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TOURISM & TRAVEL
Where do all those travelers hail from?
Christopher Boyd and Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writers
Posted August 28, 2006
AAA estimates Labor Day travel will be up slightly this year over last, but just where are those 35.2 million vacationers from and where are they heading?
The most holiday travelers will originate in the West followed by the Southeast, Midwest, Northeast and the Great Lakes.
The West is expected to produce the most holiday travelers by auto, truck or RV followed by the Southeast, the Midwest, the Northeast and the Great Lakes.
Most of the air travelers also are expected to hail from the West followed by the Southeast, the Northeast, the Great Lakes and the Midwest.
As for where travelers are going: Towns and rural areas took the top spot followed by cities, oceans and beaches, lake areas, mountain areas, state or national parks, and theme or amusement parks.
Hard Rock makeover
Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando is getting a makeover. Renovations to the property's 650 guest rooms and suites include 32-inch flat panel televisions and MP3 landing stations with connectivity to the in-room stereo system. The look is described as urban chic with warm neutrals, chocolate brown, aqua and lime. Daroff Design Inc. is leading the project, which is expected to be completed by early November.
Wiggles at Disney-MGM
The Playhouse Disney Concert Series tied in with Walt Disney World's "Magical Beginnings" promotion for young children continues this week with shows by the Wiggles at the Epic Theater in Disney-MGM Studios.
Disney created Magical Beginnings this month to target families with preschool children with discount hotel and meal deals and additional entertainment and activities for the younger crowd. The program runs through the end of September.
The Wiggles will be followed Saturday by Johnny and the Sprites for a nine-day run at MGM's ABC Theater.
Disney contest deadline
People dreaming of having the Magic Kingdom all to themselves for a few hours have until the end of Thursday night to register to win the chance.
As part of the Walt Disney World's "Year of a Million Dreams" promotion, which begins Oct. 1, one family will be selected for a chance to have the Magic Kingdom to themselves for a few hours on Oct. 4.
The winning family will enter on a red-carpeted Main Street, lined by Magic Kingdom employees and get a VIP tour of each land in the park. The park will fill behind them. The family then will serve as grand marshal for the new "Disney Dreams Come True" parade, then get an exclusive viewing of the fireworks over Cinderella Castle.
Airfare, lodging and all meals would be included.
The deadline to enter the "Keys to the Magic Kingdom" contest is 11:59 p.m. Thursday night.
Nonstop to South Carolina
Allegiant Air LLC, a low-cost carrier that uses Orlando Sanford International Airport, said it will begin flying nonstop to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina beginning Nov. 14.
The service will operate four days a week, with departures from Orlando Sanford at 12:35 p.m. and from Greenville-Spartanburg at 2:35 p.m.
The airline is offering an introductory rate of $49 one way on the new route for flights booked between Sept. 16 and Jan. 31, 2007. Regular service will start at $79 one way.
Allegiant flies from Orlando Sanford to 14 other destinations in the South, East and Midwest. The airline is based in Las Vegas.
Hotel to reopen as Sheraton
The erstwhile Radisson hotel in downtown Orlando is undergoing a $10 million renovation and will begin operating in November as a Sheraton.
The independently owned hotel, which was built in 1985, dropped its affiliation with Radisson last year. Since then it has operated as the Ivanhoe Plaza Hotel.
"Our bar is being raised to a higher standard," said Jacqueline Padilla, the hotel's sales and marketing director. "Everything from the thread count of our sheets to the uniforms our staff wears must meet these higher standards."
The 385-room hotel, on South Ivanhoe Boulevard, returns the Sheraton flag to downtown Orlando. The Sheraton Four Points on Rosalind Street closed two years ago and was converted to condominiums.
Smoke-free for 6 months
Westin Hotels & Resorts has marked six months since all its North American properties went smoke-free. In recognition, it has installed projection equipment in its lobbies that counts the number of breaths taken by each Westin guest each day.
The company spent $3 million converting all its rooms to no-smoking. The overhaul included replacement of carpets, linens and draperies, as well as a thorough cleaning of hard surfaces.
The company said guests have embraced the change and, as a result, Westin hotels in Australia, Fiji and Scotland have also banned tobacco smoke.
