Hay-Adams Hotel Plays Host to Obamas

It's Washington tradition that incoming President's stay at the Blair House for the five days preceding their inauguration. Unfortunately for the Obamas, Malia and Sasha must report to their new school before the 15th and several dignitaries will be occupying the Blair House until that time. So what to do for the two weeks between? Stay at one of the most storied hotels in the country, of course.

The Hay-Adams Hotel, located directly opposite the White House and overlooking Lafayette Park, is drenched in history. The hotel takes its name from two famous Americans who formerly owned homes on the property (the current building dates from 1928).

John Hay, a private assistant to Lincoln and later secretary of state, and Henry Adams, an author and descendent of presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, both lived on the site the hotel now occupies.

The two, their wives and geologist Clarence King were a group of friends that dubbed themselves "The Five of Hearts," going so far as to have china and stationary letterhead printed with the nickname.

In 1884, Hay and Adams bought adjoining lots at the corner of 16th and H Streets, and their homes became Washington's leading salons.

Their discussions of politics, literature, science and art attracted the likes of Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain and author Henry James.

In addition to all the literary, philosophical and political history that surrounds the Hay-Adams, the hotel is also really really nice.

There are plenty of luxurious rooms and suites from which to choose and all range from 500 to 1,000 sq. ft. Among the top picks is the stunning Federal Suite, with awe-inspiring period decor and a private balcony with a direct view of the White House. Keep in mind, however, that conduct on said balcony is scrutinized with an eye for trouble.

Although you won't be able to stay there for Inauguration Day (the hotel has been booked up for some time now), you may want to pay a visit afterwards. The Obamas' stay has only added to the hotel's already rich history.

Blow Out Your Travel Plans for the Presidential Inauguration

On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be inaugurated as President of the United States. Washington, D.C. -- for an entire week prior to that date -- will be hosting an infinite number of lavish parties all across the area. So, yeah, it would be fairly awesome to be up there. And if you're a hard-core Dem (we're Swiss, thanks for asking), you might be willing to drop some big bucks to throw down in the capitol for a week.
The DC Traveler was kind enough to dig up some of the best (and most expensive) Presidential vacations available.

Try the 14-room suite at the Mandarin Oriential overlooking the city and the National Mall for a paltry $200,000. It includes a chauffeur-driven Maserati.

The ritzy Ritz Carlton Washington in Georgetown has a $150,000 package that includes private jet travel, personal butler and massage therapist and tickets to an inaugural ball. Leave for home with a full set of Louis Vuitton luggage as well.

The Georgetown Ritz Carlton [also] offers a $99,000 package that includes first-class travel and a stay at the Ritz in the Grand Cayman Islands, as after all that pampering, I guess people need to relax a bit.

And that's not including a $440,000 "Commander in Chief" package at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, which includes a $44,000 jewelry shopping spree and a ridiculous five day first class trip to St. Petersburg ... Russia.

So, um, yeah, it's pretty obvious that the entire district is set to pamper towards wealthy Dems making the trek to the nation's capitol. If you're so inclined, holler at a hotel. Although maybe we should change "Yes we can" to "Go big or go home." Now get out there and stimulate that economy people!

Cuba Tourism Shows Promise With Possible Embargo Shifts

After decades of trade embargos, economic relations between the United States and Cuba could see a shift in coming months. Although the Obama-administration has said publicly it intends to maintain the embargo, there has been some discussion of reducing restrictions on Cuban-Americans visiting family members. Some high-ranking officials within the Cuban government have voiced desires for an easing of the current tourism restrictions as well.

If the U.S. liberalizes tourist travel to Cuba, the country is ready to receive the visitors, said Cuba Vice President Carlos Lage in a statement from Prense Latina, the state news agency.
"Our tourism and our people are ready. It's barbaric to prohibit a citizen from visiting his family," said Lage, referring to the 46-year-old U.S. travel embargo.

Tourism to Cuba has grown 10.7% this year over 2007, reaping more than $2 billion in gross revenue and employing more than 300,000 people. It is Cuba's second-largest source of foreign income, behind nickel production.

The government has no plans to delay a $185 million plan to upgrade more than 200 resorts and build 50 boutique hotels by 2010, Trujillo reported.

Despite the U.S. travel embargo, Cuban tourism has been on the rise in recent years with travelers from Canada and Western Europe making up the bulk of visitors. While there are no significant changes slated for the trade embargo, it is nice to see how far the world has come since the Cuban Missile Crisis. And in this case, any news is good news for classic-car buffs, baseball fans and jazz enthusiasts (Ed. Note: Don't forget cigar aficionados.) the world over.

