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Hotels In Pinetop Gearing Up For White Mountain Bluegrass Music Festival

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Things are really starting to heat up in the northern town of Pinetop, Arizona in preparation for the 20th Annual White Mountain Bluegrass Music Festival. Music lovers from all over the country will be staying at hotels in Pinetop AZ to check out this years exciting event August 14 and 15th at the Hon-Dah Resort & Casino.

As usual, this years festival features a Dutch Oven Cook-off. To be part of this competition, entrants must be members of the International Dutch Oven Society, cook over a charcoal fire up off the ground and use ingredients prepared from scratch on site including cutting of meat, vegetable, other ingredients and marinating. This is an exciting and time-honored part of the festival and each category is judged by professional, qualified judges.

The White Mountain Bluegrass Festival features bands and other groups from the Southwest. Ben Sandoval is a featured performer who has been involved in folk music, old time fiddling and bluegrass and old-time country music since the 70s. Ben has been very active organizing other shows including the Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival in 1979, the Gisela Bluegrass Festival in 1981 and the Prescott Bluegrass Festival in 1982, the Morman Lake Festival and Paysons White Mountain Bluegrass Festival.

This years festival will also feature Mark Phillips and Third Generation Bluegrass Band. Mark started playing bluegrass at the age of 14 with his father, Wayne Phillips, who formed the band. Mark’s first instrument was the banjo. He currently plays guitar for the band as well as the mandolin and the bass and sings most of the leads. The band also features Roger Starnes, a Fort Worth Texas native who plays banjo, guitar, mandolin and dobro. Kendall Murphy is also in the band as well as Michael Morrison and
Jake Gathright – the newest member of IIIrd Generation who plays mandolin.

The White Mountains Bluegrass Festival is conveniently located near many Pinetop Arizona hotels and also features the music of The Bost Family, a six piece, hard-driving, bluegrass band from Cochise County, Arizona. The festival also includes gospel music on Sunday, jam sessions, family entertainment, food and some arts & crafts.

Information Technology In Hospitality Industry

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Traditionally, hotels were largely dependent on cards and paperwork at the front desk to keep in touch with old and current customers. They were largely at the mercy of the desires of vacationers to arrive, and on their own efforts and staff to be ready for potential surges or long droughts of occupancy. Luckily, such inconvenience and old-fashioned methods are long since past, thanks to advances in information technology.

The first area in which information technology became important was in regards to billing. Old-fashioned paper-based book-keeping was time consuming and inefficient, and was not able to quickly tell a hotel owner what the situation of their hotel was. Luckily, advances in modern record keeping allow for a hotel owner to keep track of what they have on hand, how much of it they have, and how much it costs. Accounting is complicated, but advanced accounting software, especially that tailored to the unique needs of the hospitality industry, helps to enable hotel owners to make smart decisions. Services and products that are no longer used can be quickly cut off to save money, while those who show demand can be increased in quantity or modified so as to reduce the heavy usage.

Most hotels are familiar with booking rooms and reservations over the phone, but information technology has expanded well beyond that. Hotels can now work with various online travel companies and booking services to have their rooms booked online, with no need to employ expensive staff. This also allows a hotel to advertise their open rooms and special deals directly to persons who would be most likely to purchase them, instead of wasting lots of money advertising in an unfocused manner. High quality information technology thus allows for better arrangement and management of bookings in order to allow a hotel to better maximize occupancy, and to know in advance when large groups or lean times are approaching. This allows a hotel manager to make plans regarding temporary staff, good times to renovate or expand, or other concerns, because he/she can determine the state of their hotel currently and for the next few months with only a few clicks on the computer.

