Jetsettersblog

Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced that the Cambria Suites hotel in Fort Lauderdale/Dania Beach, Fla., has opened.

The 119-suite Fort Lauderdale hotel is the first Cambria Suites in Florida and is owned by Dan Patel of DP Hotels. Patel, a Fort Lauderdale resident, owns a variety of properties and has been in the hospitality industry more than 25 years.

There are 20 Cambria Suites hotels open and nearly 30 under development nationwide. Every Cambria Suites suite features separate work and living areas with ergonomic chairs, movable desks, luxury linens and Bath and Body Works products.

The all-suites hotels offer the latest in technology, including a 52-inch television in the open, airy two-story lobby, and each suite includes two flat-screen LCD televisions and MP3 jacks.

Every suite offers MediaHub plug-and-play technology, allowing guests to connect their laptop, MP3 player, game console, digital camera or CD/DVD player hassle-free. Free high-speed wired and wireless Internet access is available throughout the hotel so that guests can stay connected when on the road. Like all Cambria Suites hotels, the Fort Lauderdale property features Reflect, a dining and gathering area serving a dinner menu, liquor, wine, beer, and a barista bar featuring Wolfgang Puck coffee, Cheesecake Factory desserts and a hot breakfast buffet; Refresh fitness center with a resort-style pool and hot tub/spa area; and Refill, a 24/7 convenience store that offers energy drinks, snacks and sundries, as well as freshly prepared grab-and-go gourmet salads and sandwiches.

For more information, call 954-889-8600 or visit www.CambriaSuites.com

14-night Easter cruise and stay deals for just £949 per person

Book your Easter holiday now and snap up a great cruise and stay deal with Ocean Florida www.ocean-florida.co.uk ; 0800 008 6743).

Spend the first seven nights at the quality Inn International at the heart of Orlando’s theme park zone before heading down to Miami to enjoy a seven night cruise around the Caribbean on Carnival Glory from just £949 per person.

Price is based on select departures between 28th March and 29th March 2010 including FREE car hire for seven days in Orlando and kids eat FREE at Planet Hollywood, Orlando (If no kids each adult gets a free lunch at Planet Hollywood instead).

For further information and to book see www.ocean-florida.co.uk  or call 0800 008 6743 to talk to a Florida expert.

Club Med and the International Tennis Academy (ITA) announced that high profile tennis figures will join the ITA program at Club Med Sandpiper in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

The new academy provides a world-class, high-performance tennis training environment for juniors, adults, families and professionals.

Gabriel Jaramillo is among the new talent recruited to lead the Club Med Sandpiper ITA. Jaramillo has coached Andre Agassi, Maria Sharapova and Pete Sampras for 30 years. He also served as director of the Bollettieri junior tennis program for 26 years.

The Club Med Sandpiper ITA program has also enlisted the former senior vice president of IMG, Greg Breunich. Known for developing one of the most successful multi-sport, training and educational academy models, Breunich brings more than 30 years of experience to the Club Med Sandpiper ITA program. Breunich and Jaramillo will implement an academy concept that offers Club Med guests and elite junior players a high performance training regimen.

Jaramillo and Breunich will combine forces with current ITA tennis expert, Scott Del Mastro.

With 17 years of experience, Del Mastro has coached high ranking professional players from more than 50 countries.

The ITA at Sandpiper offers serious junior players intensive weekly programs throughout the year, elite summer camps, and annual boarding for those training for professional competition.

The junior programs combine technical lessons and drills, fitness training and supervised match play.

Club Med Sandpiper guests will train with the pros as part of the all-inclusive package.

Club Med’s all-inclusive tennis programs start for players as young as four years old.

Daily group classes teach guests to improve their game in a professional training environment.

Dedicated players can enroll in reasonably priced professional private lessons and benefit from video stroke analysis and intensive workshops.

“Hosting a high-performance tennis academy at Club Med Sandpiper allows us to provide world-class tennis to our guests at no additional cost. As part of Club Med’s all-inclusive package, every guest can train with pros like Gabriel Jaramillo,” said Xavier Mufraggi, CEO Club Med North America.

For more information, call 800-CLUBMED or visit www.clubmed.us

Tours4Fun launched an Octet Plus Travelers Vacation Deal, which targets families with discounts on vacation packages of two days or longer, if booked by a group of eight or more.

“Our tours have always attracted a group of travelers who enjoy exploring a new place in the comfort zone of their family or in the company of their own circle of friends,” said founder Maggie Lang.

