The Next America

The Last Horizon

For holiday vacation this year, I went to Bermuda and stayed at Horizons, as I have done every year since 1996 (except 1999 when deployed to the Middle East).

Horizons closed this week permanently, slated for redevelopment with a neighboring property, the Coral Beach Club. Redevelopment is long overdue. The rumor is that it will become a Four Seasons (the rumor status appears to come from Four Seasons policy to ensure standards are met prior to agreeing to use the FS name).

What I won't miss: the tennis courts amazing state of disrepair, the erratic lunch service, opaque billing, unresponsive management (they even ran out of tennis balls).

What I will miss: the loyal, amazing, and long-serving staff, an outstanding multi-course dinner from a unique menu every night, the community of people who visited every year at the same time, clotted cream at afternoon tea, the ability to play par 3 golf on a walk-on basis starting and ending on any vacant hole, the cottage format with public spaces and balconies and breakfast served in cottage (we miss you Blanche).

I grew up going somewhere different every year and every vacation. Except the beach, because we got a really good deal from my aunt. But only because of the deal. We went all sorts of places, but nowhere twice. Every hotel, every attraction was always new. I'd sit in the backseat reading the AAA guide. Some detours (Canyon de Chelly) were amazing, some less than that. My father could never understand why someone would go on vacation every year to the same place for almost 25 years. Why not try Jamaica? or the Bahamas? or....

I now understand. For all the faults and flaws of Horizon's management, they were always outweighed by a community of people. To have true friends at the bar that you look forward to seeing again the first night of every trip. If you can successfully incorporate community into a business model, it will carry a business over many hurdles.

How to leverage the modern toolset to bolt community on existing or planned destinations? Not clear. Though the opportunity appears massive.

Wyndham Andover

Well -- after three months of not posting and miniscule traffic (boy, time flies) I'm now Typepad's best/most profitable customer.

Staying this week at the Wyndham in Andover. 

Pros:

I put the wrong frequent traveller number in my reservation. They actually looked me up and fixed the error.

Said program (Wyndham ByRequest) doesn't give points. Instead, you get free phone calls, free wireless, 500 airline miles, AND a welcome snack of your choice on your online profile (mine is Heineken and chocolate chip cookies) all iced down and waiting for you in your room.

Nice pool and hot tub and a small but serviceable exercise room.

In addition to the beer they had a free bottle of water in the ice bucket. To my surprise, my untouched bottle was freshly iced when I returned today. A small gesture -- but way beyond my expectations for $109/night (I get a killer corporate rate+free breakfast).

Cons:
Most parking is very distant from the front door making checkin/checkout a real pain.

Poker Chips and the TSA

One thing I noticed this week: Poker chips are now routine in luggage. A year or so ago, it was a guarantee that your carryon would be flagged, you'd open it and show them the chips and case. Now, they're waved right through without a second glance.

Yes, there are certain vacations where I routinely bring poker chips.

The other thing I noticed is that Delta is intently monitoring the 50 pound limit, which is surprisingly easy to exceed with a suitcase full of suits and shoes.

Las Vegas

I was in Las Vegas last weekend. Saw Mike Tyson at the Bellagio buffet at lunchtime. Brushed shoulders with Rob and Amber of Survivor/Amazing Race fame walking down the strip. Realized the next day that the person learning to play blackjack at the end of the table was the winner of The Rebel Billionaire.

Vegas was packed for boxing, March Madness, and spring break. Poker is exploding. Long waits for a table. Broke even over four sessions at Excalibur and Aladdin. Bellagio is rebuilding their poker room but has a large temporary one on the casino floor.

I flew on Southwest for the first time. Their "no-frills" service is now better than most of their competitors. And you can guarantee a good seat by using online checkin. I always find it strange, however, that they are always more expensive than the competition (this time schedule outweighed).

India #6: Chennai

In Chennai, I stayed at the Chola Sheraton. I had a very nice suite, which was noisy during the day but quiet enough after traffic died down after rush hour. Not cheap, but a far better value than the Ashok in Delhi. Its good to know that it used to be Hotel Chola (thats what most taxi drivers know it as).

Spencer Plaza is an incredible multi-level shopping mall. You can find anything, including the standard tourist trinkets. Due to heavy competition and the urban environment, it was extremely easy to get a very good price on the standard souvenirs (marble inlay boxes, elephants, etc.) that you see most places in India. A good chance to eat safe Indian "fast food", as well.

I had a slight camera emergency (my digital camera battery went from half full to empty in two pictures). In the US, that would mean getting a disposable camera. While some of the wedding guests had heard of a disposable camera, they are by no means common. Ten or more convenience, grocery, and other stores hadn't a trace. In a photo developing place, they had two low-end cameras on display ($10). Unfortunately, they had none in stock but could get me one tomorrow. After some discussion, they agreed to deliver it to the wedding hall in 90 minutes.

