Reserve an intermediate through full-size four-door car. Present this coupon at a participating Avis location in the contiguous U.S. or Canada and you can be upgraded one car group at no extra charge.

Subject to complete Terms and Conditions below. For reservations, call Avis at 1-800-331-1212 in the U.S., 1-800-879-2847 in Canada or go to avis.com. Be sure to mention your Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number.
Terms and Conditions: Coupon valid for a one-time, one-car group upgrade on an intermediate (group C) through a full-size four-door (group E) car. Maximum upgrade to a premium (group G). Offer valid on daily, weekend, weekly and monthly rates only.

The upgraded car is subject to vehicle availability at the time of rental, and may not be available on some rates or at some times. Coupon valid at participating Avis locations in the contiguous U.S. and Canada.

Coupon must be surrendered at time of rental; one coupon per rental. May not be used in conjunction with any other coupon, promotion or offer. An advance reservation with request for an upgrade is required.

Renter must meet Avis age, driver and credit requirements. Minimum age may vary by location.

An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old.

Rental must begin by 12/31/07.

Avis Coupon is in a pdf format.

The Delta Airlines chef!

Delta
will launch nonstop, year-round service four times a week from Atlanta to Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, on December 9, in time for winter travel and the annual Carnival in February. The flight departs Atlanta Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:50pm, arriving at 8:30pm.

American Airlines
has introduced an enhancement to online Flight Check-In at www.AA.com. Now travelers who have return flights within 24 hours of departure can check in for both outbound and return flight segments at the same time.

Round-Trip Flight Check-In is available at www.AA.com/checkin for customers traveling with domestic e-tickets. The new feature is especially helpful for passengers who want to check in for their entire same-day trip online but may not have computer and printer access at their destination.

Additionally, Round-Trip Flight Check-In provides the earliest possible check-in time for customers seeking a flight upgrade or for those who would like to be added to a standby list. Just as before, passengers are able to check in online up to 24 hours prior to departure.

AirTran
disclosed plans to add Stewart Airport in New York’s Hudson Valley to its system with daily nonstops to Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa, starting January 11 (Tampa and Fort Lauderdale begin at five flights a week and go daily in mid-February.)

Parents
will soon have a new, smaller, lighter option to take with them to secure small children in airline seats.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it has approved a new type of child-safety device, the AmSafe Aviation CARES that can be used for children weighing 22 to 44 pounds. CARES, which the company said stands for Child Aviation Restraint, uses an additional belt and shoulder harness that goes around the seat back and attaches to the passenger lap belt to provide restraint for the upper part of the body.

AmSafe said that the device weighs one pound and fits into a six-inch stuff sack. It also said it is adjustable to virtually any size airplane seat and usable in any seat except for exit rows (where a child would not be allowed anyway). AmSafe said CARES are available at www.kidsflysafe.com at a price of $74.95.

Under pressure
from some airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration is considering whether to lift mandatory retirement for pilots older than 60.

FAA administrator Marion Blakey on Sept. 27 appointed a committee to study whether to relax 37-year-old rules setting the requirement that neither pilot in a cockpit can exceed that age milestone.

The committee will study whether to allow at least one of two pilots in a cockpit to exceed the age limit, she said. “The FAA must ensure that any future rule change, should it occur, provides an equal or better level of safety to passengers,” said Blakey.

Northwest Airlines
said it ordered 72 new two-class regional jet aircraft, 36 apiece from Embraer and Bombardier. Northwest said the 76-seat Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet 900’s and Embraer 175s allow the carrier “to pursue growth opportunities in important markets, including the heartland of the U.S., and provide Northwest with improved aircraft economics.” Subject to bankruptcy court approval, the carrier said it expects to begin taking initial delivery of both aircraft in the second quarter of 2007.

Northwest did not disclose the value of the orders “Both new aircraft types will lower Northwest’s operating costs over the aircraft they replace, such as the Avro Regional Jet 85, through a combination of significantly lower fuel consumption along with inherent maintenance cost advantages,” Northwest president and CEO Doug Steenland said.

United Airlines
has begun using a fully automated, over-the-wing loading bridge that enables passengers to board and deplane simultaneously from the front and rear doors of narrow body aircraft at Denver International Airport. This cuts boarding and deplaning times in half. United plans to expand the dual-end jet bridge use in Denver and other airports.

Anguilla

Travelers entering the U.S. by land from Mexico and Canada won’t need to show a passport (or “PASS” card) until June 2009.

House and Senate lawmakers agreed to push back the program by 17 months to allow time to design the PASS card and develop the technology and security standards associated with it. The PASS card will be a less expensive alternative to a passport.

Those crossing the borders into the U.S. now only need a photo ID, such as a driver’s license, and a birth certificate. This delay only applies to travelers entering the U.S. via land borders; people coming into the country by airplane or cruise ship will still have to show their passports to customs officials as of January 8, 2007.

Cruise passengers who are departing from and returning to the U.S. from a domestic port (MIA, LAX, NYC, etc) do not need a passport by January 2007.

Dear Valued Clients,

I had the pleasure of returning to New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina last week and was absolutely delighted by what I found. Rather than mass devastation and a ruined city, I found that things were very normal, even better than I remembered from past visits.

The Downtown Business District and the French Quarter were full of business travelers and tourists, every major attraction and fine dining establishment was open and doing a brisk business, and the service and hospitality were excellent.

Another new product that we are extremely excited about is the new Hyatt Place Hotels. Formerly Amerisuites, this new hotel concept incorporates a wide range of new amenities and the type of service that today’s business travelers have asked for.

