Feature 1: Travel search is about ready to take the next leap, courtesy of next-generation search engines like Hopper and Ness, and new products like the Google Hotel Finder.

Ness search app

Ness Computing announced a $5 million series A funding round back in July, and now it’s ready to launch its app, starting with restaurants.

Ness is a personal search-engine app that provides users with content from trusted friends and results tailored to each individual person’s preferences.

The app intelligently adapts to a user’s tastes over time. Its so-called “Likeness Engine” uses collaborative filtering, social graph data mining and natural language processing.

“Existing search engines don’t have a sense of who you are; they just know what’s available,” said Corey Reese, CEO and co-founder of Ness Computing. “Ness is a better way to discover new restaurants on the go, because its results are specifically tailored to you. The future of search lies in anticipating the wants of the consumer and delivering intelligent, personally relevant results.”

Ness launches personal search engine, starting with restaurants – Likeness.com (pr)
Hopper raises $8 million to reinvent travel search - Hopper.travel (pr)
Google Hotel Finder clients pleased with results - HNN
Hacker Fares: A new way to find deals on flights - Kayak

Feature 2: The long awaited sale of ancillary products by air carriers using an electronic miscellaneous document (EMD) kicked off with a sale by ARC on behalf of American Airlines. This initial EMD transaction was for a “preferred seat” on Flight 523 from Dallas/Fort Worth to El Paso, Texas, and placed via American’s direct connect technology provider, Farelogix.

EMDs allow agency customers a one-stop shopping window where they can pay for items like extra baggage and premium seats at the same time their tickets are purchased.

ARC processes first travel agent EMD transaction - ARC Corp
Frontier Airlines parent CEO eyes new online-ticket sales strategies – Denver Business Journal
AmEx to launch new online travel booking platform – AmericanExpress.com

Here’s the rest of the week’s interesting news:

Global business travel spending to rise 9.2 percent in 2011 - GBTA
GBTA acquires Project ICARUS to create global sustainability program - GBTA
IHG announces Innovation Hotel version 2.0 sustainable hotel design website – IHG

JWT named Agency of Record for America’s first global marketing campaign - CTP
U.S. Travel discusses impact of 9/11 – USTA

The psychology of travel – Chicago Tribune
Sabre Travel Network says business travel is personal - Sabre Holdings

Orbitz launches 50 Faves Facebook game - Facebook
RCI launches “share your vacation” app for Facebook - Wyndham Worldwide
Marriott launches mobile app for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices - Marriott

Virtual concierges streamline hotel experiences - UpTake
Paris airport tests virtual ‘hologram’ boarding agents – Yahoo! News

East Coast earthquake traveled slower than tweets – Philly Biz Journal
Free Travel Guard travel assistance for Hurricane Irene - UpTake

Interview: TSA Administrator John Pistole – BTN
Interview: HomeAway CEO Brian Sharples - MarketWatch
Benchmark plops down $7.6 million to make CouchSurfing a for-profit – VentureBeat

Photo – Ness Computing

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The first major hurricane of the 2011 season, Irene, has already been pummeling its way through the Caribbean and is now headed for the East Coast of the United States. If it stays on course, it will be the first hurricane to hit New York City and the Northeast since Hurricane Bob in 1991, and the first hurricane to hit the country since 2008.

To assist those who might get caught in the storm, Travel Guard North America has announced that it will provide free emergency travel and medical assistance to all U.S. and Canadian travelers impacted by Hurricane Irene, even those who had not purchased travel insurance policies. Services include flight rebooking, hotel booking, emergency cash coordination and message relay, as well as emergency medical assistance including referrals, and access to air ambulance and medical providers.

Travelers and their families seeking Travel Guard’s assistance services can reach the company directly by calling (866) 644-6811. Free assistance will continue to be offered so long as the storm is still classified as a hurricane, said a company spokesperson. The company also offered free services to all travelers last year during Hurricane Earl.

Typically, for hurricane-related losses to be covered, travel insurance must be purchased before a hurricane is named, said Carol Mueller, vice president, Travel Guard. Once a warning is issued, however, losses resulting from a named hurricane on, before or fewer than 14 days after the effective date of coverage are excluded.

Though Hurricane Irene is the first Atlantic hurricane of the season, it may not be the last. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) hurricane outlook for 2011 indicates an above-normal Atlantic season, which runs through November 30.

“We’ve had a few calm hurricane seasons, which can lead to complacency when it comes to travel planning,” said Mueller. “Hurricane Irene is a good reminder that major travel disruptions can arise quickly during hurricanes and other severe weather situations, so it’s important to be prepared. A travel insurance plan is one of the best ways for travelers to maintain confidence about their travel plans.”

