Don't look down: Orbitz Senior Market Manager Robin Gallagher scales a sky bridge over the Blue Ridge Mountains.
By Robin Gallagher
Having just planned a team meeting in Asheville, N.C., I was worried how my colleagues – a diverse group representing several nations, regions and ethnicities – would receive the tiny mountain town. As it turns out, I couldn’t have chosen a better location. Read the rest of this entry »
Smartphone, smart trips. Download the free Orbitz app for iPhone to book flights, hotels and rental cars.
By Valerie Moloney
We’ve come a long way from brick-and-mortar travel agencies and paper tickets. Cut to 2012, when one in five smartphone users are booking their hotels and flights on their mobile devices, according to a comScore study. In a fourth blog post for USA Today, Orbitz CEO Barney Harford spotlights our growing appetite for mobile travel apps, and the cost savings for booking mobile-only hotel deals. At Orbitz, we saw a 12 percent jump in customers using a mobile-optimized version of our website or a native app in the first quarter. Read the rest of this entry »
Disney magic: Downtown Disney is among the group-friendly venues in central Florida.
By Mark Chesnut
Orlando may be known as the capital of Florida vacations, but its many world-famous attractions can also serve as memorable backdrops for business meetings, entertaining and enjoying time off after long days at work. Read the rest of this entry »
Mac users are 40 percent more likely to book four- or five-star hotels, according to our research.
By Valerie Moloney
In an effort to understand the way our consumers plan their trips, we uncovered this fun fact: Mac users are 40 percent more likely to book four- or five-star hotels than PC users. Does this surprise you? iPad junkies follow similar behavior. The findings, shared in the third blog post by Orbitz CEO Barney Harford in USA Today, highlight our efforts to analyze a mountain of data for a more personalized booking experience. Read the rest of this entry »
The Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers is among the Sheraton Hotels getting upgrades.
By Mark Chesnut
Starwood Preferred Guest members take note: Sheraton Hotels, one of the upscale hotel brands owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, is unveiling some $350 million worth of upgrades at an array of its properties in the coming months. Read the rest of this entry »
When it comes to summer hotel bookings, location trumps all, according to an Orbitz survey, which also placed Las Vegas first in a list of top 10 summer destinations. Credit: o palsson.
By Valerie Moloney
With Memorial Day Weekend looming — the unofficial start of the vacation season — we wanted to know just how travelers were shopping for hotels this summer. By amenities? Price? Rewards programs? The results, revealed in a USA Today blog post by our very own CEO Barney Harford, revealed location as the no. 1 influencer outside of price. In fact, according to an Orbitz survey of 750 Americans, 21 percent ranked location as the biggest driver in the hotel booking experience. Plus: Harford offers a list of the top 10 summer destinations. Read the rest of this entry »
The Westin Charlotte is one of the headquarter hotels during the Democratic National Convention.
By Mark Chesnut
It’s presidential election season, but the excitement isn’t limited to the campaigns and the candidates. The upcoming political conventions are a big deal for the host cities, with many destinations vying to host the massive events, and only two places — this year, the Tampa Bay area and Charlotte, North Carolina — winning the ability to show off their importance and their hotels and attractions, as they rake in millions of delegate travel dollars. Read the rest of this entry »
By Angie Jaime
Orbitz is taking a stand to help Americans take their vacation days — all of them. According to a recent poll from Reuters/Ipsos, only 57 percent of U.S. workers take all their vacation time. With the launch of our Vacation Revolution Kit, a site-wide makeover and a brand-new ad campaign, we’re inspiring all travel-lusters to drink from the mini bar, order dishes that they can’t pronounce and leave their to-do lists behind. Plus, this week, our very own CEO Barney Harford will be guest blogging on USA Today spreading the revolution.
Join the movement and sign our pledge to take all your vacation days!
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Angie Jaime is a writer at Orbitz. A lifelong traveler, she’s been surfing in Hawaii, hiking in Mexico and backpacking through Europe.
Stop and smell the java -- and jasmine -- at Hope and Union Coffee Co. in Charleston's Elliotborough neighborhood.
By Erik Torkells
In every city, I’m generally convinced there’s a neighborhood where enterprising creative types have opened interesting businesses — unfortunately, this conviction has led me on more than one wild goose chase. So on a recent trip to Charleston, S.C., I was thrilled to discover the neighborhoods of Elliotborough and Cannonborough. A nice long walk from the part of town most visitors hang out in, they can be a respite from the crowds that hang out on King Street and Market Street. (From what I can tell, they’re centered on Spring and Cannon streets, between Coming and Rutledge.) A few shops and restaurants definitely worth checking out….
The Mach 5 Speed Racer drives fans to the new Dezer Collection Museum and Pavilion in Florida.
By Mark Chesnut
For decades, a man named Michael Dezer cruised his way to iconic status on the Florida hotel scene. And this year, the developer — who runs Dezer Properties — translated one of his private passions into a brand-new attraction aimed at exciting auto enthusiasts, business travelers and anyone planning family travel or a Florida vacation. Read the rest of this entry »
We love to travel, and we love to talk about it. The Orbitz Blog is another way we can share our expertise, advice and the occasional random thought.
Check back often for fresh insight from Orbitz staff and contributors about cool places to visit, fun things to do and smart ways to save.