Group Travel Scoop - Groople.com

5 Ways to Make Group Travel More Affordable

Just because times are tight does not necessarily mean you need to cancel or postpone your group trip. Whether you’re planning a family reunion, destination wedding or a team trip, there are ways to bring down the cost of your group vacation. Here are five ways to trim the bill.

1.      Remember: There’s power in numbers. One of the best ways to save on group travel is to book in bulk. Most hotels offer substantial discounts for group bookings.  But the savings don’t stop there. Even some restaurants and activity venues will give you great deals if you book as a group. Contact restaurant managers about group discounts or prix fix meal plans, where your group is offered a limited menu selection at a discount. Amusement parks and other entertainment venues will often offer group rates as well, so be sure to research rates as you plan your itinerary. And remember: When it comes to getting discounts, it never hurts to ask.

2.      Stay off the beaten path. Can your group take a bite out of the Big Apple without taking a bite out of everyone’s budget? Sure, especially if you consider a hotel outside of Manhattan. Hotels and motels near the major New York airports (LaGuardia, JFK and Newark) are, for the most part, far more reasonable than their in-city counterparts. And the city’s excellent public transportation means it’s an easy commute to your sightseeing venues. The same logic applies to such areas as Las Vegas, where discounts can be had at off-the-strip hotels, and Washington, D.C., whose suburbs are quaint, close, and can be much more reasonable. Speaking of suburbs, if your group is planning a big city getaway, be sure not to overlook nearby suburbs, where rates can be considerably less than in the city. When you book your group accommodations, look off the beaten path for big discounts.

3.      Bank on breakfast. Meals are a big travel budget-eater, but not planning on three meals while you’re busy sightseeing and visiting is just not an option. You can help cut your meals budget by nearly a third, though, by choosing a hotel or motel that offers free breakfast for your group. Many chains today offer free breakfasts, and it’s not just a cup of coffee and a muffin. Embassy Suites locations offer a full-service, made-to-order breakfast each morning. And if the lure of Holiday Inn Express’ signature cinnamon rolls doesn’t draw you downstairs for breakfast, you might as well just sleep till lunch. Some chains, such as Wyndham Hotels, have all-inclusive hotels among their portfolio; if your plans will keep you at your resort property for mealtimes, this might be an option to explore.

4.      Consider carpooling. Yes, fuel costs have gone down, but don’t bet that airlines’ rates will be coming down any time soon. Depending on the distance between your group and your destination, you might want to think about driving together in groups, even if means renting a larger vehicle or a minivan. Let’s do the math here: If your son’s soccer team is headed from Dallas to Denver for a tournament, you can count on spending at least $300 per ticket for your round-trip flights. For a family of four, that’ll eat up $1,200 of your budget before you even set foot in the Mile High City. If, instead, you offer to drive – and bring along your son’s best friend and his dad – even including gas to fill up your minivan (bank on 2 fill-ups each way), your looking at $200 to $300 in fuel. Even if you don’t want to put the miles on your minivan, you can rent a vehicle and still stay well below $1,200. Split between the two families, it might be worth the 13-hour drive with two very noisy boys in the back seat.

5.      Adjust your itinerary. As group travel leader, you may feel as though you have to have every waking moment of the day planned with some exciting activity, meal, or excursion. But hold on, there. Part of the pleasures of traveling as a group are those unplanned hours, when you languish with your loved ones by the hotel pool, sample the area’s street food, or hang out till the wee hours in the hotel lounge with relatives you haven’t seen for years. Schedule in some down time for the group. Not only will it save everyone money, it could wind up providing you and your group with the most memorable experiences of the trip.

Business Travel Update

Here we go with another travel economics update. We’ve been bringing you stories about how places like Las Vegas and other leisure destinations should be getting cheaper in the coming months as the economy slows. Expect leisure travel to become more affordable.

The same does not hold true for higher end business travel. There's new evidence that this segment of the travel business is doing well.

Bjorn Hanson, a consultant at PricewaterhousCooper’s, sees overall hotel growth of .8% in the United States with only a 2.2% increase in new rooms, leading to increased hotel prices. The growth coming largely from business class. Higher end demand is the most stable of all.

Internationally don’t expect any higher end discounts either. Growth in many international destination is growing at a clip of 4% or more.

The basic point is demand is softening, but not across the board. With demand still moderately increasing and hotel room availability growing slowly, prices shouldn’t decrease much at higher end properties.

"No Decline for Business Hotels in 2008" by Nick Passmore from BusinessWeek was reviewed for this report.

Group Travel to America's Festivals

One more causulty of the slowing economy for Group Travel…

Many groups plan pilgrimages to festivals of all kinds. This we know. The United States is teeming with festivals for nearly any interest. This we also know. What you might not know is the nation is seeing a rash of cancelled festivals this year. Granted, most of the cancelled festivals are not the largest, but many are still well attended.

