Posts tagged with "Tim Hentschel"

Hotel Planner CEO illustration by Heather Skovlund for 360 Magazine

Disney Parks Reopening × Travel Trends

By: Tim Hentschel, Co-Founder and CEO of HotelPlanner

Headline:  Mickey Mouse Comes Out of His House…Kind of 

Since 1955, families from around the world have made a special pilgrimage to Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA. What began on 160 acres of orange groves is now one of the most famous and beloved destinations in the world. Prior to the pandemic, Disneyland hosted more than 18 million visitors a year who spent nearly $3 billion in the process, not including the revenue generated by restaurants, hotels and other local venues. However, for the past year and a half, Mickey’s doors in Anaheim have been shut. 

It’s a very welcoming sign from California that Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park partially reopened with limited capacity on April 30. Disney theme park re-openings have become a barometer of sorts for other venues to gauge whether it’s time for them to reopen. This is a positive step in the right direction to bring California’s tourism vitality back to full strength. 

Disney’s venture into post-pandemic life is taking a tiered approach. According to Disneyland, “as required by California directive, the Disneyland Resort is only welcoming in-state visitors in parties no larger than 3 households at this time.” There are no date targets set for inclusion of out-of-state visitors, meaning non-Californians won’t really be able to plan a Disneyland pilgrimage for some time. The Disney Grand Californian Hotel & Spa has begun its phased reopening. Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel plans to reopen on June 15 with reduced capacity, while the Disneyland Hotel has not yet announced reopening plans. The Downtown Disney District is partially open with select shopping and restaurants. 

Like so many places devasted by this pandemic, this “reopening” leaves many questioning whether it signifies a lasting bureaucratic micromanagement of consumer affairs, or a glimmer of hope that a return to normalcy may one day be attained. Under current conditions, local resident guests will be greeted with a two ID requirement for entry, one of which will include personal medical data on vaccine status. This “welcome” is yet another example of California’s top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to pandemic life, something which has alienated many residents from their beloved state. The Golden State recently lost Congressional House seats for the first time in modern history due to the last decade’s mass exodus of residents fleeing to other states that have fared better economically or handled the Covid crisis better. 

If your summer vacation plans included a visit to see Mickey in Disneyland, but you live outside California, then consider visiting Orlando’s Disneyworld which re-opened last July. It may be cheaper for you as well. On average, rooms in Anaheim will cost the average traveler approximately $23.00 more per night compared to Orlando, or $135 vs $112 a night. That said, both Anaheim and Orlando’s average nightly hotel room rate are both down about 20% compared to the same time last year.

For the more adventurous traveler, Disneyland Shanghai, which attracts about 12 million guests per year, has been open for normal operations since May 2020 (reservations are required). Disneyland Paris partially reopened in May 2021 with full reopening scheduled for June 17, 2021. These overseas parks serve as a stark contrast to Disney’s more cautious approach to reopening in the U.S. Even under one corporate governance, a company’s local response to a global pandemic can look very different.  

Family-Friendly Summer Vacation Ideas with a Warm Welcome

Fortunately, there are plenty of other equally fun options for your family this summer. If your children are begging to go on an adventure, and you don’t live in California, here is a sample of alternatives that are fully open:

  • Disney World:  In Orlando, Magic Kingdom Park was the most visited theme park in the world in 2019, with almost 21 million guests. The new VelociCoaster is scheduled to open this summer at nearby Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Avator Flight of Passage is an immersive, animal-focused experience. At Universal Studios, you can immerse yourself in some of the top films and television shows like Harry Potter and The Simpsons. At Hollywood Studios, Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge are very popular with children.
  • Dollywood: In the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, you can visit Dolly Parton’s theme park which has rides, music, and other family-friendly attractions. While you’re in the area, there is beautiful hiking and camping options, just watch out for bears.   
  • Busch Gardens:  With amusement parks in Tampa, FL and Williamsburg, VA, Busch Gardens has thrilling rides, animals, and a host of family-friendly activities. Visit the Tampa beaches, go fishing in the gulf, or visit Colonial Williamsburg too for a taste of history. 
  • Six Flags: There are 13 Six Flags theme parks across America with a universal season pass. If your family likes rollercoasters and thrill rides, visiting all 13 locations would be quite the bucket list adventure. Road trip anyone? 
  • Silver Dollar City: This 1880s nostalgic theme park in Missouri’s Ozark mountains has more than 40 rides and attractions, as well as live entertainment.

