Kauai (Courtesy: Kauai Visitors Bureau)

By Lena Katz

When people say you may spot dolphins off the shore of Kauai, they don’t mean just one or two. Noisy, fun-loving, fearless spinner dolphins cruise the Na Pali coast in pods, swimming alongside the sailboats and wowing the humans with airborne antics and graceful waterborne power. Spinners can’t be trained, and they can’t survive beyond a few days once taken from their natural habitat. They’re one of many unforgettable Hawaii vacation experiences that can only be experienced with Mother Nature’s permission, and if you’re willing to go a little out of your comfort zone to reach them.

Kauai’s nickname is “The Garden Isle” but its gardens are not merely the pretty floral kind. It’s got thousands of acres of backcountry and jungle where bold visitors can hike or zip line, kayak to waterfalls or four-wheel through swamps — ALWAYS with a tour guide, of course — even the locals know better than to go running around the ancient jungle by themselves.

Cave tubing (Courtesy: Kauai Backcountry Adventures)

If you want to score immediate daredevil points with the folks back home, you could include a Kauai Backcountry Adventures’ cave tubing expedition on your Hawaii vacation. It takes place way up in the private lands that used to be the Lihue Plantation, and the “caves” and streams are actually part of a canal and tunnel system built for the sugar plantation in the late 1800s. Guests sit in big black innertubes and ride the current through a series of underground caves — the last one completely in the dark. It sounds like something out of “Indiana Jones” but in reality, anyone with a sense of adventure and a sense of humor can participate. It’s the jungle version of a “Lazy River” water amusement ride…which is to say, a lot chillier with some unexpected bumps, but so much more fun.

(Courtesy: Kauai Backcountry Adventures)

Kauai Backcountry Adventures also operates a zip line course (7 zip lines), but it’s not the only place to offer this attraction. Kauai, with its countless waterfalls and dense jungle canopy and picturesque valleys, is a place that practically begs you to go a little bit Tarzan-style in your explorations. Outfitters Kauai just introduced a new zip line course featuring an 1800-foot tandem flight followed by a “Water Zip” — AKA a swing out over a natural-fed swimming pool — let go and jump in, or hang on and enjoy the view. There’s also a zip line experience at Princeville Ranch.

Horseback riding (Courtesy: Princeville Ranch Stables)

Princeville Ranch is primarily famous as the spot where Hawaii’s paniolo (island cattle rancher) heritage still thrives — ergo, one of the most popular activities here is horseback riding. There’s only one horseback outfitter on the 2500-acre working cattle ranch: the Carswells, who’ve been on Kauai for many generations and have operated Princeville Ranch Stables for more than 25 years. Join them for a trail ride/waterfall swim, or put on your working boots and saddle up for an actual cattle drive.

And what about the ocean, you ask? In winter it can be a wee bit rough, but when conditions are good, it offers an endless variety of adventure: surfing at Hanalei Bay; snorkeling the protected lagoon at Ke’e Beach or the “Tunnels” at Makua.

(Courtesy: Captain Andy’s Sailing Adventures

Boat tours abound, but if you can only take one and you want to hang out with those amazing spinner dolphins, my recommendation is Captain Andy’s Kauai Sailing Adventures. Everybody — from tourism professionals, to tourists who plan regular Hawaii vacations on Kauai, to locals who remember taking their first job with Andy one summer 15 years go — has good things to say about this Na Pali Coast tour operator. Raft tours operate year round, though beach landings are usually only do-able in the summer. The sailing adventures take place aboard beautiful, perfectly maintained catamaran yachts. They usually start off sunny and smooth-sailing, but things get rolling — and soaking wet–when returning home through a Na Pali offshore swell.

Not all Kauai adventures require a helmet and/or a swimsuit, though. At historic Kilohana Plantation, guests ride antique-styled trains through the working farm, stopping for a rainforest hike and picnic. If that’s too rugged for you, upon your return, explore the shops in the refurbished plantation house, dine at Gaylord’s, be among the first to taste newly launched Koloa Rum, or enjoy the awesome evening spectacle of Luau Kalamaku.