I get this information from personal experience but also from a story I reviewed by Emily Fredrix.

She highlights case of the Harbor Fest music festival in Racine, Wis where the event organizers were forced to cancel their festival on the shores of Lake Michigan. The cause? Rising costs, lower attendance, and a huge drop in corporate sponsorship.

Many festivals rely on donations and corporate sponsorship to operate. According to Emily Fredrix’s article, in the past, only 80% of festivals were able to break even. With such tight margins and relying on donations and sponsorships it’s no wonder many festivals are closing down for the year, such things tend to dry up fast in slower economic times.

It’s not terrible out there, but if you’re planning on taking your group to a medium to small sized festival, double check with the organizers to make sure they’re still going to hold it this year. Word to the wise.

Packing Lightly for Group Travel

Time for some ultra-practical travel advice from the Group Scoop – how to pack lightly. With the major airlines now charging people to check their luggage, it’s inviting to think of ways to pack everything on to a carry-on.

I’m not going to go into clothes folding techniques, nor give you a slim pair of shoes to shop for, you can handle that. What I will do is point you towards a couple products out there that will aid you in packing everything into one small case.

First up is the Spacepak… a luggage system that aids you in clothing compression.

What about traveling with toiletries that you can carry-on? We all know that TSA has tight restrictions on bottles of fluid of any kind. MySmartPac is TSA-compliant toiletry kits that including cleanser, deodorant, lotion, toothpaste, and more all in biodegradable packaging.

These products will provide you with a head start, being able to do more with less (luggage) is the real key to victory here.

Group Travel To Green Hotels

Two green hotels to spend your travel dollar at.

I know that many of you are concerned about environmentally sustainable travel. You want to support businesses trying to be environmentally conscience. I have two hotel chains for you to consider that are trying to clean up their environmental act.

To my judgmental mind (full disclosure!) this first one is a surprise – Harrah’s Entertainment. Harrah’s has been doing a lot to reduce it’s environmental impact. In fact, they have recently won the highest recognition given by the Environmental Protection Agency Region Two. The EPA Region Two (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, etc) gave the award to Harrah’s for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to protecting and enhancing environmental quality in the region.

What Harrah’s has done…

Since 2002 Harrah’s has taken on the challenge of becoming "green." With the direct involvement of its 16,000 employees, Harrah’s has eliminated from 2002 levels, 94 million pounds of carbon dioxide use. Harrah’s also recycles 50,000 gallons of cooking oil waste each year from its kitchens, uses waterless urinals, and recycles 1.6 million pounds of cardboard.

The second Hotel chain to make big strides in going Green are those under the "Starwood" label (Sheraton, Four points, Westin and more). Starwood’s new "Element" Brand will be some of the greenest hotels in the business. They pledge to build this brand to industry leading environmental standards. The "test" Element brand hotel featuring these green "elements" is the new 124 room property in Lexington, MA. This entire chain will feature building design recommendations from the US Green Building Council.

If you want to see more hotels incorporate these changes, vote with your feet and support these chains.

American Airlines to offer in-flight internet

The Group Scoop has been a bit hard on American Airlines in the recent past. We haven’t been happy with the trend of increasing piece-meal fees for things like the first piece of checked baggage. We see how charging for checked bags effects group travel much more than the average travel public.

American Airlines has been quite the pioneer lately. They’ve been the first to announce fees that were soon followed by most other major carriers. Now I am happy to report they are pioneering a major new benefit to flying groups – Internet!

It’s about time. We’ve heard of other carriers like Jet Blue starting pilot programs (nice pun huh) providing simple email service, now American Airlines is soon to offer full blown internet. The program is now in the testing phase, but American expects many flights to be offering in-flight internet access in the next few weeks.

Price for internet on flights is expected to run between $9.95 to $12.95 depending on the length of the flight. A full plane load of websurfers can be accommodated. With internet speeds capable of downloading video, in-flight entertainment looks to be taking the biggest step forwards since the in-flight movie was first rolled out decades ago.

Congrats to American Airlines for brining us some positive news from the airline business. Hopefully, more will follow suit.

Senior Group Travel - Golden Years on the go

A group type near and dear to the Groop Scoop is Seniors. Active traveling Seniors are simply an inspiration. Traveling Seniors show us that all stages of life can be just as full as the next. I’ve consulted with some of our customers and resident group travel experts about Senior travel and have come away with some tips and advice for those planning Senior Travel 

Preferred Senior Activities

Seniors often enjoy nature-centric activities when they travel. They enjoy bird watching, leisurely paced hikes to breathtaking views, walking around in the "nature" of a top-notch golf course. At night, refined activities like opera, a jazz house, or a museum are always hits. It is important for Seniors to remember to resist a "been there done that" position on some locations because with just a little digging there will always be a hidden gem that can captivate. An idea you might not have thought of is visiting a locale with a distinct cooking style and taking a cooking class taught by a homegrown expert.

