Travel Blog

Most people travel to Los Angeles thinking about the glitz and glamour, the movie stars, and the history associated with show business.  However, something less known, but still fascinating to see, are The La Brea Tar Pits located in the heart of Los Angeles close to the Miracle Mile district. The destination includes a series of over 100 tar pits, of which more than 650 species of plants and animals have been found and identified; these fossils date back as many as 40,000 years.

Although called “tar pits”, it’s more accurate to refer to them as “asphalt pits”, since that’s actually the material that’s being produced.  Asphalt is usually created through a process that brings it from petroleum. Natural occurring asphalt pits are rare today, but they were more prevalent in early times. The pits helped cultures develop ships because of asphalt’s waterproof qualities; it was also used to make weapons. Today, we mostly use asphalt for roofing and roadways.

It might not seem all that exciting to go look at a mass of thick, black liquid bubbling out of the ground, but it’s actually fascinating when you think of the history of the pit.  Many full fossils of animals throughout history, including saber-toothed tigers, bears and mammoths, have been pulled from these pits, and most of them are fully intact.  It takes your breath away to see them and wonder just what else might be in there.  To date, no dinosaur bones have ever been discovered, and only one set of human bones has been uncovered, belonging to a woman from nearly 9,000 years ago.

There are two interesting things about tar pits. One, most of the animals stuck in tar pits are predator and not prey. Two, along with animal bones, asphalt preserves smaller things like dust, insects, bits and pieces of wood and plants, and very small microfossils. The preservation of remnants in asphalt gives researchers a better understanding of the surrounding area’s history.

One thing you won’t notice with the naked-eye, but is fascinating to know, is that there are living organisms in the tar pits.  Bacteria feeds off the asphalt and “burps” the methane that makes the tar pits bubble. An early theory suggested that heat may have been the source of the bubbles.

Right next to the La Brea tar pits is the Page Museum, where you can learn all about the history of the tar pits and some of the animals that have been recovered from them.

If you plan on visiting the La Brea Tar Pits, find Los Angeles, California hotel deals at www.DiscountHotels.com

Quick Fact:

Brea is a spanish word meaning tar; the phrase The La Brea Tar Pits translates to The The Tar Tar Pits

See Also:

La Brea Tar Pits – www.enchantedlearning.com

La Brea Tar Pits – www.wikipedia.org

Tar pits’ secret bubbles – www.articles.latimes.com

Page Museum

Major Cache of fossils unearthed in L.A. – www.articles.latimes.com

Many people show up in Las Vegas and never leave the casino hotel they checked into. Some will visit all the popular casinos and enjoy a few shows, but never leave the strip. In the know travelers looking for more adventure will not only get out of Las Vegas, but they’ll take the short 40 minute trip to one of the most famous landmarks in the United States, Hoover Dam in Boulder City.

At the time it was completed in 1936, the Hoover Dam was the largest concrete structure in the world, as well as the largest electricity-generating station in the world, both of which have been eclipsed since. Initially called Boulder Dam, it was renamed after President Herbert Hoover, who helped get funding for it while he was still president. In 1985 the dam was listed as a national historic landmark. As a side note, Boulder City is one of only two cities in the state that don’t allow gambling, so you won’t see any slot machines at Hoover Dam.

The view of Hoover Dam from the outside is both drab and fascinating at the same time. It’s not all that fancy, plain actually, which was one of the complaints about it when it was built. At the same time, your breath is taken away by its vastness if you look at it from a distance.

When you go inside, get ready to spend a long time in the elevator. Actually, it’s only a couple of minutes, but if you have claustrophobia it might feel like forever. You have a long way to go down, about 530 feet, where you’ll begin a half hour tour of the facilities. Your tour guide will explain how the power plant works, and you’ll be taken around to the Penstock viewing platform, where you’ll be told about the 90,000 gallons of water running through the pipes. Then you’ll hop back on the elevator and head to the power plant’s balcony, where you’ll see a panoramic view of 8 generators.

Back into the elevator, you’ll be taken to the visitor center, where you can then go to the observation deck and look down the Colorado River and Lake Mead, which is a stunning view. There are audio, video, and picture presentations everywhere. There’s also someplace to eat if you get hungry. The Hoover Dam is full of history and it offers travelers hours of entertainment.

