Advertising

Front of Mind

I’m always amazed at what becomes visible to the conscience when something is suddenly brought to your attention. I could pass the same thing every day and never notice it until someone pointed it out to me. Then, suddenly, I see that item wherever I go. It could be a new brand people are wearing, a new car model or new 2D barcode technology.

I am very excited that Global Traveler is introducing 2D barcode technology. I know advertisers will be taking advantage of this great marketing tool. Before the technology was presented to us in a recent meeting, I was not even aware of its existence. Now that I have been made aware of it, I keep seeing barcodes all over New York City. Just this past weekend, I was shopping and walked by Norma Kamali. Each item in the window had a barcoded sign with it. I asked the storekeeper if the barcodes were popular, and he said yes. When the code is scanned from the window display, it links to the item online and allows consumers to purchase the item directly. He went on to inform me that mostly businesswomen are using this technology as they simply don’t have time to go inside and make the purchase.

Stay tuned for more on this technology and keep an eye out for it on ads, billboards, everywhere. Your favorite articles, brands and products could be just a barcode away. Simply point your Smartphone at the code, take a picture, and you are instantly transported to the desired link!

– Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Visiting Vegas, Part 2

While in Las Vegas, we enjoyed a couple of great shows and some fine dining. Something one quickly realizes regarding food here: if it’s a venue in one of the major hotel-casinos, it won’t be inexpensive. Sure, there are still those spots near the strip that promise cheap steak-and-egg breakfasts all day and all-you-can-eat buffets. If you have a hankering for even a simple salad or a little snack and don’t want to leave your hotel, however, prepare to pay. Ah, well, I guess they’ve got to pay those water and electric bills somehow (but isn’t that what all those flashing machines are for?!).

We stayed at the Rio, which boasts “all suite” accomodations. I would define our room as not so much a suite as one large room with king bed, couch, small table with Internet connection that would have to serve as a work station (not handy for those convention-goers that do have to work while in Vegas) and TV atop the bar cabinet. Sorry, no coffeemaker, but a stunning view through the floor-to-ceiling window wall. Since the Rio is across I-15 from the Strip, the set-back allows a really great vantage from which to take in sights of the rest of the town and the mountains beyond. The bathroom/dressing area included a small ‘frig, sizable closet with safe, generous vanity area and a separate room with the commode, a second sink and tub/shower. I was delighted with this arrangement because it meant if one of us chose to get up earlier or retire later than the other, lights and noise wouldn’t disturb the sleepyhead. However, the design included a glass-block “window” over the shower which, with the bath light on, spilled a beam of light directly across the bed! So much for that advantage! (We solved the problem with a towel draped across the opening.) I was also a bit surprised at the dearth of bath products. We’ve all grown accustomed to those little bottles lined up on the vanity, along with shower caps, sewing kits, shoeshine cloths and the like. Because we didn’t want to check luggage, I had whittled down my ”liquids” to a bare minimum and was counting on the hotel’s supplies. We got a small bar of hand soap, one small container of shampoo and one of body lotion – and only the soap was replenished (without a request) during our three-night stay.

We had a very nice (though I wouldn’t rate it “outstanding”) meal at the Rio’s Voodoo Steakhouse one evening, and enjoyed the great views from its 50th-floor location looking out towards the strip. We then took in Penn & Teller’s magic show in the hotel’s theater and spent the next two days periodically asking each other, “So, how do you think they did that with the cell phone?” “Where did that guy from the audience go?” They REALLY put on an extremely entertaining 90-minute show which I would highly recommend.

The next night took us to the Mandalay Bay, where we had one of the most outstanding meals of our lives at Charlie Palmer‘s Aureole restaurant. Food, presentation, service were all first-class; and the wine list is incredible. We enjoyed a price-fix four-course tasting menu made up of a number of “parallel” small plates, accompanied by some perfect wine selections suggested by the restaurant’s very knowledgeable and pleasant sommelier. Then it was off to a thoroughly delightful production of The Lion King. It seems everyone I know has seen the show; and they were all correct in their descriptions of the fantastic costumes, masks, puppets and dance. If you’re one of the few people on the planet who hasn’t yet seen the show, I would urge you to take the opportunity to do so.

