Archive for November, 2009
Beverly Hills, California, one of the wealthiest cities in the world is known world wide for multi million dollar mansions, Rodeo Drive shopping, luxury automobile dealerships, four and five star hotels, fine dining establishments and wealthy citizens.
Beverly Hills is a great place to visit. Go shopping or window shopping at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Channel, Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Gearys, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Lalique, Tiffany & Co, Robert Clergerie, Barneys New York, Van Cleef & Arpels, La Perla, Hermes, Alfred Dunhill, St. John, Harry Winston, Buccellati, Cole-Haan, David Orgell, Salvatore Ferragamo, Hugo Boss, Fendi or dozens of other luxury boutiques, stores and shops.
If you are into luxury cars, you can find almost every type of luxury and classic car there is on the streets and at the dealerships in Beverly Hills.
If you can afford it stay in a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel and be treated like a king or queen. There are also the Le Meridien, Four Seasons, Regent Beverly Wilshire, The Beverly Hilton, Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills hotels as well as several other great hotels.
Have breakfast or lunch and see the stars at the Polo Lounge, eat at Trader Vics, Spagos, Il Fornaio, La Scala, Delmonicos Lobster House, Regent Beverly Wilshire, Benihana, Houston’s and other fine restaurants. All of them provide excellent service and delicious fare.
All of the businesses and merchants in Beverly Hills are used to serving wealthy and discriminating clientel, therefore almost anywhere you go you will be treated with service that is far above average. Unlike the scenes in the movie Pretty Woman I have never run in to rude or snooty sales clerks. Everywhere I have shopped, stayed or dined in Beverly Hills I have been treated very well. Money is money and it seems that the merchants believe that if you can afford to buy their goods or services you are more than welcome in their establishment. Since nowadays it is hard to tell by looks who has money and who doesn’t it’s easier and safer for the merchants to treat everyone as if they are wealthy.
Drive through the residential areas of Beverly Hills. You will find houses and mansions of all architectural styles and sizes beautifuly landscaped with dark green lawns, sculpted hedges, fountains and gorgeous gardens. Even the streets are clean and well tended.
Visit Beverly Hills, if you are rich you will feel right at home and if you are not you will probably, at least for a while, feel like you are.
By the way, even though the city is filled with luxury hotels, shops and restaurants, since not everyone who lives, visits or works in Beverly Hills is rich, there are still plenty of medium to inexpensively priced hotels, shops, restaurants, coffee shops and fast food places.
For more information about the city of Beverly Hills, California see http://beverlyhills.usacitydirectories.com, a directory of links to city of Beverly Hills, California guides and directories listing hotels, restaurants, attorneys, information, resources, services, things to do, places to go and more.
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Top 12 Ways to Upgrade to First Class on the Major Airlines
Getting Upgraded to First Class
These days with little profit and extra overheard costs, a flyer with no past history on a given airline has little chance of upgrading to first class. But it can happen if you do your homework. Hence why you are here today.
Method #1: Asking the ticket counter agent nicely or perhaps offering him/her a bribe. Does this work?
In 99% of the time absolutely not. In most cases on most airlines, the ticket agent is not authorized to upgrade passengers unless you have frequent flyer status and even with frequent flyer status, you will most likely need to use miles to get your upgrade. Of course you have to hope they actually have first class seats available for upgrade. With many frequent flyer programs, and with rules changing frequently due to airlines merging with other airlines, or the carrier simply revamping their frequent flyer program, many of the top tier frequent flyers get upgraded before they fly. Thus by the time you arrive at the airport, there is a good chance that the first class seats that have not been sold have been allocated to frequent flyers. Bribing a ticket agent can not only get the agent in hot water, but she will probably seat you at the back of the plane just for being stupid.
With some airlines, fellow flyers I have met have been clever enough to ask the ticket counter agent to kindly add a code to their ticket. Why? Because the code signifies to the gate agent that you as a passenger are potentially eligible for an upgrade. It works with the right airline and of course you will need to know which code to use as each airline uses different codes for different situations that are independent of other carriers.
Method #2 Dress smart and arrive as late as possible
There are plenty of flyers who believe in getting to the airport as early as possible in the hopes of either asking the counter agent for an upgrade or asking the gate agent for an upgrade. Believe me, I have tried thousands of charming ways to get upgraded and the employees are simply following the rules. Oh and they have heard every line in the book. So why would your line be any different?
Of course if you want to press your luck, you can arrive at the 11th hour and ask the gate agent for an upgrade, it will of course help to dress the part and of course hold some status even if its just a basic member in the airlines frequent flyer program. One method that has worked for me in the past is to tell them the reason you are late is because of a terrible experience you had with their competitor, sometimes if they think they have the potential to win the business of a frequent flyer from another carrier, they might put you in first class, space permitted since you are in an emotional state. It can work.
Method #3 Buying an Upgrade
Many domestic carriers in an attempt to earn more business will happily sell first class seat upgrades on a first come first serve basis. Obviously they want to earn as much money as possible and they will release first class seats typically only at the airport and only on the day of the departure. Instead of paying $1,200 for a first class flight coast to coast, you might end up paying 300 for the coach ticket and just 150 each way for the first class upgrade. Certainly better than begging for an upgrade and this is certainly better than using miles in many cases.
Of course this rate may not apply to you, on some airlines they only offer the upgrades to their frequent flyers first and only after they have exhausted all attempts at selling to their most loyal customers will they sell to you. Hint: Get a frequent flyer card as soon as possible. It’s free and will only help you upgrade and of course you start to earn miles with your first flight.
