Travel Industry

When Nic posted her My Bottle’s Up rant on October 16, allegedly detailing how TSA agents separated her from her child at Atlanta’s security checkpoint, the tale garnered plenty of sympathy and outrage, mainly from mothers who know what it’s like to travel alone.

Blogger Nic

The blogger’s story contained plenty of drama, from a crying toddler saying ‘No, no, no,” as he disappeared from sight to a woman blacking out from emotion in the bathroom. She claims to have called her husband and mother, begging them to help her because “they took Jackson.”

It’s a social media nightmare for anyone involved in the travel industry today, as bouncing prices, additional fees and last-minute changes have prepped the public to believe any horror story that comes down the pike. But what social media taketh, it also giveth back.

By Friday evening, the TSA got the last word at its blog, using less than a fourth of the space Ms. Nic took up for her side of the dust-up. It merely put up a video of the events showing that many of her claims were exaggerations, including the fact that no one carried off a young child. The Twitter-sphere was next in line, regugitating the blogger’s cyber comments after boarding the flight:

” dunno if i’m going blog about it… may pitch it to publications and go waaaay out with it. i dunno yet. “

” eh, i can put it on my blog, but get paid if someone picks up my story… MWUAHAHAHA…. pay me for my insanity!!!! ”

” i’m not posting sh*t. i’m writing a piece to be published much more widespread than my blog that get 6 hits ”

” full story can’t be posted on my blog…. publishers want it. “

“needless to say, today has been hell… but TSA will be ripped a new asshole thanks to freelance writing.”

Tylenol would have killed for this kind of defensive weapon during the tampering scare several decades ago.

Jason Chaffetz

But lest the TSA gets a swelled head, the surveillance video it released of Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) traipsing through security at Salt Lake City International Airport proves the politician’s assertion that he did not choose a whole-body-image scanner after voting against that measure in the U.S. House of Representatives. Nor did he throw his business card at TSA officials on the scene as some had suggested.

“It corroborates exactly what I’ve been saying,” Chaffetz told the Salt Lake Tribune. “It dispels the erroneous myth perpetuated by the union.” Not to mention the erroneous myths perpetuated by life in general.

Photography: My Bottle’s Up, Jason Chaffetz

Editor’s note: Gene McKenna is one of UpTake’s founders and he believes in the power of the Wiki. Gene sees Wikipedia as a solid information source for travelers’ seeking information about other countries, cities and towns they plan to visit. The problem is he fears wikibullies are going to take over and squash the grass roots, open sourced information which is the basis of Wikipedia and the source of its rich information. This essay is his quest to stop wikibullying. 

Wikipedia is now filled with bullies

I can hardly claim to be a Wikipedia Newbie – my first edit was Feb 18th, 2004 about Cesar Chavez. I’ve probably done a few hundred edits since then on maybe a dozen or two pages, and I have created several pages.

And that experience has taught me that Wikipedia has become a house of bullies.

Speedy Deletion

Back in 2004 Wikipedia was a very friendly place and contributions from just about anyone were welcome. In 2009, I challenge a newbie to create an article on Wikipedia and have that article exist for an entire week. Guaranteed, your article will be marked for “speedy deletion” within about two minutes of its creation.

I’ve had a page deleted for being ‘too commercial’ even when the page was describing a non-profit group of volunteers that have been operating a ski hill for over fifty years. When I put the page back up some Wiki-bully warned me that putting back a deleted page is “a sure way to piss people off around here”- as if I am I am not a person “around here” and as if I shouldn’t be upset that someone deleted my page!

Now that same page, having survived a month of its second life, is marked as “not notable” and may be deleted soon. Perhaps every elitist Wiki-bully learned to ski at Vail or Aspen, but where I am from, Kettlebowl is a pretty notable ski hill.

So I am learning to be a bully too! My photos were being deleted left and right. It didn’t matter if I checked the box that I totally, ultimately swear that this is my own work and I agree to share it with the world. If some Wiki-bully didn’t like it – poof! It was gone. So I have found that if I put it back with a terse comment in the description like “Don’t delete my photo again!!!!” it is more likely to be left undeleted. Now I’m a bully too!