As the only person at the wedding with a camera (apparently Indians don't see the point with a professional photographer present), the other guests were surprised when I got a second one delivered in the middle of the ceremony. Oddly, getting a delivery then isn't nearly as rude as it sounds -- during the vast majority of the ceremony people were getting up, talking, drinking water, children were playing, etc. Fortunately, being the only white person there, I was relatively easy to find in the crowd.

India #5: Agra

Unfortunately, Agra is the home of the tout. Agra may well be the world's biggest tourist trap. An entire city focused on fleecing tourists. When I jumped in my cab for the day, the driver came with an "assistant". Nominally a free tour guide, his basic purpose was to get me to as many commissionable shops as possible. Should have left him at the train station.

Security at the Taj Mahal is tight. You can bring virtually nothing inside the security barriers. They have a somewhat sketchy locker system outside. I suspected I was being made victim of a classic scam: guide assists with the locker, leading tourist to a specific one. He leaves his cellphone (probably stolen from yesterday's mark) in the locker as security. Tourist enters site, returns an hour or two later to find both stuff and tour guide gone forever thanks to a duplicate key. And I had some pretty good stuff in my bag (MP3 player, blackberry). Realizing the scam after 10 minutes or so (or maybe just paranoid), I feigned illness (no reentry normally allowed) and convinced the guard I needed to get medicine from my bag. I then switched to a locker which only I knew. The "guide" was quite surprised when he discovered my switch.

The Taj Mahal was a bit of a disappointment, having been to Humayun's tomb in New Delhi the day before. Humayun's tomb was the immediate predecessor to the Taj and is located as the main attraction in a park filled with tombs of various types. Not quite as beautiful, not quite as big. But very few visitors and you can wander around virtually anywhere. After that, the Taj was good but didn't "wow" me with its size or scope.

Fatehpur Sikri is located 40km outside of town (thus, another $10 or so on your cab for the day -- I love India). A fascinating historical site -- I thought the best part was the separate palaces for the emperor's Hindu, Muslim, and Christian wives. Pretty good tourist scam going (I was warned by my driver) -- they have a guide cartel ($3 or so). This isn't necessarily a bad thing since you need a guide, and this ensures some degree of reliability. However, near the end of the tour they vector you out the back of the mosque to a handful of street vendors who are supposedly the descendants of a prophet's family. They sell pretty nice marblework (especially the elephants carved inside elephants) supposedly carved by grandpa. This is effective because you don't normally see this type of item in Delhi/Agra so it appears unusual. However, go to Mahabalipuram (a hotbed of marble carving) and every vendor on the street is selling exactly the same thing. A good example of geographic arbitrage.

The tourist train (Shatabdi Express) to Agra is fast, cheaper than a car, and filled with other tourists. I never figured out how to buy a ticket Indian-style (50+ windows for different trains and types of fares), but they have a nice tourist ticket office where they speak english and insist on foreign currency. However, have written down exactly what train #s you want from the internet since they don't have any train schedules there. The one or two people in the room who had brought one were extremely popular. Next time, I would have prepurchased train tickets online and had them delivered to the hotel.

And finally, beware as a tourist. I was told the restaurant I wanted to eat at was "closed". Of course, it had been open earlier in the day when we drove by on the way to something else. Others were 10 miles or more away (when the map showed 2). The restaurant my driver attempted to take me to was absolutely empty at 6:30 at night. Fearing poisoning (which unfortunately appears a regular problem -- then they can get a commission from the doctor), I left immediately. Zorba the Buddha, however, was excellent.

India #4: Ideal Beach Resort

I flew to Chennai for the next leg of my trip. Since I had an extra day, I went to the coast. While Pondicherry is the more obvious destination, I picked Mahabalipuram and stayed at the Ideal Beach Resort. Extremely helpful over email with the booking. Reasonable transfer rate (~$16) for a 60km+ airport transfer. And a good price (beachfront room < $50). I had been somewhat worried about the ethics of visiting an area recently impacted by the tsunami. However, by the second week of January, the news on NPR had shifted to the devastated tourist industry and the state of Tamil Nadu had a prominent message on their website begging tourists to return. So I made the booking, assuming they had avoided the tsunami that affected the area.

I was wrong about the tsunami. While no one was killed at the resort, my room and the major common areas had been under seven feet of water. What was incredible was their rebuilding effort. The staff was somewhat reticent to discuss it, but the scope was enormous. Just for my room (first floor), they would have needed all new drywall, electrical wiring, furniture, etc. Not a hint of mold or any indication of less than a total rebuild. They had built a new reception area. Every speck of dirt had been removed due to salt poisoning and replaced with new dirt. To mask the lack of permanent plantings, hundreds of potted plants lined every walkway. Enormous 25-foot palm trees and other large trees had been planted with a crane to return it to a forested state (there were a few large trees remaining, which looked very sick due to the salt).

My theory is that they were trying to retain pre-tsunami bookings from their mostly European tourist base. Certainly anyone who arrived by mid-January would be entirely happy with the condition of the resort.