Tours4Fun’s group travel discount can be combined with other discounts and inclusions such as Rewards4Fun.

Bookings can be made online at the Tours4Fun website and specifying the number of travelers in the group.

Once the online booking is confirmed, the group travel discount will be incorporated into the final price of the tour.

Itineraries include a seven-day Mt. Rushmore & Yellowstone Bus Tour package, a six-day East Coast U.S. tour with airport transfers (standard quality), and an eight-day East Coast U.S. and Canada tour with airport transfers (first class).

Tours4Fun, founded in 2006, is an online travel supplier.

For more information, visit www.tours4fun.com

TourCrafters is offering a seven-day/six-night Taste of Spain package starting at $1,499 in September and October, or $1,565 in April and May.

It includes roundtrip air from New York to Spain on Alitalia; fuel surcharges; two nights hotel accommodation in Madrid, two in Saragosa and two in Barcelona; daily buffet breakfast; a three-day car rental; a gourmet lunch in Saragosa; a wine-tasting visit to the Vilarnau Winery; and all service charges and taxes.

Those who book the package will have time in Madrid to see the big three museums and the Plaza Mayor, check out the smart boutiques on Calle de Serrano, and enjoy the old cafés and picturesque tabernas.

Then a drive through scenic countryside – the backbone of medieval Spain and the Aragonese dynasty — to Saragosa, to spend two days in this enchanting old city that dates back to Roman times.

At Restaurante Los Borrachos in Saragosa, travelers can indulge in a gourmet lunch that includes truffled goose liver mousse, pasta with porcini mushrooms, venison medallions, a dessert tasting and wine.

Then it’s off to Barcelona, with a stop along the way at the Vilarnau Winery to taste their sparkling cava — Spain’s answer to champagne.

The trip ends with two days in Barcelona and time to see the city’s flamboyant Gaudi architecture, the old Gothic quarter and the famous Ramblas, and to dine on wonderful tapas and fresh seafood.

Air fare add-ons are $45 from Boston and $135 from Chicago and Miami.

All prices quoted are per person, double occupancy, do not include airport taxes of approximately $116 and are subject to availability and change.

The package must be booked by March 31 and reservations must be paid for within 72 hours of booking. For more information, call 800-482-5995 or visit www.tourcrafters.com

Following the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV events in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., preliminary statistics show an increase in area hotel occupancies and revenues along with a spike in consumer interest in the destination. February occupancy numbers show that the winter season in Greater Fort Lauderdale had a strong jump-start with Super Bowl and visitation continues to grow. Year-over-year figures for the weekend leading up to Super Bowl XLIV show a nearly 20 percent increase in overall hotel occupancies (91 percent), and a significant jump in average daily rate to $230 (63 percent increase).

The NFL set up their base of operations along Fort Lauderdale Beach where the 32-inch-high XLIV Roman numerals were located, including the NFL headquarters hotel at the new Westin Beach Resort, the NFL Media Center at the Broward County Convention Center with more than 3,000 media housed throughout Broward County hotels, the Indianapolis Colts at the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa and the Super Saturday night free concert on Fort Lauderdale beach with O.A.R. In addition, the Taste of the NFL, the party with a purpose featured the Barenaked Ladies, and the NFL Sponsorship Party starring the Pointer Sisters, were both hosted at the Broward County Convention Center.

The heightened activity resulted in 93 percent Fort Lauderdale Beach hotel occupancies (up 20 percent), and an average daily hotel rate of $348 (a 91 percent increase).

In addition, coverage of Fort Lauderdale in the media resulted in more than 2,000 print articles, and 900 radio, television and broadcast clips, as well as nearly 19,000 online stories.

The CVB also reported a record number of visits to the official sunny.org website for the period of Jan. 30 to Feb. 8, totaling 79,417, an 8 percent increase over last year at the same period, and page views totaling 233,094 for a 15 percent increase. In the week leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl, there were more than 1,600 downloads of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s new iVisitLauderdale phone app and 4,400 entries to the CVB’s online Pro Bowl contest. For more information, call 800-22-SUNNY or visit www.sunny.org

Tour operator TrekAmerica is spreading some New Year cheer by throwing in free activity vouchers on tour bookings made during January 2010.

The vouchers entitle travellers to a free sight-seeing activity in the city where their tour starts or finishes.

Options include ‘must-do’ American experiences such as admission to the observation decks at the Empire State Building in New York and the Seattle Space Needle; and free full-day bike hire in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.