(Courtesy: Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa)

Tired yet? You will be, after a day out under the sun, doing any of these activities or ones I haven’t thought of yet. Happily, Kauai hotels know how to take care of salt-spattered, punch-drunk travelers who have packed just a wee bit too much adventure into a too-brief itinerary. Stagger into the beautiful lobby of the Grand Hyatt, burned like a lobster and staggering on sea legs, and reception will present you with a cold glass of juice before spiriting you to a cool, spacious, herbal-scented hideaway mere steps from the swimming pool. Arrive at the Sheraton Kauai with a passel of over-excited kids going a zillion directions at once…and you’ll be relieved to find a sprawling condo-styled property with drive-up units and a casual, kid-friendly vibe. Castle Resorts operates several condo resorts on the island, including Castle Kaha Lani and Castle Kiahuna Plantation.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Hawaii vacation
• Kauai hotels
• Luau 101: Understanding a Hawaii vacation tradition
  
• Hula lessons, cheap eats and other ways to enjoy a Hawaii vacation
  

Lena Katz is the author of SUN: California and SIP: California, part of the Travel Temptations series published by Globe Pequot Press.

Melissa Fuller is the Orbitz Travel Blog’s travel artist of the month. Each week we will feature a series of photographs from her collection. Before we share her  photographs, we asked Melissa to share a little about herself.

By Melissa Fuller

I took the sage advice of my corporately employed single mother: “Melissa, I want you to do something you LOVE. It’s not worth it any other way.” And so it became ingrained in my head that work is synonymous with adventuring. And if you can do it making art along the way, then heck, you’re doing all right.

That seed, planted at an early age, was nourished with the developer and fix bath of a shoddy high school dark room and really took root in college, where I studied photography, film and video in tandem with global development. My inclination toward documenting and exploring became the driving force behind what has now become my work, my passion, and my way of meditation. Taking photographs and seeing into different cultures and ways of life not only inspires me to open my eyes wide, but it also helps me to grasp the simplicity of this place and time we are so lucky to be a part of.

Melissa Fuller earned her bachelor of science from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied word and image theory with an emphasis in photography. Her work has been featured in National Geographic’s “There and Back” readers series and for TOMS shoes for tomorrow blog. Melissa has traveled around the United States and abroad as production staff for several networks, including, A&E, VH1, MTV and ABC. See more of her work on her blog.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Flights
• Hotels
  

I went on an amazing international vacation — an African safari to see some of the world’s most prized national wonders: Arusha National Park, Ngorogoro Crater, the Serengeti National Park and Tarangire National Park.

Zebra graze on the hillside at Ngorogoro Crater.

We spent our days cruising in the sun under the popped top of a converted 4×4 Eurovan hunting for sightings of hippo, elephant, gazelle, rhino, giraffe, and lion. We didn’t have to hunt terribly hard.

Perhaps as a side effect of eco-tourism, the animals were strangely comfortable with our gawking presence. On day one a wayward lioness even came up to our van and slept in our shade for 20 minutes. I careened my upper body out of the window to take a shot of the lioness and I in frame like a kid posing with a character at Disneyland. Needless to say I was quickly shooed back in the vehicle by our safari leader, who was irritated by my Siegfried-and-Roy-like actions.

Lions at the Ngorogoro Crater

On night two we slept in tents under a indigo sky as a the sound of Maasai children in the distance singing songs carried over the flat, calm, plains and right through my nylon tent. A Maasai man with a bow and arrow lashed to his back watched over the site to ensure hyenas and other “visitors” would not make their way in to our campground.

The other days of my international vacation peeled by. Scrambling to find the binoculars to spot a jaguar in a tree, standing on the seats of the van as we watched a baby elephant cool off in a muddy bank — all of these experiences creating a personalized vision of Africa in my mind that I surely will never forget.

An older brother, watching his sister, introduces himself to campers..

Ostrich Crossing at Taringire National Park

Two lionesses lay in the afternoon sun in Serenghetti National Park.

Water buffalo bones at Ngorogoro Crater

Related Orbitz resources:

• Flights
• Eco vacations
• International vacation
  

Melissa Fuller earned her bachelor of science from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied word and image theory with an emphasis in photography. Her work has been featured in National Geographic’s “There and Back” readers series and for TOMS shoe’s for tomorrow blog. Melissa has traveled around the United States and abroad as production staff for several networks including A&E, VH1, MTV and ABC. See more of her work on her blog.

