London hotels gouging Games' goers

Let the gouging begin!

London newspapers are reporting that hotels in the 2012 Summer Olympic city are charging as much as 300 per cent more for rooms - that, despite the fact the London Organizing Committee returned more the 120,000 reservations to the hoteliers. (The organizing committee blocks off rooms for sponsors, media and International Olympic Committee members - but obviously fewer people are planning to attend the Games, which start July 27 and runs until August 12).

London's Telegraph newspaper cited examples of the gouging:

"Accommodation at the Premier Inn Victoria during the Games costs from £199 ($315 Cdn.), a rate that is non-refundable and must be paid in advance. For the rest of August, rooms start at £87 ($138 Cdn.). At the Premier Inn Old Street, August rates range from £75 to £132, but during the Games the cheapest rooms are also £199," the newspaper reported today.

Other examples of gouging reported by the Telegraph:
-  "At the Novotel London Paddington, room rates during the Olympics are more than double (from £299 per night) what they are during the rest of the summer (from £149). And at the Z Hotel in Soho, a two-night stay during the Olympics costs from £186 a night, compared to just £102 a night in the week after the closing ceremony. "

British politicians are reportedly "outraged" by the hotel "scandal" but what a bunch of hypocrites.

Laws to protect the public from such gouging could have been passed when London was awarded the Games but instead the members of Parliament sat on their hands until it was too late.

So, once again, the biggest losers at the 2012 London Summer Olympics won't be any athlete, but rather the public - those, at least, who are dumb enough to go to London during the Games' period.

Brits ban credit card fees on travellers



  Just back from a few days R&R over Christmas and was surprised that one country - Great Britain - has given its travelling public an unexpected gift by passing a bill into law that bans fees on credit and debit card charges "made up" by tour operators and airlines.

Consumer groups were quick to claim a "victory for travellers" but the bill was squarely aimed at one particular airline - Ryanair, which has raised its credit and debit card fees 15 fold over the past seven years, according to British newspaper reports.

Example: If a bank charges a $1 credit or debit card usage fee, Ryanair charges $20!

So much for being a "low cost" airline. Of course, we all know Ryanair is just a low class airline which eliminates bathrooms to squeeze in extra passengers.

More than 50,000 supported a London Telegraph newspaper campaign which was launched in support of the bill.

British travellers are some of the most taxed in the world - the Air Passenger Duty which every British citizen must pay when departing from  the U.K., has risen 333 per cent in the past seven years.

No wonder so few Brits are travelling these days and big tour operators like Thomas Cook are facing bankruptcy.

When Air Canada and WestJet eliminated cash payments on their flights, I warned people that they could be gouged with credit card fees. So, can we expect the Canadian government to follow the British lead. Not bloody likely! This, after all, is Canada - pity!

British tourism is now under seige

The biggest victim of the rioting that has gripped London the past few days appears to be British tourism.

Thouands of people have canceled their holidays in the British capital in the last 48 hours and the long-term effects of this public disorder may actually cause some people to change their plans of attending next summer's London Olympics.

The riots could not have come at a worse time for British Tourism, which just a few weeks ago launched their "one year out from the 2012 London Summer Olympics campaign" and boasted that London is one of the "safest" places to travel.

As British Prime Minister David Cameron calls out more police to deal with the growing disturbances, British tourism officials are fanning out around the world to reassure people that London will have everything under control by the time the first athletes start arriving next July. To make matters worse, overnight the riots spread to other British cities and now there is fear the government may have to call out troops to deal with the disturbances.

The image of Britain as a safe tourist destination may take longer than a year to repair.

Mary Rance, CEO of UKInbound, was quoted today as saying:  "The riots of the past few days, particularly in London, are most unfortunate for the global image of the U.K. – and not just ahead of the Olympics but for the country's short term and long term inbound tourism industry.

"With scenes of looting, violence and lawlessness flashing across TV screens across the globe it is absolutely vital that the government and its agencies, as well as the U.K. tourism industry, work hard to put things in context."

With unemployment rising in the U.K. and the government introducing harsh economic measures to deal with the country's growing debt problems, the situation may only get worse over the next while. That's not good for British tourism in the short or long term.

No-fly zone ordered over France!

French President Sarkozy and wife Carla demand privacy!

Here’s some news items from today that I thought might interest you:

- First French President Nicolas Sarkozy imposed a “no-fly” zone over Libya and now he’s added one over the French Rivera – more precisely the retreat where he and his wife Carla Bruni will be spending the Easter holidays. Who does this guy think he is – Napoleon? An official decree threatens pilots with a fine of up to 40,000 euros or six months in prison for descending below 3,000 feet above Sarkozy's large seaside villa at Cap-Nègre, Lavandou. The decree came a year after France's first couple irked locals by declaring beaches surrounding the residence off limits.

- Dubai tourism officials are on full damage control alert and scrambling to reassure travelers that the Disneyland of the Desert is still a safe place after reports surfaced early today that a British holidaymaker was beaten to death while in police custody. Reports surfaced today in the British media about Lee Bradley Brown, who was on holiday at the Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai. It is alleged the holidaymaker was beaten up by police officers in his cell after being arrested for assault, intimidating behaviour and using abusive language on April 6. He died in custody. The claims are now being investigated by the British embassy in Dubai.

- Union leaders representing British Airways cabin crew have ordered their members to hold off from strikes over the Easter and Royal Wedding holidays, raising hopes of a final settlement in the long-running dispute. The two sides said that a 28-day extension had been agreed to allow for further talks, and that lasting peace was essential for the good of both parties.

- Icelandair will commence seasonal flights from Toronto – starting today - with flights from Pearson International to Keflavik, Iceland. Finnair is also offering flights from Toronto to Helsinki. Suddenly, Toronto has become the centre of the aviation world and that's great news for Canadians looking for competition when it comes to air deals.

Rats - in the air and on the streets

Here’s some travel news items I came across today:

DATELINE ARIZONA - Southwest Airlines apparently has found cracks in five of the 79 planes it grounded after one of their Boeing 737s ripped open in the air last week. No one was injured in that incident thankfully. The question I have is how many other airlines are flying defected 737s? Boeing is concerned as well and has directed Southwest and other airlines flying certain versions of the workhorse 737 to conduct electromagnetic inspections of a portion of the roof once the planes have made a certain number of trips.
Low-cost Southwest has built its operation around the 737.

DATELINE NEW YORK — One city official in the Big Apple is demanding $1.5 million be restored to the budget to be help control what he called Manhattan's horrific rat problem. Seeing vermin running amok on city streets and in subway tunnels is a turn-off for tourists, said Manhattan Borough president Scott Stringer. Stringer said the cuts forced the layoff of 57 Pest Control workers. The result has been a 1.5 per cent rise in complaints over last year and damage to New York's appeal as a tourist destination, he said.

DATELINE LONDON – Troubled British Airways, which is facing lots of labour unrest within its ranks, is about to upset passengers with yet another fuel surcharge increase. BA said today it’s raising its fuel surcharges for a second time in two months due to continuing rises in the cost of oil. Surcharges on long-haul travel will be hit from this Friday. However, there will be no impact on domestic or short-haul routes, BA confirmed. Long-haul non-premium tickets will experience an increase of about $15 U.S. per sector.