Google Tests Local Ads On Maps

Google Tests Local Ads On Maps

GOOGLE IS TESTING A NEW feature on its mapping service, Maps.Google.com, that allows advertisers to display locations with an icon and also embed an image in the store information bubble. "As part of our continuing effort to provide a positive advertising experience for users and advertisers, we are always exploring ways to improve the way we display ads," Google stated, adding: "We are currently conducting a limited test of ads on Google Local." The company declined to offer more specific details. Kelsey Group analyst Greg Sterling said these types of ads have potential far beyond simple display images. "The possibilities are great," he said. "You could plug e-commerce into this, you could plug video into this, chat, pay-per-call--you could do any number of things that would be really interesting on these modules on a map." Various bloggers, including search marketing blogger Shimon Sandler, noted the ads late last week. Sandler reported that the beta testing had been underway for about two weeks, and is accessible through the Google AdWords interface for advertisers on Google Local. Sterling said that the offering doesn't necessarily put Google ahead, as competitor Yahoo has a similar function on its Maps.Yahoo.com--but it would certainly make their mapping product more advertiser-friendly. "It makes the mapping product more interesting to advertisers and potentially to consumers, who are looking for brands or locations of chain stores," he said. "Even if you're a small business, you can just add a logo."

18 best-kept island secrets

Mysterious islands to discover and explore

George Osodi / AP file Children run on the beach as people look on at Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe, July, 18, 2005. The tranquil scene is one of many to be had in palm-fringed Sao Tome and Principe, a remote pair of volcanic islands smack dab on the equator whose attraction lies in what this undeveloped corner of the world lacks: No mass tourism. No traffic. No terrorism.

By Staff

Updated: 3:44 p.m. ET March 17, 2006

ISLANDS magazine searched the seven seas and found that while it may be a small world, the globe is definitely a big place, full of surprising and mysterious islands to discover and explore.

How many palm trees are there in the world with nary a soul relaxing under them? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Millions? We traveled to 20 hidden spots on the globe — from Caribbean and European seas to the Pacific and Indian oceans — and we dutifully noted places palms stand alone. We'll tell you where you can still find a beach to yourself and an authentic island experience. (By the way, we also had the common sense to keep some secrets to ourselves.)

CARIBBEAN SEA

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1. LITTLE CORN ISLAND
Just 45 miles off the eastern shore of Nicaragua is drumstick-shaped Little Corn Island, population 800. How has it remained unspoiled for so long? Sure, there are stretches of empty Caribbean beach, $5 lobster dinners that are de rigueur, hammocks that sway gently in the trades beneath palms and enviable tarpon and bonefishing. But to get here you have to be adventurous, taking the half-hour trip from Big Corn Island in an open boat. Then there's the lack of paved roads and night life — well, except for Happy Hut, a dirt-floor reggae bar. Well, no wonder it has remained a secret. Can you even imagine spending your days trying to brush the white powdery sand out of your skin's creases, or hours eating home-cooked Italian meals at Farm Peace and Love, or nights in colorful cabanas where the only sound to lull you to sleep is tree frogs and surf? Nah. It would be maddening. But Casa Iguana will hold one of its colorful, simple stilted cabanas for you if you dare. www.casaiguana.net.

2. PROVIDENCIA
Although it is closer to the coast of Nicaragua, the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina belongs to Colombia, whose Caribbean coast lies 480 miles southeast. San Andrés is the largest of the three islands and gets the most attention from tourists. But 56 miles north of the big island is Providencia, a secret hot spot that has become the favored escape for Colombian cognoscenti. You'll get your taste of the traditional Caribbean here: beaches, seafood and locals who are of European and African descent. The English Puritans set up shop here in the 1600s, using Providencia to raid the Spanish during the colonial period and as a base for selling tobacco and hides to Dutch traders. The islands also were prime pirating ground. Providencia has one of the Americas' largest coral reefs, which has recently been designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. On Providencia, stroll down the romantically named Lover's Lane, a wooden bridge that connects the island to Santa Catalina and its 300 inhabitants. On this tiny island is the pirate Henry Morgan's fort, where you can see the famous brigand's cannons. www.san-andres.com

3. MONA ISLAND
Forty-two miles off the west coast of Puerto Rico, Mona Island offers intrepid travelers as many bragging rights as those more-distant island getaways. You won't find any high-end resorts on this flat, rocky island unless you bring your own yacht — or consider a North Face four-man tent an escapist's luxury. The payoff here is an authentic, pristine Caribbean island two hours from Miami. Pull a telescope out at night and go constellation crazy when the sky darkens thick and heavy over your head, pregnant with stars you probably didn't even know existed. As the sun rises, grab your snorkeling gear, because this is where Mona Island will ignite your inner explorer. One quick glance through the looking-glass surface will reveal a seascape rich with thickets of black coral trees and massive sponges that provide shelter to more than 270 species of marine life. Oceans Unlimited provides camping excursions to Mona Island. www.oceans-unlimited.com.