Where do all those travelers hail from?
Christopher Boyd and Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writers
Posted August 28, 2006
AAA estimates Labor Day travel will be up slightly this year over last, but just where are those 35.2 million vacationers from and where are they heading?
The most holiday travelers will originate in the West followed by the Southeast, Midwest, Northeast and the Great Lakes.
The West is expected to produce the most holiday travelers by auto, truck or RV followed by the Southeast, the Midwest, the Northeast and the Great Lakes.
Most of the air travelers also are expected to hail from the West followed by the Southeast, the Northeast, the Great Lakes and the Midwest.
As for where travelers are going: Towns and rural areas took the top spot followed by cities, oceans and beaches, lake areas, mountain areas, state or national parks, and theme or amusement parks.
Hard Rock makeover
Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando is getting a makeover. Renovations to the property's 650 guest rooms and suites include 32-inch flat panel televisions and MP3 landing stations with connectivity to the in-room stereo system. The look is described as urban chic with warm neutrals, chocolate brown, aqua and lime. Daroff Design Inc. is leading the project, which is expected to be completed by early November.
Wiggles at Disney-MGM
The Playhouse Disney Concert Series tied in with Walt Disney World's "Magical Beginnings" promotion for young children continues this week with shows by the Wiggles at the Epic Theater in Disney-MGM Studios.
Disney created Magical Beginnings this month to target families with preschool children with discount hotel and meal deals and additional entertainment and activities for the younger crowd. The program runs through the end of September.
The Wiggles will be followed Saturday by Johnny and the Sprites for a nine-day run at MGM's ABC Theater.
Disney contest deadline
People dreaming of having the Magic Kingdom all to themselves for a few hours have until the end of Thursday night to register to win the chance.
As part of the Walt Disney World's "Year of a Million Dreams" promotion, which begins Oct. 1, one family will be selected for a chance to have the Magic Kingdom to themselves for a few hours on Oct. 4.
The winning family will enter on a red-carpeted Main Street, lined by Magic Kingdom employees and get a VIP tour of each land in the park. The park will fill behind them. The family then will serve as grand marshal for the new "Disney Dreams Come True" parade, then get an exclusive viewing of the fireworks over Cinderella Castle.
Airfare, lodging and all meals would be included.
The deadline to enter the "Keys to the Magic Kingdom" contest is 11:59 p.m. Thursday night.
Nonstop to South Carolina
Allegiant Air LLC, a low-cost carrier that uses Orlando Sanford International Airport, said it will begin flying nonstop to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina beginning Nov. 14.
The service will operate four days a week, with departures from Orlando Sanford at 12:35 p.m. and from Greenville-Spartanburg at 2:35 p.m.
The airline is offering an introductory rate of $49 one way on the new route for flights booked between Sept. 16 and Jan. 31, 2007. Regular service will start at $79 one way.
Allegiant flies from Orlando Sanford to 14 other destinations in the South, East and Midwest. The airline is based in Las Vegas.
Hotel to reopen as Sheraton
The erstwhile Radisson hotel in downtown Orlando is undergoing a $10 million renovation and will begin operating in November as a Sheraton.
The independently owned hotel, which was built in 1985, dropped its affiliation with Radisson last year. Since then it has operated as the Ivanhoe Plaza Hotel.
"Our bar is being raised to a higher standard," said Jacqueline Padilla, the hotel's sales and marketing director. "Everything from the thread count of our sheets to the uniforms our staff wears must meet these higher standards."
The 385-room hotel, on South Ivanhoe Boulevard, returns the Sheraton flag to downtown Orlando. The Sheraton Four Points on Rosalind Street closed two years ago and was converted to condominiums.
Smoke-free for 6 months
Westin Hotels & Resorts has marked six months since all its North American properties went smoke-free. In recognition, it has installed projection equipment in its lobbies that counts the number of breaths taken by each Westin guest each day.
The company spent $3 million converting all its rooms to no-smoking. The overhaul included replacement of carpets, linens and draperies, as well as a thorough cleaning of hard surfaces.
The company said guests have embraced the change and, as a result, Westin hotels in Australia, Fiji and Scotland have also banned tobacco smoke.