This is a trip you just have to take if you’re ever in Las Vegas for a few days; you won’t regret it…don’t forget your camera!

The Omni Hotel chain employs nearly 13,000 associates and consists of 43 luxury properties located in the United States, Canada and Mexico. These properties offer four-diamond services and have roughly 15,000 rooms.

One of the things that make Omni Hotels different from some other hotel chains is that none of their properties look the same. Instead, it seems that they’re themed to fit in with the local area, which means that each hotel has its own distinctive touch. Many of the hotels in the chain were acquired by Omni.

This doesn’t mean they cut down on quality or price. There are no cheap rooms available in an Omni Hotel, as rates usually will start around $140 a night for regular rooms, and upwards of $3,500 a night or more for suites.

The Omni Hotel chain is a property of TRT Holdings, whose present owner is Robert Rowling, the 124th richest man in the world with and estimated net worth of $4.2 billion. Rowling made a majority of his money from oil and the sale of the Corpus Christi National Bank for $131 million. Rowling was also a regent for the University of Texas until February of 2009. Because of where he lives, it’s no wonder that the latest Omni hotel to open was is in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Most of the Omni Hotel properties are in the state of Texas.

Omni likes to break some their properties down into what they consider either resort areas or historic areas; some of their properties are included on both lists. The most famous of their hotels, The Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C., has catered to royalty, presidents, foreign dignitaries and has hosted inaugural balls for every president from FDR to Clinton. Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri used to hold all night poker games at the hotel; President Harry Truman frequently showed up.

Some of the most well known Omni Hotel properties include:

Omni Bedford Springs Resort, Bedford, PA

Omni Cancun Hotel & Villas, Cancun, Mexico

Omni Puerto Aventuras Beach Resort, Puerto Aventuras, Mexico

Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, Orlando, FL

Omni Interlocken Resort, Denver, CO

Omni Tucson National Resort, Tucson, AZ

Omni Royal Orleans Hotel The Omni Royal Orleans, New Orleans, LA

Omni La Mansion del Rio Hotel The Omni La Mansión del Rio, San Antonio, TX

See Also:

Omni Hotels Homepage – www.OmniHotels.com

Robert Rowlings – Wikipedia.org

The Omni Shoreham Hotel – www.HistoricHotels.org

If you’re thinking about luxury hotels in the United States and around the world, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts should be an option. A look at The Carlyle Hotel in New York City proves that the folks at Rosewood Hotels and Resorts have glamor down to a science.

The Carlyle has hosted royalty, celebrities, famous politicians, and the wealthy for decades and is a New York landmark. The first president to stay there was Harry Truman, President John Kennedy actually owned an apartment in the hotel for 10 years.

Of course, the Rosewood corporation has its own history, which began in 1979. In 1980, they opened their first property, the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. It was originally the mansion of the King family, who built the building in 1908, only to see it destroyed by fire in 1923. The building was rebuilt in 1925 into a 10,000 square foot estate.

The King family ended up having to sell the mansion in 1935, and by 1979, it began renovation to become a luxury hotel and restaurant. It opened in 1981 with 143 rooms and a lot of fanfare, also winning the first of many awards, the Keystone Award, by the Historic Preservation League of Dallas. Since then, it has won numerous awards, and is one of the few five-star, five-diamond hotels in the state of Texas.

In all, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts consists of more than 15 properties scattered around the globe. Half of those properties are in the United States; they are:

The Carlyle, New York City;
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas;
Rosewood Crescent Hotel, Dallas;
The Mansion on Peachtree, Atlanta;
Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, Santa Fe, NM;
Rosewood Sand Hill, Menlo Park, CA;
San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara, CA;
CordeValle, San Martin, CA

International properties are located in Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Antigua, Japan, and the Virgin Gorda Islands.

