...Throughout my life I’ve been lucky enough to go on family vacations off the continent. Personally, I think travel is important in a young person's life and to a family. It builds confidence, gets you out of your comfort zone, and expands your cultural knowledge, and brings people together. The trip that influenced me the most was when my family went to London and Norway. Our first order of business was transportation. The airplane ride was a grueling 12 hours, but worth it. When we arrived in the bustling airport the view out the floor –to-ceiling windows was beautiful. You could see almost all of the places we were going to go. Exiting the building, we took a cab. It smelled of stale Febreze. The cab driver wore a black cap and had a low voice. He weaved in and out of traffic, and we watched in marvel because of how narrow the streets were and that we were on the opposite side of the street. Our hotel was more or less like an apartment complex. The place had two bedrooms, a living area, and the smallest kitchen I’ve ever seen. The bathroom was luxurious and it took a while to understand the functions of each button on the toilet. After a quick nap we ventured out. First stop we took was to the home of Britain’s King and Queen, Buckingham Palace. There was a large fountain to the side of tall black fence that provided protection to the castle behind. Guards wearing large black furry hats and bright red coats stood still on each side of the entrance. The residence itself was...
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... San Antonio a Great Family Vacation San Antonio’s old world Spanish flair and blend of cultures make it one of America’s most picturesque cities. San Antonio is also a great place for family vacations that include several recreational activities, many pleasant locations, and an abundance of bonding opportunities. Recreational activities are an essential part of family vacations in San Antonio. With mild temperatures and more than 300 days of sunshine annually, San Antonio is fast becoming a major destination for golf. There are over 50 golf courses in and around the city including resort, daily fee, and military courses. The historic Brackenridge Park Golf Course designed in 1915 housed the Texas Open in 1922, and is home to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. In San Antonio, there are more than just a few pleasant locations to see during a family vacation. Many folks take a tour of the River Walk aboard a river cruiser, but few know that they can take a sunset taxi ride from downtown, along the Museum Reach, to the Pearl Brewery. Only in the dark are they able to appreciate the full impact of the art installations that line the banks, all of which use light in creative ways. Some of the most interesting names in the art world created all of the art. Museums, schools, residences, and commercial buildings light up in startling and unusual ways. The most important part of family vacations in San Antonio is all the great bonding opportunities...
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...Sira Ba September 5, 2014 EN 101 Narrative Essay My First Family Vacation to Dubai Going on vacation as a family is one of my favorite things to do. Up until this point, I never had the chance to go on vacation with my husband because his date never matched ours. But in July 2013, we finally could vacation together as a family and chose to go to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) for one week. First, we took the plane to Atlanta and there we took another one to Dubai. The flight was 13 hours long and luckily, we were upgraded to first class. It was very comfortable and the seats could be reclined to be a shape of a bed and there were multiple choices of food. It was great. The flight didn’t have any turbulence. We departed at about 10:00 p.m. and we arrived at about 6:00 p.m. local time at Dubai International Airport. The time difference between the USA and Dubai is eight hours. After the immigration process, we went outside to get a taxi to bring us to our hotel. The first thing we noticed was the thermal reading of that region. It was really hot outside (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit), and when I asked why...
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...2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS: Wyndham Corp. Introduction ………………………………………………………….. 3 Hierarchy ……………………………………………………………………………….. 5 About TRAVELODGE………………………………………………………………… 5 History……………………………………………………………………………………6 Organizational Survey……………………………………………………………………7 Observation………………………………………………………………………………9 Reference………………………………………………………………………………..10 Wyndham Worldwide is one of the world's leading diversified providers of travel-related products and services for businesses and individual consumers, with leading brands in lodging franchising, vacation ownership, vacation rentals and vacation exchange. Wyndham has more than 160 vacation ownerships resorts. Over 95,000 vacation rental properties. There are more than 7,200 hotels in six continents under operations with the brand. Mission: We will be the global leader in travel accommodations welcoming our guests to iconic brands and vacation destinations through our signature Count On Me! Service. Count On Me! 1. To be RESPONSIVE to your needs. 2. To be RESPECTFUL in every way. 3. To deliver a GREAT Experience. Our Culture: Wyndham Worldwide strives to become the widely-recognized service leader in the hospitality industry. We have a service-oriented culture in which each associate strives to be responsive, be respectful and deliver great experiences to our customers, guests, partners and communities as well as to each other. Wyndham Worldwide Core Values: Act with integrity in all that we do:...