EUROPE'S OCEANS

4. GIGLIO
This island, off the west coast of Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea, has been owned by the town of Perugia, the town of Pisa and even the famous Medici family of Florence. It has been inhabited since the Stone Age, was attacked by both the Saracens and the dread pirate Barbarossa and used as a military outpost by everyone from the Etruscans to the Romans to the Abbey of Fontane. But it was under the rule of Pisa in the 13th century that the magnificent medieval walled town of Giglio Castello was built. Meander this world of romantically narrow streets, archways, ramparts, external stairs, holy relics and hidden piazzas. Sample the lovely local amber wine and hike through the hills to do some bird-watching. Trek to Giglio Porto, which overlooks a bay renowned for its clear waters. For a small place (even most Italians haven't heard of it) with such a lengthy history of habitation, it's surprising that about 90 percent of the island still remains relatively unspoiled and bucolic. Giglio is that rare treasure of an island that has remained hidden in plain sight. www.isoladelgiglio.it

5. ISLE OF ARRAN
Standing on the rocky cliffs that form the coastline of the Isle of Arran, it's easy to see why the island's slogan is "Scotland in Miniature." The island, a one-hour ferry ride from Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland, lets you enjoy all of what Scotland has to offer — desolate heaths, Celtic hills, castles and the taste of local scotch — within a smaller space. Wander the vast halls and misty gardens of Brodick Castle, at the foot of Goatfell Mountain. Dating back to the 16th century, the castle now houses artwork and sculpture collected by the various dukes and duchesses who lived in the red sandstone edifice. Tour the mystical Machrie Moor, where you will see several stone circles, and standing stones that are over 18 feet tall. While no one knows their true purpose, the stones are tied to myths of giants roaming the land. Who else would be capable of erecting such monuments? Before nightfall, warm yourself up at the Isle of Arran Distillers; the single-malt made there is a perfect precursor to a dinner of wild salmon, for which the island is known. www.visitscotland.com. More about Scotland on ISLANDS.com.

6. SAO TOME & PRINCIPE
Word about São Tomé & Principe, a two-island nation that sits 150 miles off Equatorial Guinea on the western coast of Africa, is rippling through the islands travel world like a wild banshee. It's safe, lushly exotic, exquisitely tropical and almost completely undiscovered. Plus, just being able to say you've been there or know about it gives you some major bragging rights. Sure that's some high-handed hyperbole, but these islands on the equator have everything adventurous travelers could dream of: stream-riddled and mist-shrouded jungles crowded with more than 700 species of plants, including one-of-a-kind orchids and begonias the size of beach balls; 15 species of birds found only on these islands (including the São Tomé grosbeak, which is seen about once every 100 years); and diving and snorkeling in waters that are virtually unexplored. São Tomé is also ringed with apathy-inducing beaches, which you will likely have all to yourself. www.sao-tome.com.

7. ILE DE RE
There are secrets, and then there are secrets. Île de Ré qualifies as the latter — it's been witness to the full history of France's human occupation. But when savvy Parisians need to escape, Île de Ré is where they go. This enchanting island off La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast of France is rife with history — forts, castles, haunted lighthouses, crumbling abbeys. Here beach life predominates, and the daily pace moves with the measured tempo of an ambling bicycle along more than 60 miles of bike paths. Cruise through captivating towns such as Rivedoux-Plage, La Flotte and Saint-Martin-de-Ré, all built around fishing harbors with postcard-perfect 16th- and 17th-century fortifications that once kept pirates and the English at bay. Browse markets teeming with flowers, fruit, oysters, vin from local vineyards and pineau, a regional specialty similar to sherry. At night, Île de Ré becomes France's music island, as almost every experience involves sensual, folksy, historic and/or modern beats. www.iledere.com.

PACIFIC OCEAN

8. SOLOMON ISLANDS
Scattered across 500,000 square miles of aquamarine Pacific Ocean are the  922 islands known as the Solomons. This is a mystical land of mist-enshrouded rainforest, volcanoes, World War II shipwrecks and skull shrines (the Solomons were infamous headhunting grounds in the 19th century). The islands are riven with waterfalls, and the saltwater lagoon, Marovo, was described by James Michener as the eighth wonder of the world. The Western Province of the Solomons, where Marovo Lagoon, New Georgia, Ghizo and many other islands and atolls are located, is the most-visited area. Keep the numbers in perspective, though: The entire island chain only gets 4,000 visitors per year. Don't miss Skull Island, where you can see a shrine adorned with shell money and the skulls of warriors and chiefs. Also nearby is volcanic Simbo Island, where the megapode bird incubates its eggs in the heat of volcanic sands. Go for a walk in the bush, take a look at woodcrafts such as nguzunguzu (a carving placed on the hull of a war canoe), and be sure to go underwater.  www.visitsolomons.com.sb. More about the Solomon Islands on ISLANDS.com.