The advances in information technology extend well beyond booking, however. The internet is essential for vacationers who wish to contact those back home, and for those traveling on business to get in touch with the office. Therefore, wireless internet has become a very common and very useful service for hotels to provide. Many business minded persons even require that a hotel offer internet services so that they can keep working while on the road. Luckily, such services are easy to provide, as all that is required is a wireless router and various devices to ensure the entire hotel is filled with the network. Modern advances in wireless internet also allow for the wireless internet provided for hotel visitors to be used to network the hotel itself. Security cameras, door locks, and other devices essential to hotel security and safety can be wired into the network, so that staff are alerted whenever a door is propped open, a fire alarm goes off or suspicious activity occurs. Though the hotel guests are wholly unaware of it, this sort of added safety and security keeps them safe, and in the event of a problem they will most certainly appreciate the benefits of such a system.

As advanced as it is, information technology in the hospitality industry is still going forward. Intelligent booking systems enable rapid and efficient guest feedback, along with the ability to predict who is likely to use the hotel again and inform them via e-mail or text messages when good deals arrive. Hotels with room service or other guest services can offer their menus online, allowing for quick updates, high-quality photos, and other ways to allow guests to see and order services before they even arrive. There are also advances in terms of payroll and inventory which make information technology a valuable asset for saving money and maximizing profits. The unique nature of the hospitality industry makes it a great place for new and emerging information technology, and forward-thinking hotel owners and managers are always looking for smart equipment and software to invest in.

Onyx Signs Agreement With Sino Lanka To Manage Two Sri Lanka Hotels

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Sri Lanka will see the development of two new hotels over the next year after ONYX Hospitality Group recently signed management agreements with Sino Lanka Hotels.

ONYX, a Thailand-based management company, will be looking after two stylish hotels that will provide Sri Lanka holidays in Colombo and Galle from late 2013.

Sri Lanka is one of the most vibrant destinations in the Asia Pacific and one that is experiencing dynamic growth in tourism, commented Peter Henley, the president of ONYX Hospitality Group.

We plan to make it a key hub for ONYX going forward.

The two new Sri Lanka hotels will both operate under the OZO brand, which provides stylish and practical accommodation and facilities for travellers.

The Colombo OZO hotel will be located on Marine Drive on the coast and just five kilometres from the centre of the capital city. Guests will be able to enjoy beautiful views from a choice of 160 rooms during cultural Sri Lanka holidays in the country’s capital city, as well a sophisticated rooftop caf and refreshing swimming pool.

Tourists heading to the oceanfront Galle OZO property for beach holidays in Sri Lanka, will be able to enjoy the pristine sandy stretch of beach with its landscaped swimming pool and a selection of dining outlets. The hotel is located two kilometres from the famous Galle Fort and each of the propertys 148 rooms offer stunning views of the coastline.

The chairman of Sino-Lanka hotels, Bob Kundanmal, said: We aim to be at the forefront of hotel development in Sri Lanka in the next decade and we see the OZO brand as an ideal platform for bringing style and innovation to the mid-market sector.

We look forward to working with ONYX over the coming years to bring these first projects to life.

Since the end of the countrys decades-long civil war in 2009, Sri Lankas tourism industry has boomed. Travellers have regained confidence in returning to the island nation for holidays and the Sri Lanka Tourism Authority has been working hard to promote the country as a safe tourist destination in many countries across the world.

The Indian Ocean country is renowned for its beautiful natural landscapes and diverse ecosystem. Tourists can make the most out of their holidays in Sri Lanka by visiting hundreds of sandy beaches and heritage sites including ancient cities and colonial forts, or hiking through wildlife sanctuaries, thriving nature parks, and up majestic mountains.

Elegant Hotels In Barbados Close The Colony Club Hotel For Refurbishment Works

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The Colony Club hotel in St James, Barbados has just announced to future guests that it will be closing temporarily for general updating and maintenance works to be carried out throughout the entire property. The hotel, already a favourite among tourists seeking family-friendly Barbados holidays, will be closed for one month only, starting 1st September and finishing on 30th September 2012, when all renovation works are expected to be completed. The resort will be officially reopening and welcoming back guests on 1st October 2012.

