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A free weekend day from Avis
is right around the corner.

We’re always in the neighborhood with great cars and valuable offers.

You can receive one FREE weekend day on your next three-day rental that includes a Saturday night! An advance reservation is required. Valid at participating Avis locations.

Coupon # TUTA034
Expiration Date: 12/31/08

Terms and Conditions: Coupon valid at participating Avis locations in the contiguous U.S. on an intermediate (group C) through a full-size four-door (group E) car. Dollars off applies to the time and mileage charges only on a minimum two-day weekend rental.

A Saturday night keep is required. Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) may apply and are extra. Optional products such as LDW ($28.99/day or less, except in Louisiana $49.99/day) and refueling are extra. 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. Weekend rental period begins Thursday, and car must be returned by Monday 11:59 p.m. or higher rate may apply. Offer subject to vehicle availability at the time of reservation and may not be available on some rates at some times.

For reservations made on avis.com, dollars off will be applied at time of rental. An advance reservation 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 12/31/2008.

Rental Sales Agent Instructions At checkout

• In CPN, enter TUTA034
• In AWD, enter XXXXXXX
• Complete this information:
RA #: __________________________

Rental Location: __________________________

• Attach this coupon to tape

An extra 5 bucks from Avis is right around the corner.

We’re always in the neighborhood with great cars and valuable offers.
Now when you rent for a minimum of two days with a Saturday night stay over, you’ll save $5 off the total cost of the rental! Simply present this coupon at any participating Avis location. An advanced reservation is required.

Terms and Conditions: Coupon valid at participating Avis locations in the contiguous U.S. on an intermediate (group C) through a full-size four-door (group E) car. Dollars off applies to the time and mileage charges only on a minimum two-day weekend rental.

A Saturday night keep is required. Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) may apply and are extra. Optional products such as LDW ($28.99/day or less, except in Louisiana $49.99/day) and refueling are extra. 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. Weekend rental period begins Thursday, and
car must be returned by Monday 11:59 p.m. or higher rate may apply.

Offer subject to vehicle availability at the time of reservation and may not be available on some rates at some times.

For reservations made on avis.com, dollars off will be applied at time of rental. An advance reservation 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 12/31/2008.

Rental Sales Agent Instructions At checkout
• In CPN, enter MUTA055
• In AWD, enter XXXXXXX
• Complete this information:
RA #: __________________________
Rental Location: __________________________

• Attach this coupon to tape

Hotels

New Hyatt Regency Dallas to Open Next Month
The 342-room Hyatt Regency North Dallas/Richardson in Richardson’s telecom corridor will open in North Dallas in February.

Formerly the Richardson hotel, the property recently underwent an $8 million renovation and is getting another $6.4 million in enhancements before it opens. The 17-story hotel has state-of-the-art technology and sophisticated business and leisure facilities. It has 13,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, including the 7,800-square-foot Texas Ballroom. (Source: Hyatt press release)

Hotel Indigo in Brooklyn in 2010
One of the first Hotel Indigos in New York will is scheduled to open in Brooklyn in 2010.

The 164-room hotel, which will also have more than 15,000 square feet of retail space, will be n the Downtown Brooklyn area, which includes the New Fulton Mall and the Atlantic Yards projects, as well as a host of new construction and development in the residential, commercial and retail sectors. (Source: InterContinental Hotels press release).

Car Rental

Avis Launches Online Tools for Business Travelers
Avis Rent A Car has added a new function to its Where2 portable GPS navigation system.

Before picking up your rental car, you can go to myWhere2.com and save destination information found there, or anywhere else on the Web onto a memory card that can be transferred to the Where2 unit when you pick up their rental vehicle.

To use this, you must first download a plug-in available at Avis myWhere2 and create a bookmark to send addresses of places you want to visit to their personal SD card. Then you can use any Web site or tool to find an address or point of interest and save the addresses directly to your SD memory card, and then transfer that to your Where2 unit.

The Where2 site also features “Avis Quick City Guides.” (Source: Avis press release)

---

What 2008 Holds for Air Travel

Airline expert Terry Trippler has made his New Year’s predictions for air travel.

• There will be fewer fare increases, but airlines will reduce the number of seats they offer at lower fares, meaning you’ll pay more.
• A la carte ticketing will increase. That is, more airlines will charge for items such as soft drinks, checking bags, seat assignments and more.
• More airlines will offer special coach seating, a la Northwest Airlines’ and United Airlines’s Premium Plus, which give better seats and more choice, for more money.
• More airlines will experiment with in-flight internet service, for a fee.