There are dozens of other theme parks across the country. These are just a few ideas. 

Plan Early, Book Early

Regardless of where you go this summer, we’re seeing a significant surge in hotel bookings right now across the board, from limited service to luxury accommodations. As we approach summer, we recommend booking accommodations as early as possible to ensure a lower rate, but the law of supply and demand is still in effect. 

Popular beach, lake and mountain towns and cities across the U.S. are charging higher rates. If beach front hotels are too expensive, stay in a nearby suburb within driving distance to the beach or hotels near the airport. Alternatively, big cities like Las Vegas or New York City may be cheaper as those cities are eager for tourist dollars. New York fully reopens for business on July 1 and full-capacity Broadway shows return on September 14. 

If you’re itching to jet set overseas, more than 75 countries are accepting vaccinated American tourists. Now may be the perfect time to take that bucket list trip overseas while prices remain low and availability high.

Health & Safety While Traveling

You and your families’ personal safety, health and wellness should always be top of mind when planning any form of travel, along with enhanced personal hygiene, avoiding large crowds and pandemic hot spots, and reviewing local health advisories and restrictions. Most airlines have invested heavily in the latest cabin air filtration systems and enhanced cleaning effort, so much so that air travel is an even safer form of public transformation. Plus, hotels, restaurants, and other venues are now cleaner than ever before to keep patrons safe. 

As vaccination rates increase, and states allow large venues to fully reopen, travel and tourism will take off like a rocket ship. And as public confidence in travel increases, the entire hospitality, travel and tourism industries stand to greatly benefit. Don’t wait to take your family on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. There is no time like the present. 

Passport illustration by Heather Skovlund for 360 Magazine

Tim Hentschel × HotelPlanner

By: HotelPlanner.com Co-Founder/CEO Tim Hentschel

We all welcomed the news of vaccine rollouts that started in January this year, but what does this specifically mean for the travel and hospitality industry? How do vaccine passports work? And are they ethical?

Experts agree that we will start to see real progress against the spread of Covid once 70 percent of a country’s population is vaccinated. We’re already hearing more optimistic sentiments from many governments, travel organizations and businesses as countries reach 30% to 50% vaccination levels. Still, the rate of vaccinations varies greatly per country, and this is causing daily changes to the do-not-fly list, which makes it extremely challenging to reliably plan international travel.

That said, there is great optimism in our industry. For example, the International Air Transport Association Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac was quoted in March that “personal and leisure travel will return from the 2H2021. ″

Tim Hentschel, CEO and co-founder of HotelPlanner, we are developing the tools to travel safely in Covid, with vaccines on a worldwide rollout, he discusses how this will affect tourism and hospitality locally and across the world.

Vaccine passports become essential

The European Commission has been the latest body to propose vaccine passports. While there are concerns about discrimination against the unvaccinated, an internationally recognized official certification for vaccinated travelers would help to lift quarantine restrictions and ease the processes of entering other countries.

In fact, Singapore Airlines began piloting a digital vaccine passport in December 2020 and has plans to integrate it into their mobile app by mid-2021.

During the pandemic, travel operators have acted quickly to label hotels that have complied with Covid-19 countermeasures and get the word out to their customers.

In the coming months, we expect operators to start implementing new measures based on vaccine passports that will be in line with government regulations. The simplest way is to have travelers include a vaccine certification as part of their personal details for bookings. These details could then be shared with partner airlines and hotels to facilitate a smoother, less restricted travel experience. 

Of note, it’s important to distinguish the vaccine passport initiatives individual countries or international bodies are pursuing versus what some private sector venues are piloting.  For example, the Biden Administration clarified recently that they would not be sponsoring or mandating a country-wide vaccine passport and that any related projects would be up to the private sector. Florida’s Governor also recently banned the use of vaccine passports in the state entirely, which could trend in other states. To date, New York is one of the few states that has piloted what they’re calling an Excelsior Pass to verify vaccine status before entering venues like Madison Square Garden or Barclays Center.

Green lanes and travel bubbles will revive suffering travel destinations in the short term 

Governments should speed up establishing green lanes or travel bubbles with ‘safe’ countries, where travelers are exempt from quarantine. These partnerships will be critical for bringing life back to economies that rely on service-based and labor-based industries.

Thailand, for instance, has seen an 83 percent drop in foreign tourists. This is a devastating blow that contributed to the Thai economy falling by 6.1 percent in 2020, its worst performance since the 1997 Asia financial crisis.

