OCTOBER 2011 FEATURE

America By Coach

By Ryley Hartt

Americans inherently share a romance with the interstate. This love of open highways is engrained in our national identity; indeed, it's in our blood. Steinbeck wrote, "When the virus of restlessness begins to take possession of a wayward man, and the road away from Here seems broad and straight and sweet, the victim must first find in himself a good and sufficient reason for going." This autumn, there is no short supply of reasons—but finding a reason is just the first step. Next comes the planning—how long to go, where to stay, what to see, what to omit. This step is the most crucial and the most maddening. It can also feel like the most futile, as every trip invariably grows a life of its own. Steinbeck also wrote, "A trip is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has a personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness...And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless."
Pulling off an extended road trip, even if you're familiar with the route, can be like trying to find a light switch in the dark. So why not save yourself the bumps and bruises and place your trust in the services of a professional tour company?
Some people will pull up their noses at the mention of a coach tour, thinking it to be the antithesis of spontaneity, adventure, freedom, and all the other romantic qualities we associate with the myth of the great American road trip. This is certainly not true in all cases, and there are a number of benefits that can make the idea of a coach tour a much easier pill to swallow for certain clientele.
For one, bus tour packages offer great savings. By reserving hotel accommodations, ground transportation, sightseeing tours, meals and other services in volume, tour operators receive substantial discounts which are passed on to the traveler. Volume purchasing also enables tour operators to secure accommodations, special arrangements and privileged access that are simply impossible to obtain otherwise. Finally, booking through a tour operator gives the client protection from uncertainty and peace of mind. He or she can rest assured that the trip was planned by professionals, that there won't be any unexpected costs, and that there is a support network in place in the event of any unforeseen problems.

Western Landmarks
America’s western landscape is vast and beautiful, populated with larger-than-life characters and landmarks that continuously inspire travelers to seek adventure and sanctuary in the outdoors. From the rolling grasslands and towering buttes of the Great Plains to the sheer magnitude of Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Parks, from the roaring Colorado River to the placid lakes and streams of Montana, there is truly something for everyone to discover.
Western routes typically lasting between seven and 12 days can provide informative and meaningful experiences in just as many destinations as they meander through canyon lands, roll across the Plains and climb up into the National Parks to give passengers an unforgettable experience.
Collette's National Parks tour (www.collettevacations.com) offers incredible access to five National Parks in 12 days, including overnight stays in a lodge deep in the heart of Yellowstone and in a National Historic Landmark inside the Grand Canyon. Passengers are treated to a scenic drive through the Bighorn Mountains, the splendor of Mt. Rushmore, a breakfast cruise on Lake Powell, and two-night stays in Salt Lake City and Jackson Hole. 2012 departures start from $2,799.
Tauck (www.tauck.com) offers visitors a one-of-a-kind glimpse at Yellowstone in winter, when the visitor numbers are down and the visual majesty is cranked all the way up. With the Tauck Winter in Yellowstone Event, visitors get to experience an 8-day guided tour of Yellowstone's geothermal features and wildlife (including the wolves wintering in the Lamar Valley), with a keynote lecture by none other than the legendary filmmaker Ken Burns. Visitors will enjoy lodge stays within the park and sightseeing and presentations on staggered schedules. Prices start from $4,190.

Fall Foliage
Fall foliage brings visitors to New England in droves, and despite being hammered by recent foul weather, members of the United States Tour Operators Association report that autumn itineraries will not be affected. "Although Hurricane Irene has had a considerable impact on many areas in New England, our members report that their foliage tours are moving forward as scheduled," said Terry Dale, president, USTOA.
Many tours encompass the stunning White Mountains of New Hampshire, verdant farmlands of Vermont and the rocky coast of Maine, sometimes sweetening the deal with heritage tours around Boston or shopping excursions in North Conway and Freeport. Caravan's 8-day Fall Foliage tour (www.caravan.com) visits all six New England states, beginning in Boston and stopping off at Plymouth Rock, Martha's Vineyard, Rhode Island, Connecticut, the Berkshires, the Green and White Mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire and the Atlantic coast of Maine. Highlights include visits to Norman Rockwell's studio, a scenic drive along the Kankamangus Highway and a hearty lobster dinner in Maine. Prices start from $995.

Dixieland and Rhythms
Another extremely popular coach tour category explores America's musical heritage, reveling in the sights and sounds of the country's leading music cities. Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis and New Orleans offer can't-miss landmarks and experiences set to an enticing soundtrack of country, blues, and old-fashioned rock 'n' roll.
Cosmos (www.cosmos.com) makes the South come alive with their 12-day New Orleans Jazz Fest itinerary, which starts, oddly enough, in Chicago. After getting to know the windy city, passengers trek to St. Louis, then across the Mississippi to Nashville, the undisputed home of country music. A guided tour visits the legendary studios on Music Row, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the famed Studio B and still leaves room to catch a show at the Grand Ole Opry. In Memphis, visitors are treated to a visit to Graceland and a blues primer before they hit New Orleans for the annual Jazz and Heritage Festival. Prices start from $1,819.