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...For the exclusive use of B. Varghese, 2015. 9-511-004 REV: APRIL 14, 2011 SUNIL GUPTA KERRY HERMAN Tri ipAdvisor It w early Mo was onday mornin in the first week of Au ng t ugust 2010, an just back i his office fr nd in rom a two-w week family vacation, Step v phen Kaufer, founder and CEO of Trip d pAdvisor (TA was happy and A), y relaxe Kaufer ha rented two houses for his family’s vacation in M ed. ad o Martha’s Vin neyard—one h house from TA’s newest service, Vaca ation Rentals, and the other from a competitor site. K Kaufer was pl leased that th house he found throug TA’s listing was far sup he f gh g perior to the o off his competitor’s sit He one te. was v very optimisti about the fu ic uture potentia of TA’s ent into this se al try egment. As Kaufer settl in his off s led fice, he saw a note from Bryan Saltzb burg, General Manager of New l Initiat tives and head of TA’s f flight service requesting an urgent m e, meeting. In F February 2009 TA 9, hed launch a flight metasearch se m ervice similar to Kayak, w r where consum mers could com mpare prices from s severa airlines and online trave agencies (O al d el OTAs). The hi ighly competi itive online flight search m market becam even more competitive in July 2010 when Goog announce that it was acquiring ITA, a me e e 0 gle ed s leadin flight-info ng ormation soft tware compa any, for $700 million.1 Ka 0 aufer was su that Saltz ...
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...Best Florida Vacation Rentals Florida vacation rentals are one of the most ideal courses for an ideal vacation in Florida. Private rentals are ideal for small family vacations. There are many private homes in Florida that end up being the best Florida vacation rentals. Do you sit and stare off into space about Florida vacation thoughts? Where you need to go this year on your outing, where to stay, what sorts of things you need to do, how to arrive, and so on... I do likewise all the time. I do it each time I examine and review articles for this site. It is a huge amount of fun and thoughts tag along all the time. Florida is an expansive state that is taken into account the snowbirds, travelers from all over the world, adventurers, shoreline bums, and all...
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...PA # 4 pg 120 I had difficulty with solving this problem therefore I am going to try my best.. To solve the total system reliability of an individual component reliability I used the following equation.. Rs= (.70)(.88)(.72)(.96)= .426 or 42.6% Rp= 1- (1-.70)(1-.88)(1-.72)(1-.96) =.999 or 99.9% /100% After solving both equations I have determined that the reliabilities of the parallel components are different. Pa3 pg 143 Vacation planning flow chart Start Start To book the best price & save money plan ahead at least 6 months in advance before you reserve any hotels rooms and/or traveling method( i.e. car rentals and airfare)Evaluate your budget and begin to save money towards your trip. To book the best price & save money plan ahead at least 6 months in advance before you reserve any hotels rooms and/or traveling method( i.e. car rentals and airfare)Evaluate your budget and begin to save money towards your trip. Research and choose a destination of your choice via the internet (Hotwire.com, hotels .com, priceline.com, Travelocity.com etc.) and compare the best prices of your selection. Check your credit/debit card balance to ensure the cost of the entire trip is covered. Research and choose a destination of your choice via the internet (Hotwire.com, hotels .com, priceline.com, Travelocity.com etc.) and compare the best prices of your selection. Check your credit/debit card balance to ensure the cost of the entire trip...
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...Table of Contents UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-K (Mark One) ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 or ¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the transition period from to COMMISSION FILE NO. 001-32876 WYNDHAM WORLDWIDE CORPORATION (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) 20-0052541 (I.R.S. Employer DELAWARE (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 22 SYLVAN WAY 07054 PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY (Zip Code) (Address of principal executive offices) (973) 753-6000 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Name of each exchange Title of each Class on which registered Common Stock, Par Value $0.01 per share New York Stock Exchange Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None (Title of Class) Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. No ¨ No Yes ¨ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by...
