Jetsettersblog

Vail Resorts, Inc. has acquired Accommodation Station, the third-largest property management company in the South Lake Tahoe market, from Greta and Mike Hambsch.

Founded 34 years ago, Accommodation Station has grown to become one of South Lake Tahoe’s premier, full-service property management companies for condos, mountain chalets, cabins and luxury homes for short- and long-term rentals.

Vail Resorts is planning to keep the Tahoe-based Accommodation Station team in place at the same location off of Highway 50.

The acquisition of the company’s first lodging collection in South Lake Tahoe will also benefit guests to the South Lake Tahoe area.

“At Vail Resorts, we believe that each and every guest should have an ‘Experience of a Lifetime’ at our resorts and properties,” said Blaise Carrig, co-president of Vail Resorts’ mountain division.

“With the acquisition of Accommodation Station, we have a new and exciting opportunity to connect the off-mountain lodging experience with the Heavenly on-mountain experience year-round, which means our guests will have an easier and more seamless mountain vacation experience from start to finish — with a lot of epic adventures to enjoy in between.”

For more information, visit www.tahoelodging.com

Park City Marriott, the only full-service brand hotel in Park City, Utah, proper, officially opened its new 2,072-square-foot Silver Mine meeting room to the public this month.

Accommodating several different seating and dining arrangements, the hotel’s new meeting space provides business professionals, wedding parties and community groups with more options when selecting a location for their meeting or event.

The room is wired for Wi-Fi and offers a classic view of recreational trails and Park City mountain scenery.

Previously limited by an 1,800-square-foot portable, outdoor pavilion, guests can now utilize the 200-person capacity of Silver Mine with the option to adopt all or half of the available permanent space with a dividing wall.

The design concept for the five-month renovation project was comprised of new, custom-interior decor, highlighting a contemporary mountain charm.

The carpet’s blend of traditional acanthus leaf overlaid with modern striping and wood graining patterns aim to accent the textures in the deep wood furniture, vinyl walls, metal lighting structures and fabrics.

Park City Marriott offers additional meeting space with four sectional Prospector Ballrooms that, combined, make up the third-largest ballroom in Park City.

The ballroom was also refurbished to reflect the same design motif of the new meeting room.

For more information, visit www.marriott.com/slcpc or www.parkcitymarriott.com  For discounts click the banner below.

Just a few months after celebrating 1 million views on its web-based television network, RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands, announced that RCI TV is now available in Spanish.

RCI TV, which offers entertaining and educational high-definition videos narrated by the “RCI Guy” on www.RCI.com , now features Spanish subtitles and offers more than 60 videos in Spanish, with more being added on an ongoing basis.

RCI TV went public last November to promote the benefits of owning or vacationing in a timeshare resort through a network of channels including An Inside Look, What You Need to Know, Ask the RCI Guy, Resort Showcase, All Inclusive Resorts and Destination Reviews.
Through tailored online and on-air programming, RCI helps provide travelers with answers to questions, such as, How do timeshares work?

What is the quality of the resorts, houses, condos and villas?

Why are timeshare resorts the preferred vacation option for over 6 million owners and millions more non-owners who like the space, comfort, amenities and value that they offer?

For more information, visit www.rci.com

Visit Florida, the official tourism marketing corporation for the state of Florida, has launched America’s first state trails-tourism website offering comprehensive information about more than 100 of the Sunshine State’s trails and greenways.

Found at www.trails.VisitFlorida.com, this special micro-site assists visitors worldwide with planning and booking their outdoor adventures by providing detailed descriptions of Florida’s trails by city, activities, trail length or surface, as well as links to the individual trail websites and interactive maps showing the exact plot of a given trail so users can see nearby outfitters, hotels, campgrounds and restaurants.

Developed by Visit Florida in partnership with trails experts from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Greenways and Trails and the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the new website also provides visitors with the opportunity to compare selected trails, create a trip planner and benefit from tips provided by Visit Florida’s Outdoors and Nature Insider Kevin Mims.

Mims travels the state posting pictures, videos, blog entries and articles about his outdoor adventures, along with answering questions posed by his Facebook and Twitter followers.

The public demand for trails has increased tremendously over the last several years. Many Florida and national statistics point to the public’s growing desire for trails and the experiences they offer.

The new website is a joint project of Visit Flroida, Florida’s Office of Greenways and Trails, the East Coast Greenway Alliance and other trails experts including the Florida Trail Association, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation, Florida Bicycle Association, Florida Paddling Trails Association, Rails to Trails Conservancy, Bike Florida, the U.S. Forestry Service, and the Florida Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus.

For more information, visit www.visitflorida.com

The Virginia Tourism Corporation announced the Virginia is for Lovers iPhone App — the first, statewide mobile travel guide that puts more than 12,000 attractions, events, accommodations, restaurants and special offers at visitors’ fingertips.

The mobile guide is available for free at the iTunes app store for iPhones and iPads users.

The Virginia is for Lovers iPhone app is designed to help visitors immediately access lodging, entertainment and dining options to encourage them to extend their stay and visit more destinations in Virginia.

Special features and highlights of the Virginia is for Lovers iPhone app include more than 12,000 listings including restaurants, hotels, wineries, museums and historical sites across the state; a “Near Me” feature which allows users to find all attractions in a 15-mile radius; directions and mapping feature for every listing; direct access to call for reservations via phone or website; customer reviews for restaurants and lodging properties; and pet-friendly attractions and destinations listed by locality.