‘Bot Bullies

A good way to tell how bad the bully situation is, is by counting the number of ‘bots’ that edit your page vs the number of humans. A ‘bot’ is a computer program that reads pages and makes changes automatically so a human bully doesn’t even have to bother with you. One bot exists solely to annoy me by changing statements like ‘4th of July’ to ‘4 July’. The name of this ‘bot’ even indicates that its creator sees himself as a bully – it’s called ‘Smackbot’. I imagine the creator of Smackbot was a kid that no one listened to in high school so now he is going to smack everyone around on Wikipedia. Way to go Smackbot-man!

Complex Rituals

Part of the problem, to be sure, is not that everyone on Wikipedia is a bully. I am sure that most of the heavy Wikipedia users are great people and they mean well. But they may forget that newbies aren’t born knowing the proper communication protocols of the wiki-community nor are they adept at wikipedia’s ridiculously crazy user interface and syntax.

For a newbie, it is not obvious, for example, that if you have a question about why some ’smackbot’ changed your page or why your article about the greatest raptor conservationist in America is considered Unambiguous advertising or promotion, that the proper thing to do is to go to that person’s (or robot’s?) talk page, look past all the wonderful awards he has won, and edit his talk page to leave a question. (Actually, I still don’t know if that is the right thing to do.)

And if you do edit someone’s talk page, don’t dare get that process wrong, because some Wikipedians have extensive instructions on their talk page about the correct way to write on their talk page and they will clearly be upset if you don’t write on their talk page correctly. At least one of them made a useful widget to help ensure you can write on his talk page correctly.

Of course, dear Newbie, you know that when you edit someone’s talk page you should sign your name by typing ~~~~ – that is obvious, isn’t it? And when you go to upload that photo (that will soon be deleted) and you first login to wikipedia, you will then be told that you should really be logged in to wiki-MEDIA instead. What’s more inviting than having two make two new online accounts in order to contribute?

Britannica

Between the learning curve of Wikipedia culture, the Wikipedia UI and the tolerance of some of its bullies for people not already steeped in that culture … who has time for this?

Wikipedia is dead – the Britannica staff has taken over.

Click here to read Gene’s proposal for how to make Wikipedia more inclusive and Newbie-friendly.

Return to Gene’s Home Page

Like every other sector, the hotel industry too has it’s own set of A-list bloggers who lead the conversation. These 15 hotel blogs and their bloggers listed here offer their readers the best hospitality experience, so to speak.

Hotelchatter

Hotel Check-in – USA Today blog run by Barbara De Lollis, focusing mainly on business travel and new developments in the hotel industry.

Also shares plenty of hotel deals and entertaining news stories related to hotels. Hotel Check-in leverages it’s brand quite often to attract guest posts by CEO’s and senior executives from the hotel industry.

Uptake Hotels blog – Very dedicated group of hotel bloggers, with plenty of reviews and tips for finding the right hotels. Color me biased, but Uptake’s Hotels blog would merit a mention on this list even if it was being compiled elsewhere.

Hotel News Now -  HNN is a division of Smith Travel Research, which gives this blog exclusive access to all kinds of data and insight into the latest trends and reports for the global hotel industry. It also helps to have the Managing Director, President and CEO of STR blogging for you. Very useful blog if you need the latest facts and figures for presentations or articles.

Hotels Magazine – Not just a blog, but blogs – 10 of them. Each blog authored by industry experts with decades of relevant industry experience. For example, Lyndall De Marco, co-author of the Eco-Speak blog, was executive director of the International Tourism Partnership and runs a consultancy which helps clients merge profitability with sustainability. The other co-author, Ray Burger, is president and founder of Pineapple Hospitality Inc., with over 30 years of experience in the lodging industry.

Hotel Law Blog – This blog is a part of the Global Hospitality Group, and again, authored by a terrific group of heavily experienced hotel lawyers led by Jim Butler and senior hospitality industry executives. If it has anything to do with hotel financing or legal issues affecting the hospitality industry, then you’ll find it here.

Three hotel bloggers who seem to have all their ducks lined up properly include Josiah Mackenzie of HotelMarketingStrategies.com, the Happy Hotelier, and Guillaume Thevenot of Hotel-Blogs.com.

Mention also needs to be made of two blogs – Gadling and LA Times’ Daily Deal blog - which aren’t exactly limited to hotels. It’s a compliment to these blogs and their writers that the range, quality and quantity of their hotel related content beats the offerings of many blogs which are solely devoted to hotels.