Already in 2009, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts have been honored with these awards:

• AAA Five-Diamond Award, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Las Ventanas al Paraíso
• Condé Nast Traveler Gold List: Rosewood Crescent Hotel, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Rosewood Little Dix Bay, Las Ventanas al Paraíso, King Pacific Lodge
• Condé Nast Hot List, The Mansion on Peachtree
• Mobil Five-Star Award, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
• Travel + Leisure: World’s Best Service, Caneel Bay, Las Ventanas al Paraíso
• Saudi Arabia’s Leading Hotel: Rosewood Corniche
• Saudi Arabia’s Leading Business Hotel: Al Faisaliah Hotel

Howard Johnson is a well known hotel chain in the United States, especially for those of us that are over the age of 40. The Howard Johnson name actually became famous from its large chain of restaurants. The original owner, Howard Deering Johnson, opened his first restaurant in Quincy, MA, not exactly a big city name, but one that became well known after a Eugene O’Neill play was moved there from Boston after the mayor of the city refused to allow it to be performed there. Many people stopped at Howard Johnson’s, loved the food, and spread the word.

After building and franchising over 400 restaurants by 1954, they opened their first motor lodge in Savannah, GA. The corporation hired designers for the project, as they wanted to make sure they had a design they could take all over the United States to be known for. Within 7 years they had 88 motor lodges in 32 states, most of them situated near one of their restaurants to help enhance the traveler’s experience.

Today, Howard Johnson Hotels are owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide’s – Wyndham Hotel Group, which encompasses more than 7,000 hotels in 66 countries. Brands under the Wyndham Hotel Group include: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Ramada Worldwide, Days Inn, Super 8, Wingate, Baymont Inn & Suites, Microtel Inns & Suites, Hawthorn Suites, Howard Johnson, Travelodge and Knights Inn.

Those of us who are a little older, still remember “Going to Ho Jo’s”…learn more about Howard Johnson by visiting www.hojo.com

See Also:

Wyndham Worldwide – www.wyndhamworldwide.com

Wyndham Green – A worldwide commitment to a global issue

Caesars Palace is one of the most famous hotel and casinos in the world. It not only is a world class casino, but has been home to some of history’s top entertainment events. It’s located in Las Vegas on the Strip, and is owned by Harrah’s Entertainment. It has 3,348 rooms in five towers: Augustus, Centurion, Roman, Palace, and Forum. The Forum tower features guest suites with 1,000 square feet of space.

Caesars Palace has been home to many professional boxing matches over the years. Some of the most famous matches include Sugar Ray Leonard in his first fight against Tommy Hearns, Aaron Pryor vs Alexis Arguello, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran and Tommy Hearns (the only one Hearns won), and Evander Holyfield against Riddick Bowe, which involved a parachutist landing in the ring during the fight.

The Las Vegas Resort Casino has also hosted many other events, such as Grand Prix races in 1981 and 1982. It was also where Evil Knievel tried to jump the water fountains; he didn’t make it, and ended up in a coma for 29 days. His son Robby successfully made the same jump in 1989. Wrestlemania IX was held there in 1993. And George Burns was scheduled to make his first appearance on his 100th birthday there, but unfortunately passed away two years before then, at age 98.

Caesars Palace is known as one of the top luxury hotels in the world. It fills up 85 acres of space, has 26 restaurants and cafes, a 4.5-acre Garden of the Gods pools and gardens, Qua – a world-class spa, and 240,000 square feet of premium meeting and convention space. Its 4,100-seat Colosseum, originally built for Celine Dion and her long run, has spotlighted entertainers such as Bette Midler, Cher, Elton John and Jerry Seinfeld. If all that wasn’t enough, Caesars Palace has been featured in many movies: The Electric Horseman, History of the World – Part I, Rain Man, Ocean’s Eleven, and Iron Man.

Of course, what Caesars Palace is really known for is gaming, and at more than 129,999 square feet, it has one of the largest gaming areas in the United States. It not only has thousands of slot machines, but is known for having more million dollar slot machines than any casino in the world. There’s an 8,500 square foot main poker room, as well as a 6,000 square foot tournament area, making Caesars Palace one of the only casinos in Las Vegas to offer a private tournament area.

If you’re visiting Las Vegas, even if you’re staying at another hotel or casino, one of the places you have to take time to visit is Caesar’s Palace. For more information about Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, visit them online at www.caesarspalace.com.

Marriott International, is one of the largest and most socially responsible hotel chains in the world. They comprise a type of quality and luxury that’s well known, whether you’re staying in one of their top hotels or one of what would be considered a family chain; there are no budget Marriott Hotels. Marriott International franchises and operates hotels for their owners under long-term contracts; the company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol MAR.