9. NIUE
"Behold the coconut!" is what one of the original Tongan, Samoan or Cook Island settlers supposedly exclaimed upon seeing Niue, giving the island its name (niue means the aforementioned phrase). They were surprised that a rocky island roughly 1,500 miles northeast of New Zealand, with cliffs rising 60 feet straight from the sea, could support coconut palms — and thus habitation. Today we proclaim, "Behold Niue!" This is where, in fall, visiting whales outnumber visiting humans. A quarter of the island is covered in virgin rainforest, and caves and coves gnaw the coastline, all waiting to be explored (until the mid-1800s the islanders lived in these caves). Although there are roughly only 2,000 residents, you'll find many are well-versed naturalists who will guide you through the mysteries of the rainforest, take you on reef walks and show you the most stunning underwater cave system in the South Pacific. Come to Niue during one of its 14 annual village days and watch the women weave baskets, and then nibble on delicacies cooked in an earth oven called an umu. www.niueisland.com.

10. POHNPEI
One of the world's greatest mysteries awaits on Pohnpei, the largest island in the wide Pacific sweep of the Federated States of Micronesia. The ancient ruins of Nan Madol, massive structures made of stacked basalt "logs" surrounded by manmade channels, have often been called the Venice of the Pacific. Nan Madol once had a thriving civilization, though no one knows when it was built or when its inhabitants left. Exploring Pohnpei, a lush island covered with waterfalls and rainforests, one is hard-pressed to explain why anyone would want to leave this idyllic place. Trek to Mount Nahna Laud, the island's highest point at 2,600 feet, and you'll be treated to a view of the coral reef that surrounds the almost perfectly circular island as well as dozens of rivers and waterfalls. The green foliage, flowers and such striking scenes as Kepirohi, Sawarlap and Liduduhniap falls are breathtaking. But to get to the core of the culture and its legends, you should accept the invitation of the friendly locals and join them around the ceremonial sakau bowl, an experience unique to Pohnpei. A few cups of this tingly brew and you may be well on your way to discovering the secrets of this island of mystery. www.visit-fsm.org/pohnpei .

11. AMAMI
For a place that even most Japanese people aren't familiar with, Amami Island, about 170 miles south of Japan, packs a punch on the cultural and natural aspects of island adventures. Most of the world doesn't know much about the southern Japanese islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago (which includes Amami), stretching from Kyushu to Okinawa. Because of Amami's relative isolation, the traditional culture of living harmoniously with nature emanates from all aspects of life on this island where Japan and Polynesia meet. Amami's hills are covered in subtropical forests, and its endemic potpourri has earned the island the nickname "Japanese Galapagos." Its coral reefs are on the World Wildlife Fund's Global 200 eco-regions list; there's a mysterious and primitive rabbit that exists only on Amami and is classified in Japan as a "national monument"; and there are rare endemic thrushes, colorful Ryukyu robins, Lidth's jays, Amami woodpeckers and Ryukyu scops owls. Of course, people live here, too, and Amami is world-famous for its kimonos made of pongee silk. Travelers can see them during summer festival-season parades and watch silk artisans practice doro-zome dyeing, a process done primarily on Amami. Plan your trip around the plethora of festivals and traditional dances that rule the island's social calendar. The pageantry and rituals of the Harvest and Yonshi Dance and Yagoro-don effigy festival are rarely seen outside these islands. www.jnto.go.jp.

12. RURUTU
Hidden away in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia, about 340 miles south of Tahiti, Rurutu preserves a Polynesia tradition that has all but vanished elsewhere in this island nation. Every year during the Tere ritual, the entire population makes a pilgrimage around the 34-square-mile island, stopping at many of the historical marae, or sacred sites (the best-preserved exist at Pareopi and Vitaria). Go there in July when, during the Tahitian Heiva holiday festival, the inhabitants of Rurutu compete in the ancient sport of stone lifting. It's like watching a local strongman competition with theme music. Should you come any time from August through October, watch the humpback whales that migrate to these electric-blue waters to give birth to their young, or better yet, snorkel with them. Typically, the mother will rest on the seafloor while the curious calves frequently rise to the surface to breathe. If you've never experienced the majesty of a whale in the water, hearing its whale song pass through your body is a breathtaking and life-changing moment. Like Rurutu itself, the memory of the experience will be unforgettable. www.tahiti-tourisme.com.

