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Airlines do first class and coach. Rental car companies offer luxury and economy models. And hotels offer oceanview suites and dumpster-view doubles. But some resorts are cordoning off facilities for their highest-paying customers, like separate pools, separate restaurants, and separate services. A backlash is beginning.

The Wall Street Journal has an exposé on the increasingly two-class society at already high-end luxury hotels. Some folks are willing to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars on top of their expensive base rates, to have special treatment with already-luxurious resorts. But hotels aren’t keeping this subtle. Instead of keeping the two-class treatment quiet, it’s becoming more and more obvious. There are some who are growing resentful.

Example:

Jacob and Susan Rooksby got a peek at the subtle class distinctions during their January honeymoon at the Paradisus Playa Conchal in Costa Rica, where they paid $800 a night for a junior suite. […] Two days later, they stumbled on a quieter pool, where an attendant was circling with cold towels among the 14 or so guests. But as soon as the couple set down their towels, the attendant asked them to leave. “He said, ‘Oh. I’m sorry but this pool is only for Royal Service guests,’” says Mr. Rooksby, a 25-year- old law student at the University of Virginia. “You don’t expect, for that kind of money, to be treated like a second-class citizen.”

Higher-paying guests are identifiable by color-coded bracelets (eww!) or towels with a special stripe of color.

If you didn’t pay the big bucks to get the ultra-elite treatment up front, you might be invited to do so at check-in if you carry the proper air: “hotel staff will ask “refined” customers — for example, those who arrive on a private plane or who have an American Express black card — or those who look like they have been to the Caribbean if they want to upgrade at check-in.” Umm, would you know which stamps are in my passport, just by looking at me? I hope not! (And yes, I’ve been to the Caribbean.)

If paying $800 for a resort room doesn’t get you into the kool pool, then that’s not a hotel I’d really want to stay at.

So now some guests are just violating the rules, and hoping they don’t get caught. Some hotels worry that their fences around the exclusive pools are too short. Sounds like a lovely environment for a vacation.

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(Thanks, Dr. Vino!)

Google, either encouraging physical fitness or zero population growth, offers the above helpful suggestion when mapping the route from Chicago to London.

Click the image for a larger screenshot, or see here for the full directions and map of the route.

29 days, 22 hours to get there? Maybe I will fly after all.

Update: Google took it down. But the reason for the joke may be this:

Benoît Lecomte is a long distance swimmer from France born in 1967 who was the first man to swim across the Atlantic Ocean in 1998. He did this to raise money for cancer research as a tribute to his father. During his 3,716 mile journey in 73 days, he was followed by a support boat that had an electromagnetic field for 25 feet to ward off sharks. He did, however, still encounter sea turtles, dolphins, and jellyfish.

The feat, performed in 1998, took him 72 days, with 6-8 hours spent swimming each day in sessions of about two hours length. He was accompanied by associates in a boat, where he could rest and eat between each swimming period. The swim extended from Hyannis, Massachusetts to Quiberon, Brittany, France. He stopped for 1 week in the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. He achieved the goal in 72 days, and took lots of practice to get across. He had many fans once he reached land. Lecomte is now looking forward to swimming across the Pacific Ocean to the Phillipines.

The instructions on getting to London (or anywhere else in Europe for that matter) all involved getting into the water in Massachusetts, and getting out in Brittany. Mystery solved!

(via Gadling)

See update below

Those crazy spring breakers, bringing their cases of mineral water and Coca-Cola on board the cruise ships! They’ve simply gone too far! …huh?

Carnival Cruise Lines is clamping down on passengers who bring beverages on board. Their new policy prohibits passengers from bringing beverages onto the ship. That means alcoholic AND non-alcoholic beverages.

Is it because of the seemingly monthly reports of passengers who fall off a ship in an apparently drunken stupor? No.

Is it terrorism fears, the 3-ounce bottle-makers’ lobby, and the TSA-ification of the seas? Nope.

The reason is economics, pure and simple. The cruise ships weren’t selling as many drinks on board as they wanted.

Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said guests had been bringing on too many nonalcoholic beverages. “There had been some abuse of the previous policy which is why the new policy is more restrictive,” he said.

Nonalcoholic beverages? I’m sure people are bringing in cases and cases of Evian.

Maybe they’re trying to play down the fact that their margins on umbrella drinks are astronomical. And by banning non-alcoholic beverages, they can be sure to milk some more money from alcohol-free cruises too, like the Christian cruises they book wholesale.

Rum runners will undoubtedly be upset: Duty free purchases of liquor from dockside shops will be taken and held by the cruise line until you leave the ship. Other beverages brought on board “will be confiscated and discarded without compensation.”