For more information, call 800-VISITVA

or visit www.virginia.org

Space Experience Curacao (SXC) and XCOR Aerospace, Inc. said that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the wet lease of a production version of the Lynx suborbital spacecraft, pending United States government approvals to station the vehicle on the island of Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles.

With a planned start date in January 2014, SXC will market, and XCOR will operate, suborbital space tourism flights and scientific research missions out of Space Port Curacao.

Recently, the Curacao government and airport authority announced their intentions of investigating and creating the conditions suitable for forming a commercial space flight services industry.

An investigation of the legal and regulatory framework necessary to enable a robust flight services industry in Curacao has commenced. Investment in the spaceport infrastructure and operator has been committed and made by Curacao Airport Holding, N.V., the company responsible for overseeing Curacao airport operator.

SXC is the entity chosen by the Curacao government and airport holding company to create a robust suborbital space flight business focused on research missions, space tourism, and science & technology education.

SXC has in turn selected the XCOR Lynx as its vehicle of choice for Curacao operations.

XCOR Aerospace is a California corporation located in Mojave, Calif.

The company is in the business of developing and producing safe, reliable and reusable rocket powered vehicles, propulsion systems, advanced non-flammable composites and other enabling technologies.

XCOR is working with aerospace prime contractors and government customers on major propulsion systems, and concurrently building the Lynx, a piloted, two seat, fully reusable, liquid rocket powered vehicle that takes off and lands horizontally.

The Lynx production models (designated Lynx Mark II) are designed to be robust, multi-commercial mission vehicles capable of flying to 100-plus kilometers in altitude up to four times per day and are being offered on a wet lease basis.

For more information, visit

www.xcor.com

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, have announced a new partner agreement that provides valuable benefits to guests of the luxury hotel brand.

Members of Etihad Guest, the frequent flyer program of Etihad Airways, can now collect 500 miles per qualifying stay whenever they book at Fairmont’s hotels and resorts worldwide.

For Etihad Guest members who are also Fairmont President’s Club members, there are even more benefits available.

Fairmont President’s Club Premier Members will earn an additional 250 miles per eligible stay and Fairmont President’s Club Platinum Members will earn an additional 500 miles per eligible stay.

Fairmont Presidents Club is free to join and pre-enrollment before the first stay is required in order to obtain additional Etihad Guest miles.

Qualifying stays are subject to hotel availability at published rack, corporate or package rates.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced the opening of Four Points by Sheraton Galveston, the brand’s fifth hotel in Texas.

Owned by Gopal Govind Enterprises and managed by Concord Hospitality Enterprises, the 118-room hotel appeals to the self-sufficient traveler with stylish rooms featuring comfortable beds and productive workspaces, plus extras including free high-speed Internet access.

Four Points by Sheraton Galveston exemplifies the brand’s new updated look and feel, developed as part of Four Points’ recently completed portfolio-wide billion-dollar rejuvenation which, combined with its great value proposition, has helped propel the brand to become one of the fastest growing within the Starwood portfolio.

Guests can enjoy complimentary coffee and stay connected with free Internet access in the Family Room. All-day dining is available at Oasis, while local craft beer is served at the hotel’s Lounge, courtesy of the Four Points by Sheraton Best Brews.

Additional amenities include an outdoor pool, 24-hour fitness facility, and nearly 1,800 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting and conference facilities designed to accommodate up to 70 people.

The hotel’s guest rooms and suites feature a spacious work area, LCD flat-screen TV, a comfortable signature bed, free high-speed Internet and free bottled water provided every day. Spacious Ocean View Suites include more room to work and relax, plus pull-out sofa beds.

Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Four Points by Sheraton Galveston occupies a prime spot on historic Galveston Island, just steps from Galveston’s finest beaches and minutes from the area’s leading attractions including Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, Moody Gardens, and Strand Historic District. Also nearby are the offices of American National Insurance and Union Carbine, as well as a choice of golf courses.

Hilton Waikoloa Village’s 25,000-square-foot Kohala Spa is introducing a revitalized spa menu created to immerse guests into “Ho’oponopono,” a therapeutic dimension or feeling that inspires a healing of body and mind.

The Signature Naupaka White Flower Ritual, an 80-minute massage begins with a warm local essential oils caressed into the scalp and hair, followed by a foot scrub, a leg ritual and a full-body massage. Other new treatments include the Seawater Pearl Facial, Treasures of the Sea skin treatment, Marine Anti-Aging Glow Facial, and Hawaiian Coffee Fruit Facial.

For more information, visit www.kohalaspa.com or www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com

The 278-room Best Western Hotel Sapporo Nakajima Koen is located on the south side of the Sapporo city center, near Nakajima Park.

The central business district and Susukino night-life entertainment area are within walking distance.

The hotel’s guestrooms feature cable and satellite TV, refrigerator, coffee/tea set, hairdryer, dataport and high-speed Internet access, while facilities include a restaurant and a 24-hour convenience store.

In addition to Sapporo’s various attractions, the Jozankei hot springs area is within 30 kilometers of the hotel, while three ski resorts can also be easily reached.

Best Western Hotel Sapporo Nakajima Koen is the chain’s 13th property in Japan, making Best Western International the second-largest international hotel brand in the country.

Best Western hotels are already in operation in key destinations like Fukuoka, Oita, Osaka, Sendai and Tokyo.

In Nagasaki is the Best Western Premier Hotel Nagasaki, flying the flag of the chain’s newly improved luxury brand.

For more information, visit the banner at right.