Who would believe that the Marriott chain actually started as a small root beer stand in 1927 by the founder, J. Willard Marriott, in Washington D.C.? That would be a misnomer, of course, but that set up the foundation for making enough money to purchase his first hotel, and the rest, as they say, is history. As of 2009, the overall organization has about 3,150 lodging properties located in the United States and 67 other countries and territories.

Marriott hotels are known not only for their style, but for what they don’t allow. They don’t allow gambling in any of their hotels, even though some of them might have a casino attached to them. They also eliminated smoking anywhere on their premises in 2006. And they’re the first hotel chain to decide that none of their restaurants will be allowed to cook with trans fats, although it’s not known whether they’ve extended that to restaurants owned by others which may be attached to their properties.

Strangely enough, the pinnacle of the Marriott chain isn’t a Marriott hotel at all. Instead, it’s their control of the Ritz-Carlton chain, of which they own 99%. They originally started with only 49% of the chain in 1983, and grabbed most of the rest in 1998. Though they franchise to other organizations under the Ritz-Carlton name, they retain rights to the name, and thus receive subsidies from any affiliating hotels.

Marriott International owns a number of timeshares and other properties throughout the world. At one point they also owned theme parks, but they sold them to the Six Flags Theme Park Corporation.

Below is a list of the properties owned by Marriott International:

Full Service Lodging -

• Marriott Hotels & Resorts
• JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts
• Renaissance Hotels & Resorts
• Marriott Conference Centers
• Ritz-Carlton
• BVLGARI Hotels & Resorts
• Renaissance ClubSport Hotel & Fitness

Select Service Lodging -

• Courtyard by Marriott
• Fairfield Inn by Marriott
• SpringHill Suites by Marriott

Extended Stay Lodging -

• Residence Inn by Marriott
• TownePlace Suites by Marriott
• Marriott ExecuStay
• Marriott Executive Apartments

Timeshare -

• Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI)
• Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club
• Marriott Grand Residence Club

For more information about Marriott International and all of the brands under the Marriott umbrella, visit www.Marriott.com

See Also:
Marriott Rewards Program
Marriott on the Move – Bill Marriott’s Blog

Since it opened in 1993, Turning Stone Resort & Casino has not only remained the most successful casino in the state of New York, but has developed the most stunning lodging outside of the New York City area. It is owned by the Oneida Indian Nation, and was the first hotel to open in the state.

When it opened, the Hotel only had two sections. The main section, of course, was the casino. The second section was the hotel, which consisted of three levels of hotel space, along with many hospitality suites. It was designed in an interesting way with curved hallways that extend in both directions, and special rooms in the middle areas that contained things like suites, Jacuzzis, separate bathroom and shower, and patio suites. There is also a spa and massage center in the hotel. There wasn’t anything else like it in central New York, and instantly became a special vacation hideaway.

Turning Stone the casino grew in popularity because of visitors from surrounding states, mainly young adults between 18 & 21 because the casino doesn’t serve alcohol, which means they’re allowed to come to the casino and gamble, especially to play poker. This caused Turning Stone to build its Tower Hotel which, at 19 floors, is the tallest building between Syracuse and Albany. The Tower Hotel is connected to the casino, and has a great mixture of regular guest rooms, junior suites, spacious elegant suites and an exclusive, membership-only dining club on the top floor. The Tower also added a fitness center, lap pool, business center with corporate meeting rooms, and concierge services.

Deciding that wasn’t enough, Turning Stone decided it wanted a way to reach even more exclusive customers. They did so by first creating not one, but three world class golf courses, one of which now sponsors a PGA tournament every year in September, but then they added The Lodge, their first facility not attached to the Casino, but less than 100 yards walking distance.

Talk about class. The Lodge is a three-time AAA 4-Diamond award-winner featuring 95 exquisitely appointed suites, with spectacular woodland views from graceful balconies and the finest beds covered in plush Egyptian cotton linen. As quoted from their website, “Selected by Condé Nast Johansens as its “Most Excellent Resort” for the USA and Canada, The Lodge at Turning Stone Resort • Casino also is a Hospitality Design magazine award-winner for luxury hotels, Resorts & Great Hotels’ “Connoisseur’s Choice,” and one of Lodging Hospitality magazine’s “best luxury hotels”.