The Thai Hotels Association estimates at least a million workers have been laid off from its hospitality sector as hundreds of hotels have closed. Domestic tourism and the implementation of special tourist visas for long stays have done little to reverse the pandemic’s impact on the industry.

Thailand’s special tourist visa permits foreign visitors to stay up to 90 days, including 14 days of quarantine, with the option for two extensions. It has attracted only a fraction of the expected 1,200 monthly visitors since its launch in October 2020, likely due to the lengthy quarantine requirement.

India is now experiencing a huge spike in Covid infections, and the USA has added them to the list of over 100 countries that US citizens cannot fly to. As India is one of the US’s largest trading partners, this will hurt both countries with similar effect to the tourism devastation in Thailand.

As we look to the future, there is a golden opportunity for the USA and other developed nations of the world, which have successfully implemented vaccine rollouts, to continue to help countries that are still challenged. This will help the USA, EU, and UN reestablish themselves as global leaders. If all goes well, we could be celebrating a return to near normal by the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

COVID 19 by Symara Wilson for 360 Magazine, Covid Travel restriction

Coronavirus Mutations × U.S. Travel Restrictions

By: Emily Bunn

A breaking news article featured in The New York Times announced that the United States will be imposing a mandatory requirement for negative COVID-19 test results from all incoming, international travelers. The requirement for proof of a negative test in order to fly will begin Tuesday, January 25th.

The CDC has ordered for all travelers to provide proof of a negative test taken no more than 3 days before their travels. Without documentation of a negative test or documentation of recovery supplemented with a letter from a health care provider or public health official, passengers will be prohibited to fly.

The United States is not the only country to be putting in place tighter travel regulations. Due to new mutations of the virus, many countries are adopting stricter border protocol. The New York Times reports:

“Even as the United States moved to impose travel restrictions, citing the danger of the fast-moving variants, a case of the variant spreading in Brazil was identified in Minnesota.”

Variations of the virus in Brazil and South Africa, due to international travel, both pose the threat of COVID-19 mutating. If the virus does mutate, it is potential that the new strain of such will be unreactive to current vaccination efforts.

The New York Times reports that Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, an adviser to President Biden, has commented: “With the world travel that you have, and the degree of transmissibility efficiency, it’s not surprising.” Further, President Biden has broadcasted a ban on travel by all non-citizens into the United States from South Africa, the U.K., Ireland, and 26 other European countries.

An article published today on AP News reported that in attempts to increase vaccination efforts, President Biden announced that his administration is planning to purchase 100 million doses of each of the approved coronavirus vaccines–Pfizer and Moderna. Vaccination deliveries to states will be surged for the next three weeks. The Biden administration has announced that they plan to vaccinate 300 million citizens by the end of summer, as reported by The New York Times.

The President, in a White House briefing on January 26th, commented on importance of increasing vaccination supplies to help Americans:

“And to a nation waiting for action, let me be clearest on this point: Help is on the way.  We can do this if we come together, if we listen to the scientists.”

These efforts come at an especially critical time, as the global number of coronavirus cases has surpassed 100 million, reports The Wall Street Journal. However, that has been recent speculation regarding the accuracy of that number. In New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration has been accused of undercounting the amount of coronavirus deaths that occurred at nursing homes. A report released by Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York, shows that the coronavirus death count appears to have been cut by approximately 50 percent. The report compares the number of facility deaths publicized by the Department of Health–1,229 deaths, versus the number of facility deaths reported the Office of Attorney General–1,914 deaths. This staggering discrepancy between reported deaths has spurred suspicion against Cuomo, and the Office of Attorney General (OAG) is conducting an on-going investigation concerning the cause of these variances.

However, there is still hope. In Los Angeles, Governor Gavin Newsom rescinded the county’s stay-at-home order this past Monday, reports The Los Angeles Times. This new jurisdiction will allow for all counties in California to return to the four-tier, colored-coded system of assessing coronavirus risk. Lifting the imposed stay-at-home order could allow for the reopening of personal care services and outdoor dining. While LA has been particularly hard hit by coronavirus, the city actually has a higher vaccination rate than most other comparable cities in the U.S. The New York Times reports that “83 percent of the doses the city has received have been administered, compared with 74 percent in New York City; 52 percent in Bexar County, which includes San Antonio; and 58 percent of the doses ordered in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix.”