Hoover Dam (Photo: E.C. Gladstone)

By E.C. Gladstone

Think you’ll be cooped up inside one of our Las Vegas hotels your entire time here? Think again. Despite the deserved reputation of our mega-resorts as never-need-to-leave wonderlands, fact is, the Vegas valley is filled with more outdoor activities than most visitors imagine. Now that the weather has cooled a bit, I thought it would be a great time to tell you about them.

First among our outdoor attractions would have to be the Hoover Dam, the marvel of the modern world whose construction put Las Vegas on the map. Little more than a half hour from the Strip, the tour that takes you 537 feet down into the power plant is a fascinating education in construction engineering, water usage and electricity generation for the old or young, and certainly worth the drive. (Several reputable tour companies run bus trips as well: the tour is the same no matter who takes you there.) On the way, you can check out Boulder City’s State Railroad Museum, bighorn sheep-dwelling Hemenway Valley Park, and Bootleg canyon zip lines.

Grand Canyon (Photo: E.C. Gladstone)

The dam created what is now Lake Mead, which also offers rafting and kayaking in Black Canyon, the Desert Princess paddlewheel boat, a beach, fishing and more (speedboating on weekends is popular with locals).

Of course, Vegas is the closest major city to Arizona’s natural wonder the Grand Canyon: several tour companies offer several different ways to experience it, including the glass Skywalk over the west rim, pontoon boats and rafts on the river, and helicopter rides to the canyon floor. I haven’t tried all of them, but one I can recommend is Papillion helicopter, which runs clean, well-maintained modern craft with experienced, friendly pilots out of the McCarran Executive terminal on West Tropicana Boulevard. (Several other lines embark from there too; be sure to ask about the company’s experience and visibility from the craft when choosing.) Many bus companies also take longer tours to the canyon.

I should also mention several other flying options:

• For a quick fix, the Cloud Nine helium balloon takes you straight up, 500 quiet feet above Las Vegas hotels and the Strip.
• You can also fly vintage biplanes (www.sierrabiplane.com) gliders and WWII warbirds, try skydiving, and for the “money’s-no-object” crowd, the Zero-G experience.
• Dinner In The Sky is another experience you won’t soon forget!

Red Rock Canyon (Photo: E.C. Gladstone)

On the other side of the Vegas valley is gorgeous Red Rock Canyon, a sprawling conservation area with a 14-mile loop drive showing the wide range of rock formations at varying elevations, Joshua trees, juniper trees, cacti, ancient bristlecone pines (some of the world’s oldest trees) the natural spring in Calico Basin, petroglyphs and limestone cook pits from ancestral natives as well as a rock quarry and old wagon road from the first (white) settlers. Several companies offer tours, but one I think has a distinct advantage is Pink Jeep, whose custom mini-buses have off-road capability with cushioned comfort interiors. You might also want to consider the novelty of Scoot City’s three-wheelers. The adjacent Red Rock Resort offers an “adventure spa” program that makes them the most outdoors-oriented of the luxury resorts.

There are many more natural wonders and activity areas, including Spring Mountain Ranch, Valley of Fire, and the Techatticup Mine in Eldorado Canyon. For an entirely different experience, Mount Charleston, one of the highest peaks in Nevada, has a cozy lodge and even skiing in season!

Within a few hours of your Las Vegas hotel, you can also explore Death Valley National Park, Zion National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Grand Canyon Cavern, go horseback riding or offroading on sand dunes, visit several ghost towns (Rhyolite, Nev., Calico, Calif., Oatman, Ariz., Grafton, Utah)…the list goes on and on.

Insider Tip: For a closer, more controlled outdoor experience, check out Springs Preserve, with a remarkable garden of indigenous plants, indoor exhibits, and a Wolfgang Puck café.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Las Vegas hotels
• Hoover Dam bus tour on Orbitz
• Red Rock Canyon jeep tour on Orbitz
• Grand Canyon West Rim tour on Orbitz

Veteran entertainment and travel writer E. C. Gladstone writes regularly for Las Vegas Magazine and the Las Vegas Weekly, also interviewing top Strip entertainers, restauranteurs, moguls and behind-the-scenes players for other local and national publications and websites. Like many Las Vegans, he sleeps only when absolutely necessary.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Price Assurance
• More Orbitz YouTube videos
• Hotels
  
• Flight deals

By Joe Brancatelli

STAR SIGNS

United Upgrades Upgrades, US Airways Simplifies Club Membership: Continental Airlines joined the Star Alliance at the end of October, so fellow Star carrier United Airlines is bringing its Mileage Plus program in line with Continental’s OnePass plan.