One sole exception remains: “guests (21 years and older only) may bring one bottle of wine or champagne per person on board only during embarkation at the beginning of the cruise. A $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged should you wish to consume this wine in the dining room or a $14 corkage fee per bottle in the Supper Club.” How generous.

Extortion, thy name is Carnival!

Update: After taking heat, Carnival has backed off their non-alcoholic beverage ban, but the ban on alcohol stays. Here’s the revised policy on beverages:

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages onboard. However, guests (21 years and older only) may bring one bottle of wine or champagne per person on board only during embarkation at the beginning of the cruise. A $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged should you wish to consume this wine in the dining room or a $14 corkage fee per bottle in the Supper Club. Guests may bring a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages.

All alcohol, additional quantities of wine/champagne or excessive quantities of non-alcoholic beverages will be confiscated and discarded without compensation. Guests may purchase a variety of beverages on board the ship. Alcoholic beverages will not be sold or served to anyone under the age of 21. We reserve the right to refuse the sale of alcoholic beverages to anyone. Alcoholic beverages purchased in the ship’s gift shops or in ports of call will be retained by Carnival until the end of the voyage.

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Website error? Or the truth laid bare?

On its help pages, British discount airline EasyJet categorized a question about assisting elderly passengers as an inquiry about “livestock.” (See the circled text in the left sidebar, and click on the image for a larger view.)

After the Register posted about it, the airline fixed the page. But the screenshots remain, and like gifts for loved ones, it’s the thought that counts.

What kind of livestock remains a question.

(Thanks to reader GH for the link!)

Upgraded: American Airlines’ fleet
American is boosting its delivery schedule of Boeing 737-800s, to replace the aging, gas-guzzling McDonnell Douglas MD-80s that make up half their fleet. The new planes will burn 25% less fuel.

Downgraded: Cash on Frontier Airlines
Frontier will no longer accept cash for onboard payments, beginning April 1. They join other airlines like ATA and Spirit in going cashless. Cash may be downgraded, but overall, and many will miss the choice of cash or plastic, but as an aficionado of credit cards (more miles! receipts!) this is fine with me.

Upgraded: European airline merger fever!
The open skies treaty’s passage on the European side of the Atlantic is sparking chatter of mergers and acquisitions. British Airways has expressed interest in bmi, Lufthansa is peeking around Iberia, bmi, and Alitalia, and Virgin Atlantic has supposedly been poking around the continent’s airlines as well. No trans-Atlantic mergers rumored quite yet.

Upgraded: Lufthansa lounges
Lufthansa is spending $130 million worldwide to upgrade its airport lounges, which are already pretty decent. U.S. airlines’ lounges, already a sad also-ran in the global lounge wars, will seem even more outdated and under-serviced.

Downgraded: Singapore Airlines’ frequent flyer program
It’s not just U.S.-based carriers who seem hell-bent on reducing benefits for their frequent flyers. The Global Traveller bemoans the latest changes in Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program.

Upgraded: Luxury hotel brands’ geographic reach
Looking for a Ritz-Carlton or other high-end hotel? It’s getting easier. The luxe chains are spreading to second- and third-tier cities.

Upgraded: Regulation
Travel companies, from cruise ships to airlines, haven’t done a sufficiently good job of self-regulating, so here come the regulators! Beyond the PBOR, we’re seeing moves toward regulating the cruise industry as well as airlines. The pressure to re-regulate is snowballing.

Upgraded: Your stinky wardrobe
Brilliant! A charcoal garment bag that deodorizes your stinky clothes. (Via Dethroner)

Upgraded: Airport bathrooms
Coming soon to Raleigh-Durham Airport: Better bathrooms! Wider/longer stalls let you keep your stuff in sight. But this has me scratching my head: “Tilted mirrors will be placed above the urinals so men can keep an eye on computer cases even as they’re going about their business.” Won’t these mirrors provide others with a great show, too? I’ll settle for cleaner bathrooms, as a start.

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In today’s New York Sun, Phil Wahba has a piece on US Airways’ decision to start advertising on the tray tables in first class.

The airline has had ads on the trays in coach for some time now, but this is the most brazen incursion of advertising into the premium cabins.

“A lot of people will think placing ads in first class is déclassé,” Mr. Ashley, who logged 75,000 miles traveling the world last year, said. “I think it signals that US Airways is not trying to position its firstclass travel as a premium product.”

Gee that Mr. Ashley who’s quoted in the article sure makes a lot of sense!…

In particular, I’d follow up to say that US Airways has thrown in the towel on selling seats in first class. If you’re crassly making the cabin a billboard, then you’re implicitly admitting that the first class cabin is only appealing to upgraders. Upgraders are all freeloaders in the airline’s eyes, so why try to make them feel relaxed? Go on and make ‘em stare at an ad for Bose.

But 30% of US Airways passengers still pay for the privilege. I don’t know how this compares to other airlines, and I’m sure it varies tremendously by route. But if you’ve been a paying passenger in US’ first class, then you’ve just been thrown under the bus.

I’ve seen advertising in subtler forms before — free samples of mints or gum on the meal tray, for example. (I got a coupon for gum with the meal once on United, which was tacky, too.)

The US Airways spokesperson is quoted in the article as favorably comparing his airline to European low-cost carriers, who place ads all over the plane, making it a “flying subway.” Presumably he is referring to Ryanair, EasyJet, etc. But what kind of comparison is that? None of those airlines have first class.

From the sound of it, US Airways may not have a first class anymore, either.

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Reader Katie writes:

I have an persistent problem with my keycards for hotel rooms deactivating. The hotel chain does not matter -Starwood, Hyatt, Hilton-all the cards deactivate. My husband claims it because I store them in my wallet which I then put in my purse which also holds my blackberry. I say that although his theory for deactivation is possible, it is ridiculous that this happens. Where else would I supposed to store my room key except my wallet? So, my question(s) to you: do other people have this problem? Is the problem largely limited to women (or men) who carry purses which contain both their wallet and cellphone/blackberry? Can hotels fix this issue? And most importantly, is there anything I can do to prevent this-aluminum foil around the card or some other crazy hack?

This never would have happened with those hold-punched VingCards! (Ahh, memories!)

Your husband may be right, but it’s still not clear what the precise cause is, or why it happens so consistently.

Since the key card is really a magnetic strip attached to a piece of plastic, it can be affected by other things that have magnetic force. What kind of magnets are you carrying?!

I thought a cellphone would be a good bet, especially if it’s a flip phone, since those are often held shut with magnets. (I recall that my Motorola came with a warning to keep credit cards away from the phone for just that reason.) But if it’s a Blackberry or other non-flip-phone, then that’s not it.

Other cards, such as credit cards, are magnetic, too, but rarely exert enough of a charge to disable key cards, unless you are directly rubbing magnetic stripes together. Especially so consistently! (I always carry my keycards in my wallet, right next to the credit cards. Never had a problem.)

So to be honest, I’m stumped. As a solution, though, I’d consider a small static sleeve. My bank gave me a mylar sleeve for my ATM card years ago, and hotels often give the keycards in a paper pouch. Maybe that might help.

I’ll throw it open to readers: Do others have similar trouble? Any theories? Suggestions for how to prevent deactivation? Hit the comments!

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Over at Benet Wilson’s blog at Aviation Daily, TSA Director Kip Hawley has a guest post on the subject of security screening of airport employees.

The post itself reads like a barely-relaxed press release, but it’s still good to see a government official coming out and joining the blogosphere like this. Baby steps!

Comments on the post are open. Like a new blogger, perhaps Kip will be hitting F5 repeatedly, hoping to see some new comments on his latest post. Why not head on over, leave a note, and give him something to read?

No allergy medication necessary?
Growing trend in hotel rooms: Hypoallergenic rooms. Sure, fine. Of course, it could be directly canceled out by all the scents that hotels are pumping into their public spaces. Can we maybe get some quietly-closing doors first, please? (Yes, I’m flogging that horse again.)

The key to in-room power
Some European and Asian hotels have the presumably eco-friendly but otherwise irritating habit of requiring a key card to be inserted into a power socket in order to release the flow of electricity. However, you don’t need to use your key card — any card will do. Leave your room and charge your laptop with impunity. (via Gridskipper)

Update: Some readers wrote in, asking for more details or photos. Click here to see an example of the card-locked power sockets at a Hong Kong hotel.

Breakin’ all the rules
The Airbus A380 may have been on its American tour this week, but the FAA has certified only 11 airports nationwide as capable of handling the mega-plane. The airports: Anchorage, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Louisville (cargo only), New York-JFK, Memphis (cargo only), Miami, Ontario (California — cargo only), Orlando, and San Francisco. This means the A380 wouldn’t have been allowed to land at half the airports in the U.S. that it visited this past week. (Note that Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles aren’t on that list…)

Transit woes:
The ever-peripatetic Tyler Brûlé gets stuck at Miami Airport and misses his connecting international flight because he’s undergoing a lengthy TSA questioning. Even passengers who aren’t planning to actually enter the United States, and are only transiting, are treated as if they’re entering the country. Frustrating, but largely a function of airport design. Once you’re in the airport, you can easily leave the secure area and enter the country, after all. But the fact that this is the reality of transiting the U.S. makes American ports of entry less and less desirable. Bad for business!