13. LOYALTY ISLANDS
New Caledonia may already be known to South Seas aficionados. It has the largest lagoon in the world and a cosmopolitan capital, Noumea, often called the "Paris of the South Pacific." Its real secrets, however, are 60 miles off the mainland's east coast. The Loyalty Islands of Lifou, Maré and Ouvea are studded with limestone caves and emerald waters and have an intact Melanesian culture. On the capital of Lifou, visit Joking Cliffs, home to a Kanak tribe. On Ouvea, head to the west coast to stroll its uninterrupted 14 miles of beach, see its endemic parakeets and cross the bridge to the paradise of Mouli Island. On Maré, which is divided into 29 tribal villages, attend the festival of the avocado and visit one of the largest underwater lakes in the world. Stay in a gite, accommodations that range from grass huts to bungalows and are hosted by Melanesian families. www.newcaledoniatourism-south.com. More about New Caledonia on ISLANDS.com.

14. KIRIBATI
Not only is the island nation of Kiribati (pronounced Ki-ri-bas) a secret South Pacific gem north of Fiji, but it's also a place that keeps its secrets well. Almost too well. The three island groups of Kiribati — Phoenix, Line and Gilbert Islands — are swirled in a thick broth of legend and mystery. Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Phoenix Islands, and all kinds of weird anomalies exist throughout the area, especially off the small island of Nikumaroro. At night here, unexplained lights dance and weave through the palm thickets, even though no one has lived on the island for decades. If you come ashore on Nikumaroro you need to "wash" your face with sand to disguise your appearance from the mercurial island spirits. No one is allowed on the island at night. The last person to spend the night there, an Earhart researcher stranded by bad weather, allegedly refused to speak about what happened to him in the dark, alone on the island. But every island in this nation is not an Outer Limits episode in the making. Spread over 313 square miles of ocean, Kiribati, which straddles the equator, includes such enchanting islands as Christmas, Millennium, Tarawa (with its many World War II artifacts) and perhaps the most pristine island in the Pacific, Palmyra, which is now wholly owned by the Nature Conservancy. www.trussel.com/f_kir.htm.

INDIAN OCEAN

15. COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS
About 2,000 miles off the west coast of Australia, the virtually unknown Cocos (Keeling) Islands are the perfect archetype for paradise ruled by the hammock, palm, sand and sea. The closest neighbor, Christmas Island, is nearly 650 miles distant. As a result of this isolation, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands have become a waypost for just about everything that travels great distances under, on or over the ocean. The travelers who usually make this pilgrimage have one of three things in mind: birding, scuba diving and total island relaxation. The numerous red-footed boobies, terns, noddies, herons and frigates were probably the original inhabitants. In 1826 the first settlers arrived, and Home Island and West Island are now where the majority of the local populace of 800 lives. Water-minded explorers quickly find their way to the underwater haven of Direction Island to experience the world-renowned Rip, a site that swells with gray and whitetip reef sharks, giant manta rays, dolphins and fearless Napoleon wrasse. www.cocos-trourism.cc..

16. LAKSHADWEEP
Lakshadweep, which means "thousand islands," is an archipelago of 12 coral atolls and 10 inhabited and 17 uninhabited islands spread across 8,000 miles of crystalline Indian Ocean. With a history steeped in oceanic isolation, the people developed unique social quirks that frequently occur on remote island outposts. Women on some islands inherit ancestral land, and husbands are obliged to make yearly "upkeep" payments to their wives. If they fail to do so, the wife can demand a divorce. On the island of Minicoy, the husband takes the wife's family name and the wife rules the family.  Lakshadweep's greatest appeal, though, centers on the pale blue waters of the lagoon, the reef, the soft, creamy beaches, the utter friendliness of the people and its total lack of tourism pretense. www.lakshadweep.nic.in

17. MAFIA ISLAND
While travelers often make plans to visit Zanzibar, many miss seductive Mafia Island, located in an archipelago made up of nine islands 100 miles to the south. It's an African safari with hippos, ibises, antelopes and hawksbill and green turtles, with half the coastline — some 511 miles — designated a Tanzanian marine park. Its approximately 40,000 people, mostly Muslims, fish the waters and farm cassava, pigeon peas and papaw. They commute by jahazis (dhows) to points on the mainland and also to nearby islands such as Jibondo and Chole. How Mafia got its name is a secret (but it may be derived from the Arabic word morfiyeh, which means "archipelago"). Kinasi Lodge arranges island excursions. Drive into African villages like Kirongwe, famous for its clay pots, and Jimbo, famous for its ukili mats. On Chole are old Arabic buildings once used as a German prison in World War I. On Jibondo, famous for its boatbuilding, is a shipyard as well as octopus fisheries. www.mafiaisland.com. More about Zanzibar on ISLANDS.com.

18. TIWI ISLANDS
In the far north of Australia, about 45 miles off the coast of the city of Darwin, the Tiwi Islands of Bathurst and Melville are steeped in aboriginal history, spirituality and traditional culture. In fact, the islands are a last enclave of Australia's Aboriginal community. Tiwi traditions are completely oral, and the people live off the land much as they have since the Aboriginal beginning of time, called "The Dreaming," when the Tiwis' world came to be. Most travelers visit these islands on day trips from Darwin, but there are a couple of wilderness lodges on Melville. The islands are world-famous for their expressive dot and line art, totem-like Pukumani burial poles and some of the most picturesque waterfalls — Pickertaramoor and Taracumbie Falls on Melville, and Tumwarripi Falls on Bathurst — in all of Australia. The Tiwi language is unique and has no written form. One part of modern life that the Tiwi people have embraced, though, is "footie" (what we call rugby), and this small island enclave produces some of Australia's top players. www.australia.com More about Australia on ISLANDS.com.