Preferred Senior Accommodation

Seniors often prefer luxurious accommodations with amenities like fine dining and a day spa. Ideal accommodations will be in a beautiful or interesting location. Accommodations in a warm climate are preferred. Many Seniors love to be outdoors, and who doesn’t want to be comfortable while they’re out there? A great idea is accommodations near a winery- a chance to learn the history of the vineyard and taste fine wine! Many Seniors also travel on fixed incomes and value is most important. With the right help, finding great travel values is very possible.

Family Reunions

We often get reports that some of the most fulfilling travel is multi-generational family reunions. Seniors absolutely love the chance to share in the wide-eyed wonder of grand children experiencing a grand adventure by traveling. With this type of travel, it is important to make sure the location has kid-friendly amenities and activities.

Groople’s travel experts are experienced and ready to serve your Senior travel plans. When planning Senior travel, they will keep a keen eye to the needs of Seniors: budget, activities, climate, especially accommodating Seniors with special needs. They’ll even take care of touches like planning travel and arrangements to occur at a leisurely pace…

Three cheers for traveling Seniors!

More Indications Group Travel May be Getting Cheaper Soon

My fellow watchers all of group travel news, listen up.

Group Hotel Demand in the United States is weaker than expected. We get this information from a very reliable source, Mr Marriott himself.

Speaking at engagements associated with New York University International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, J. W. Marriott Jr. (of Marriott Hotel fame) told his audience that he expects demand in the United States market to be softer than expected.

This was not a conference for the layman so he was using hotel marketing jargon like a decrease in growth of Marriott’s "RevPAR" to describe the weakening hotel demand. RevPAR just means revenue per room, or more simply how much money Marriott makes off all the rooms they have to sell. You know when these guys start talking about "softening RevPAR" they’re serious.

Mr. Marriott attributes the weakening demand to less weekend leisure demand and less last minute Group travel business.

Last minute Group travel business is good for hotels because they can charge more for them.

The bottom line on this story is to look for more group incentives in Marriott’s and elsewhere in the coming months. Also, book ahead to get the best rates! You heard it from Mr. Marriott himself…

Summer Group Travel Discounts in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is the number one destination for group travel, so it behooves me to keep you up-to-date with the latest on Vegas.

Bad news for Vegas is good news for travelers. Las Vegas is losing some of it’s growth – revenues are down about 3% from last year. Some are saying this will be the slowest year in Vegas in six or seven years.

This means discounts!

We spoke with the director of sales at a major Las Vegas resort for his perspective on consumer prospects in Vegas. He told us that all the major hotels are lowering hotel rates and developing more discounting programs. Some of the best deals are on the hotel websites themselves (so sign up for mailing lists).

Groups can expect great values on off-peak days this summer, especially Sunday through Thursday.

Note: Not off peak = July 4^th

The best deals are found at places like Harrah’s, the Luxor, and Excalibur – find rates for under $80. These hotels are also a good value because they offer affordable dining and entertainment.

On a personal note, I suggest at least visiting the Luxor. It has diagonal elevators, which are fascinating. Think about it, it could be the only time you take time to notice, "gee, this is a cool elevator".

Stay just a bit off the strip starting at $40 at places like Circus, Circus, Riviera, and Stratosphere.

Look for the mega-resorts like the Wynn, Palazzo, Venetian, and the Bellagio to be offering discounts of $100 or more. But watch out for your other expenses at these locations. The $300+ ultra-fancy restaurants surrounding these resorts will not be offering similar discounts.

For a change of pace Las Vegas experience, you can take your group to downtown Las Vegas. Hotels like the Four Queens and Golden Nugget can be had for rates of $30-60. Downtown Vegas even has free entertainment within walking distance of many of the hotels. Downtown Vegas hotels are the best value of all…low room rates, dining, and inexpensive entertainment.

Group Travel Poll - Who would you take in your group?

I dreamed up this poll to see who people think would make a good "groop" travel partner...

Ladies this time, the guys in the future...

Please Vote!

Opinion Polls & Market Research

UPDATE -American Airlines Discontinues Stansted Service

Updating the previous post-

American Airlines will be discontinuing its service from JFK to London Stansted Airport effective July 2nd. This will mean the advice for flying into London "stress-free" by flying into Stransted is no longer a viable option.