The vouchers also cover further sight-seeing activities in the gateway cities of San Francisco, Las Vegas, Boston, Chicago and Anchorage.

This added-value offer is valid with any TrekAmerica tour in North America booked before 31st January 2010.

Activity vouchers can be redeemed at the start or end of a tour, so passengers booking non-circular routes – a coast-to-coast road trip for instance – will be able to choose between two different activities.

The full list of free activities being offered by TrekAmerica is:

• NEW YORK – Free admission to the Empire State Building observation deck. Experience the panoramic views of Manhattan from the 86th floor of this historic landmark

• LOS ANGELES – Free full day bicycle hire on Venice Beach. Soak up the sunshine and cruise along California’s world-famous Santa Monica and Venice beaches

• SAN FRANCISCO – Free Open Top Sightseeing Hop-on-hop-off City Tour. Visit the city’s most iconic sights including the Golden Gate Bridge, Haight-Ashbury, China Town and Fisherman’s Wharf

• LAS VEGAS – Free admission to the Eiffel Tower viewing platform at the Paris Hotel. Take in the inimitable skyline at the most romantic spot in all of Vegas, 460 feet above the Strip

• SEATTLE – Free admission to the Seattle Space Needle observation deck. The 360 degree view incorporates the city, the sparkling waters of Puget Sound and even the snow-capped peak of Mount Rainier

• BOSTON – Free 40-minute Codzilla Thrill Boat Ride with Boston Harbour Cruises. Brave the fastest speedboat tour in Boston on a heart-pounding, wild ride in Boston Harbour

• CHICAGO – Free Bicycle City Tour with Bobby’s Bike Hike. Chicago has been voted the best bicycling city in America and this tour offers a great perspective on the Windy City

• ANCHORAGE – Free admission to the Alaska Native Heritage Centre. Share the rich heritage of Alaska’s eleven cultural groups and learn about the traditions that endure

For further information and reservations visit www.trekamerica.co.uk  or call 0845 863 8214.

Activity vouchers can be requested via the online booking form or directly with the reservations team if booking by phone.

Established in 1972, TrekAmerica specialises in small group adventure tours of North America for 18-38 year olds. The company recently received a Silver Award for Best Special Interest / Adventure Tour Operator at the British Travel Awards.

The company does not charge single supplements, making it a popular choice for solo travellers.

AirTran Airways is partnering with American Express OPEN and the OPEN Savings program. American Express OPEN card holders will be eligible for a 5 percent discount on all of the low-cost carrier’s more than 700 daily flights.

Any ticket purchased at www.airtran.com , via 1-800-AIR-TRAN or at any AirTran Airways ticket counter with an American Express Business Card will receive the discount. AirTran has been ranked the number one low-cost carrier in the Airline Quality Rating study for the past two years and is the recipient of the prestigious 2010 Market Leadership Award from Air Transport World.

For more information, visit www.OPEN.com  or www.airtran.com

This spring, Miami’s Trump International Beach Resort has the cure to get snowbirds out from under the weather and into the sun.

Located in the exclusive enclave of Sunny Isles Beach, the oceanfront resort is offering guests a 20 percent discount on room rates for the month of March on reservations booked prior to March 5.
Based on a two-night minimum, the offer is valid on stays through March 28.

For reservations, call 800-836-1128 and mention a rate code of “Too Much Snow.” For more information, visit www.trumpmiami.com

Port Everglades is home to five multi-day cruise ships and one daily cruise ship this summer, more than ever before.

Ships sailing from Port Everglades this summer include Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Freedom, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Solstice, Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess, Royal Caribbean International’s Grandeur of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas and Discovery Cruises’ day-cruiser Discovery Sun.

“Our cruise line partners have discovered that South Florida is a terrific year-round market because we have 6 million residents who don’t have to travel far to sail, direct interstate highway access and low-fare airlines coming into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport,” said Port Everglades Director Phil Allen.

“For South Floridians, this means traditionally seasonal jobs are now year-round and there will be good summer vacation deals right in their own backyard.”

The 3,000-passenger Carnival Freedom sails on six- and eight-night voyages on alternating Saturdays and Sundays to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

The 3,100-passenger Emerald Princess sails every Sunday to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

The 2,400-passenger Grandeur of the Seas sails on four- and five-night cruises on alternate Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays to the Eastern and Western Caribbean beginning April 29.

The 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas sails every Saturday to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. The 1,200-passenger Discovery Sun sails daily to Freeport, Grand Bahamas, except select Wednesdays.

For more information, visit www.porteverglades.net