 

More Travel on MSNBC.com

MSNBC Travel Cover

 

Each issue of ISLANDS Magazine explores the most beautiful island destinations in the world, from tropical island outposts to the sophisticated gems of the Mediterranean. Our top-rate photographers and writers discover the quiet beaches, boutique hotels, and unique cultural experiences that make island travel unique.

Tripadvisor sees trend shift favoring classic popular destinations

Sixty-two percent of travelers intend to visit Europe in 2006 and Italy is the top European destination, according to a recent TripAdvisor survey of more than 1,800 travelers worldwide.

While Eastern Europe was the preferred European region last year according to a May 2005 TripAdvisor survey, it seems the tides have turned. Seventy percent of respondents said they would rather travel to Western Europe this year, if money were not a factor. Forty-four percent cited spring as the best season to go.

When asked if they could choose just one Western European city to visit in 2006, Rome was the most popular destination among travelers, with sister Italian city Venice placing second. Prague was the top choice among Eastern European destinations.

Perhaps the popularity of the Italian cities can be attributed to the local fare. Italy was overwhelmingly the top choice (54 percent) for best cuisine. Rome finished first among European cities for having the most attractive locals.

Dublin is the city with the friendliest and most helpful locals, according to survey respondents. Americans gave London the edge for most affable citizens.

"We are seeing a trend shift with travelers now favoring classic popular destinations such as Rome, Venice, Paris and London, while Eastern Europe was all the rage in 2005," said Michele Perry, director of communications for TripAdvisor. "With all of the incredible variety Europe has to offer, it was surprising that the top two cities according to travelers are both in Italy."

Top 10 Hotels in Italy Based on the TripAdvisor(TM) Popularity Index:

- Hotel Davanzati, Florence, Tuscany
- Residenza Il Villino, Florence, Tuscany
- Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo, Venice, Veneto
- Residenza Cellini, Rome, Lazio
- Hotel Antiche Figure, Venice, Veneto
- La Villa Hotel, Asti, Piedmont
- JK Place Hotel, Florence, Tuscany
- Furore Inn Resort, Salerno, Amalfi Coast, Campania
- Foscari Palace, Venice, Veneto
- Palazzo del Selvadego, Venice, Veneto

What a Walk!!

Irishman Stephen "Walker" Malone is launching his 26,000 mile / 40,000 kilometer charity hike on April 1, 2006 (I'm told it's no April Fool's joke). The World Wide Walk for AIDS orphans begins from "San Martin", Millicent Road within the village of Clane, Co. Kildare, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Dublin.

The goal is to raise funds for Aids Orphans. The travel plan is roughly: Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain and France. Then Asia, Oceania, and the Americas.

Of course, there are a few ships involved. For example, the first day's walking will take Stephen "Walker" Malone to the ferry terminal at Dublin Port. Then he takes a ferry from Dublin Port across the Irish Sea to Holyhead in Wales.