I will not leaving you all hanging however, I have another option for getting to London. Fly into Gatwick, a few miles away from London and ride the train into town. The airport is not very crowded and moves a much faster pace than Heathrow. The 40 minute train ride to Gatwick from London will likely be less than the amount of time you will spend standing in a seemingly endless line in Heathrow.

http://www.gatwickairport.com/

Fly your Group into Europe Stress-Free

At Denver International Airport I’m often annoyed by a half hour wait at the ticket counter and bothered by the 15 minute wait to go through security. I take my lumps here because I know it’s not as big of a hassle as say Chicago O’Hare or Hartsfield-Jackson in Hotlanta.

No experience, however, compares to my awful experiences inside of London Heathrow– Terminal 4. What a zoo. Everything has an impossibly long single-file line. I felt more hope of getting through the lines at Disneyland.

This is why I read with great interest an article by David Landsel published at aviation.com about "Stress-Free European Entry Points." An easy way to get into Europe is especially of interest to group travel, because there are no short cuts when flying with a group.

First off to solve the London-Heathrow problem go to London Stransted Airport, which is across the street from Heathrow. About the same size as New York’s Laguardia, Stransted. American Airlines has two daily flights to Stransted from JFK.

http://www.stanstedairport.com/

Want to avoid the craziness of Charles de Gaulle? Fly to Paris Orly. Orly is not know for its beauty, it’s just shy of a relic. Yet what’s more beautiful than avoiding stressful lines and getting to your destination quicker? Look for new fares to Orly out of New York.

www.aeroportsdeparis.fr

The tip for getting into Italy is to fly into Pisa. Pisa’s airport has only a few gates with no serious crowding problems. The Pisa airport is only a short 20 minute ride to Pisa’s central station. Pisa is a great starting point for trips into Tuscany or Florence. Delta flies there from JFK.

www.pisa-aiport.com

The stressless (is that a word?) major European hub is Amsterdam Schiphol. The great part about Amsterdam Schiphol is that no matter where you arrive in the airport you come out in the same main hall. Finding train-ticketing machines and signs to where to go is easy. What makes this airport ultimately refreshing is it contains it’s very own spa. Many airlines have many flights here daily.

www.schiphol.nl

I hope your next group trip to Europe is memorable for Europe, not it’s airports.

American Airlines New Fees

Only a few weeks ago I brought you the report here at the Group Scoop,  that United Airlines would start charging extra fees to check a second piece of luggage. Opening the rate hike floodgates.

Now American Airlines has taken the new fad of extra fees for flying to a whole new level - a fee to check even the first piece of luggage. It's not bad enough they charge you a small fee to book your reservation over the phone, now a $15 fee for one piece of luggage.

Hopefully other airlines will not also institute a similar fee structure. Last time when United Airlines announced their rate hike, most of the other major carriers quickly followed suit. I doubt many airlines will follow American's lead on this one, American Airlines stock dropped almost 25% after the announcement.

Charging fees for luggage is a very bad trend for flying groups. It will encourage even more people to stuff carry-ons to the brim. A major influx of carry-on luggage will slow everyone down.

Further more, flying groups will be hard hit by fees like this as group travelers almost always require luggage. Group travelers are usually event driven.

Stay tuned, I'll keep you all on top of this story.

Jazz Festival Group Travel

For my musically inclined groups…

Surely, some of you will be attending the 29^th annual Montreal Jazz Fest, June 26^th to July 6^th?

The festivities start at noon each day and go till midnight. This promises to be quite the spectacle with several city blocks shut down for the event. Expect to see art galleries, street performers, a musical park for the kids, and a wide variety of musicians.

Headliners include: Aretha Franklin, Woody Allen, Leonard Cohen, Return To Forever, Abbey Lincoln, Dianne Reeves, James Taylor, Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Wailers, David Murray, Michel Donato, Guy Nadon, Ravi Coltrane, Coral Egan, Steely Dan, Katie Melua, Yael Naim and a double program with Al Green and Lizz Wright.

Visit http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/  for more details.

Group Travel to New York is more popular than ever

New York is on a roll. Think of it as sorta like the NYC was voted most popular in the High School year book. Like New York doesn’t have to buy itself a drink. New York…

Ok too much on the NY popular bit. But there is some real information here, New York is more popular than ever. From January to March 2008,  NY’s visitors are up 1 million people. From 8.5 million visitors to 9.5 million visitors.

More numbers... In just these three months visitors spent $6.3 billion dollars. Interestingly enough 19% of total visitors were from international destinations – a 20% rise from this time last year. The weak dollar is good for something!

What all this means is NYC requires more planning than it used to. A very popular destination means you will need extra planning time in booking group travel. You’ll also need to look for package deals. More travelers means more travel vendors selling more packages. Better deals for you and your group.

Your group can still get reasonable rates but the lead time is very important and you’ll want to enlist expert negotiating help like that found at Groople.

So if you’re taking your group to New York, you’re not alone. Plan early, and plan often.