I spent Thursday night in NYC at the newly remodeled Affinia Shelburne Hotel. I had a business dinner planned. Courtney Centeno and I entertained clients at Montenapo Restaurant, in the New York Times building, while my wife and daughter went to see a Broadway play.  I met up with them afterwards when they were having a late-night snack.

The Affina Shelburne has come a long way. We used to call it the Formica Palace — all the room furnishings were far from the best.  But I have to tell you, $28 million in renovations went a long way.  Look for my review this fall in eFlyer USA.

Montenapo is a wonderful new restaurant which many of the GT team have blogged about in the past.  We held our annual business-class wine survey there last month. Look out for the results in the August issue.  The service and the many food courses were wonderful. The restaurant and bar were bustling. What recession?!  Make sure you tell them Global Traveler sent you!

The next day, we did a little shopping. We made a stop at Tiffany, where we made a purchase from my favorite salesman, Gary, on the third floor. We ended up having lunch at the refurbished Oak Bar, located in the newly renovated Plaza. We were celebrating my daughter’s success in high school this year!

We had an enjoyable lunch at the Plaza.  I was able to see some old friends. Orlando has worked the Oak Bar for many years and came back after the renovations.  I hosted at least fifteen 300-person luncheons at the ballroom at the old Plaza, so I have lots of friends at the property.  Steve Rice, general manager of events at the Plaza, stopped by to say hello. Steve and I go way back to his years at Hilton and, most recently, at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.  He can set you up smartly for your business or social event at the Plaza!

It was a great day despite the heavy rain. I’m sure the rains affected the players on Bethpage Black more than those in Manhattan!

–Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

As you read this blog, I am on my way to  Palm Beach to enjoy a long weekend jaunt with two girlfriends. I have never been on a true “girls’ weekend,” and I am looking forward to a short break and some fun in the sun. Hopefully, Mother Nature is kind to us, and if it must rain, there are only short, quick showers here and there — interspersed with lots of sunshine.

I am flying Southwest Airlines for the first time. The round-trip flight was affordable and one of the only airlines with a direct flight between Philadelphia International Airport and Palm Beach International. I have heard many reports on flying Southwest — from those who swear by the airline and only fly Southwest and from those who were less than impressed with the service. I have some family in Clearwater, Fla., and they exclusively fly Southwest when visiting family in Philadelphia. I am interested to try it out for myself and form my own opinion.

Yesterday morning, promptly at 7:10 a.m., I was on my computer and ready to check in for my flight. I had heard that in order to ensure a good seat, it was crucial to check in 24 hours in advance and hope to get into boarding group A. My flight departs at 7:15 a.m., so  I logged on, found my reservation number and had the information ready to go on the airline’s website by 7:13 a.m. As soon as my computer clock clicked to the magic number — 7:15 a.m. — I hit the check-in button. I was checking in for myself and my friend Melissa, and by 7:16 a.m., we were checked in for spots A28 and A29. So we got the best boarding group, and I suspect there were several other people, at least 27 of them, waiting for their computer clock to tick, too.

Expect more on my Southwest experience in future blogs and in an eFlyer review. Once we arrive in Palm Beach, we will be staying at the posh Brazilian Court Hotel and enjoying the location, the pool, the city and Cafe Boulud. More to come!

–Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

This blog was written on my Asiana flight 222 from Incheon to JFK, my return trip from Asia. On this trip I met with clients in Beijing and Hong Kong to discuss our newest product, eFlyer Asia. I also had the opportunity to meet with eFlyer Asia’s editor, Joyce Woo. I enjoyed a little R&R while I was in two of the biggest and most-traveled cities in Asia.

I stayed in three great properties, the Regent Beijing, the InterContinental Hong Kong and the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. These are some of the best hotels in the world. Top all of this off with Asiana’s first-class service, and I had a truly magnificent experience.

I spent the last ten days meeting with over 15 hoteliers and taking advantage of the sites in Beijing and Hong Kong. I climbed the Great Wall, toured the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the magnificent Olympics complex (the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube). In Hong Kong, I played golf at the Jockey Club Course (three 18-hole courses). The Jockey Club Course is located on a beautiful island that was once used by the British Navy for artillery practice. I wrapped up the trip with a cruise on the Aqualuna that traveled from Public Pier 9 to Stanley Market and back and with a massage at Grand Hyatt’s Plateau Spa where I stayed the last night (in residence).

Please read my reports in Global Traveler and eFlyer Asia in the coming weeks and months!

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

In the December issue of Global Traveler, we will be releasing the results of our 2008 Best in Business and Luxury Travel awards. This will be an important milestone as it will be the fifth such survey we release.

During the last five years, the magazine has seen incredible growth, increasing page count, an expanding staff and, of course, growing revenue. Most important, though, is that we have proven our company to be reliable, dependable and honest. The last five years have seen other magazines in our competitive set shut down, restart and inflate their circulations. It is like a soap opera, and there is always someone out to make a quick buck.

We always take the higher road. Our revenues from the first year to this year are reflective of our dedication and honesty. We can look our clients straight in the eye and tell them that we believe in what we say - because that is the truth!

Of course, we will be holding our annual luncheon in New York City, and we are currently searching for our celebrity speaker on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In the past years, we have welcomed Terry Waite, Beirut hostage and negotiator and a great speaker; Cynthia Nixon, from Sex and the City; Annette Lauer, Matt Lauer’s wife and a supermodel; Ivana Trump and, of course, a surprise visit from her ex-husband, Donald Trump (but we fired him!).

Keep on reading the magazine, the blog, the web site and our two editions of eFlyer (US and Asia). I am sure the growth will continue for years and years to come!

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

Have you ever heard the phrase “Don’t believe everything you read”? Well, the Internet has made this phrase even more important than ever. Wikipedia had their problems several years ago when Jay Leno made them a laughingstock by going online during his show and editing the definition of elephants. Leno altered the definition to claim that elephants roamed wild throughout North America. Wikipedia has since locked access to many of their sections to prevent this.

I received an email from a friend touting the fascism of Sarah Palin this weekend. He sent a list of books that Sarah has ’supposedly’ banned while she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. I looked at the list of books and was shocked, and then I noticed that all the Harry Potter books were on the list. This struck me as odd and so I googled “Sarah Palin banned books.” I found out this was a hoax. When Sarah Palin supposedly banned these books in 1996, none of the Harry Potter books had been published. But, of course, this Internet lie was circulating and some people will take this as Gospel and never believe anything else.

There is something to be said about electronic media having a “bricks and mortar” base. About seven years ago I was a guest speaker at The Leading Hotels of the World management conference, and I spoke about the Internet and my newsletter. There were so many websites and newsletters floating around the Internet touting travel, and many were written by disgruntled travelers or travel writers. My point was that a travel Internet site, backed with bricks and mortar, makes for a more reputable read.

As a publisher of two newsletters, eFlyer USA (celebrating its five-year run in December) and eFlyer Asia (launching this week), I find our way of producing and writing even more refreshing.

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO