Attitude Hotels Offers Up-scale Options for Gay Travelers

Pedro Castro, a gay Portugese travel marketing professional, is trying to expand up-scale options for gay travelers. After many negative experiences at gay hotels, Castro decided to create a brand for high-end, design-conscious, gay and lesbian hotels around the world. Attitude Hotels is the result. Think Leading Hotels of World with a gay-lesbian focus.

"Gay hotels used to be part of the ghetto from the '70s and '80s," Castro said. "Many of them are run down, and once you get there, you're highly disappointed."

Comprising primarily small to midsize properties arranged in three categories -- value, comfort and premium -- according to price and amenities, Attitude Hotels sets out to guarantee gay and lesbian travelers an experience that is both gay and upscale.

Although some hotels and larger hotel chains already market themselves to the gay community, Castro made it clear that, generally speaking, these kinds of properties failed to understand or meet the needs of the gay traveler. Attitude Hotels are primarily are gay-owned or operated and so provide a more tailored experience for travelers.

"Most of the places are gay-owned or gay-managed," Castro said, noting that Attitude sidesteps conventional hotel chains that advertise themselves as gay-friendly.

"Saying something is gay-friendly is a straight perspective," he said. "It says, 'We accept gay people.'

"I wanted to do [a high-end brand] from the other end, to claim the gay perspective," he said.

A similar consortia, World's Foremost, already exists but primarily focuses on bed and breakfasts in the U.S. Attitude Hotels will be the first brand to represent gay boutique hotels on the international stage.

Deep Flight Super Falcon Changes Luxury Travel

A company called Hawkes Ocean Technologies is changing the way people think about maritime vacations. Founder Graham Hawkes has been building submersibles and underwater vehicles for over a decade, but in the past his focus has been underwater research and filming.

Hawkes and his team changed their focus from more traditional submersibles to underwater flying machines and the Deep Flight Super Falcon was born.

According to Hawkes,

Deep Flight submersibles are designed to be more agile than any creature living in the ocean -- with the exception of dolphins.

The first vehicle of its kind designed for commercial use, the Deep Flight Super Falcon can reach depths of 1,500 feet, travel at 6 knots, and stay submerged for up to 5 hours.

The first client for the Super Falcon was venture capitalist Tom Perkins, who wanted a toy to keep on his mega-yacht, the Maltese Falcon. The base price: $1.3 million. Another model, which has open cockpits and cannot dive as deep as the Super Falcon, sells for $350,000.

The current state of the global economy has had a profound impact on luxury travel, but it's likely that Hawkes will still have plenty of buyers to keep him and his team busy.

In recent years the ultra-rich have begun looking for new ways to entertain themselves at sea as mega-yachts become old hat. Plus, the prospect of doing barrel rolls with whale sharks and being the first pair of human eyes look at some exotic coral reef is tough to pass up, even if it means breaking the bank.

FareFinder: Thursday, January 8

Since the BCS is set to crown a college football "champion", FareFinder is offering up some sports packages that you should check out for 2009:

Green Jacket packages: Premier Sports Travel has plenty of packages, but their trips for The Masters in April are great. Starting at $2,725, you can get nearby accommodations, shuttle service to Augusta National and tickets. Just in time to see Tiger play again.

NCAA Tourney: Tickets for the first and second round games in places like Greensboro, NC, Minneapolis, MN and Miami, FL are still available for under $250 for six games. Sweet 16 and Elite Eight tickets for Glendale, AZ (West Regional) and Indianapolis, IN (Midwest Regional) can be had for as little as $90 for three games.

Scottish golf during The Open: FareFinder likes golf. But here's a truly great travel deal. PerryGolf, HQ'd in Scotland, offers an 8-night chartered cruise around the coastline of Scotland this July. During the cruise, you'll play some of the greatest courses in the world, all leading up to attending the final round of the 2009 British Open at Turnberry. Non-golfers get $1,100 off.

Run for the Roses: Mint Juleps, big hats and Millionaire's Row. The Kentucky Derby is big-time entertainment. Derby Experiences, the official travel package and hospitality provider to Churchill Downs, offers a variety of packages for the horse-racing fan -- from the basic to the absolutely luxurious.

FareFinder: Wednesday, January 7

We love celebrities almost as much as we love travel deals. Just imagine our joy when found a combination of the two:

Concert at Sea: Carnival Cruise Lines's March 27 sojourn to Cabo is gonna be rocking. Literally. John Mayer (okay, "rock" is a stretch), as well as a host of other musicians will perform on board the Carnival Splendor when it docks in Cabo. No word on whether Jennifer Aniston will make an appearance. Cabins available through January 31.

Canadian wilderness tour: The luxury tour group Horizon & Co. is offering discounted rates and free airfare for booking its 8-day Great River Journey by January 15. The only catch is that you must take the tour in June.

Jet-set with JetBlue: Weekly airfare deals for the unencumbered (i.e. Can get away from the kids, job, wife, etc.) are all over the place. JetBlue's weekly specials include flights between Long Beach and Vegas for $39 each way, West Palm and Newark Liberty for $84 each way and JFK and Phoenix for $129 each way. Book by January 14.

Aruba resort deal: A PTG Editor's Pick, the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa is offering the Larimar Spa Package, which includes accommodations for two guests for four, five or seven nights and choice of spa treatments or rounds of golf based on number of nights. Rates starting at $2,375 and available through April 18.

Photo cred: E! Online

SeaDream Makes Cruising Cool Again

Generally when people think of cruising they imagine one of three things: old people, families with young children, or drunk college students. One company has recently started breaking those stereotypical barriers by increasing the flexibility of their departure times, port selections and activities. SeaDream has been so successful at marketing themselves to adult couples, that they've reduced their average travel age by more than a decade.

SeaDream Yacht Club has managed to tap into the market of younger, affluent vacationers that make its average passenger age 47 and falling. That is about a decade younger than the average age on its competitors' ships: Most luxury cruise passengers average in the late 50s to early 60s...

SeaDream's formula -- 100-passenger ships visiting smaller ports where larger cruise ships can't go, spending nights in some ports and leaving others late -- seems to work with younger cruisers, including many who have never cruised before. And unlike the first-time cruisers on Carnival Cruise Lines or Norwegian Cruise Line, SeaDream seems to attract vacationers who otherwise might not have ever cruised.

Beyond the more flexible times, SeaDream is generally more flexible than most cruise lines about activities and the use of company equipment (i.e. more fun with tiny boats that don't belong to you). They're also the only cruise line that, weather permitting, gives guests the option to spend the night outside on daybeds with down comforters. With an average age of 47, SeaDream still may be a slightly older crowd than the vacation you had in mind. But don't be shy, the next time you're planning a trip remember that cruising has a new, slightly younger face in the crowd.

FareFinder: Turkey Day Getaway

While Thanksgiving is steeped in tradition, sometimes it's refreshing to not have to slave over a stove and prepare for the inevitable family questions (So when is name of your child here going to get married/have children/grow up?).

With that in mind, LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels is offering a bunch of last-minute specials to whisk you away to some of the posh-est (is that even a word?) destinations for the upcoming holiday.

For example: The four-star Casa Marina Resort & Beach Club in Key West is rates starting at $149 nightly, a cool $100 off the regular price. Or how about a five-course meal with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey at his namesake restaurant in the newly-redesigned The London West Hollywood for $85?

It might be worth the price of the meal just to seewhether Gordon flies off the handle at an unsuspecting cook or busboy. That would certainly be more entertaining than watching the winless Detroit Lions get trounced on Turkey Day.

FareFinder: Christma$ in NYC grande dame

We thought FareFinder was such a good idea that we're scrapping the Tuesday/Thursday thang to give you FareFinder everyday (yeah, I know, you're welcome).

So, in honor of the first snowfall here at the PTG v.2 HQ, FareFinder decided to drop a little Christmas cheer in all your laps. And what says Christmas more than NYC and those fabulously-leggy Rockettes?

The Plaza, that venerable Big Apple landmark that provided the backdrop for such wonderful moments in Brewster's Millions, Home Alone 2 and The Sopranos, among others, is offering a "Christmas Spectacular" package that can only be described a major-league lux.

The hotel’s "Christmas Spectacular" package promises guests a quintessential holiday experience in the Big Apple and includes Premier seating for two at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, luxurious accommodations in a Plaza guest room or suite and a special "Christmas Spectacular"-themed holiday dessert to be devoured in The Palm Court.

Swank, yes. Cheap, no. Value, hells yeah. Rates might start at an eye-popping $875 a night, but considering you normally can't step through The Plaza doors for less than a grand, this is certainly worthy of a FareFinder luxury deal.

