Friday 3rd September:
Bed but not bored
Wanderlust is the latest funky crashpad to join Singapore’s growing and eclectic family of boutique hotels. The building, situated in the vibrant backpackers enclave of Little India, was originally an old school built in the 1920s and each of the four thematic levels of 29 rooms were designed by award-winning Singapore agencies, each of whom were given full creative freedom.
But with room rates starting at S$180, Wanderlust is no hovel. Instead, it’s more of a great value experience for adventurous business travellers who dare to venture off the beaten track and away from the usual big-name chains.
(Cheers, Dom.)
Via. http://wanderlusthotel.com/concept/
Tagged with: Hotel, Leisure, Travel
Monday 7th December:
Wear it well
Dogtag Travel Insurance was set up to fill a gap in the market for people who want cover for the Sports Activities they take part in whilst abroad. They have come up with a unique way of proving you are covered for medical treatment abroad: a surgical steel Dogtag to wear at all times when you’re travelling. (Tx Dawn, be careful on those slopes!)
Your stainless steel Dogtag is laser engraved with your name, personal tag number and the Dogtag emergency phone number and web address. By accessing your Medical Information Page, a medic or other privileged person can view a read-only page with details about the currency of your insurance cover. They can also view any relevant medical information you choose to make available.
Tuesday 24th November:
Extra, extra, extra
Back in the golden age of flying, you paid your fare and then got on and enjoyed the service. Nowadays you can be charged extra for basics like having luggage, switching seats and wanting a cuppa, never mind a cheese sarnie. It starts to feel as if getting on a plane means being taken for a ride in more ways than one. As airfare extras multiply, the pain points of flying are reaching a tipping point that is no longer about the peanuts, but basic principles like simplicity, flexibility, logic and reward.
People are looking for a common sense approach to pricing. In a recent 72-hour promotion, Southwest Airlines brought back fares from the short-shorts and go-go boots days. Crucially, they were based on mileage rather than airline margin. Here’s hoping others follow suit.
Ref. http://blog.iconoculture.com/2009/11/17/flying-the-unfriendly-skies/
Tagged with: Airlines, Pricing Promotions, Transport, Travel
Thursday 3rd September:
Helping people find their own way
Travellers looking for a good map or guide must first navigate through an overwhelming array of impersonal alternatives. But new Swiss start-up, A la Carte Maps, takes a more handcrafted, artistic approach. A guidebook, tourist map and original artwork in one, they give you information the way a local friend might, using hand-drawn maps and friendly language.
Currently available for Barcelona, Munich, Zurich, Shangai, Tokyo and Washington DC, the maps present each city’s best-kept insider tips on a beautiful, 70x42cm, hand-drawn map. The accompanying welcome letter gives key information such as where to exchange money and what to do on a rainy day, while access to a comprehensive city database lets you create a customised itinerary. In addition to these ‘My City à la Carte’ maps, seasoned travellers can also use their own notes and artwork to create a more personalised map.
Both types of map are ad-free and matt-laminated, and cost €8.90. Even better, A la Carte donates 10% of the profits from each map to a social project in the city it represents.
Ref. http://springwise.com/tourism_travel/alacarte/
Tagged with: Leisure, Personalisation, Social networking, Travel
Monday 6th July:
It’s good to give back
To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Virgin Atlantic is giving something back to loyal customers –with vTravelled.com. This ‘travel community’ website is where seasoned travellers can share their experiences across the world. Where better to learn about the best sights, restaurants and hotels? (Many thanks to Jonny for this one.)
If you’d like to know more, visit www.vtravelled.com
Tagged with: Leisure, Social networking, Travel
Tuesday 6th January:
How can your brand play to its strengths and remain true to itself instead of giving in to all the doom and gloom that’s around?
Think like Harley-Davidson which offers a contrary point of view with its ‘We don’t do fear’ campaign!
Some might say this irresponsible, but others say it’s brilliant to seize on the moment and offer a ‘screw it’ counter point that’s so true to the brand and its readership.
It’s brave and gutsy, just like the brand.
Ref. Infux Insights
Tagged with: Transport, Travel
Monday 5th January:
How can you connect with people’s moods?
Think like I Feel London (or Toronto, or New York as is appropriate), a site that lets users search for things to do based on their mood. Based on the insight that guidebooks and recommendations are all very well, but there’s very little point in discovering a new activity, restaurant or shop if you’re not in the right headspace to enjoy it. (Tx Julia P for this one)
Currently in beta, the I Feel sites bring a new spin to Google Maps. There’s a map for each one of nine moods, covering such feelings as naughty, hungover, girly, sophisticated and broke. Andy Whitlock, I Feel’s London-based founder, has kick-started each map by populating it with a handful of activities, with future contributions to be made by anyone who requests an invite. We’re hoping each map won’t be bombarded with contributions, though: we like the limited, curated choice currently on offer.
Whitlock is tapping into the zeitgeist: map-based concepts are popping up everywhere. Why? “Geography is about everything that is (literally) close to consumers, and it’s a universally familiar method of organizing, finding and tracking relevant information on objects, events and people. And now that superior geographical information is accessible on-the-go–from in-car navigation to iPhones–the sky is the limit.”
Ref. Springwise
Wednesday 3rd December:
How to get creative about where and how to cut costs
Think like Ryanair who looked at what could be cut without really affecting customer’s experience of the brand. They realized that because most flights are short, people don’t really need reclining seats (which were prone to breaking and significant repair costs over the year) and pockets on the back of seats (which take time to clean and get filled with junk anyway). So they fixed the seats and did away with pockets, without reducing the brand experience, which after all is about getting from one place to another as cheaply as possible. Safety instructions are on sticker on back of seat in front.
Ryanair is lowest cost model and latest passenger numbers show 20% increase in traffic.
(Tx again to Nick R, on a role this week fella!)