SEPTEMBER 2011 FEATURE

Las Vegas Hotels Update

By Karen Loftus
Win or lose? It’s all how you play the game. Whether a hotel is being leveled, launched or renovated, there’s no other city in the country that takes as many risks as Las Vegas. It is how this city was built, and why it continues to pulse and play today.
In Vegas, as in Hollywood, you’re only as good as your last project. With the recent recession lingering in the casino air, here’s how the top players on The Strip are playing the hand they were dealt and staying in the game.

Cosmopolitan – New Kid on The Strip
After a turbulent and tenuous construction and development period, this chic casino finally opened its doors December 15, 2010. It was city-wide triumph as the only hotel-casino to open on The Strip in 2010.
Perfectly positioned between Bellagio and Vegas’ most recent addition, City Center, Cosmopolitan (www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com) is a part of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection of independent hotels with access to Marriott’s reservation and rewards system. Also partnered with the Ritz Carlton, it’s Ritz’s first presence on The Strip and its second in Vegas.
The $3.9 billion project features 2,995 rooms; a 75,000 sq. ft. casino; 300,000 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space; a 40,000 sq. ft. spa and fitness facility; a 1,800 seat theater; and 150,000 sq. ft. of meeting and convention space.
It’s a super sexy property with a sparkly Chandelier Bar that extends through several floors of hotel and casino, a line-up of celebrity chefs (Jose Andres, David Meyers) and a few famous friends, the likes of Jay Z and Chris Martin who hit just the right note with last year’s New Year’s Eve performance.
Cosmopolitan has filled an unknown need, managing to sate a fashion forward and contemporary appetite that appeals to upmarket sophisticates and twenty something trendsetters. It proves that Vegas is forever in fashion and lives on the pulse of pop culture. This is considered a very big win for Vegas.

Wynn – Star Power
Wynn Las Vegas (www.wynnlasvegas.com), the flagship property of Wynn Resorts Limited has earned AAA five diamond, Mobil five-star, Forbes five-star rating and is considered one of the finest hotels in the world. Wynn and its sister property Encore Las Vegas, which opened in 2008, collectively hold more Forbes five-star awards than any other resort and casino in the world.
Maverick Steve Wynn is never one to rest on laurels or accolades. Wynn single-handedly changed the face of Vegas and the then infamous Strip with his previous hotels The Mirage, Bellagio and Treasure Island. Unlike his previous resorts with their crowd-pleasing Strip attractions, Wynn is all about what’s inside, not out.
Guests must enter the property to enjoy Wynn’s on-site entertainment, The Lake of Dreams, and the hotel’s aesthetics, which are of equal interest.
This past year, Wynn underwent a multi-million dollar renovation on its rooms and suites, the first since Wynn’s opening in 2005. The new Resort Deluxe rooms feature a crisp creamy décor, modern accents in furniture and fabrics and state of the art advancements in room technology. The Panoramic View Deluxe rooms are enriched with a buttery palette and bespoke furnishings. You may never leave.

Tropicana – What’s Old is New Again
Tropicana (www.troplv.com) recently completed Phase 1 of a $180 million renovation, the first of its kind in 25 years for the resort that initially opened its doors in 1957. The now South Beach inspired property puts a completely different spin, not only on Tropicana’s legendary brand, but it also adds a whole new flavor to Vegas.
Tropicana partnered with Nikki Beach, the world’s sexiest lifestyle brand to launch the largest (16,500 sq. ft.) Nikki Beach Club in the world. Club Nikki is the nightly complement to the daytime Nikki Beach Club set in Tropicana’s 4.2-acre pool area, which has long been a signature area.
Their 1,375 rooms and suites offer luxury for less, appealing to busy business travelers who prefer staying close to the nearly 60,000 sq. ft. convention floor in The Paradise Tower, while party people prefer Club Tower, close to the beat and the scene.