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...was the summer of 2002, and my best friend Candace and I wanted to go on vacation. We thought long and hard about where we wanted to go, and finally decided to fly to Florida. Candace and I started our planning by searching for hotel rooms in the West Palm area, and getting tickets for our flight from the internet. We boarded a plane for Florida in Lexington, Kentucky. We had a layover in Detroit, Michigan, which I thought was very interesting. We were heading North to go South! I enjoyed flying, so I didn't mind. I sat in the window seat so I could watch the beautiful clouds go speeding by, as if they were flying saucers. I also enjoyed the many sites you could see on the ground, entire fields looked like little puzzles from way up in the airplane. Once we arrived in West Palm, we rented a car and started the great search for our hotel. It took us about an hour to find the hotel, which was only ten minutes from the airport. We saw some beautiful neighborhoods including the Kennedy Mansion. What a gorgeous, huge home. I can still picture it today. It was a three-story brick home with white post in the front, surrounded The hotel was right around the corner from the circle we had been driving around the whole time. We laughed so hard when we finally realized just how close we were to our destination. Upon checking into our hotel, we were served champagne. We began to wonder if if they thought we were famous. This was my first taste...
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...The MountainLodge, a mid-price, good quality “destination” resort hotel, is open only during the skiing season. The operating performance of this hotel in the skiing season is very well, but that in off-season is poor. Mrs. Krachit, CEO of this hotel, think about various methods to improve the situation. Among many things, operating and repair, maintenance of west wing are important issues. We assume that X rooms must be rented each night in season for the hotel to breakeven. If 50 rooms in the east wing are fully rented. So, [50*0.2*15+50*0.8*20+(X-50)*0.2*20+(X-50)*0.8*25]*120= 138,410 X=58 If 30 rooms in the west wing are fully rented.Then, [30*0.2*20+30*0.8*25+(X-30)*0.2*15+(X-30)*0.8*20]*120=138,410 X=53 In conclusion, when 50 rooms in the east wing are fully rented, 58 rooms must be rented each night in season for the hotel to breakeven. When 30 rooms in the west wing are fully rented. 53 rooms must be rented each night in season for the hotel to breakeven. If all room rates were raised $5 on weekend nights, but occupancy fell to 72 rooms instead of 80, If 50 rooms in the east wing are fully rented. [50*0.2*20+50*0.8*25+22*0.2*25+22*0.8*30]*120=220560 220560-138,410=82150 If 30 rooms in the west wing are fully rented. [30*0.2*20+30*0.8*25+42*0.2*15+42*0.8*20]*120=182160 182160-138,410=43750 So, the revised profit before taxes for the year is 82150 or 43750. For off-season, the hotel management should make west wing of the hotel operating year-round, which could...
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...Please see the top 11 risks Marriott will face as below, a) General macro economic risk 1) – 3) 1) General economic uncertainty and weak demand in the lodging and timeshare industries could continue to impact Marriott’s financial results and growth. 2) The hospitality industries are highly competitive, which may impact Marriot’s ability to compete successfully with other hotel and timeshare properties for customers. 3) Currency exchange fluctuation might make Marriot very vulnerable to foreign markets. b) Business risk 4) – 7) 4) Trademark or intellectual property infringement 5) Circumstances, such as the bankruptcy of its branch hotel owner or franchisee, or a failure under some agreements to meet will impact Marriot for sure. 6) Business segments risk -----unbalance gain between managing and franchising Marriott follows the business model wherein it emphasizes on managing and franchising hotels, rather than owning them. The company operated 46% of its hotel rooms under management agreements, 52% under franchise agreements. But, as compared to this, only 33.6% of the revenue in FY2009 were earned through franchising while 66.4% from own operation. The emphasis on management contracts and franchising although tends to provide more stable earnings in periods of economic softness, however does not provide much scope for revenue growth. c) Risk from emerging markets : 7) The economic and political instability in the developing country lead to the risk of Marriots...