While the coronavirus situation is still being closely tracked and monitored, hospitalizations and the number of patients in ICUs have been steadily declining. With hospitalizations at their national lowest since December 13th and an increase in vaccination efforts, there is progress to be recognized, despite current setbacks and uncertainties.

Despite progress in vaccination efforts and decreasing corona virus cases, new virus mutations pose critical cause for concern. In countries across the Asia-Pacific region, a new, more infectious variant–the Delta variant–is causing stay-at-home orders to be again put into place. This new variant was first identified in India, and has quickly been spreading. As restrictions begin yet again, countries across the globe are grappling with the harrowing fate that the pandemic is far from over.

In some major Australian cities, such as Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Darwin, residents have been forced into strict lockdowns. Flights are even being banned due to the new threat, with Hong Kong barring British entry. Indefinite stay-at-home orders were extended by the Malaysian government on Monday. In Malaysia, the new variant is especially threatening, as only 6% of the country’s residents are fully vaccinated, reports the New York Times.

India has faced a devastating, major second wave of coronavirus due to the Delta Plus variant, a sub-lineage of the Delta variant. This past spring, the dangerous variant caused thousands of deaths per day, and forced residents into partial stay-at-home orders, yet again. Much like in Malaysia, in India only 5% of the population is fully vaccinated. In fear of a third wave of the virus, Maharashtra’s chief minister, Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, has authorized the use of a fourth vaccine in an attempt to increase vaccination supplies.

In good news, the Covid-19 vaccination is largely effective against the new Delta variant. However, this Delta variant is 50 percent more contagious than several of the other variants of concern, such as the Alpha variant.

As countries continue reopening, people look toward high vaccination rates to change the coronavirus game. In the U.S. and Britain, officials are planning to, or already have, lift most pandemic restrictions. White House secretary, Jen Psaki, recently announced that the United States would send two million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to Peru. Additionally, the U.S. looks to send 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Pakistan. A third shipment of 1.5 million Moderna vaccination doses will be sent to Honduras from the United States.

Looking ahead to this weekend, July 30-Aug 1, 2021, the return of  a major musical festival threatens a super-spreader event. The highly infectious variant of COVID-19 has again created a surge in the number of recent coronavirus cases. As festival fans migrate to Chicago for Lollapalooza – the first of which held since 2019 – the Windy City braces for the potentially devastating impact.

Fortunately, the festival is taking several precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. All attendees must be fully vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of event entry. However, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that not all guests will be honest about meeting these requirements.

The head of the BBB, Steve Bernas, warns of the potential for festival scammers who fabricate fake vaccine cards and negative test results. “We anticipate a double whammy this year not only the tickets but also the vaccine cards,” Bernas said in a statement. “The scammers will be out in full force.” He continues, cautioning ticket buyers to be on high-alert: “Just like finding tickets, there are countless ways for consumers to find vaccinations cards online, with online marketplaces, ticket sellers, resellers and the like…and unfortunately, some of them are rip-offs”

One of Chicago’s top coronavirus experts, Dr. Emily Landon, also weighed in on the weekend’s festivities. She argues that Lollapalooza’s 72-hour testing window is too lenient, and that the city is inviting in a massive spike of cases by holding the concert. NBC Chicago reports that Dr. Emily Landon commented, “Lolla has let us down with respect to how vigorously they’re restricting people based on the things that they sort of initially told us (about how) ‘we’re going to be really strict’ and now it’s like they’ve lightened up quite considerably on checking vaccines and negative tests.”

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady expressed concerns similar to Dr. Emily Landon’s. Recognizing the importance of getting vaccinated, she commented the following in a coronavirus update last week: “We want people to have a good time and we want this to be as safe as it can be…And so certainly we’ll be watching that just as we do any other gathering, but I am more concerned about the many people who have not chosen the COVID vaccine.”

Still, Chicago’s mayor and top doctor still haven’t wavered their support for the much-loved music festival. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot expressed her desire the event to occur as safely as possible, though she didn’t comment on the recent uptick in case numbers and coronavirus hospitalizations. NBC 5 Chicago reports on the current coronavirus statistics in the city:

“Chicago’s average daily number of new cases rose to 130 per day early Monday – a 76% jump compared to last week. The city’s average daily case rate was at 90 per day last week and 41 per day the week before that, meaning it’s more than tripled in roughly three weeks. However, it is still significantly lower than the more than 700 cases per day the city was seeing earlier this year and last, before vaccines were widely available.”

Additional safety measures, including mandatory mask-wearing on public transport, will also be enforced. The Chicago Transit Authority is offering reduced ticket rates this weekend for Lollapalooza travelers.