Oddly, a large seawall had been built out of sand which hurt the view and was unlikely to have meaningful effect.  The staff seemed deeply concerned that the next tsunami was coming in the next week (they asked me what I had heard in America -- I discussed hurricanes and the 100-year risk that was more likely the case). The beach was redflagged. Although it was rough, it was not unswimmable. But I never saw anyone in the water elsewhere on the beach either, and decided that was a cultural sensitivity best not to risk upsetting.

But I could have easily stayed there a week. Great food. Great pool (and poolside service). Indian massage onsite (definitely not what I'm accustomed to). Satellite TV and direct dial phones. Great beach with empty hammocks swaying beneath the palm trees. Interesting town nearby. This is the only beach resort I have ever been to where I could imagine staying for three or four months.

Before I left, I made a contribution for common furniture for the staff quarters. Apparently things behind the scenes were still in progress and many of the workers had lost everything. But as I walked toward town along the beach, I saw competitor after competitor completely closed with heavily damaged buildings. The Ideal's immediate investment in preserving a high-quality guest experience will lead to long-term market share gains and kept the staff intact and employed. An amazing example of successful disaster recovery in a consumer business.

India #3: Jet Airways

Jet Airways (the major private domestic airline in India) is fantastic. Electronic ticketing. Rapid and friendly checkin. Excellent food. Great service. The plane was 2/3 empty, however. This appears largely to be because they match the prices of the dominant government-owned carrier. While you can get slight discounts as a tourist on Indian Airlines if you buy well in advance, Jet Airways is well worth the extra 5%. Domestic airlines, in general, are fixed price and somewhat expensive ($300 for a one-way 1500 mile flight). But it beat a 22-hour train ride.

India #2: Delhi and the Ashok Hotel

Delhi is by far the most polluted city I have ever been to. I have no respiratory sensitivities, yet I found myself having a tough time breathing.

The airport is nice, though immigration is slow. I was intrigued by the duty free shop beside the luggage carousels to get a last fix of extremely cheap booze (this is as cheap as it gets for worldwide brands). On the way to immigration, you can see a very nice cigar store, but it is apparently inaccessible for incoming passengers. Changing money is easy with low commissions by Western standards. Getting a taxi into town is a bit of a hassle. There are numerous "fake" prepaid taxi stands outside of immigration (before you reach the hordes of touts, etc.). They start negotiating at 1200 rupees ($30), though quickly knock down to $15. However, if you go outside to the police prepaid taxi stand and firmly ask, you can get into town for $5.

The Ashok Hotel (formerly the Ashoka -- many taxi drivers, etc. still use this name). Surprisingly, the website can't be found using Google (though this post will change that). It is owned by the national tourism board. The only thing they would sell a foreigner is a suite (once local, there was minimal additional cost of a suite over a basic room). While the layout had potential (big rooms, nice refrigerator), the condition of the room was horrible. Large stains in the carpet, extremely dark and dingy, furniture old and decrepit. The views were terrible -- a dirty workzone. Oh, and all rooms (as are most in India) are smoking. The high-speed internet did not work, and could not be repaired (it had likely not worked for a long time). The restaurants were quite good, however, and reasonable by Western standards.

I did have a problem on checkout. I had attempted to call them from the US to arrange airport pickup. They refused as best I could make out. I then emailed them and never received a response. (Airport transfers were included in the room price). So I grabbed a taxi. When I arrived, the front desk said that a taxi driver had called looking for me. I didn't pursue the issue. At checkout, there was a 350 rupee charge on the bill for a taxi. When I asked what the charge was for, I got a great deal of confusion. They couldn't find the underlying bill. The clerk and his manager went back and forth for 20 minutes "investigating" unsuccessfully, then requesting that I pay the bill without presenting a reason for the charge. (They knew I was going to the airport for a early morning flight). Finally, I took matters into my own hands, grabbed the bill, crossed off the charge, and paid cash to settle the bill.

I'd avoid the Ashok. It is horrendously overpriced. Unfortunately, it shares this with almost all hotels in Delhi since it is a major gateway for international flights. Next time, I would look more closely at the hotels farther away from the city -- it is unbelievably cheap to hire a car and driver for the day.

Stayxs.com

I've used groups like stayxs.com. The theory is that you can negotiate a better deal on foreign hotel rooms with incountry expertise and aggregation than by using the standard reservation networks (Orbitz, Expedia) which flag travellers as high-paying Americans. I successfully used one in Thailand a few years ago.

So I tried it for India (specifically New Delhi). Dismal. 2 out of 3 hotels had no rooms available (although the site said they did and let me go through the entire process). The one that did is listed at $114 on the front page, $207 "post-lookup", and $295 in the email confirmation the next day. Speaking directly to the hotel, they had a suite at $275 and a regular room 2 of the 3 days at $175.

And what's worse, the "lookup" still shows availability on all 3 hotels at the same grossly understated prices. Clearly a group (a global operation, however, which tricked me) to be avoided.