Beginning in the second quarter next year, United will kill its 500-mile upgrade certificates. The new upgrade regimen is somewhat simple: unlimited domestic upgrades based on your elite status in Mileage Plus. Naturally, the top players, Global Services and 1K members, get first dibs.

They’ll be automatically upgraded at the time of booking when seats are deemed available and can call the earliest (up to 120 hours before flight time) to score what’s left. All other United Mileage Plus elite get the crumbs. According to United, the “domestic” upgrades include Hawaii flights but exclude the airline’s three-class p.s. service between New York/Kennedy, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Meanwhile another Star Alliance carrier has also changed some rules. US Airways has scrapped its tiered-access approach to membership in its US Airways Club network of airport lounges. All annual memberships will now include access to all Star Alliance lounges, including United Red Carpet and Continental Presidents Club locations. Annual fees will range from $325 to $450 depending on your elite status. One other new perk: US Airways Clubs will now offer free house wines and beer.

ROUTE MAP

Southwest Doubles Down in Denver and St. Louis: Never let it be said that Southwest Airlines doesn’t profit from the failings of competitive carriers. Two more examples: Still more flights from St. Louis and Denver.

• In St. Louis, where American Airlines recently all but eliminated the hub it inherited from TWA, Southwest says it will add service to five new cities: Raleigh-Durham; New Orleans; Los Angeles; Seattle; and San Diego. Those flights begin in May.

• Meanwhile, in Denver, where Southwest competes with ever-fading United Airlines and Frontier Airlines, which contracted dramatically in its bankruptcy, the carrier will also add five new cities: Hartford, Connecticut; Boise, Idaho; Ontario, California; Detroit; and Washington/Dulles; Those flights begin on March 14. In May, the carrier will also add service on seven existing routes from Denver and begin a Saturday-only flight between Denver and New York/LaGuardia.

• AirTran Airways will begin flying between Lexington, Kentucky, and Fort Lauderdale on February 11.

• Four cities in Arkansas are back on the nation’s commercial route map. Thanks to a subsidy from the Essential Air Service, a dinosaur from the early days of deregulation, a carrier called SeaPort Airlines launched flights to Delta’s Memphis hub from Hot Springs, El Dorado, Harrison and Jonesboro.

• American Airlines resumes daily flights between Washington/Dulles and San Juan on November 19.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Business travel
• Flights
• Hotels

Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2009 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.

Melbourne skyline (Courtesy: Tourism Victoria)

By Lena Katz

Melbourne: where leisure is a luxury … for everyone
As a girl who lives on the beach, I’m never head-over-heels to see more white sand. I like cities, especially the ones with character and architecture all their own, which is why I included Melbourne on my Australia vacation itinerary. Though its urban sprawl covers more square acreage than U.S. cities twice as populated — Australians don’t like to live on less than a half-acre — its city center is a colorful labyrinth of laneways sprouting more laneways, where tiny bars are tucked into corners and attics and rooftops.

Federation Square teems with milling tourists and locals hurrying toward the train station across the street. People stroll and bike the banks of the Yarra River whenever the weather permits. Outside the Queen Victoria Market, locals angle for tables two blocks down the sidewalk, chatting and snacking without a care in the world, even at 2 p.m. on a Thursday. For anyone used to the typical 40-means-60-hour U.S. workweek, this spectacle is hard to comprehend. Aren’t these people supposed to be in offices? Maybe we can learn something from them.

Art Thrives in Australia
Being from Los Angeles, where people routinely humiliate, ignore and critically crucify “creative artists” in near-Darwinian style (only the strong become famous), it is heartwarming to see that Aussies take such loving care of their creative types. Indie bands, ethnic dance troupes, writers, artists and even cabaret performers are given a stage, an encouraging nod from the tourism authority and a spot in a local festival if it suits.

Melbourne is a particularly artsy city, that helps boost up-and-coming fashion designers (think San Francisco, Amsterdam or Barcelona) and tiny “mixology” bars, which can’t exist in Sydney because of prohibitive liquor licensing fees. Every week Melbourne welcomes a new festival or party; annual highlights include the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Moomba Waterfest, Melbourne International Film Festival and Melbourne International Arts Festival. It’s also the only city to have its own civic children’s art center, ArtPlay, located behind Federation Square and open to kids under age 13 only.