The traditional front desk is gone, replaced by check in kiosks with a concierge atmosphere. The new colors and room amenities are spectacular along with a re-designed lobby with new dining concepts. The first new Hyatt Place is near Perimeter Center in Atlanta with new locations coming very soon.

On behalf of all of us at Williamsburg, we wish you a Very Happy Holiday Season.

Sincerely,

Terry W. Brennan,
President

Sandal Resorts

Experts Predict 2007 Airline, Hotel, Car Rental Costs To Rise

A spate of forecasts issued by corporate travel industry consultants and travel management companies call for across-the-board supplier price increases in 2007, largely driven by corporate demand.

Though a handful of analysts predicted airfare hikes would cease for the remainder of 2006, particularly as the price of fuel slips back from record highs, most forecasts call for higher fares in 2007.

BCD Travel, for example, estimated airfares would increase 7% to 11% in 2007 from this year’s levels. This would continue an established trend: Domestic airfares have risen to their highest level since the end of 2001, with average ticket price at $247 for a one-way trip, up 13% from last year, according to American Express Business Travel Monitor, which tracks a variety of travel expense categories booked by American Express Business Travel clients.

The hotel industry has reaped the most benefits from the growth in business travel during the past few years, and 2007 does not promise an end to that trend.

Very strong demand coupled with a dearth of new full-service hotel development has allowed hoteliers to raise rates. BCD predicted 2007 daily hotel rates would average
6 percent higher than 2006 rates, with some markets rising as much as 10% to 14%.

Average negotiated corporate rate increases won’t be lower than the 5.25% rates increased this year, said Bjorn Hanson, head of the Pricewater-HouseCoopers hospitality and leisure practice, and gateway city increase could reach into double-digit percentages.

Car rental companies are facing pressure from increasing fleet costs caused by the struggling automobile industry-which is trying to improve its bottom line by de-emphasizing agreements with car rental firms – and likely will attempt to raise rates in the neighborhood of 10% from 2006 figures, said Neil Abrams, president of Purchase, N.Y.- based Abrams Consulting Group. BCD estimated car rental costs would rise 5% to 7%.

Meanwhile, in the second quarter of 2006, American Express Business Travel clients saw car rental costs rise 4 percent to $67.26, compared with the second quarter of 2005.

Radission, Fort George Belize

United Airlines this summer became the first U.S. based Star Alliance member to join the alliance’s Upgrade Awards mileage-redemption program. Star Alliance said it is the first major alliance to offer such an option—available on member carriers ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, TAP Portugal, Thai and now United.

Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht said other alliance carriers soon would join the program. With United’s participation in Star Alliance Upgrade Awards, our customers have a much larger number of flights on which they can choose to redeem miles for upgrades, especially across the Americas, as well as on transatlantic and transpacific routes, Albrecht said.

Star Alliance Upgrade Awards require a confirmed booking prior to travel, which can then be upgraded through the existing FFP redemption channels through calling reservations or visiting a Web site, depending on carrier’s offer. United senior vice president of worldwide sales and alliances Graham Atkinson said, Participation in Star Alliance Upgrade Awards greatly enhances the benefits our Mileage Plus program offers United frequent flyers. Our customers can now upgrade on other Star Alliance member airlines using miles from their United Mileage Plus account.

BeaverCreek Co.

Marriott International
last week detailed its growth plan to add 85,000 to 100,000 hotel rooms worldwide within the next three years. Overall, this plan represents a 5 percent -6 percent compound growth annually, and the growth will focus strongly on international properties.

Marriott expects to add more than 30,000 new hotel rooms outside of North America by 2009, which would be an increase of more than 30 percent.

Additionally, as much as 60 percent of additions to Marriott’s full-service brands will come outside of the United States, which it currently reports at less than 1 percent.

Confort Inn
When you stay just two separate times at any Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion or MainStay Suites hotel in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean or Mexico by December 15th, you earn enough points for a free night on a future stay at more than 1,000 hotels.

And the more you stay, the more free nights you can earn. Choice Privileges rewards program is easy, fast and free to join at www.choicehotels.com.

Hyatt
Earn a free night at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts worldwide after every two eligible Hyatt stays between November 1, 2006 and January 31, 2007, when you pay with your MasterCard card. Register at www.goldpassport.com.

After three consecutive years of strong increase in occupancy, U.S. travelers should find major city hotel lobbies a little less crowded in 2007.

While the number of hotel rooms occupied will continue to grow at a 1.4 percent pace, the number of new accommodations is projected to increase by 2% in 2007. The net result is a forecast of a slight 0.6% decline in occupancy for the nation’s largest lodging markets.

Hotels are approaching the peak of the current business cycle,
according to R. Mark Woodworth, president of Atlanta-based PKF Hospitality Research (PKD-HR). A slight slowdown is likely, although the hotel industry is still expected to see continued growth in revenue and profits.

The average occupancy rate is still projected to be a healthy 68% in 2007, which is still well above the long-term average of 66.4%. That means that travelers could still have some trouble booking hotels in certain markets.

Woodworth said that 24 of the 52 cities PKF tracks will see an increase in occupancy in the coming year.

XM Satellite Radio
is back in the National Car Rental fleet –at no charge! The service is available on various models within the midsize, full size, premium, luxury, mini-van and SUV car classes.

XM is America’s number one satellite radio service. The 2006 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels, including music, sports, talk, comedy, children’s and entertainment programming.

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