During this time of closure scheduled for the end of summer 2012, the resort will be conducting general maintenance and repairment works all around the resort as well as carrying out improvements and enhancing existing infrastructure throughout the entire hotel property. The upgrades are expected to build upon Colony Club’s recent renovation works, which had focused primarily on the resort’s outdoor dining areas and will now extend to other equally important areas.

The popular family resort in Barbados had also recently added a new contemporary outdoor island lounge area, as well as giving a refreshing update of the seating area in the Laguna restaurant. For the delight of all sun-bathers and pool loungers looking forward to lazing around the pool or beach during their Barbados holidays, the Colony Club all sun-deck furniture has also been entirely replaced with a more modern and stylish design.

In addition to all this, there have also been many subtle upgrades to individual guest rooms and the reception area, while new ambiance lighting has been installed throughout the property and gardens.

The additional works to be carried out throughout September 2012 will put the Colony Club hotel among some of the most modern and recently updated Barbados hotels with the refreshing makeover expected to have a positive impact among new prospective guests and past repeat guests at the resort.

Gayle Talma, General Manager of the Colony Club said, “The temporary closure of the hotel allows us to focus on completing the upgrades as quickly as possible without disruption to our guests.”

“Our goal is to give the hotel a fresh, new modern look while retaining the classic Bajan ambiance that Colony Club is known for. We know our loyal guests will be pleased with the end result and look forward to welcoming them back to one of the Island’s best loved hotels”.

Sustainable Travel Tourism With Eco Friendly Green Hotels And Their Impact

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Many business have put heavy emphasis on becoming green. Usually the phrase green refers to products or, some say, a new ideology which includes the environment in most of the manufacturing process. The hotel industry is the same,even thought they have been opposed to change,it has just recently caught up to similar industries who have managed to incorporate green strategies. The growth of tourism itself is one of the primary causes of damage to the environment. The goals of sustainable travel are to diminish the negative effects locally and globally. Eco tourism puts equal attention on energy, conservation, ecology, and community as well as issues that are important to almost all eco-lodges.

An Eco hotel is one that has been built to, or made modifications that will leave a smaller environmental footprint. These hotels have to be certified for green strategies by an independent third party, or on basis of its location, it can be certified by the concerned state. Location of these hotels were mostly presented as Eco lodges by tradition (many times in temperate rain forests) according to the design they own. The lodging business is a principal user of resources and goods. Land, furnishings, construction materials, food, cleaning supplies and equipment, these are included in the consumption. There is the every-day usage of water and power. Water and power is consumed all day by hotels, working non-stop, for general operations, cleaning, and guest use.

The goods that are used in the hotel must be made and used with a concern for the environment. The legal tender worn stereotyped like bathe, holy spirit, newspapers, and cleanup stores, are minimized to cut the coercion on the surround. While booking a hotel, people are careful to select the ones which are environmentally supportive, as in the case of purchasing products that are harmless to the environment. When new water-saving techniques and equipment is implemented water bills are drastically cut back.

Consumers prefer to choose hotels have an enviromental awareness and the also prefer to buy products according to their enviromental sensitivities. Water bills are sure to reduce drastically if latest techniques are implemented. Recycling and avoiding wastefully packaged products can prevent loss drastically in hotels caused due to waste hauling If there is no suspended particulate in air or on food or thing we touch, which may be poisonous or toxic leads to the conception that we not breathing or absorbing them.

Green labeling should now be utilized to a far greater extent in the lodging business. Ever since 2003, European Eco-labels have been able for all tourism accommodation operators in the EU. There are strict standards that must be met by each operator in regards to both environmental performance and standards of health. Eco hotels make considerable contributions to all aspects of the local communities environmental, economic, cultural, and ecological provisions.

HotelMavens.com has a worldwide directory service that connects those who want to stay in an eco friendly and healthy environment, with hotel owners who have realized the benefits of building and owning “green” hotels. Numerous guest will want to visit a green hotel simply because they take steps to make the environment better. Recycling and reducing the consumption of natural resources like water or energy can be done through simple steps.