(Source: Terry Trippler)

National Car Rental currently waives the $50.00 Emerald Club enrollment for Williamsburg Travel Clients.

The Emerald Club® is designed to make your car rental experience faster and more convenient. You can enjoy special privileges reserved for frequent renters every time you rent.

Bypass the counter - As an Emerald Club member, bypass the rental counter and go directly to the Emerald Club Aisle at more than 50 major airports in the U.S. and Canada.

Choose your own car - As an Emerald Club member, don’t waste time looking for your assigned car - just choose any car from the Emerald Club Aisle® and be on your way.

Speed up returns with an E-Receipt - As an Emerald Club member,
there’s no need to wait around for a piece of paper when you return your car. We’ll email you a detailed receipt.

Avis Rent A Car System, LLC today announced that it will bring portable Wi-Fi connectivity to the travel industry with the launch of its new Avis Connect service.

Avis Connect enables travelers to enjoy broadband wireless Internet connectivity at all times and places during their travel, from airports to meetings to hotels, and everything in between. The opportunity to have portable connectivity throughout their trip is expected to enhance the productivity and convenience of Avis renters’ travel.

The first Avis Connect units will be available starting today at San Francisco International Airport and will be offered in the coming weeks at Avis airport locations in San Jose, Oakland, Los Angeles and Newark, followed in the third quarter at airport locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York, San Diego and Seattle. The cost of the Avis Connect service is $10.95 per day.

Avis Connect was developed by Autonet Mobile exclusively for Avis. “The Avis Connect service allows multiple Wi-Fi enabled devices to connect to the Internet, giving business and leisure travelers unlimited access to data, music, games, chat and anything else they might like to access while they travel,” said Sterling Pratz, CEO of Autonet Mobile. “Avis Connect service is simple to use and does not require any software or technical expertise. Anyone who has a Wi-Fi enabled laptop or device can simply log on and surf.”

Avis customers that utilize Avis Connect service do not need cellular data cards or special software loads to connect to wireless Internet devices. Avis Connect is compatible with all Wi-Fi enabled devices, including laptops, Ultra-Mobile PC handhelds and PDAs.

“At Avis we continue to lead the industry in introducing products that make travel easier, smarter and more productive for both business and leisure travelers,” said Mike Caron, vice president of product and program development for Avis Budget Group, parent of Avis. “Today, travelers are increasingly considering Internet access to be an important aspect of travel. With Avis Connect we are providing an easy-to-use service to help executives and families stay connected. This is just one of the many technological innovations, like our electronic toll collection services, that Avis is proud to introduce to the industry.”
(provided by Avis.com)

Car Rental

The Avis Where2,
a GPS system with real-time traffic alerts, is now available nationwide. The roll-out includes over 130 major markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Houston. The system notifies drivers of upcoming traffic snarls, construction tie-ups and automatically suggests alternative routes. When available, it also provides information on weather delays.

Avis signed a deal with Autonet Mobile,
a technology company that has developed a portable WiFi device capable of connecting
to the Internet from remote locations. Avis said it would make the Internet devices, which can be used in most major cities, available to renters at a rate of $10.95 a day later this year.

Hotels

Candlewood Suites,
part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, is beginning its international expansion with locations in Montreal and Toronto. The international properties are part of more than 100 in the Americas pipeline, 50 of which are scheduled to open during 2007.

Those properties also include the first mid price extended stay property in New York. The growth plan positions Candlewood Suites to become the largest brand with-in the mid price extended-stay segment, according to the company.

The Grand Hyatt DFW Hotel
began a pilot project with the Transportation Security Administration, under which registered hotel guests can pass through a security checkpoint to reach the retail shops in the secure concourse of Terminal D, which is normally accessible only to ticketed passengers.

The experiment is expected to yield insights for the TSA and other airport, retail and hotel interests about making airport retail areas more accessible.

Homewood Suites, a Hilton brand,
plans to launch a tool that will enable loyalty club members to select their rooms online, in much the same way that airline passengers can select seats online. Homewood Suites said its Suite Selection program would be “the hotel industry’s first interactive room-selection tool.”

