Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

Treovi Opens: Just Book!

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A couple of weeks ago we announced hotels could load their inventory onto Treovi. Yesterday the Swiss startup announced having opened their beta doors to guests, inviting the world to not only search desired destination hotels, but to just plain “book!” This niche of travel booking entities is growing pretty fast, but Treovi thinks their model is the only truly free one.

Three Great Hotels That Could Use A Website

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One of the most crucial aspects of any online business is the landing page of the website. Nowhere is this more crucial than for any hospitality company, and in particular hoteliers. We have typed ourselves to bloody fingers, talked ourselves blue in the face, but still even wonderfully lavish hotels offer up hamburger to their prime rib consuming visitors.

Lifestyle Hotels & Other Booking Filters

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Are you looking for something or someone to filter your digital world? Argo Travel News takes a look at another travel accommodation filtering channel, Lifestyle Hotels, with mentions of a few others. If ever there were a need for good suggestion engines, the travel space is in dire need. How do you decide where to go, where to stay, what to do? Let’s look at regional players in travel booking.

Tuscany Suggestion: Hotel Castello di Casole

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For those of you headed to Tuscany this Summer, the 41-suite boutique Hotel Castello di Casole is one option that should not be overlooked. Located on a most picturesque 4,200-acre estate, the hotel offers not only a wellness center and superb regional cuisine, but incomparable vineyards and a wondrous game reserve too. Timbers Resort’s announced the grand […]

Wish They All Could Beat Eastern Europe Girls

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Today’s Argo discovery takes us to Facebook and a search for all things beautiful. In today’s case, models and actresses you may have, but probably did not know before. Legendary for many things, Eastern Europe is, if anything marvelous at all, home of some of the world’s most beautiful women. Let’s show off some of them from Facebook’s profiles, shall we?

Qatar Airlines Chief Vs Lufthansa Crybabies

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Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, looks like a straight shooter in an industry full of corporate “yes men” these days. Speaking at a Guild of Travel Management Companies’ (GTMC) conference, the five star airline’s boss called BS on Lufthansa and other European airlines. With many air carriers suffering during this current recession, name calling has broken out in earnest now.

The Curious Case of Room Key

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A news release yesterday via Business Wire tells of conglomerate hotel booking site Room Key’s coming out of Beta status. What’s curious about this news is not so much the fluffy nature of it, but claims of millions having flocked to the startup to book their hotel rooms. At least this is the feel of the announcement. A bit of one of those “non-event” specialties creative PR agencies excel at perhaps? What’s the real story?

Triposo Mechanized

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Triposo, the brainchild travel startup from ex-Googler’s Jon Tirsen and Douwe Osinga, just announced their new iOS app, the story arriving via TechCrunch. So, Argo Travel News decided to take a look under the hood of this fascinating new travel guide/suggestion engine.

California Fitness, Food, and Fun 2012

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Fitness spas, ranches, resorts, and getaways California, all the rage these days. How come? Well, Spring and Summer in California is pretty marvelous. Hotels and other venues there wait to help guests get fit, fed, and entertained, so Argo Travel News offers this slight preview.

Ukraine’s Kolesnikov Fixes UEFA PR Disaster

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Since UEFA president Michel Platini blasted hotel owners in Ukraine for alleged price gouging of fans intent on visiting for the 2012 Championships, officials there have been on something of a charming political rampage. Everything from guarantees of more rooms to cut rate airfares now garnish what should have always been a fair sports travel shake.

European Vacation Rentals: Room At the Top

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Key findings from PhoCusWright, presented by Tnooz, reveal the strength of Europe’s holiday rental segment. Despite the complexities of the European holiday rental market, the potential for revenue there is undeniable, PCW estimates the current in the report titled: PhoCusWright’s European Vacation Rental Marketplace: 2011-2013. €20 billion euro is one powerful incentive for studying rentals.

Monday Travel Deal Favorites

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Okay, so you’re headed to Europe, or at least thinking about it for the Summer. Argo Travel News came across a few deals that bear closer scrutiny for the traveler who’s plans are not completely filled out. From boutique hotels to full fledged luxury resorts, bad economic times can spell big time savings, as you’ll see below.

Tune Hotels Extends £9 London Room Sale

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Tune Hotels extends their winning £9 room sale for a fourth Tune London accomidation, Tune Kings Cross. This brings Tune Hotels’ properties in London to total 4. With the Olympics at the door, Tune Hotels may have ensured 100 percent occupancy with this move. If customers repeat, Tune Hotels just unleashed a dynamite marketing strategy.

Akrotiri, Window Into the Bronze Age, Reopens

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Seven years after the roof of Santorini’s Akrotiri archaeological site fell, killing a British tourist, the Bronze Age wonder has reopened to the public. This prehistoric town, called by many the “Pompeii of the Aegean”, was for centuries buried beneath tons of volcanic ash. On Wednesday, visitors were once again allowed in to see one of the world’s lost wonders.

Seebad Prora: One Hitler Vision Comes to Pass

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In a bit of nostalgia news from Germany, the Baltic Sea resort monstrosity, the Colossus of Prora, is slated to become a luxury German resort of some proportions soon. One of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s projects for the Thousand Year Reich, Prora was built in the 1930’s as a Nazi resort complex by the sea, but never actually used as such.

Places You Never Heard Of: Armenia’s Yerevan Flea Market

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Armenia is one of the least understood, and most fascinating places in the world. Today we want to bring you a little piece of culture from there, a place you undoubtedly never heard of, the Yerevan Flea Market. Called Vernissage from the French meaning “varnishing” (or an art preview), this world class flea market slash swap […]