 There is certainly a restaurant and a show in this town to meet any taste or preference, and the human theater on display along the strip is as entertaining as any paid-for performance. And sometimes you see something that just makes you laugh. We saw billboards everywhere picturing four young, clean-cut guys in neat suits looking a bit like the Four Seasons. No, this wasn’t an ad for Jersey Boys. The billing proclaimed “Australia’s Human Nature — the Ultimate Celebration of the Motown Sound.” It just struck us as rather incongruous: four white guys from Australia were presenting the “ultimate” celebration of Motown? Really!!? Only in Las Vegas!

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Awards Night

We have a lot to look forward to tonight at the Andaz Wall Street. The GT Tested Awards are always a great way to wrap up another year with friends and colleagues. It’s great to hear that just after its grand opening last week, the Andaz is booked through Feb. 1.

The GT staff enjoyed reuniting over dinner and cocktails last night. Alex Young returned from a safe and prosperous trip to the Middle East — hopefully a good sign of what’s to come in 2010. It’s great to have the team together again, and as part of the sales team, I especially enjoy reconnecting with the editorial staff. We have a lot of new ideas to add value for our readers and clients this year. I look forward to continuing business with a lot of the partners we will see tonight.

I hope to see plenty of familiar faces, and I look forward to welcoming all new friends, colleagues and clients to the GT  family.

– Courtney Centeno, account executive

Misguided Hawaii

Last year I vowed not to stay home for the New Year’s holiday this year, but guess what I did? Stayed home. I did some quick Internet searches, several times, on Orbitz, Travelocity and Kayak, but I found nothing that jumped out at me. I wanted to reach out to some of my client friends in the industry, but I was so bogged down with business and year-end work, I just never got around to reaching out.

So I was here the day after New Year’s, watching the news, when I saw that Hawaii is continuing a two-year downward slide. I happen to be a big fan of Hawaii and think it is a great destination. Many people think it is too sterile and too expensive, but when you go to Hawaii, everything works and the people cannot be more friendly. As far as the expense, I have a friend who refers to it as “Hawaii money,” and when I traveled there with my family, no matter where we ate dinner, it was always the same price. Expensive, but orderly, friendly and tasty; so definitely worth it.

But have you see a lot of promotions for Hawaii? Have you seen any spectacular marketing or advertising about the Islands? I haven’t. Additionally, Hawaii and its hotels cannot get their sights off the West Coast market. This is where they spend nearly all their marketing dollars. In case they haven’t heard, California is in the dumps, so perhaps they should open their minds and reach out to the less-recession-hit East Coast?

Several years ago, Hawaii won Best Domestic Tourism Destination from the readers of Global Traveler. When I reached out to the CVB, I received a less than “aloha” response. I was a little shocked. Not only did they seem not to care, but they were not interested in coming to the awards ceremony or responding to me as if they were honored.

Now they think President Obama’s trip to Hawaii is their best marketing tool. This is the same guy who told travelers not to go to extravagant meetings and not to travel (the AIG effect), which resulted in the loss of 100 meetings in Hawaii. Companies canceled their meetings in fear of what these meetings would look like in the AIG effect-hungry press. In my opinion, Hawaii could not have picked a worse spokesperson.

Hawaii is obviously misguided and has no idea how to get people back to the islands. It was an easy out to blame the economy. Perhaps the CVB needs to talk to some of the people who check guests in at hotels, who serve the meals and who attend to your needs while in Hawaii. They are the people that make Hawaii great. The guys at the Royal Hawaiian‘s Tiki Bar have better insight on the true Aloha spirit than anyone at the CVB.

To all our blog readers, subscribers and friends of Global Traveler, a Happy New Year!

– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO