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.

We are, after all, in the business of travel, so it made sense to get people moving and experience local flavor. Let me just say – there’s no team bonding like walking across sky bridges or zip lining across the Blue Ridge Mountains. Those of us who have been lucky enough to zip line in different parts of the world all agreed: It was an equally unique and exhilarating experience as any.  And getting to the site was easy, too. The site operated by canopy tour specialist Navitat — is only 30 minutes from downtown Asheville.

When our pulses returned to resting rates, we visited Asheville’s most famous icon: The Biltmore Estate, where we ate and sampled wines. We also snuck in a trolley ride through downtown, as well as a few brewery tours.

Our team holed up in The Grand Bohemian Hotel from the Marriott Autograph Collection, a rustic, yet luxe retreat with a boutique feel. Think warm woods, taxidermy, and an art gallery that captures the spirit of the artsy town.

Should you need to plan your next corporate meeting, make it an active one, and head to the mountains.

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Robin Gallagher is a busy working mom with even busier boys who are 5 and 6. As you can imagine, having family fun while keeping the interest of boys with 20-minute attention spans has become a mission for her and her husband in both life and travel.

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.

Smartphone users: How often do you use your mobile device to book travel? Tell us on Twitter @orbitz.

Related resources

• Download the Hotels by Orbitz app for iPad
• Get the free Orbitz app for Android
• Orbitz  Flights, Hotels, Cars for iPhone
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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.

Among the newest venues is TurtleTrek, which debuted in April at SeaWorld Orlando, with a 3D, 360-degree film that allows viewers to follow the journey of a sea turtle.

Universal Orlando Resort has unveiled an array of new developments for 2012, including a new lagoon show, daytime parade, theme ride and miniature golf course, as well as a revamped Blue Man Group show and upgrades to the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman ride. Replacing the Jimmy Neutron attraction at Universal Studios Florida is a new 3D attraction based on the animated film “Despicable Me.”

The Walt Disney World Resort has plenty of new group- and business-friendly options, including Splitsville, a new attraction that opens this fall in Downtown Disney. With a 30-lane bowling alley, billiards, live music, dining and dancing, Splitsville is clearly designed to create a festive atmosphere.

At the Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom, the first phase of Fantasyland’s expansion is already up and running, with attractions including the Storybook Circus and Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride. When the project is complete, Fantasyland will be twice its original size.

Disney-bound travelers will also find a new option for accommodations, with the opening of the first group of guest rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, where suites are designed with — you guessed it — animation themes.

Central Florida attractions on a smaller — but still very business-friendly — scale include CSI: The Experience, a traveling exhibition that has opened up shop here through the end of the year. Based on the hit TV show, the venue allows visitors to try out their own detective skills. Anyone caught up in the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking, meanwhile, should consider Titanic: The Experience, which has reopened with new artifacts from the wreck site, including what is billed as the second-largest piece of the ship to be recovered.

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Mark Chesnut is a travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on travel to Latin America. He was a big fan of the Eastern Airlines “If You Had Wings” ride at Walt Disney World.

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.

Mac and PC users, we’re curious: Do our findings about hotel bookings ring true for you? Tell us on Twitter @orbitz.

Related resources

• Download the Hotels by Orbitz app for iPad
• Get the free Orbitz app for Android
• Orbitz  Flights, Hotels, Cars for iPhone
• Orbitz Mobile products

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.

In the Big Apple, guests are now checking into a revamped Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, where a $160 million facelift has resulted in a refurbished Sheraton Club Lounge and guest rooms.

In Europe, the biggest beneficiary of the infusion of cash — which is the result of Starwood and private owner investment — is the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh, Scotland, which now has refurbished guest rooms, a new restaurant and bar and more than 14,000 square feet of newly renovated meeting space.

In Latin America, the Sheraton Santiago Hotel & Convention Center, in Chile’s capital, is completing the final phase of its $13.5-million renovation, which will improve the lobby and convention center, as well as the swimming pool, terrace and outdoor restaurant. In April, the Sheraton Rio Hotel & Resort, in Rio de Janeiro, began the first phase of its $30 million renovation, which will revamp the guest rooms and also result in a new Link@Sheraton Cafe, as well as a new Shine Spa and “Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance” gym. In addition, the convention facilities at the Sheraton Rio will expand from 22,400 to 27,400 square feet. Later this year, the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers, in Mexico City, will begin its own renovation program as well.

Across the Pacific, the Sheraton Mirage Resort & Spa Gold Coast, in Australia, is wrapping up $20 million worth of upgrades, including a facelift for its public areas and landscaping. The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing, meanwhile, is undergoing a $50 million renovation over the next three years, which will refresh all guest rooms, public spaces and restaurants.

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Mark Chesnut is a travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on travel to Latin America. He always thinks he’s going to use the hotel gym.

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.

What influences your hotel booking decisions? We want to hear from you on Twitter @orbitz.

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• Las Vegas hotels
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Valerie Moloney, who edits and publishes the Orbitz blog, wholeheartedly agrees with summer hotel bookers: Location and glowing reviews rule.

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.

Between Aug. 27 and 30, some 16,000 hotel rooms are reserved at about 100 hotels in the Tampa Bay area for the Republican National Convention. Delegates will arrive just in time to see the results of a $16 million renovation at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay (which will host the Georgia state Republican delegation). Delegates are traveling from as far away as Guam (they’re staying at Alden Suites in St. Petersburg) and as close by as Florida itself (the Sunshine State’s official host hotel is Innisbrook, A Salamander Golf and Spa Resort).

The entire state of Florida, as a matter of fact, has a long history of welcoming presidential candidates — as well as elected presidents. The Fontainebleau Miami Beach, for example, has hosted an array of big names, ranging from President Truman to President Obama. And former President Jimmy Carter recently vacationed Hawks Cay Resort, in the Florida Keys.

During the week of Sept. 3, the Democratic National Convention will bring more than 35,000 people to Charlotte, where 56 hotels will house the state delegations. One of the headquarter hotels is the Westin Charlotte, where the Democratic National Convention Committee and Obama For America staff can make use of 44,000 square feet of meeting space. State delegations will stay at properties ranging from the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Charlotte University Research Park (which will host delegates from Alabama) to the Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel (which hosts Virginia).

Even the hotel chains are able to milk some extra publicity out of random comments from politicians. Hampton Inns, for example, has played up a story from CNN.com that Ann Romney, wife of the Republican presidential candidate, loves the free Wi-Fi at Hampton Inns — and that President Obama has also been known to skip pricier accommodations for the convenience of the less-expensive brand. Apparently free breakfast is a bipartisan experience.

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Mark Chesnut is a travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on travel to Latin America. He stands firm on the “free-WiFi-is-good” platform.

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 best scone I have ever had was a blueberry-and-lemon-curd one at Wild Flour Pastry. (The chocolate chip cookies were mighty good, too.) Wherever you’re staying in Charleston, you should make a pilgrimage to Wild Flour.
• In fact, order that treat to go and head over to Hope & Union Coffee Co., in a beautifully restored house. If you can’t snag a seat — the café is popular it is with attractive people working on laptops — stroll over to Artisan Tees, which sells T-shirts designed by artists.
• Mac & Murphy is an adorable shop with terrific greeting cards, stationery, wrapping paper and the like. If you’re a man, they’ll probably suggest you also wander down the block to Indigo & Cotton, a menswear boutique stocking various brands. It pairs nicely with the edgier Rogue Wave Surf Shop — less of a surf shop than a clothing shop with a surfer’s attitude. Rogue Wave is often the site of concerts during the area’s Final Friday party on the last Friday of every month.
• My favorite discovery isn’t actually in Elliotborough or Cannonborough, but it’s not far, and I loved it so much that I’m forced to include it. It’s a sandwich shop called Butcher & Bee that’s only open at lunchtime and late at night. The delicious menu changes daily — you can find it on the restaurant’s Facebook and Twitter pages. As a bonus, it’s next to the Old Charleston Joggling Board Co., which makes quirky Lowcountry benches that rock side-to-side.

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Formerly the editor of Budget Travel magazine, contributor Erik Torkells has written for many other publications, including Travel + Leisure, the New York Times and T Magazine. He has appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, and “Good Morning America” on Orbitz’s behalf.

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.

The new Dezer Collection Museum & Pavilion is a 250,000-square-foot facility with nine exhibitions stocked with more than 1,000 vintage vehicles, ranging from European classics to electric cars, micro-cars and classic motorcycles. The museum’s “Star Car” exhibition is home to a variety of celebrity vehicles, including the 1948 Ford “Greased Lightning” from the movie Grease, a Mach 5 Speed Racer inspired by the popular “Speed Racer” animated series and the 1981 Delorean from “Back to the Future.”

Business-minded types will appreciate that the Dezer Collection Museum & Pavilion is available for private parties and corporate events, for anywhere between 20 and 1,500 guests.

Of course, it makes sense for anyone visiting the new attraction to spend their evening at one of the properties that make up the Dezer Hotels division. The company owns and manages more than 1,000 hotel rooms in the Miami Beach area, including Trump International Beach Resort, the Howard Johnson Plaza Dezerland Beach & Spa, the Days Hotel Thunderbird and the Travelodge Monaco North Miami and Sunny Isles Beach.

At the Howard Johnson Plaza, travelers can indulge in a bit of the spirt of the new museum as well, thanks to the 1950s-themed American Classics restaurant (where you can actually sit inside a modified convertible while you eat) and decor elements that evoke bygone eras — such as the large, artistic representation of a vintage mid-century convertible that graces the lobby wall. Sounds perfect for putting some extra horsepower into that next business meeting or Florida vacation.

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Mark Chesnut is a travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on travel to Latin America. His first car was — don’t laugh — a Plymouth Horizon TC3.