You might also enjoy checking out these three ’company’ blogs – Bill Marriott’s Blog (Marriott on the Move), the Dealbase blog, and Oyster Hotel Reviews blog.

And lastly, did you know about the TA hotel reviews which don’t get published? You can find them on the We Are Not Making This Up blog.

That’s not a rhetorical question. ‘Why Not?’ is the name of Royal Caribbean President & CEO Adam Goldstein’s new blog (www.nationofwhynot.com/blog/). He’s still getting his feet wet as a blogger, but Goldstein seems to be cruising in the right direction, so to speak.

Adam Goldstein, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean International

In his opening post, he notes that he’s not certain the world needs another blog, but adds that he gets that there is enormous interest in Royal Caribbean International, and if his blog can give useful insight into  Royal Caribbean’s world, then it should be of value over time.

He says he plans to use the blog as a forum to provide answers to questions on topics ranging from the Nation of Why Not campaign, latest news and updates on their ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, itinerary planning, Crown & Anchor loyalty program, and also provide updates on relevant current issues like swine flu (H1N1).

He also participated in an ‘Ask Adam’ afternoon, in which he was bombarded with over 300 questions, which dealt with everything from the economy to the size of Royal Caribbean’s ships (the Oasis class is 220,000 tons) and the impact of these large ships on the environment.

Goldstein also manages not to turn the blog into a corporate press release outlet, by adding a bit of a personal touch. He mentions that he was part of Royal Caribbean’s team which participated in the Mercedes-Benz Miami Corporate Run 5K, and he says that he wrote his first blog post as a diversion, while waiting for the Run to start. Goldstein won the race, as part of his company’s Coed team.

In more ways than one, Adam Goldstein is off to a running start with his blog. So why not check out his blog?

About Adam Goldstein (bio, Forbes profile): Adam Goldstein has been President of Royal Caribbean International since Feb 2005, and took on the role of CEO since Sept 2007. He oversees fleet operations, sales and marketing, brand development, supply chain management, government & community relations and Royal Celebrity Tours. Prior to his appointment, Goldstein served as Royal Caribbean’s Executive Vice President, Brand Operations, with similar responsibilities, from 2002 – 2005. Goldstein has been with the company since 1988.

Goldstein also serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Travel Association (USTA, formerly TIA – Travel Industry Association), and was TIA’s National Chair in 2001. Goldstein and his wife, Cheryl, have two children, David and Julie, and live in Miami-Dade County, Fla.

Don't be heavy-handed with your camera phone.

Christopher Elliott, author of the popular travel industry blog Elliott.org, recently posted a bold suggestion for dealing with poor customer service on a trip: Whip out your phone or digital camera and start filming. Along the same vein, he also suggests that folks who have experienced poor treatment by airlines or hotels blog about it.

The theory behind both suggestions, of course, is that many people — whether it’s the leader of a large nation or a hotel clerk who only thinks he’s that important — will only be on their best behavior when they realize people could be watching. And if that works for individual service people, it goes double for corporations.

Social media and the lowly camera phone have already made their impact on big issues like human rights abuses. More quietly, but just the same, they are stopping customer service abuses too. Elliott cites one example of an airline changing its policy on shipping foldable bikes after a passenger blogged about it.

And if you think employees won’t be impressed that you’re filming, look at this case of the grandmother who was arrested when she refused to delete footage of a mild altercation on a JetBlue flight.

What happened to that granny shows what a powerful message you send when you turn on a camera, but it also shows the risks. In her case, she wasn’t trying to accomplish anything, but still she ended up a lot worse off than she had been, being led off the plane in handcuffs.

As a reporter, I know that many people react emotionally to any kind of recording device. Elliott said most employees won’t decline to be recorded because that would make them look bad, but in my experience lots of people decline to be recorded, especially when they’re in the course of doing their jobs. They also tend to get ticked off or frightened when a camera or tape recorder comes out.

So I’d say take Elliott’s advice when the situation really warrants it. If you fly to a tropical resort and get stuck in a room with no AC when you were promised state of the art, film away. But remember that although the filming alone may get you better treatment, you are doing this to collect evidence, not to be a bully. If you act intimidating or imperious, or imply that you are a member of the media (whether you are or not), the reaction is likely to be more extreme. Not only is it unethical to say you’re media in order to get perks (whether you really work for the New York Times or New York Bagels), some people will interpret any mention of media affiliation as bullying and abuse of power. It’s happened to me.