Yarra Valley (Courtesy: Tourism Victoria)

Wine Country is Everywhere
Wine connoisseurs of every level can find a lot to love about Australia … the first challenge being just to learn the various wine-producing regions and what they’re known for, because as any Aussie will tell you, “There’s no such thing as generic Australian Shiraz.” Australia is a vast wine country, with wine-producing regions from Tasmania to Queensland, and each region has its own heritage and its own set of challenges.

Barossa Valley is home to the oldest vines — some of its Shiraz vines were planted in the 1840s. Hunter Valley is probably the most touristy and romantic Australian wine country destination, with a name that garners respect from even the most self-involved Europeans and Californians. Adelaide is home to the Australian Wine Research Institute, a viticulture think tank on par with California’s UC Davis. The Yarra Valley and Tasmania are both up-and-coming cool climate regions, producing some outstanding Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wines, but still struggling with everything from climactic conditions (brushfire is a huge problem) to branding challenges.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Australia vacation
• Australia part 1: VIP penguin viewing and more
  

Lena Katz is the author of SUN: California and SIP: California, part of the Travel Temptations series published by Globe Pequot Press.

Related Resources:

• Orbitz Total Price
• More Orbitz Youtube videos
• Hotel deals
• Flight deals
  

Orbitz just released a list of the Top 10 busiest airports in the country. Chicago’s O’Hare International ranks as the No. 1 most traveled airport during the weekend with LAX, Denver, San Francisco and Atlanta rounding out the Top 5. New York’s three area airports — La Guardia, JFK and Newark — along with Boston Logan and Seattle Tacoma International make up the rest of the Top 10. So if you’re planning on heading to or from any of these cities, make sure you are prepared for long waits at check-in and security.

Some Airports Actually Have Less Traffic
For the first time ever, Orbitz has tallied the Top 10 least busy airports.

So if you can pad a little extra travel time to or from the airport, it may make save your sanity to choose an alternate airport. For instance, if your plans take you to the San Francisco Bay Area, think about flying into San Jose International, which ranked as the easiest airport to travel through during Thanksgiving.

For anyone with family in the following cities, take a breath: These are the least busy airports during Thanksgiving weekend:

• San Jose, CA — San Jose International (SJC)
• Nashville, TN — Nashville International (BNA)
• Richmond, VA — Richmond International (RIC)
• Sacramento, CA — Sacramento International (SMF)
• Jacksonville, FL — Jacksonville International (JAX)
• West Palm Beach, FL — Palm Beach International (PBI)
• Hartford, CT — Bradley International (BDL)
• Orange County, CA — John Wayne International (SNA)
• Cincinnati, OH — Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
• Fort Myers, FL — Southwest Florida Regional (RSW)

Reduce Stress and Save Time
There are plenty of ways to ease the pain of the busy travel holiday. Check out Orbitz holiday travel tips for resources and information.