Image via YorkBlog.com

FareFinder: Five-star Turks deal (aka -- Spend a lot, save a lot)

We here at the FareFinder understand that not all of you are looking for the five-day/four-night $300 all-inclusive (But if you know of a good one, pass it along!). You might be saving for that special second honeymoon. You might just have a mountain of money that didn't get swept away in the stock market (if so, I have a great Web site investment for you). But you still want value for your hard-earned bucks.

Sometimes, you have to spend a lot to save a lot. If you're part of the champagne wishes and caviar dreams crowd, we've got a deal down in the Caribbean. Seven Stars Resort is a newbie when it comes to the luxury resorts on T&C's Grace Bay Beach, but it certainly doesn't rank near the bottom for experience or price (more on that in a bit). But there's still value to be had, evident by the email I received not too long ago from the FareFinder fairy in editorial:

[...]Seven Stars resort on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands is offering complimentary nights and other added value for guests from Nov. 16, 2008-May 31, 2009. Guests staying three nights or longer get one complimentary night; those staying at least seven nights get two nights free. In addition, they receive a 20% resort discount for their entire stay on all food and beverages, spa treatments and boutique purchases. Also, minimum stay requirements have been relaxed. No blackout periods apply, including Christmas and New Year, and the promotion is valid for all room categories.

Great deal, but like a wise man stated earlier: Spend a lot to save a lot. Rooms start around five bills; suites reach an AIG-like $5,800 a night (Do I get a bailout if I stay here?). But the five-star property is worth it according to our reviewer, so who am I to judge?

FareFinder: Put those free ski jackets to good use

Professional Travel Guide version 1.0 offered up a chance to grab some free stuff. Now through PTG v.2, FareFinder wants to help put those freebies to good use. Namely, hit the slopes. How does Telluride sound? I thought so.

The Inn at Lost Creek is offering major discounts on their peak-season rates for you early birds looking for a wintry getaway.

The Telluride, Colorado-based luxury, boutique hotel is offering a 20% discount for early reservations for the winter season. Book a three-night or longer stay from November 30 through April 5, 2009 (excluding Holidays and black-out dates) before November 30th to save.

I checked out their booking machine (FYI -- it's in Flash, so make sure your computer's updated) and the rates with this special drop anywhere from $80/night for a regular one-bedroom to an insane $175/night for those living high on the hog needing a two-bedroom suite.

There are some blackout dates, namely the times you'd want to get away to avoid family enjoy holiday weekends (Xmas/New Year's week, Prez's week and good ol' drink green beer week), but other than that it's a savings smorgasbord.

Notes from Las Vegas and Updated Hotel Reviews

Morning to all those out there. Still recovering from PubCon out in Las Vegas last week, more from flying 'cross country than from all-night parties (thanks, Zappos.com and Microsoft). Anywho, as the resident FareFinder here at Travelin' Light, just wanted to give a shout and say that we'll be trying to help you find some diamonds in the rough.

My travel to Sin City wasn't all conference and schmoozing. Did some updates to our luxury hotel reviews for the Tower Suites at Wynn Las Vegas and the new Trump International Hotel & Tower. Those updates will be on Professional Travel Guide soon. Meanwhile, I stayed at Treasure Island with most of the conference guests. We here like to take what our CEO says to heart, so I went through the hotel directly and saved a good chunk -- about 100 large. Not too shabby.

Anywho, we'll keep you posted daily on deals the travel sector is offering out there. You know what to do. And if not, Brinson gave you a good explanation below. Until next time.

Oh, Why Hello There

Hi, travel fans. And welcome to Travelin' Light, one of two blogs (we're hip, cool, etc., thanks. I know.) that are going to be featured on Professional Travel Guide. The Executive Lounge is on the way, and we'll tell you more about that shortly, but for now, we'll be having some fun here at T-Light.

We'll be discussing travel news and the lighter side of traveling in addition to finding you special fares for luxury travel and working up some travel correspondence type stuff that I think you're going to totally dig.

And while you're here, why not check us out on Twitter, or perhaps Facebook? (Also located in the far right column.) And, most importantly, make sure to sign up for our RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication - Explanation here). That way you'll be kept in the loop on all the most important travel news and our next contest -- you may recall we gave out a ski jacket or two recently.

Additionally, we'll be featuring a lot of the pretty ridiculous aspects of PTG that you might not already know about. And of course, I would be totally remiss if I didn't pimp out the new site redesign -- I'm going to assume you've probably seen it at this point, but in case you haven't please do swing over to PTG and check it out.