As Summer winds down, COVID-19 cases are beginning to rise yet again. Several virus variants, including the new Lambda variant, are causing major concern among Americans. In an attempt to quell concern, several cities have launched vaccine passport programs.

Across the United States, metropolitan hubs including New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans are requiring residents to show proof of vaccination before entering indoor spaces. That means that visiting gyms, concerts, restaurants, and more will require citizens to have both of their required vaccination shots. Vaccine passports are not being put in place to stop public gatherings, but are intended to creater safer enviroments outside of one’s home.

However, many Americans are opting to stay indoors yet again, thanks to new variant threats. The Lambda variant, which was first detected in Peru and is quckly spreading through South America, is causing concern among citizens. The New York Times reports that “On June 14, the World Health Organization designated it as a “variant of interest,” meaning, essentially, that experts suspect it could be more dangerous than the original strain.

However, it has been reported that the Lambda variant is likely not as contagious as other deadly virus mutuations, like the Delta variant. And fortunately, the Lambda variant is able to be combatted by the vaccines that have currently rolled out across the U.S. The New York Times records the climbing numbers of the Lambda variant, “As of mid-June, Lambda had been reported in 29 countries, territories or areas, according to a June 15 update from the W.H.O. The variant had been detected in 81 percent of coronavirus samples sequenced in Peru since April, and 31 percent of those in Chile to date, the agency said.” However, assessing the virus has been difficult due to Latin America’s limited ability to conduct geonomic surveillance and follow-up laboratory studies, reports the NYT. Scientists and medical professionals around the world are currently conducting research to better understand this new variant and its implications.

HotelPlanner’s Delta Variant Coverage:

America’s comeback is in jeopardy. The Delta variant is surging, prompting concerns that we need another lockdown. Travel executives are already huddling, discussing potential next steps to both protect guests and their businesses’ bottom lines. Americans were traveling in record numbers, and people are wondering if this could slow down the sector. How could the Delta variant, and other emerging variants, impact travel?

“We are watching the rapid uptick in Delta variant case infections closely, says Tim Hentschel, Co-Founder and CEO of HotelPlanner. “Although some families may choose to curtail their summer travel plans, we remain confident that the vast majority of Americans who were planning to travel this summer will keep their plans, while exercising more caution with crowds and destination selection. For those who are already vaccinated, the Delta variant shouldn’t be a deterrent to summer travel because they should be protected.”

ABOUT HOTELPLANNER

HotelPlanner is a leading travel technology company that combines proprietary artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, and a 24/7 global gig-based reservations and customer service network, to quickly and seamlessly serve all traveler hotel & accommodation needs from a single platform.

HotelPlanner is one of the world’s top providers of individual, group, and corporate travel bookings, specializing in unique “Closed User Group” discount rates.

Founded in 2004, HotelPlanner has enduring partnerships with the world’s largest Online Travel Agencies, well-known hotel chains, individual hotels, online wedding providers, ancillary lodging providers, corporations, sports franchises, universities, and government agencies.

1/3 TripAdvisor Reviews Are Fake

HotelPlanner.com CEO Tim Hentschel explains how the recent report claiming 1 in 3 TripAdvisor reviews are fake.

Despite the report of fake reviews, Hentschel still trusts in TripAdvisor. “Tripadvisor has always kept a Chinese wall between its review department and advertising department,” according to Hentschel.

Hentschel elaborates that “TripAdvisor’s high traffic numbers mean it has always been able to have an independent review department. The site’s advertising sales have always been independently strong like Google or Amazon.”

Additional Tim Hentschel talking points:

  • “This debate is very old in travel tech circles. Everybody has been trying to build the perfect machine to spot fake reviews, but nobody has gotten close yet.”
  • “There are sites that make you verify a purchase before you can post a review, but those can be tricked as well, especially by a hotel or restaurant generating fake receipts.”
  • “Up to a few years ago the general consensus in travel tech circles was overall rating is a good indication of the quality of the project, i.e. anyone can fake a few reviews, but if you have hundreds and thousands of reviews and they are mostly positive or mostly negative, then that is good sign of the overall quality of the product.”
  • “A large problem are sites that charge companies a monthly fee to keep up positive reviews. Yelp is facing multiple lawsuits for this practice.”

HotelPlanner.com, the largest group hotel booking site in the world, was called the “go-to site” for travel planners by The New York Times.