Planning A Family Trip To NYC?

If you're planning a family trip to New York City, and need help choosing the perfect hotel, be sure to check out my latest article which appeared on Virgin Altantic's vTravelled.com website. Follow the link to read it --> http://ping.fm/7SvkL

New York, New York Photo Montage

Seeing Broadway Shows Doesn't Have To Cost A Fortune

For the past few days, I have been in New York City taking photos and gathering information for an interactive New York City travel guide iPhone app which I am developing in conjunction with Bizmosis. The app is called BizTravel (for business travelers), and it'll be launched in early-2010.

Tonight, I went to see my good friend Diana DeGarmo star in the off-Broadway show The Toxic Avenger, and she was absolutely fantastic! This show was really funny and entertaining, albeit a bit quirky. If you're visiting NYC, I strongly recommend seeing this show, especially if you're traveling with teens, or you're a fan of the 1984 movie (which has become a cult classic).

If you look at the box office ticket prices for any off-Broadway or Broadway show, you might think that seeing a show as part of your NYC trip is simply too expensive. Well, this isn't the case at all! For starts, in the heart of Times Square is the TKTS Booth, which sells same-day show tickets at up to 50 percent off.

In addition, surrounding the TKTS Booth are people distributing discount coupons for individual Broadway and off-Broadway shows. Today, for example, there were at least a dozen of these people giving out coupons offering $25.00 tickets for various popular shows, including The Toxic Avenger.

There are a bunch of amazing shows currently playing on Broadway. While you probably won't find half-off tickets for the Broadway shows that sell out night after night, like Wicked, these shows have daily lotteries at their respective box offices, during which a limited number of $25.00 seats are offered to those who attend the seat lottery in-person.

To participate in the Wicked ticket lottery, for example, show up at the box office (Gershwin Theater, 222 West 51st Street) at least 2.5 hours prior to showtime and add your name to the list. Two hours before each performance, the lottery is held. There's a two ticket per winner limit, and you must be present for the actual lottery to purchase your $25.00 ticket(s) if you win. For more info about the Wicked ticket lottery, click here.

Instead of waiting in potentially long lines at the TKTS Booth, you can also go online, visit www.broadwaybox.com and/or www.playbill.com/club (if you're a member of Playbill's "club," and receive special codes which you can use at a theatre's box office to obtain a significant discount on New York-based show tickets (up to 50 percent).

Just some of the wonderful musicals currently on Broadway include: Billy Elliot, Bye Bye Birdie, Hair, In The Heights, Jersey Boys, Mama Mia!, Mary Poppins, Rock of Ages, Shrek The Musical, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, and Wicked.

I haven't seen Rock of Ages yet, but Constantine Maroulis, who, like Diana DeGarmo, I got to know from my involvement with American Idol a few years back, is getting a lot of positive notoriety for his amazing performance in this musical. I have seen first-hand how talented Constantine is, so I have no trouble believing he's absolutely amazing in this show.

Off-Broadway, in addition to The Toxic Avenger, I recommend Alter Boys, Blue Man Group, Stomp and The Fantastics. If you want guaranteed seats for any of these shows, you'll need to reserve them in advance and pay full-price. However, if you have some flexibility in your schedule or you want a bargain, check out which shows are offering same-day discounts at the TKTS Booth in the heart of Times Square. The selection is typically extensive (unless it's a holiday).

Oh, and speaking of American Idol contestants, Anthony Federov is about to once again star in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat for a limited time (October 10th - November 1st) in Seattle, Washington at the Fifth Avenue Theatre. Click here for a video promoting that show.

JetBlue Launches Service to Barbados

Despite the tough economy, great travel deals can be found by anyone who taps the Internet in search of money-saving offers, travel packages or other promotions.

For example, JetBlue is launching non-stop service between New York's JFK Airport and Barbados on October 1, 2009. As a special promotion, the airline is offering a $99.00 one-way airfare. Travel must be booked by June 17th, and take place between October 1st and November 14th, 2009. Additional conditions and restrictions apply. Call (800) JET-BLUE for details. To learn more about Barbados, visit www.visitbarbados.org.

Meanwhile, for golfers, The Boca Raton Resort and Boca Raton Beach Club, both of which are part of Hilton's luxurious Waldorf Astoria Collection of resort hotels, is offering a $100 golf or spa credit when a guest redeems their Hilton HHonors points in order to stay at one of these two resorts between now and December 31, 2009. For details, call (800) HONORS.

CLEAR Offers A Quick Way To Get Through Long Airport Security Lines

If you're fed up with those long lines at airport security checkpoints, for $199.00 per year, you can become a member of the CLEAR program, which will allow you to fly through these lines in under five (5) minutes. 

Sure, you'll still need to have your carry-on bags put through an X-ray machine, and you'll walk through a metal detector, but when you participate in the CLEAR program, you'll be entitled to utilize special lanes at security checkpoints (within participating airports), and your screening process will be quicker than passing through TSA security checkpoints, plus there will be no wait.

Currently, CLEAR is offered at 21 major U.S. airports, including LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports in New York. By the end of 2009, Steven Brill, the founder and CEO of Verified Identity Pass, Inc., the company which offers CLEAR, reports upwards of 40 airports will be participating in the program. Additional venues, including sports arenas and train stations, where security bottlenecks often occur, are also starting to participate in this program.

Brill also stated that the company has developed technology that will allow passengers to keep their shoes on when passing through airport security checkpoints. This technology will be introduced shortly, once it's approved by the TSA. 