There are two specialty’s of the Lodge. The first are their VIP suites, which include:

• Large wrap around balcony with several sets of chairs and tables
• Four-person hot tub on large balcony
• Large living room and separate bedroom
• Pass-through marble bathroom with separate glass enclosed shower and soaking tub
• Half bathroom in living room
• Entry with wood flooring, mini-bar in milled cabinet
• Living room furnished with a couch, easy chairs, coffee and end tables, and an entertainment cabinet that includes a pull-out desk top
• Wood-and-frosted-glass French doors separate the living room and bedroom
• Wet bar

And if you don’t feel special enough after that, there’s always the Presidential Suite, which is not only 2,900 square feet, but includes:

• Two levels of lavish comfort. The lower level features a grand living space that includes two adjoining bedrooms, a marble powder room, dining area, and kitchenette. The upper level features a loft-style master suite that includes a walk-in closet and luxurious bathroom.
• Two adjoining bedrooms with king beds
• Master loft with king bed
• Six-person dining area
• Gas fireplaces in living room and bedroom
• Entertainment center and plasma-screen televisions
• Large private balcony with teak furniture and hot tub
• Wet bar stocked with stemware
• Kitchenette with stocked refrigerator and range
• Master bath with infinity whirlpool tub, “His and Hers” Swiss showers, plasma televisions, and steam room
• Butler service upon request

And, just recently, Turning Stone has added what they call The Inn, an off site hotel for guests whose budgets might be a little tighter than everyone else’s. It’s located about 2 miles from the casino, but is easily accessed by a free shuttle, and also offers a free continental breakfast.

Turning Stone Resort & Casino can compete with any resort or hotel chain in the nation, and they’re not done yet. They’re always building something, so one can only wonder what’s coming next.

Learn and search more casino destinations and discover cheap casino vacations by visiting DiscountHotels.com…Right room, right price

Choice Hotels International hotels are a vast chain of traditionally budget hotels all across the United States. They’re actually in places where you may not find one of the big name hotels, which makes them more accessible to the majority of Americans. However, they’re not just in the United States, but everywhere, as it’s the largest franchise hotel chain in the world.

The chain actually started under another name, Quality Courts United, in Maryland. Later they operated under the name Quality Motels, then Quality Inns in 1972. In 1982, they decided to add different brand names to compete with certain types of hotels in different cities, mainly affordable hotels in most places, although they do have some properties that compete with lower scale luxury hotels as well.

Choice Hotels may not have the premium brand status across the board that Marriott and Hilton hotels have, but they offer many of the same amenities at a lower cost. The rooms are always comfortable and clean. They have free internet service, as well as a bed turn down service. Many of them will have workout rooms and restaurants; some even have pools and rooms with a Jacuzzi. And many of the hotels are in vacation spots around the world, close to events, shopping, and sports venues.

Choice Hotels were also the first to offer these amenities:

• total wall-to-wall carpeting in all hotels (1952)
• in room telephones and 24 hour desk service (1954)
• Guarantee Reservations (1963)
• 24 hour, toll-free reservations (1970)
• non-smoking rooms in every hotel (1984)
• internet reservation services (1995)

The top of the chain as far as quality goes is the newest member of the group, the Ascend Collection of hotels. Their mantra is “historic, boutique and unique hotels that gives you an authentic, local experience. It was designed specifically for people who appreciate an upscale hotel with a strong local flair.” They’re presently located in only 11 states and Puerto Rico, and out of those in only 4 large cities, those being New York City, San Juan, Honolulu and Miami Beach.

Choice Hotels has three chains of hotels that offer suite style living instead of regular hotel rooms. Those are Comfort Suites, Cambria Suites, and Mainstay Suites. The rest of the hotel chains are: Comfort Inn; Quality Inn; Clarion; Suburban; Econolodge; and Rodeway Inn. They also offer a rewards program for continual stay in their chain known as Choice Privileges.

Comfortable hotels at affordable prices; it’s hard to beat Choice Hotels for family traveling.

See Also:

Choice Hotels International Official Website

Choice Hotels on Wikipedia.org