NEWS & NOTES

April 2003

wireless rooms
Two hotel companies are rolling out a new service for business guests: wireless Internet access in their guest rooms. Omni Hotels said it will provide free wireless access this year in properties where wired access isn't available. It's already operating at Omnis in Los Angeles, Dallas (Las Colinas), Chicago and New York (Omni Berkshire). Meanwhile, John Q. Hammons Hotels, whose 52 properties include some Marriott, Renaissance and Embassy Suites hotels, is working with Wayport Inc. to install high-speed wireless access in its rooms by the second quarter. Participating hotels are listed at www.jqhhotels.com/htmlsite/hotels.

try again
Speaking of wireless, ever try to send a brief text message from your cell phone to someone else's? Millions of customers are using text messaging now, but a study by Keynote Systems Inc. determined that 7.5 percent of all such messages are never delivered—they get lost on the way. Your odds are slightly better if you're sending to someone else on your own carrier's network, the study found. It determined that AT&T had the best record for sending text messages, with a success rate above 95 percent. It cited T-Mobile USA as having one of the worst rates, with 86-87 percent of messages getting through.

miles & more

  • The Star Alliance is growing again. On March 1, Korea's Asiana Airlines became an active member, while Spanair is due to join on April 1, and LOT Polish is slated to come on board by summer
  • Southwest Airlines has added two hotel partners to its Rapid Rewards plan: Choice Hotels (with 3,500 Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Mainstay Suites, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn locations) and La Quinta (with 350 properties), both offering one-half of a Rapid Rewards credit per stay
  • Delta's SkyMiles members can now earn miles at Sofitel, Novotel and Mercure hotels
  • And Hyatt Gold Passport members can now earn points for stays at Hawthorn Suites.

    song birds
    April 15 is the start-up date for Delta Air Lines' new low-fare operation, called Song. It will begin with nonstops between New York JFK and West Palm Beach, adding service until it is operating 144 flights a day by October with a fleet of 36 757s, and flying from all three New York-area airports. Aircraft will have one-class seating with 33-inch pitch. Song's innovative in-flight entertainment, includes video at each seat, satellite TV from DISH network, MP3 audio programming that lets users select their own play list, pay-per-view programs for all ages, and interactive games. Check it out at www.flysong.com.

    doors opening
    Several new hotels are opening in Asia. In recent weeks, Marriott cut the ribbon on the Renaissance Beijing, while the Westin Grande Sukhumvit debuted in Bangkok. New Grand Hyatts will open in Mumbai during April and in Tokyo in May, and the Sheraton Saigon is also due in May. Back in the U.S., Ritz-Carlton recently opened its first Las Vegas hotel, while Marriott converted the old Statler in St. Louis into the new Renaissance Grand. Texas has three new independent luxury hotels: The Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio, the Magnolia in downtown Houston and the Hotel Zaza in Dallas.

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