Far stupider: I went through customs and immigration at LAX once on a domestic flight. It’s true! I traveled from Honolulu to Los Angeles, connecting to Newark. Why the passport control? I was flying Air New Zealand HNL-LAX. Domestic flight, but international airline. Idiotic. Almost missed my connection. (Luggage didn’t make it.)

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CondeNast Traveler consumer news editor Wendy Perrin asked for advice a couple weeks ago, to help a friend of hers get Delta SkyMiles properly credited. The friend’s husband had unfortunately passed away, and according to Delta’s rules, the deceased’s miles could be transferred to the spouse. Over a year passed, but Delta didn’t budge.

My advice to Wendy was to go nuclear: Don’t just write or call customer service. Don’t just ask to speak to the manager. Write to the executive in charge of SkyMiles itself.

I’m happy to say it worked. The miles were credited within days.

The nuclear option isn’t for every instance of customer service gone wrong. It’s for those times when you’ve exhausted all options, and you’re not getting the results you know you deserve.

Doing this involves a tiny amount of research, a little guesswork, and a short but pointed letter. You need to:

• Determine whom to contact. Go to the company website and click on the “About” page. Browse the executive biographies. Try to find the executive in charge of the division you’re having trouble with.

• Find or guess their e-mail address. Google their names first, to see if they have an address available. Most executives won’t publicize their e-mails, but corporate systems are amazingly standardized, making it easy to guess. First.Last@company.com is a good bet. Maybe make it @corp.company.com. If it fails, call the company and ask. If that fails, write a snail-mail letter instead.

• Make your case, briefly. If you need other documentation, attach copies of earlier e-mails. Wendy appropriately advises that the letter to the executive be short. Five sentences is the goal, and this is your template:

1. I apologize for interrupting your day, but I’ve received unacceptable treatment by your airline and so far your customer service department has been unable to resolve the problem.
2. Here is what your airline promised me.
3. Here is what your airline delivered instead.
4. Here is what I believe I am owed as compensation.
5. Thank you for your help.

The template works for companies other than airlines, too.

• Again: Don’t abuse this. This is not for small inquiries. This is for resolving major gaffes.

I’ve only gone nuclear once, with United. I stupidly wrote way more than 5 sentences, alas, but I got a phone call response within 24 hours. The “executive services” agent I spoke to was the most helpful person I’ve ever spoken to. She researched and answered my question, made the fix that I had requested, and offered me generous compensation — which I had not requested. I even turned down the compensation, but she literally insisted.

It’s sad that it’s necessary to resort to the nuclear option, but it’s good to know it’s there. Just use it sparingly, or it won’t be an option much longer.

The proposed “open skies” treaty between the European Union and the United States moved a big step forward today when the EU transportation ministers voted unanimously in favor of the agreement. The treaty now goes to the US Congress.

So, if this passes (a big if), what’s in it for you? I gave an analysis earlier, in the pre-game show, so to speak, here.

Short version: More point-to-point routes and competition on trans-Atlantic routes: good! The possibility of international airline mergers: mixed, probably bad. Net effect: still good!

London Heathrow remains a big sticking point. Within seconds of the EU passing the treaty, Continental filed an application to fly to Heathrow. We’ll see if they can find room for more airlines at that already-overcrowded airport.

The other big sticking point is an American change in airline ownership rules. If the treaty passes, foreigners will be allowed to own a majority in American airlines — as long as the voting stake doesn’t exceed 25%. Expect an eventual trans-Atlantic merger.

The deal heads to Congress. I hope they pass it, and that the treaty signing ceremony on April 30 goes on as planned. If you care about this sort of thing, one way or the other, write your senators.

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Related:
- Will foreign ownership of airlines mean lower prices?
- More on open skies
- Are open skies dirty skies?
- US-EU open skies treaty dead in the water, so to speak

I’ve written a piece for the April 2007 issue of FastCompany on the expansion of boutique hotels (or “small luxury hotels,” as some prefer to be called) into mini-chains.

The article (or “charticle,” more accurately) covers the Gansevoort, Thompson, James, and Magnolia brands, each of which is expanding their model beyond their initial home base.

You’ll need a code from page 10 of the issue in order to access it online for the next few weeks. It’ll be freely available next month.

My contribution to the magazine last month, on changes and improvements to the experience of renting a car, is now accessible free to non-subscribers, by the way.