If you're considering a Cuban vacation, be advised... Americans are not forbidden to set foot on Cuban soil, but the U.S. government continues to restrict its citizenry from spending money in the communist country, as it has since 1961. This has proven an effective deterrent to the development of large-scale tourism from the U.S., though individuals have quietly been visiting Cuba (via third countries) for years.

Illinois Is, Naturally, Now Offering Obama Themed Vacations

In not-so-surprising news, Illinois tourism officials are trying to capitalize on Barack Obama's recent election (Hey! Just like everyone else!) by promoting their fair state to the general public.

The Illinois Bureau of Tourism is touting a three-day getaway titled "The Obama Trail" as part of a state wide Presidential Trails series. This three-day itinerary brings you to places like The University of Chicago Law School, The Old State Capitol in Springfield (where then-senator Obama announced his candidacy) and Grant Park, where the president-elect had a small gathering on Election Night, among others.

And of course, it's not all politically oriented; some of the stops, like the South Shore Cultural Center, focus on the Obamas' personal life as well.

This beautiful Mediterranean Revival-style cultural center on the lakefront, once an exclusive 1900s country club, offers performances that range from classical music to African dance. The Obamas held their wedding reception here.

Whether this is a fiscally viable family vacation is an entirely different story, but the nation is kind of caught up in Obama-fever right now. So if you're a history teacher, a poli-sci major or just an Americana junkie, why not at least explore the possibility?

Will Obama Election Change Travel Habits?

According to the folks at Travel Weekly, the recent presidential election may have positive implications for the travel industry beyond just Chicago, Washington and Hawaii. The article suggests the jubilant international reaction to Obama's election may be reason enough for American's to start pond-hopping once again. It's no secret that Europeans have, by and large, held a negative perception of the current administration. The article posits that the thought of a warmer Old World welcome might send previously skeptical Americans winging their way towards Europe.

Analysts are already predicting that inbound international tourism, especially to Obama-specific destinations such as Chicago, Washington and Hawaii, could see an increase.

But judging from the reaction overseas on election night, the reverse may also be true, as strained relations with European "frenemies" begin to thaw.

U.S. travelers, perhaps reluctant to travel to France, the U.K. or Germany during the last few years for fear they wouldn't be warmly welcomed, may now be eager to cross the pond and bask in our new international popularity.

Unfortunately for tourism boards and airlines, the economy isn't too vacation-friendly for most people right now. For the thirteen or fourteen of us that still do have jobs (does this really count as a job?), falling gas prices will also mean cheaper airfare. So get out that piggy-bank and start counting your pennies... fancy cheese, beer steins and really old buildings are just a plane ticket away.

President Bush Takes Action to Ease the Hassle of Turkey Day Travel

Interesting -- and extremely helpful -- news out of the White House relating to travel has emerged this week: President Bush plans on issuing some sort of stra-tegery type memorandums that should make getting where you need to go on Thanksgiving a whole heck of a lot easier.

The marquee item in his strategy for reducing air traffic congestion during the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons is the temporary opening of airspace typically dedicated to the military to commercial airliners. Last year, the Pentagon freed up two East Coast corridors during Thanksgiving; Bush said that was being expanded this year to also include the Mideast, the Southwest and the West Coast, including the skies around Los Angeles and Phoenix.

[...]A lot of our citizens are nervous about travel,” Bush said in remarks before hundreds of employees at the Department of Transportation. “They are saying ‘Will traveling home for the holidays be a wonderful life or will it be the nightmare before Christmas?”

Bad movie puns aside, that's tremendously helpful news ... you would think. Certainly more airspace = less congestion = more flights on time = more time nursing the gravy bowl. Right? Perhaps not.

A National Air Traffic Controllers Association (Really? There's one of those?) spokesman pointed out that all the huff and puff surrounding these announcements really only serves to make citizens think that there's a lot of efficiency being processed through the national travel network, when the reality is that it makes very little difference.

Hawaii Congressman Calls Out Tourism Board in a Political Fashion

A travel blog generally isn't the ideal place to talk politics ... so we're not going to. However, it is kind of interesting to see the latest news that the good U.S. Representative from Hawaii, Mr. Neil Abercrombie, is none too pleased with his home state's [in]ability to promote themselves in the wake of a native Hawaiian, Barack Obama, landing a gig in the Oval Office.

Abercrombie said Obama is an instantly recognizable world celebrity and being from Hawaii should be enough reason for the state and the tourism authority to promote Hawaii during the inaugural week. "It will be amazing, and we are missing out on it," he said.

Naturally, the tourism board is greatly appreciative of this; after all, they've had their hands pretty full lately, having to pay their former president $290k for forwarding offensive emails to friends from his work account and then trying to counter a poor economy by stepping up their advertising dollars and drawing more visitors. But hey, at least it's comfortable under those bus wheels.