Industry Watch: Rooms With a View

by Erin F. Sternthal, March 2006 issue , MediaPost

WHILE THE LODGING INDUSTRY IS charged with putting heads in beds, the new reality, according to hotel chains, is that to stay ahead of the competition they must offer more than just another square box. Long gone are the days when customers were satisfied with a hotel that offered a clean room, a restaurant, and maybe even a swimming pool. Today's savvy travelers expect higher levels of service, stylish design, wireless connectivity, and a place to sleep that is as comfortable as their own home, if not more so. The wake-up call for the industry may have been the launch of Starwood Hotels & Resorts' signature Westin Heavenly Bed in 1999, which prompted hotel chains to focus on the guest sleep experience. Thus began the "bed wars," with major brands swapping out tired bedspreads and mattresses with customized bedding ensembles promising a restful night's sleep. The bed overhaul also spilled over into the bath experience and ultimately the entire room, with chains redesigning spaces to include more luxurious and high-tech touches, particularly WiFi and high-speed Internet service, video game consoles, and CD stereo systems. The Web has become a relatively new means of touting these upgrades. For example, Hilton Hotels typically hasn't used online media as a primary marketing vehicle. Yet Hilton executives say that as more consumers research and book travel online, this channel has become increasingly more important. Research proves it. "PhocusWright's Online Travel Overview" estimates that sales from leisure and unmanaged business travel sites last year totaled nearly $65 billion, with 30 percent of all U.S. travel sales booked online. By 2007, that number is expected to jump to $93.6 billion, or approximately 40 percent of the market. GOING PLACES It's no surprise, then, that hotel companies are embracing the Web to capture more customers. Hilton's $1 billion "re-ignition" campaign, which launched in January, features emotionally driven print, TV, and online advertising components using the tagline "Travel Should Take You Places." "We heard that travel is no longer positive, that people lost those wonderful feelings of what travel should do," says Abby Spatz, senior director, Hilton brand marketing and advertising. So with the help of Y&R Advertising, the 87-year-old hotel chain launched a campaign tying together music and animation to forge an emotional connection with customers while promoting improvements to physical properties. With a Flash-enabled microsite (www.hiltonjourneys.com), Hilton uses dancing characters to feature the "Entertain" section of the site, a woman floating through the skies in its "Pamper" link, and a businessman on the run to illustrate "Empower." "Travel should awaken mind, spirit, and senses," adds Kirk Thompson, vice president, Hilton brand marketing. "Flash is an integral part of our site because sight, sound, and motion are the best ways for people to interact with us, as opposed to clicking and reading." The site uses a single line to underline the catchphrase, "Travel Is More Than Just A to B." In addition to videos, Hilton Journeys also allows viewers to interpret travel in their own way by drawing a postcard and e-mailing it to a friend. "We wanted the campaign to use a medium that people most actively use to shop for and understand travel," says Thompson. "While we wanted to ensure that the campaign signals the re-ignition of the brand, we also wanted the same transformation to occur in online connections." Marriott International was thinking along similar lines when it hired T3 Labs to develop an interactive Web site (www.ExperienceMarriott.com) showcasing its "guest room of the future." Using video and cutting-edge Flash technology, the microsite takes visitors through the new room, opening closet doors, turning down beds, turning on showers, and adjusting ergonomic desk chairs. "It's a virtual tour of the bed, the technology, and things users are most interested in," says Amy McPherson, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Marriott International. She adds that Marriott took home the 2005 Gold Adrian award for technology innovation on the site. "We will continue to leverage Marriott.com," McPherson says. "It's a great distribution channel, but it's also a huge marketing engine. Through search engine optimization, we're creating links with the Amazon.coms, so we're getting a lot of people we haven't seen before coming into the site from a lot of different channels." The $5 billion investment in Marriott's new look will span the next five years as owners and franchisees convert their hotels. To inspire and educate the traveling public, Marriott also hit the streets of New York's Times Square in September with the mSpot -- a four-day extravaganza with free concerts and morning workouts led by Marriott fitness instructors. A print ad campaign for the Revive bedding collection followed, showing an energized guest soaring over a crisp white bed. The campaign received the Innovation and Impact award at the JCDecaux Second Annual Airport Advertising Upfront. SMART STREAMING Interactive experiences are also part of Holiday Inn Express' Simply Smart shower program, featured on its Web site (www.hiexpress.com). The site, which receives approximately 20,000 hits per day, showcases the company's $20 million bathroom makeover with an online tour. A voice prompts visitors to click on one of four different bubbles to view the curved shower rods and new curtains, extra-fluffy cotton towels, bath amenities, and the Stay Smart showerhead by Kohler. Holiday Inn Express also linked its TV ads to the site and created a retail section for consumers to purchase the bathroom products. "We have seen enormous success behind the marketing of the Simply Smart shower launch, in which the interactive experience played a key role," says Verchele Mills, vice president of brand management for Holiday Inn Express. "It allowed the brand to truly highlight unique features and benefits of our experience in a way that it couldn't have via any other medium." The interactive experience, she says, receives nearly 10,000 unique visitors per month. As customers become more comfortable booking travel on the Web, look for hotel chains to step up their promotional efforts online. "Marketers are becoming more aggressive with their e-commerce decisions," says Jennifer Gassman, media director of Nurun/Ant Farm Interactive, a full-service interactive advertising agency. "A significant component of that aggressive strategy is targeting and converting prospective travelers online. We've definitely seen a shift in marketers' budgets toward online media."

Six travel technology trends for 2006

By John Bray, Cathy Schetzina and Susan Steinbrink.

2006 is already shaping up to be a productive year for travel technology. RSS feeds are popping up, venture capital is flowing in, IT departments are seeing projects large and small come to fruition ... and launching new ones. As anyone who has tried in the past to predict when mobile will really take off knows - it isn't always easy to anticipate just when a public-facing technology will reach the much-discussed tipping point. Some technology trends develop at a steady - and predictable - pace, while others are hyped to near-extinction before they flourish.

PhoCusWright analysts see several technology trends - some visible, some behind-the scenes - being important in 2006. Here are six trends to watch in the coming year.

