Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

Kiev Rooms for Euro 2012 – A Costly Proposition

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In news from Ukraine and the upcoming 2012 European Championships, organizers are concerned with keeping down hospitality prices for the coming wave of travelers headed East. Along with integrating their efforts with those of sister venues in Poland, soccer fans being fleeced seems to be tops on the agenda of late. But is the concern already too late and too little?

5 East Europe Luxury Stays To Experience

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Though you may not realize it, Eastern Europe has some of the most exquisite hotel accomodations anywhere in the world. And, where relatively unsung excellence goes, the region has many small five star gems not many outside Europe have heard of. By way of revealing some of these, Argo Travel News presents; Marrol’s in Bratislava, Granary Suite Hotel in Wroclaw, Grand Hotel Toplice at Lake Bled, Villa Dubrovnik in Croatia, and Bulgarian ski resort Hotel Yastrebets.

Google Search: Concerts & Mind’s Eye Travel Boosts

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Google’s seemingly never ending list of improvements and refinements to search received the latest “tweak” with concert information in real time. Released yesterday with little or no fanfare, Google users can now see live concert and artist info including; dates, venues, and links to sites offering tickets. Tools for locals and tools for travel come to light in the last two days.

Hilton Engages Restaurateurs for Concepts

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News from Hilton Worldwide tells of the company’s plans to have under their brand some 500 new restaurants worldwide in the next three years. The launch of HiltonRestaurantConcepts.com is designed to integrate partner restaurants into the Hilton family, and vice-versa bolster Hilton’s value.

Roomkey: On the Verge of Success & Failure At Once

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Roomkey. If there were ever a more appropriate name for a hotel booking channel, a more symbolically significant potential for branding, that would have to be perfection. Roomkey.com actually does have that possibility. But, like all great ideas and initiatives, the big time hoteliers’ 3rd interjection of intelligent engagement, has it’s problems too. There’s room for lots of niche products in travel, but is Roomkey an escape hatch or a marketing channel? And if exit marketing is introduced, even niche traffic and conversions could be scared away.

Magnuson Hotels Adds Corallia Beach Hotel Cyprus

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Magnuson Hotels Group, the world’s largest independent hotel chain, has announced the rebranding of Corallia Beach Hotel in Cyprus. Located on the pristine Western coast of the Cyprus, the hotel looks out over Coral Beach and the bay beyond, a perfect setting for a memorable family getaway.

Good Food Ireland: What’s Cooking Is Great

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The food we discover and enjoy during our travels is one of the most memorable pleasures out there, yet somehow an often overlooked experience when the journey is related. During a recent research of Ireland hotels we discovered Good Food Ireland, an Irish food group arrayed across the emerald isle to deliver excellence and sustainability. Join us in discovering just how selected Ireland restaurants, cafes, food shops, and cookery schools have upped the food game there.

Selected London Hotel Images from Google Plus

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Reading the Google News ticker this morning we ran into some extraordinary images via hotel pages on G +, so we thought we would share. For the travel enthusiast, there is perhaps no imagery more effective than the views of and from a hotel. For the hotelier, imagery is certainly the Holy Grail of media. Let’s look at some extraordinary examples from random hotels.

Magnuson Hotels Extends to Southeast Asia

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An exclusive press release from Magnuson Hotels tells of their expansion into the Southeast Asia hospitality market. According to the news, the world’s largest independent hotel group adds the Grand Royal Panghegar Hotel in Bandung. A 450 room, four star hotel, the Grand Royal is situated in the center of Bandung, once referred to as “the Paris of Java.”

East Europe Cold Snap Won’t Let Up

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Rivers across Eastern Europe remain frozen as a record cold snap covers much of the continent. Reports that the Danube froze over, disrupting shipping and river traffic, reveal one of the most bitter Winter weather situations in modern history. Hundreds of deaths and literally thousands of cases of frostbite and hypothermia have also been reported.

Hotel Spotlight: Ireland’s Cliff House Hotel

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Doing our research as per usual, we ran across a fabulous hotel in Ireland, a dream getaway discovery we just had to share with you. The Cliff House Hotel, a five star revelation from out of the past, offers not only breathtaking sea views – but a taste of charm not many places hint of. Cascading gardens, terraces, and the salt air here mix inextricably with Irish hospitality.

Hotel Spotlight: W Hotel Barcelona

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Situated amid what once was fishing headquarters Barcelona, the W Hotel has been the subject of many a review. Regardless of the place’s regal or radical reputation, the locale and architecture of the hotel make it world class. For the best “out-of-the-way” beach side experience in town, W Barcelona is a bit of a wonder.

Who’s the Big Bad Wolf of Hotel Marketing?

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Just out, the Distribution Channel Analysis study via the American Hotel Lodging Association (AH&LA) and STR, has been released. The detailed study, supposedly aimed at helping “all” hoteliers better understand hotel room distribution, discusses distribution channel mix, among other salient hotel profitability instances. But, is the study really meant for all hoteliers, or just the fat cats?

Great Travel Websites of 2012 – Global Hotel Alliance

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A big part of our job as a travel news source is visiting and evaluating all the tourism & hospitality stuff there is out there on the web. For you readers, as travel enthusiasts or genuine globetrotters, the evaluation process is really the same. In effect, we just “short cut” or enhance the process for you. With this in mind, Argo Travel presents the best digital expriences in travel. This weeks showcased site is the Global Hotel Alliance portal.

Accor Hotels Rises and Falls with Europe for 2012

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Accor Hotels, the largest hotel player in Europe, has announced guarded optimism for business going forward into 2012. According to their assessment, demand for rooms in Europe looks stable, while concerns over debt burdened South Europe put a damper on expectations.

Big Hotels Launch Their Own OTA – Roomkey

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In travel technology news from yesterday Tnooz carried the announcement that six of the world’s largest hotel proprietors had launched a booking commune Roomkey. Choice Hotels International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels, InterContinental Hotels, Marriott International and Wyndham Hotel Group set sail on a joint venture which is piloted by Pegasus founder John Davis. Argophilia Travel News decided to take the new flagship for a ride.

Almost Unsung Travel Wonders: Adventure North Wales

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Let’s face it, no matter how much or often you surf the web searching for the best of the best, there’s always something really nice that escapes your attention. Researching the travel niche this morning we ran across a fascinating adventure tour business Adventure North Wales, via Twitter no less. Read on and learn a bit about Wales, and one company adventurous enough to cater to a lesser known niche.

Air Berlin: Trimmed Down & Refined for 2012

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2012 will no doubt be a challenging one for the airline industry. AMR going bust, and even budget carriers feeling the pinch in 2011, many will likely founder in the coming months. One carrier, Germany’s second biggest carrier Air Berlin, looks to be applying lessons hard learned early on in the year.