Top 50 Busiest Airports for Thanksgiving 2009

1. Chicago, IL — Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
2. Los Angeles, CA — Los Angeles International (LAX)
3. Denver, CO — Denver International (DEN)
4. San Francisco, CA — San Francisco International (SFO)
5. Atlanta, GA — Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport (ATL)
6. Boston, MA — Boston Logan International (BOS)
7. New York, NY — New York LaGuardia (LGA)
8. New York, NY — New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
9. Newark, NJ — New York Newark International (EWR)
10. Seattle, WA — Seattle Tacoma International (SEA)
11. Dallas, TX — Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)
12. Orlando, FL — Orlando International (MCO)
13. Philadelphia, PA — Philadelphia International (PHL)
14. Minneapolis, MN — Minneapolis International (MSP)
15. Phoenix, AZ — Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
16. Washington, DC — Washington Ronald Reagan (DCA)
17. Detroit, MI — Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
18. Las Vegas, NV — Las Vegas McCarran International (LAS)
19. Charlotte, NC — Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
20. Fort Lauderdale, FL — Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)
21. Washington, DC — Washington Dulles International (IAD)
22. Baltimore, MD — Baltimore Washington International (BWI)
23. Miami, FL — Miami International (MIA)
24. Houston, TX  — Houston George Bush International (IAH)
25. Tampa, FL — Tampa International (TPA)
26. San Diego, CA  — San Diego International (SAN)
27. Raleigh, NC — Raleigh-Durham International (RDU)
28. Portland, OR — Portland International (PDX)
29. Milwaukee, WI — General Mitchell International (MKE)
30. Salt Lake City, UT — Salt Lake City International (SLC)
31. Pittsburgh, PA — Pittsburgh International (PIT)
32. Indianapolis, IN — Indianapolis International (IND)
33. Kansas City, MO — Kansas City International (MCI)
34. St Louis, MO — St. Louis Lambert International (STL)
35. Honolulu, HI — Honolulu International (HNL)
36. Austin, TX — Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS)
37. Cleveland, OH — Cleveland Hopkins International (CLE)
38. Columbus, OH — Port Columbus International (CMH)
39. San Antonio, TX — San Antonio International (SAT)
40. New Orleans, LA — Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY)
41. Fort Myers, FL — Southwest Florida Regional (RSW)
42. Cincinnati, OH — Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
43. Orange County, CA — John Wayne International (SNA)
44. Hartford, CT — Bradley International (BDL)
45. West Palm Beach, FL — Palm Beach International (PBI)
46. Jacksonville, FL — Jacksonville International (JAX)
47. Sacramento, CA — Sacramento International (SMF)
48. Richmond, VA — Richmond International (RIC)
49. Nashville, TN — Nashville International (BNA)
50. San Jose, CA — San Jose International (SJC)

Related Orbitz resources:

• Flights
• Hotels
• Orbitz holiday travel tips
  

(Photo by Hady Khandani/courtesy: Lufthansa)

By Joe Brancatelli

THE CONNECTED SKIES

Lufthansa Makes Another Run at In-Flight Internet: Lufthansa was almost alone in mourning the loss of Boeing’s Connexion in-flight Internet service, which ended in 2006 after $1 billion or more in losses. And it’s been searching for a replacement ever since. It may have finally found one.

The German carrier says it will begin using a new service from Panasonic in mid-2010. Unlike Aircell, which uses a ground-to-air system on many U.S. domestic flights, Panasonic uses a satellite-based service. It’s more expensive to install, maintain and use, but it’s the only way to do it over oceans and Lufthansa hopes to re-install what it calls FlyNet on the vast majority of its international fleet.

Pricing and timing have not been announced, but if Aircell’s experience with the 500 or so domestic jets it has wired is any guide, Panasonic and Lufthansa will face the same problem Boeing faced earlier in the decade: Everyone wants in-flight Internet, but no one seems to want to pay for it.

Speaking of which, Virgin America will be giving away in-flight Wi-Fi from November 10 to January 15 to all travelers on every flight. The twist: Google will sponsor the freebie. Meanwhile, American Airlines says that it has completed installation of Wi-Fi on 150 of its MD-80 aircraft. Along with the 15 Boeing 767s it wired last year, American now has 165 planes wired for Wi-Fi.

HOTEL HOT SHEET

Why You May Be Changing Hotels Next Year: Hotels and corporate buyers are deep in negotiations over the 2010 rates business travelers will pay. And guess who has the pricing hammer? With hotel occupancy falling and more and more hotels opening every day, corporate buyers are driving incredibly hard bargains. So hard, in fact, that some hotels are letting long-term customers walk away. “What I’m finding, as usual, is that a lot of ego is involved,” the buyer for a Fortune 1000 says. “I can get the price I want, but I often have to get the price from a different chain. Then I find out the chain I just left gave the deal I wanted to another buyer. They can’t be seen making big concessions to existing clients, but they’ll do the same deal with another account if it is seen as ‘winning new business.’ It’s silly, but that’s how it is.”

And what do the corporate buyers who negotiate where you stay want from the hotels? The sales manager for a big-city luxury property told me recently that a big corporate client paid $249 a night in 2008. They negotiated it down to $199 this year. The corporate buyer’s demand for next year? “They wanted to pay $169 a night and wanted the rate guaranteed for two years. I had to let them walk,” the sales manager said. So don’t be surprised if your company tells you that you’re changing hotels next year. It’s all part of the price war between hotels and corporate buyers.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Business travel
• Flights
• Hotels

Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2009 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.