Travelers also should keep in mind that even if their final destination is not affected by a hurricane, they may still experience trip disruptions due to hurricane-related airline delays and cancellations.

For more information about Travel Guard, visit www.travelguard.com or call (800) 826-1300.

Photo: Satellite image from NASA/U.S. Government

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Game Nation, an experiential video game theme park and resort, has chosen Florida as the location for its proposed park, based on the results of votes cast by the company’s fans on Facebook.

Game Nation

“We’re creating Game Nation for our fans and want to listen to their voices whenever possible,” said Daniel T. Ruke, founder and creator of Game Nation, in a statement. ”The vote for a location was the perfect opportunity to let our fans be heard. After all, this is their park.”

In the Facebook poll, Florida got 79 votes, with Georgia a distant second with 16 votes and Louisiana in third place with two votes.

It’s early days yet for Game Nation, and the park and resort are far from reality. But if it does pan out as planned, it will mean an investment of millions of dollars for Florida as the park is built—not to mention hundreds of new jobs and a boost to the local economy, all because 79 people voted for the state on Facebook.

Game Nation will combine video game mechanics with physical themed attractions. Visitors entering the park become players and are guided to the armory to select a weapon. The choices include machine guns, ninja swords and double-fisted handguns.

The role-playing game is a war zone set in the “Alternet” where players can choose to become a spy, modern warrior or one’s favorite superstar.

“The Alternet will allow you to live your ultimate cyber punk fantasy,” said Ruke. “Game Nation is fueled by the passion of gamers to create a totally immersive experience, that seamlessly blends both digital and real worlds.”

Game Nation also recently announced that video-game company Atari is interested in having some of its classic games, like Centipede and Asteroids, made into fully interactive rides and attractions at the Game Nation park.

Naturally, Game Nation ran a Facebook poll asking fans what Atari games they wanted to see in the park. Space Invaders topped the responses with 22 votes, followed by Gauntlet and Centipede. If you happen to visit the Game Nation park in Florida a couple of years down the line and see a giant Centipede game, it’ll could be because 10 people voted for it on Facebook.

Photo – Game Nation

More info: http://www.demandgamenation.com/; Facebook

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With Labor Day just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about fall travel, especially as it’s one of the most economical “shoulder season” times of the year to travel. And according to TripAdvisor’s latest fall and Labor Day survey, released today, the number of U.S. travelers planning to take a trip this fall jumped to 86 percent, representing a 12 percent increase over last year’s 74 percent response.

Of the 1,600 respondents with fall travel plans, 56 percent are planning weekend getaways, while 35 percent will vacation for one week. More than two-thirds said that their travel plans for autumn have not been impacted by recent economic news, while 37 percent plan to spend more than they did last year on fall leisure trips and 46 percent intend to spend the same as in 2010.

For Labor Day, 28 percent have travel plans for the long holiday weekend, equal to last year’s survey results. Among those respondents, 60 percent expect to drive, and 34 percent plan to fly. Twenty-six percent will take an outdoors trip, 24 percent will take a city escape, and 24 percent will take a beach trip. Traffic is the worst part of traveling for Labor Day for 40 percent of respondents, while 16 percent cited it being depressing that Labor Day represents the end of summer.

For autumn travel overall, 40 percent are planning a city trip, 28 percent will make cultural trips, and 27 percent will try to extend summer by hitting the beach. Fall foliage viewing was the top ranked fall activity, at 43 percent, followed by wine tasting/visiting a vineyard (29 percent) and attending a state/county fair or fall festival (23 percent).

Which destinations are U.S. travelers planning to visit this fall? New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago and San Francisco.

Additional fall travel findings:

• 69 percent said they will stay in a hotel, 30 percent at the home of family or friends and 20 percent intend to stay at a vacation rental (respondents could choose more than one answer)
• Fewer crowds than summer (23 percent) and climate being more pleasant than during summer (22 percent) are the top two reasons travelers enjoy trips in the fall.
• 27 percent of travelers are planning to travel to a hurricane susceptible destination.
• 65 percent of travelers intend to take a domestic leisure trip this fall, while another 23 percent will travel both domestically and internationally, and 11 percent will take international-only trips.
• 70 percent of travelers will drive to their fall vacation destinations, while 69 percent plan to fly (percentage exceeds 100 due to some respondents taking more than one trip).

Photo: kimberlykv (via Flickr)

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