Caesars Palace – The Iconic Contender
Once I see Caesars, I know I’m in Vegas, my Vegas and my parents sexy 70’s Vegas. It’s one of the few of the old guard that still remains and continues to reign today.
If you want to wrap your head around the elusive allure of Vegas, simply step in to Caesars and it will soon make sense.
The iconic Caesars (www.caesarspalace.com) continues to redefine and expand its brand and property. Plans for their sixth tower Octavius are underway with three 8,800 sq. ft. villas, each with a thematic design from France, Greece and Spain, three regions where Roman emperors once resided. Villas will overlook Garden of the Gods, the resort’s newly-expanded five-acre, pool complex.
Caesars is known for its star studded line up of talent with Cher, now Celine and soon to be Elton on stage and Guy Savoy and Joel Robochon at the table.
James Beard Chef Michel Richard will bring Central, a 24/7 version of his popular D.C. restaurant to Caesars, set to open late summer 2011.
Caesars and Nobu Hospitality will develop the world’s first Nobu Hotel, an exclusive hotel tower with the first Nobu restaurant and lounge on the Strip. Set to open in 2012, the interior of the Centurion Tower will undergo a multi-million dollar renovation to create a 180-room chic boutique style hotel with its own check in and Nobu’s signature Japanese elegance.
For more information, go to www.visitlasvegas.com

JUNE 2011 ISSUE

Dude Ranch Vacations: Make it Personal

By Ryley Hartt

At first, a dude ranch may seem like an unlikely place to send someone for a break from the toil and tedium of their daily routine, but then just think about it for a second. Smell that mountain air mixed with the musky stable aroma and delicious food cooking over an open fire. Imagine the joy of communing with the outdoors while honing your horsemanship under the open sky and watchful gaze of a trained cowboy. All right, now stop before you get carried away. While indulging in this kind of archetypal, old west nostalgia clearly has its appeal; I don’t want to give the impression that all dude ranches (also called guest ranches) offer the same kind of experience. While there are a few commonalities you can count on—an emphasis on horseback riding for one—the experiences you will find can vary dramatically depending on the ranch and even depending on the week that guests decide to stay. Therefore, finding the perfect match for your client requires some careful research. Given the surprising number of dude ranches out there, this is no easy task, but it can be accomplished efficiently and with great success if you start in the right place and ask the right questions.
Since 1926, the Dude Ranchers’ Association has acted as the governing body for the western ranch vacation industry, working its member ranches to ensure quality of services and with Federal and State agencies to protect the lands that they thrive on. In order to become DRA members, dude ranches must go through a rigorous application process and a battery of site inspections to ensure that safety and quality standards are met (for guests as well as the livestock).
On the DRA website (www.duderanch.org), travel agents can plug in their client’s preferences and search for member ranches based on specific criteria. There is even a “Works with travel agents” search option that will show agents which ranches pay commission. The ability to narrow your search and compare ranches side-by-side is a major time-saver and will allow agents to focus on extracting their client’s wishes and making it personal.

Location, Location, Location
In choosing a ranch, location is an important consideration not just for proximity and accessibility, but also for the type of riding environment your client is looking for. DRA member ranches are located in the following 12 western states and 2 Canadian provinces: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. Convenience aside, riding comes first and foremost at any dude ranch, so clients will want to weigh in on the terrain they’re looking for, whether it be prairie or trail, mountain or desert.

Riding Activities
Once you’ve nailed down the geographic perimeter, there comes the question of what type of riding your clients are after. Dude ranch vacations typically allow guests to participate in whichever activities they like, but riding activities can vary from half-day trail rides to overnight pack trips and even participatory cattle drives. On a working ranch, riding activities center around the livestock and whatever work needs to be done. On a resort ranch, horseback riding is typically offered as one of any number of activity options, which can also include yoga, spa time and adventure options like whitewater rafting.

Specialty Weeks and Other Activities
Many ranches will feature a handful of specialty options like hunting and/or fly fishing trips, horse camps for kids, photography workshops and more. Themed packages like these are usually assigned to specific weeks on the calendar. This is something to pay attention to on any ranch’s website, especially when booking for families versus couples or singles. The “Just Dude It” blog, which can be found through the main DRA website, is regularly updated with noteworthy specialty packages from member ranches. All ranches will offer some variety of options—like mountain biking, bird watching or hiking—to keep guests entertained when not on horseback.
Amenities and Accommodations
You can safely assume that any DRA ranch will be clean and comfortable, but price and accommodations run the full spectrum from rustic cabins to 5 star properties with all the bells and whistles. Food is another factor that will influence your selection of guest ranches. Since most of these are family-run operations, special dietary needs and requests can often be accommodated as long as the ranch is notified prior.

Rates and Inclusions
Dude ranches are similar to hotels and resorts in the sense that they experience peak and off-peak periods. If clients are looking to travel during a slow period, special rates can certainly be found and are often listed as “specials” on the ranches website. Dude ranches almost always offer “all-inclusive” rates and have done so since the late 1800’s. Typical rates will include food, lodging and riding programs. You may find extra charges for riding lessons, alcoholic beverages, airport transfers, river rafting, pack trips and cattle drives. Rate cards for all ranches clearly state what is included and any additional charges that may apply.
For additional information visit www.duderanch.org