercontinental life. It compares well with the better in flight Airline magazines there is a lot of detail on Intercontinental Hotels in a particular region. In this, the spring 2010 edition the area selected is mainly Central Europe. There are many Hotels in what might have been called the old Austro Hungarian empire area such as Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest, Kiev, and Berchtesgaden. There are the details of each property but very importantly the all elusive phone number, email and web page detail.

Thinking about other IHG publications we have the Ambassador and Royal Ambassador annual Booklet with all the terms and conditions but importantly the benefits. Looking at the Priority club application brochure the benefits are not as well laid out as in the Hotel Directories.

Now on the Subject of directories I would ask for some more information. The maps are useless scale is unpredictable and often the transport details such as Airport info not good.  Is there not an International Directory?

The individual Hotel brochure is usually very good and informative and the Intercontinental ones are excellent. I wonder if IHG ever do research into what guests or travellers actually would like to see in brochures.

In some Intercontinental hotels there are fantastic house magazines such as the Carlton in Cannes. That has great magazines.

Club Lounges are a great source of brochures etc and local information.

In rooms most hotels have a copy of The Bible and the Koran. Are there others I am not aware of?

I travel for fun, early and often, and sometime think of  my trips as  icecream -  many choices, can be   plain or fancy, never bad, sometimes fabulous- .

  My Favorite  travel 'flavors":

To Totally veg out, complete relaxation -  a  cruise ship ,  or a beach.  which can be as local as Long Beach,  Long Island or the south of France.  Sometimes , I just need to see the ocean that meets  the horizen.

Learning - all trips are learning experiences,  but some are more educational than others. My fave  is  the Oxford Experience, a  summer adult ed program, where I lived on campus, had a tutor and classmates,  that were of all ages, all nationalities.

Cities,- museums,  history,  grand restaurants, shopping, walking, people watching.,. In US,  IC Willard,  DC, and in Europe, the IC Berlin, IC Amstel,

Tours_- Traveling solo, and not willing to drive in foreign countries, I take  packaged  tours to places I can't easily travel around in by myself. Favorite  tour company: Martin Randall  Travel, small groups, brainiac tour guides, usually  have PhD related to the destination.

Natural Wonders - National l Parks in the southwestern US. Favorite are  Bryce, Zion , Canyonlands. in Utah and  the Grand Canyon in Az.  which is  more than just a hole in the ground. Very special!.

Spa -  Big time . mega $$ names are Canyon Ranch and Golden Door, but these days almost any hotel can be classified as a spa, when  there is a good fitness center ,  and massage therapist. IC Montelucia is a lovely resort/spa ,  when   in Arizona.

An what is the   common problem with  ice cream  and travel?. Too easy to put on the pounds with both

"

As now exclusively a total traveller with multiple nights in the same the hotel for holidays we find that we do like the Hotel room to be home from home. Mostly this relates to how we prefer things in the room. For example if I lay out my toiletries and shaving kit in the bathroom then that’s how I want it to be. Yes the chamber maid (person) has to clean and tidy up but I put things how I want them not to have them rearranged in a manner suiting the hotel staff. Like wise sometimes a piece of small furniture such as a chair  is inconvenient for me so I move it a few feet  to say get a better view from the window only to find it put back in the original position both on the morning room service and evening one as well.

Other things that make to hotel room friendlier are of course tea and coffee making items. Surprisingly not all Intercontinental Hotels supply these items. We will always bring our own fresh milk as we cannot abide the pre packaged little creamers or cartons. A trip to the local shop can remedy this easily.

On Long stays in a hotel consistent staff are great as they recognise your needs and preferences. It is always nice to be shown to your favourite table in the breakfast room or restaurant. Even better if the waiter knows your food preferences and gets chef to do of menu food for you.

Probably the most important thing to make it home from home is the arrival; being recognised by the door man as well as reception.

On the green front on stays of multiple nights why are some things like towels that may not even have been used changed?

Now the business traveller can well assimilate to the George Clooney recent film “up in the air”

When you leave your room, make sure that all of the lights and electronics are off.  No one will be there to enjoy them anyway. Do you turn off the lights when you leave your hotel room?

No blog, no comments, no discussions this week, as I will be in Cuba and was advised not to bring a laptop.

Cuba is off limits to Americans, as we have no relationship with this Communist country,  90 miles from  the US border.  US citizens, with a visa,  can  get there from another country or can get there via  a charter flight from  Miami,  on a "mission". .  And so I found a mission.!

I will be gone for 8 days, and will tell  all when I get back. .  Am staying overnight  at the Crowne Plaza, @Miami airport., and  as Ron, Amanda and I always suggest, I  phoned the hotel for the name of the Reservation Manager and then emailed her, confirming my reservation and requests.

This CP automatically provides a full breakfast voucher for  Platinum PC members, but  I have to leave pre-dawn with the group for the airport,  and the kitchen will not be open.  Instead, they will prepare a box breakfast for me, fulfilling my requests for protein ( hb egg, cheese) and carbs,( fruit,  English muffin) . And the front desk person on duty might get me a cup of coffee., If  you don't ask, you don't get.

Hasta la vista.