1. Electronic Snacking

The consumer has developed an insatiable appetite for news, media and music tracks. To accommodate this, technology will play an even greater role "behind the scenes" in travel e-commerce by encouraging repeat and just-in-time purchases. More products are conforming to consumers' need for quick "sound bytes" of information, pricing and travel options prior to, during and post travel. For both leisure and corporate travel, its delivery will be driven by technologies that enable consumers to receive travel information and services off the browser.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication), which permits users to subscribe to their choice of content sources across the Web, will continue to spread across the industry and gain traction as more consumers become aware of its potential. Aggregation tools (such as personalized start pages) have the capacity to display summaries of these subscriptions, which update automatically when new information is available. RSS reduces the need for users to search multiple Web sites and will make it easier for travellers to pull only the information that interests them.

As anticipated, suppliers and online travel agencies have launched a number of RSS feeds over the last several months, most of which provide information on travel deals. More personalized feeds are in the works and will further the customization agenda and add value by providing real-time travel information.

Mobile devices, including phones, PDAs and iPods, will become increasingly important because they are ideal in the short term for receiving discrete hits of information. With more than 500 million people having their first experience this year with mobile phones, it may, in some regions of the world, surpass and leapfrog usage of the Internet, This is because, more people have access to mobile phones than computers and these devices are increasingly outfitted with more functions, capabilities and power. Their value in travel will increase exponentially when travellers are able to conduct commerce with them. Travel companies will continue laying the groundwork in 2006. In the meantime, mobile mapping applications, real-time traveller information and a renewed focus on the largely underserved mass of iPod users will rule the day.

The snacking trend translates to increasing interest in Software as a Service (SaaS) in travel companies' IT departments this year, with software-on-demand models providing a potential cost-saving alternative to hosting software in house. Worldspan, for example, in 2005 announced plans to shift its internal customer relationship management, human resources and payroll, and entertainment and travel expense management systems to a Software on-demand model. While the idea is not a new one, the model is becoming increasingly viable and spending on software-on-demand should increase significantly.

2. The web gets social; travel mingles

Social technologies are the talk of the technorati, with blogs, bookmarks and tag clouds popping up across the net. As the Web has grown larger, users have discovered that sorting the net is a lot more productive with a little direction. Social networking makes it possible for people to share information about personal experiences, recommended sites and interesting content. For people planning travel, the ability to tap the experiences and advice of a Iarge network of people could be invaluable - and when those recommendations have already been filtered based on shared interests, perhaps shared friends, the results will be impressive.

On the tagging front, users are exploring a new way to organize information on the Internet intuitively—simply by assigning searchable keywords to images, bookmarks and blogs. The practice has gained popularity on sites like the photo-sharing service Flickr, which was recently acquired by Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo! Inc., where the majority of images have been tagged by users. Tagging systems are also referred to as "folksonomies," which Wikipedia defines as "a neologism for a practice of collaborative categorization using freely chosen keywords."

In 2006, look for existing travel companies to begin incorporating social technologies into their online strategies. "Travel-related social networking tools will be hot on travel Web sites this year - and companies will take a close look at how tagging might be used as a differentiator in the hotel realm and in building excitement over travel experience planning. Look for a few social related travel startups as well in the coming year.

3. The three D's - Dashboards, Data Mining and Dating: Power shift toward consumers

This trend is about leveraging past trip patterns, traveller behaviors and trend data to predict future opportunities for savings (corporate through dashboards) and inspire relevant travel purchases (consumer through data mining). It is about anticipating what information travelers, travel managers or procurement decision makers want to have at their fingertips, what a firm could/should do next to better serve them and delivering on these needs. And, all three are required to strengthen a firm's brand affinity with prospective and current customers and cultivate "customer stickiness."

To date, travel providers have not effectively responded to travelers' interest in a branded site where information can be shared. This gap has given rise to blogs and online communities that exist throughout the net. Community sharing has become so popular and successful because these venues have helped travelers to visually and compellingly share their experiences with family, friends, colleagues and even strangers. Like on-demand TV, these chat rooms, blogs, social networks, and tagging and bookmarking activities have given travelers control of the experience (shopping, buying and travel) to make 2006 all about wooing the customer and forming a relationship based on shared information, not just purchases (similar to dating).

The challenges for travel companies lie in 1) effectively integrating and utilizing data mining technology, 2) embracing social technologies in a timely manner and 3) reconciling the need to relinquish control and discard outdated models with the ultimate goal of building brand.

Technologists have the opportunity in 2006 to help their organizations establish a plan for bringing all of the pieces together: dovetailing social and data mining tools to forge a new type of relationship with consumers and enabling novel ways of owning brand within an increasingly consumer operated Web.

4. Alternate distribution channels

Cambridge, Mass.-based ITA Software Inc. and Chicago, Ill.-based G2 Switch Works Corp. spent 2005 promoting their alternative distribution systems and refining their agent desktops. The GDSs could be on the losing end. Although the leak will be minor at first, ITA, G2 and others will make progress in building out to suppliers and begin to position themselves to optimize their market-share capture. ITA's $ 100 million influx of capital - whether it's largely earmarked for alternative distribution efforts or not - will further infuse confidence in the company and keep the subject of alternative distribution a viable one.