Personally, I feel like my mom’s tactic of taking down names is usually enough to remind service people to mind their ps and qs. If you choose to film, be prepared for a battle — and remember that your actions will be recorded too.

Photo by Compujeramey, used via Creative Commons license.

UpTake Launches Travel Blog Network

We proudly announce the launch of UpTake’s new Travel Blog Network today.  The blog network helps travelers find vacation information across six travel categories, including attractions, beaches, hotels, lodging, restaurants and travel industry news. The network, a new addition to UpTake’s corporate blog, provides in-depth, complementary information to the site’s travel content and search engine. The UpTake blog network supports the company’s mission to improve search by offering information from local travel experts and writers.

UpTake Beaches Blog	UpTake Attractions Blog	UpTake Hotels Blog
UpTake Restaurants Blog	UpTake Lodging Blog	UpTake Travel Industry Blog

Meet UpTake’s Editors & Writers

We have five lead editors and a team of twenty-nine contributors. Each blog has its own tone and style which is determined by their editors and offers insights and opinions on day-trip excursions or longer vacation options in the writer’s local community. The lead editors are:

• Whit Honea, a professional writer and blogger on many of the web’s most popular blogs is the lead editor on the Vacations’ blog.
• Gudrun Enger, an independent blogger helped launch the original UpTake blog and is now the editor for the Attractions’ blog.
• Sebastien Tobler, a videographer and blogger combines his love of travel, beaches and his story-writing skill to create the Beaches’ blog.
• Colleen Lindesay is a popular writer for several blogs and leads a team of bloggers with suggestions and ideas on how to improve your next hotel stay on the Hotels’ Blog.
• Nancy Brown, a well known travel writer, built a team to offer suggestions about resorts, alternative lodging and campgrounds on the Lodging blog.
• Alison Osborne, an UpTake employee, suggests savory restaurant excursions, dining and food experiences on the Restaurants’ blog.
• UpTake senior executives contribute travel technology and industry news to the Travel Industry News.

If you have a story idea or need more information about a particular blog you can contact them via email:

UpTake Editors’ Email Addresses:

• Vacations’ blog editor (vacations.blogeditor at uptake.com)
• Attractions’ blog editor (attractions.blogeditor at uptake.com)
• Beaches’ blog editor(beaches.blogeditor at uptake.com)
• Hotels’ blog editor (hotels.blogeditor at uptake.com)
• Lodging’s blog editor (lodging.blogeditor at uptake.com)
• Restaurants’ blog  editor (restaurants.blogeditor at uptake.com

Blog Marketing Advisory Board

Prior to launching the blog network, UpTake sought the advice of three top bloggers who now comprise the company’s Blog Marketing Advisory Board, Stefania Pomponi Butler, Pam Mandel and Sheila Scarborough. UpTake also formed a content partnership with the Traveling Mamas who write for the network and provide periodic guidance about content and blog improvements.

UpTake’s travel search and discovery engine continues on its promise of being complementary to existing travel sites by providing relevant summaries and direct links to partner sites for complete, accurate results. By being complementary to its partners, UpTake helps their products get discovered and travelers find relevant vacation information more easily. The new blog network continues on this promise by incorporating travel information from sites and blogs across the Web, giving users a truly comprehensive online travel resource. If you are an independent blogger or a blog network, please contact pat at UpTake.com about potential partnership opportunities.

Here is a sampling of a few posts reflecting the content of the blogs from popular destinations to attractions far beyond the tourist track:

Attractions:  Backroads of Ohio

Beaches: Best City Beach on Gulf of Mexico, Clearwater Florida

Hotels:  San Ysidro Ranch Named  Forbes’ Top Hotel in America

Lodging:  Budget Lodging Gone Bad; Circus, Circus, Las Vegas, Nevada

Restaurants:  Best Upscale Restaurants in Santa Monica

Interested in reading more about travel in the U.S.? Please subscribe to our RSS Feed:

• Uptake Attractions Blog
• Uptake Beaches Blog RSS
• Uptake Hotels Blog RSS
• Uptake Lodging Blog RSS
• Uptake Restaurants Blog RSS
• An Honest Take on the Travel Industry RSS

We hope you will take a tour through our blogs when you plan your next trip.