After completing an online application, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. will verify each applicant's identity at a CLEAR kiosk, and then have their fingerprints and iris eye scan data encoded onto their personalized CLEAR membership card.

Brill explained that the application process takes just minutes, and the identity verification process is done within three to five business days. For frequent travelers who leave from or visit participating airports often, being a CLEAR member can save them up to an hour per trip waiting in long airport security checkpoint lines.

Unfortunately, members still often need to wait in line to check in at their airline's ticket counter and, if applicable, check their luggage. Yet, CLEAR members report that the time savings they do experience each time they use their card makes the annual membership fee well worth it.

The $199.00 annual membership fee applies to individual members, however, family and corporate discounts are available, as are discounts if you pre-pay for a multi-year membership.

If you're interested in becoming a CLEAR member, visit the CLEAR kiosk at any participating airport, call (866) 848-2415, or visit www.FlyClear.com.

Top Business-Friendly Hotels In New York City

Business travelers have very different needs than vacationers, honeymooners and other leisure travelers. Most people traveling for work want accommodations that offer comfort and luxury, as well as convenient amenities and services that will help them be more productive, get a good night sleep, and have a successful trip.

High-speed Internet access, a large in-room desk and work area, multiple electrical outlets located near the desk, duel line telephones, an in-room fax machine, 24-room service, and access to an executive lounge are among the amenities most in demand by business travelers. Other popular services among business travelers include a 24-hour concierge, an in-house business center, valet parking and a fitness center.

The key to a successful business trip is ample preparation. To help make a business traveler’s travel planning easier, Entrepreneur Press has launched a new series of city-specific, pocket-sized travel guides that offer everything from tips for saving money when book airfares, to detailed reviews of top business-friendly hotels, restaurants and attractions in major cities frequented by business travelers, including New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC and Orlando. Each edition is sold separately.


The recently published New York City edition of Entrepreneur Magazine’s The Business Traveler ($17.95) offers all of the information and resources business travelers need to plan and experience a successful work-related trip to Manhattan. Featured in the travel guide are detailed descriptions and reviews of the top 25 business-friendly hotels in the city, which include (in alphabetical order):

Four Seasons New York
Address: 57 East 57th Street, New York, NY
Reservations phone number: (800) 819-5053
Main phone number: (212) 758-5700
Web site: www.fourseasons.com/newyorkfs

Hilton New York
Address: 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY
Reservations phone number: (800) 445-8667
Main phone number: (212) 586-7000
Web site: www.newyork.Hilton.com

London NYC
Address: 151 West 54th Street, New York, NY
Reservations phone number: (877) 597-9696
Main phone number: (212) 307-5000
Web site: www.thelondonnyc.com

The Peninsula New York
Address: 700 5th Avenue, New York, NY
Reservations phone number: (866) 382-8388
Main phone number: (212) 956-2888
Web site: www.peninsula.com

The Regency – A Loews Hotel
Address: 540 Park Avenue, New York, NY
Reservations phone number: (800) 233-2356
Main phone number: (212) 759-4100
Web site: www.loewshotels.com

Unlike other major U.S. cities, virtually all of the hotels in Manhattan are expensive, yet the guestrooms are relatively small in size. Despite this, hotels within The Big Apple enjoy at least an 86 percent occupancy rate year round, so it’s important to make your reservations well in advance to insure you get the accommodations you want and need at an affordable price.

Business travelers should plan on spending at least $250.00 per night for a standard guestroom at a three-star hotel. At a luxury hotel, a standard guestroom will cost at least $400.00 to $700.00 per night. Unfortunately, the accommodations offered at many hotels rated lower than three-stars are sub-standard and not suitable for business travelers.

In addition to standard guestroom charges, be prepared to spend an extra $50.00 per night for parking, $19.95 per night for Internet access, plus any charges for incidentals (such as telephone calls, faxes, room-service, pay-per-view movies, or items taken from the guestroom’s mini bar). Experiencing a business trip in New York isn’t cheap, yet the city continues to be one of the most frequented destinations in the world amongst business travelers.

One way to save money on hotel accommodations is to make your reservations through a popular online travel-related websites, such as Travelocity.com, Hotwire.com or Kayak.com. While you could save up to 40 percent off regular rates, reservations made through these services must be pre-paid and are typically not cancelable or changeable. Hotels.com recently changed its policy and now allows for reservations to be changed or cancelled, but certain restrictions apply.

As you’re making your travel plans, keep in mind that most New York City hotels strictly adhere to a 3pm check-in time on the day of your arrival, and an 11:00am check out time on your day of departure. If you’ll need to check-in early or check out late, contact the hotel’s front desk in advance. Also, because Manhattan can be a noisy city (due to traffic and ongoing construction), consider requesting a room on a higher-level floor.

To save additional money, consider choosing a hotel that is situated close to where you’ll be conducting the majority of your business. If you’ll be attending an event at the Jacob Javits Convention Center (located at 655 West 34th Street), for example, any hotel located in the Times Square, Downtown or Central Park area offers easy access to the convention center via taxi. Around these areas, you’ll also find countless restaurants and attractions, so the need for costly taxi trips will be kept to a minimum. If you’ll be conducting your business in the Wall Street area, there are plenty of business-friendly hotels nearby.

For more information about business-friendly hotels in New York City, as well as reviews of top restaurants, shows, attractions and business-related services, pick up a copy of Entrepreneur Magazine’s The Business Traveler Guide to New York City. Reading the guide prior to your departure could easily save you hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars on your next business trip. The travel guide is currently available from bookstores nationwide, as well as from Amazon.com, BN.com and EntrepreneurPress.com.