5. Rich Media

At The PhoCusWright Conference in November 2005, hoteliers continued to express concern about the commoditization of travel, and Michelle Peluso, CEO of Southlake, Tex.-based Travelocity, acknowledged the challenge of finding effective ways for hoteliers to differentiate their product. Rich media has the potential to be a powerful tool and travel companies will begin to capitalize on it,

With broadband penetration on the rise, rich media not only has the potential to differentiate hotel rooms, but enables companies to leverage sound, animation, real-time video and interactive maps to help consumers to visualize the travel experience. The novelty of mediocre rich media, however, has worn off. It's unlikely that an overwhelming crop of rich-media product announcements will hit the wires in 2006, but tech departments will be busy behind the scenes addressing the integration, content management and simple division-of-labour challenges that will enable rich media to become a truly valuable tool.

6. X marks the spot

Mapping technology has received a great deal of attention in the travel space of late, as more travel companies incorporate interactive maps into their Web sites and mapping APIs inspire technology enthusiasts to create their own custom maps. Mountain View, Calif.-based Google Inc., Yahoo! and Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp.'s MSN have released mapping application program interfaces (APIs) and Denver, Colo.-based MapQuest Inc. is expected to follow suit—giving companies and individuals the mapping tools they need to create a broad range of mapping mashups.

Web application mashups combine two or more services, often a mapping application arid a data source, to create unique maps with overlaid location-based information. Maps are popping up that track favorite restaurants and hotels, drink prices, parking spaces and recommended walking tours of various cities. Blogs are appearing that are devoted entirely to tracking the maps that are being created ... a sure sign that this trend is going to be big.

Interactive maps provide an obvious way to organize information about a city or neighborhood and will increasingly become a staple of the trip-planning process. Travel companies should exploit opportunities to incorporate data-rich maps into their own Web sites and take steps to integrate the capability with social technologies in the short term and realtime data sources in the long term. As maps become even more data rich and GPS-enabled mobile devices become the standard, mapping technology will be a goldmine of opportunity in the travel space - before, during and after the trip.

Innovation Analysis Group is a market research, analysis and consulting firm.

The Flying Luxury Hotel

John MacNeill

Even though the Aeroscraft dwarfs the largest commercial airliners, it requires less net space on the ground than any plane because it doesn't need a runway. The airship takes off and lands like a helicopter: straight up and down.

The Flying Luxury Hotel
Tomorrow's cruise ship will sail through the air, not the water

By Joshua Tompkins

John MacNeill
LIFTOFF! On a pressurized plane, windows like these would explode outward . The Aeroscraft does not fly high enough to need pressurization.

This is not a Blimp. It's a sort of flying Queen Mary 2 that could change the way you think about air travel. It's the Aeroscraft, and when it's completed, it will ferry pampered passengers across continents and oceans as they stroll leisurely about the one-acre cabin or relax in their well-appointed staterooms.

Unlike its dirigible ancestors, the Aeroscraft is not lighter than air. Its 14 million cubic feet of helium hoist only two thirds of the craft's weight. The rigid and surprisingly aerodynamic body—driven by huge rearward propellers—generates enough additional lift to keep the behemoth and its 400-ton payload aloft while cruising. During takeoff and landing, six turbofan jet engines push the ship up or ease its descent.

This two-football-fields-long concept airship is the brainchild of Igor Pasternak, whose privately-funded California firm, Worldwide Aeros Corporation, is in the early stages of developing a prototype and expects to have one completed by 2010. Pasternak says several cruise ship companies have expressed interest in the project, and for good reason: The craft would have a range of several thousand miles and, with an estimated top speed of 174 mph, could traverse the continental U.S. in about 18 hours. During the flight, passengers would peer at national landmarks just 8,000 feet below or, if they weren't captivated by the view, the cavernous interior would easily accommodate such amenities as luxury staterooms, restaurants, even a casino.

To minimize noise, the aft-mounted propellers will be electric, powered by a renewable source such as hydrogen fuel cells. A sophisticated buoyancy-management system will serve the same purpose as trim on an airplane, allowing for precise adjustments in flight dynamics to compensate for outside conditions and passenger movement. The automated system will draw outside air into compartments throughout the ship and compress it to manage onboard weight.

The company envisions a cargo-carrying version that could deliver a store's worth of merchandise from a centralized distribution center straight to a Wal-Mart parking lot or, because the helium-filled craft will float, a year's worth of supplies to an offshore oil rig. "You can land on the snow, you can land on the water," Pasternak says. "It's a new vision of what can be done in the air."

Aeroscraft
Purpose: Long-range travel for passengers who are more concerned with the journey than the destination
Dimensions (feet): 165 h x 244 w x 647 l
Max Speed: 174 mph
Range: 6,000 miles
Capacity: 250 passengers