The tool will enable members of the Hilton HHonors program to view a floor plan and select a suite based on their preferences - higher or lower floor, near or far from an exit or elevator, etc. Users will also get a bird’s-eye view of the hotel so they can know in advance what direction their room will face and whether the view will be a parking lot, a highway or a park.

In addition, the program will show users landmarks and points of interest, such as nearby restaurants. If a room is not available, that will be immediately apparent, although guests can check availability again upon arrival.

The service, which will be made available in late March, will offer floor plans, photos and descriptions of every room type in the nearly 200 Homewood Suites properties in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Initially, Suite Selection will be available only to those HHonors members with the highest number of points.

Later, lower-level members will be given access, and be the end of the year all members will have access to the tool. At first, bookers will only be able to select their rooms 24 hours before arrival. Starting this summer, travelers will be able to express a preference for a specific room well in advance.

Within 24 hours before arrival, they will be able to revisit the selection and guarantee it. Hilton expects to extend Suite Selection to other brands in 2008.

Hotels

 

Hilton Launches eTravel Directory Hilton Hotels has launched of its new eTravel Directory of hotels, allowing travelers to see the most current information about the brand’s more than 500 hotels worldwide at the click of a button.

The Hilton eTravel Directory can be downloaded to travelers’ desktops in both Windows and Mac formats and is compatible with BlackBerry and most PDAs. It can also be printed from a PDF file allowing users to add handwritten notes. The online directory is updated daily. Icons indicate amenities such as restaurants, gyms, wireless access, meeting rooms and similar items. (Source:
Hilton press release).

Car Rental

Enterprise Opens in Puerto Rico Enterprise Rent-A-Car has entered the Puerto Rico market, where it is serving customers at neighborhood locations in Isla Verde and Bayamón. One of its locations is at the Ritz-Carlton San Juan Hotel, Spa & Casino on Isla Verde.

It will open a full-service, on-site office at Luis Muñoz Marin International in Carolina, Puerto Rico, in spring 2007. Until then, airport customers are being picked up and served at the Ritz-Carlton location. It also plans to expand with as many as eight additional branch offices throughout Puerto Rico for island-wide service in 2007. (Source: Enterprise)

Luggage

According to the Department of Transportation, complaints about lost, delayed and damaged luggage are at an all time high. In fact, figures released recently by the Department indicate that 2006 is on course to be the worst year for lost and mishandled baggage since 1991.

And, these high levels of lost and mishandled luggage scenarios will likely persist in 2007 because airline restrictions regarding carry-on items, in place now and for the foreseeable future, mean travelers will continue to check their luggage.

American Express recommends that travelers tag their baggage on the inside as well as the outside and take photos of their luggage to facilitate finding it if it’s lost. Shipping luggage such as sports equipment is another option, as are carrying spare clothing and essentials such as medicine in your carryon.
Finally, remember baggage insurance. their customers.

American Express, for example, provides a fee-free baggage insurance plan on many of its charge and credit Card products. (Source: American Express press release).

Avis Reportedly to Introduce WiFi
Autonet Mobile is reportedly going to supply Avis Rent-A-Car with WiFi hotspot technology for rental vehicles that will cost customers $10.95 a day to use. Avis has not yet officially announced the agreement but says it will issue a statement soon.

The technology is a portable router device that will retail for $399 plus $49 a month for those who buy it outright, Autonet Mobile said.

The company unveiled its system at the CES International 2007 conference in Las Vegas this week, calling it “the first always-on broadband Internet service for cars.

It plugs into a vehicle’s power supply and hooks up notebook computers and PDAs to high-speed Internet. Autonet’s WiFi is expected to work in all major cities and 95 percent of the rest of the United States, the company said.

It added that the service is meant for passengers to use, not drivers, unless they’re parked.

Hertz Expands PlatePass
Hertz has expanded PlatePass, an electronic toll payment system that allows renters to bypass back-ups at cash toll lanes, first introduced in the New York metropolitan area, Boston, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

The PlatePass program enables customers to utilize “E-Z Pass” lanes through rentals of E-Z Pass toll tags.

E-Z Pass is accepted on major toll roads throughout the Northeast corridor, from Virginia to Maine, including the Chesapeake Expressway in Virginia, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike; the New York State Thruway, all toll bridges and tunnels into Manhattan, the Massachusetts Turnpike, the Maine Turnpike and the Illinois Tollway.

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.

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.

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