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...Tax Case 3 Individual Paper 2/22/2014 Attn: Dr. Ott Executive Summary: In this case, my group members represented the side of the taxpayer. One of the main issues in this case is whether or not Rex and Agnes Harrell should be able to make deductions in excess of rental income on their beach house. This deduction depends on if the 14-day personal use provision was exceeded. If the 14-day provision was exceeded than income should be limited to rental income as the ISR decided in this case. However, we have determined that the Harrell’s have not violated the 14-day provision and should therefore be allowed deductions for rental expenses exceeding rental income. Facts: • The Harrell’s purchased a beach house to use occasionally for recreational purposes, but also to rent it out. • The house was in need of significant repairs so the couple decided to make the repairs themselves rather than hiring a contractor. Rex had taken advanced courses in woodwork at a local community college and he applied those skills in his maintenance work. • The log maintained by the Harrell’s showed that the couple occupied the house for 38 days and rented it out for 49 days. On 24 of the 38 days occupied, one or both of them were actively working on the beach house. • On the days they were working on the beach house they sometimes still had time for fun with their two teenage children. Some days they would only work 4 to 5 hours and be able to have fun while other days they would work...
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...Types of Business Writing Dear Ms. Talbot, Our company would like to schedule a meeting with you to discuss the project that is currently on the drawing board. Your insight into this venture will be much appreciated. Mr. Boss would be honored if you can join him for lunch at the King Charles Hotel on River Street, this Wednesday, at 2:30pm. Also attending would be a Mr. Rory Webster who is our assistant manager. Please let me know if you are available and if the meeting would fit your busy schedule. If you do need to reschedule, that would not be a problem. Sincerely, Assisant. To: Dr. Melaine Dobler From: Assistant Re: Arrangements for Upcoming Seminar Date: May 5, 2009 The purpose of this memo is to inform you of the arrangements made for the upcoming departmental training seminar. The seminar has been arranged in the Golden Rose Hotel, which is located atXXXXX Nowhere, USA. A deluxe, non-smoking suite, number 345, has been pre-arranged for you at the hotel. The seminar’s participants have been informed of the location and of the fact that the hotel graciously offered a 15% to any guest of the seminar who wishes to stay overnight at the hotel before or after the seminar’s date. The hotel has also agreed to let us make use of their modern conference room, which includes a projection screen which is compatible with our laptop, making PowerPoint presentation possible. The conference room is large, and has a boardroom design, with thirty executive chairs...
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...TripAdvisor, Starbucks 00.01.2014 TripAdvisor 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Why is TA appealing to consumers? Why do consumers write reviews? What do hotel owners and property managers feel about TA? How does TA manage to create the balance between consumers and hotel managers? How does TA monetize its UGC? How does it differ from other UGC sites such as Yelp? Why has TA been so successful in hotel reviews? Why is it not known for restaurants even though it has user reviews on over half-a-million restaurants? Can TA replicate its success in China, vacation rentals and flights? How should Kaufer prioritize TA’s growth options? 1. Why is TA appealing to consumers? Why do consumers write reviews? The fact that a visitor can access reviews, see description of the listed entries, compare prices, review photos and map listing locations, made it very attractive for consumers. In addition to the easy access to OTA or hotel site when ready to book. Upon logging in for free at TA users can post reviews of their own experiences which enhanced the decision making process. According to Forrester study, most users wrote reviews because they pleased with hotel or travel experience, some wrote because they were disappointed, some wanted to have a conversation, and few used it as a shortcut to reach management. Kaufer believed that "users write reviews since they feel grateful for the advise the got on our site". 2. What do hotel owners and property managers feel about TA? How does TA manage to create...
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...TripAdvisor Case Write-up 1. Why is TA appealing to consumers? Why do consumers write reviewers? What do hotel owners and property managers feel about TA? TA is appealing to consumer because: * It offers real information from real people’s travels, this made it attractive for consumers. * You can access reviews and can rely on it if going to a new destination. Reasons explained for writing online reviews: * To help consumers make good decisions and share experiences. * To reward the company for good service and help them make an improvement if needed. Hotel owners and property managers generated significant traffic through TripAdvisor. * Word of mouth is primary factor behind 20-50% of all purchasing decisions. * Owners & managers looked at it as an opportunity to interact & engage with consumers. * They tried to manage the location where reviews appeared and quality & quantity of reviews generated. 2. How does TA monetize its UGC? How does it differ from other UGC sites such as Yelp? Click-able Ads | Business Listing Service | Display Advertising | * 77% revenue,Text-basedAds* Users able to click other websites and check rates. * Hotels & online agencies pay per click* $.25 to $1.00 | * Premium offer.* Allowed to put in contact information* Advertise special offers.* $500 to $10,000 | * 12% of revenue.* sold by cost per thousand impressions.* $15 on average. | It differs from other UCG sites...
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