If by chance you paid full fare for your coach ticket, there is still a chance of buying an upgrade, but like everything in this world, don’t expect much with a free or heavily discounted coach ticket.
Method #4: It’s not what you know but who you know
If you just so happen to be related to a family member or are friends with an airline employee, you certainly could ask for an upgrade, but keep in mind that airlines are in the business of making a profit, and if there are upgrades to sell, or loyal frequent flyers to keep happy, don’t expect to be first inline for an upgrade.
On a positive note, keep in mind that suppliers, contractors and airline partners have some pull to get upgraded. It’s not just family of the carrier’s employees.
Method #5: Show a travel agent ID
Again, if and only if seats are available will an airline offer a free upgrade and even though a travel agent might have some pull, you always have to assume that frequent flyer status will help more than just travel agent status. If you have both, you will only improve your chances of an upgrade. It certainly does not hurt to try. You can of course become a travel agent for as little as $50 without having to sell anything.
Method #6: Ask a flight attendant for an upgrade if you a seat available
Typically flight attendants never upgrade passengers and simply asking for an upgrade is not going to work. However, there are legitimate reasons why a flight attendant will upgrade you. Here are a few.
1. An oversold flight ? Typically airlines overbook flights and hope that some passengers will simply not show. If however there are more passengers than seats in coach, your best chance to be upgraded is to get assigned a seat towards the front of the aircraft. If there are no seats left and the flight is oversold, you may also be asked to volunteer to take a later fight. This would also mean compensation but of course not necessarily a first class upgrade.
2. A problem with your seat ? In some cases where your seat has malfunctioned and you can not comfortably sit there, I.E. seatbelt problem or the seat will not stay in the up position, the flight attendant will make an attempt to find you another seat. If no other seats are available in coach yet space is available in first, you will be moved to first class. On the down side, this is a rare occurrence.
3. A problem with a fellow passenger ? If by chance you are sitting next to a passenger and you have a legitimate complaint, the flight attendant can at her discretion, move you to first. This actually happened to me on a flight when I was trying to watch the small screen in front of me, and a senile old woman would not move. I was upgraded.
Method #7: Book with a travel agent
When you book with a travel agent, it is possible, with a valid reason, to have the agent mark your reservation with a comment, such as OSI (Other Significant Information). The record may indicate that you are a VIP or CEO of a big corporation. Airlines like to see this information as they are trying to win more and more business away from their competition. If there is a chance that an important decision maker is flying with them it could potentially mean extra revenue for the airline as they may want to try to win your company’s account.
Method #8: Book directly with the airline
When you book directly with the airline, there is the possibility of also adding an OSI to your record, if you are a travel agent, travel writer, or event planner, it certainly won’t hurt your chances.
Method #9: Upgrade using frequent flyer points or status
If you are a frequent flyer, you can certainly use your miles to upgrade as long as allocated seats are available for upgrade. Not all seats are allocated for frequent flyer upgrades, as the airlines want to hold a certain block of seats for fully paid customers so that they can earn as much as they can for each flight. Using the right miles at the right time is also of importance. Each airline has their set terms and conditions for frequent flyers, miles and upgrades. You will need to determine the best case scenario for each flight you want to take. Short flights are typically not worth the upgrade since you would waste valuable miles.
Of course on many airlines having frequent flyer status will only help to get free upgrades. Typically, the higher the status, the better chance of getting a free upgrade confirmed days before the flight.
Method #10: Be in the know
Airlines in an attempt to woo passengers and business will offer specials frequently throughout the year. You might even encounter a special that allows you instant status in their frequent flyer program. I’m not referring to basic status, anyone can become a member of each airlines frequent flyer program for free. I’m referring to the next level of status. For example, American Airlines has these levels. Member, Gold, Platinum, and Executive Platinum. You can gain Gold status in this example by simply calling a special unpublished phone number and following some basic requirements. I explain more about this on my website.
Method #11: Purchase Upgrades
There are many ways to buy upgrades cheaply. Keep in mind that there are specific rules for who can use them and how they are used. You need to read the fine print carefully. But in most cases, not only is it easy to purchase upgrades, its easy to put them to use.
Upgrades for most major carriers can be purchased on Ebay, in travel forums, and some can be found for sale in classified ads.
In some cases you can purchase an upgrade for as little as eight dollars, but as usual, these upgrades can only be applied to your ticket at the check in counter once you arrive at the airport. Other more expensive upgrade will allow you to confirm your upgrade over the phone before you arrive at the airport.
Method #12: Buy discounted first class tickets cheaply
Contrary to what you may have seen or heard, first class tickets are not always expensive, and there are numerous ways to purchase discounted tickets. The price may not be as cheap as coach tickets but with fierce competition one can buy tickets that are heavily discounted that in comparison to coach tickets, may make sense to spend a little bit more to travel in style.
Typically, a coast to coast ticket on the major travel websites will sell for about $1,200. But using our method, a first class ticket could cost you $600 or less for the same flight. Compared with 300-400 for a coach ticket and you can see why it may be wise to simply spend a bit extra instead of going through hoops to get upgraded.
You can learn more about upgrading and where to purchase tickets by visiting our website at www.firstclasstraveltips.com
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Planning your business trip wisely will free you from lots of trouble. Inadequate airline seats, long lines, heavy traffic, and unavailable hotel rooms are just some of the problems a business traveler might encounter. Despite the emergence of e-commerce, businessmen still travel more often for sales and business shows. Here are some tips to make your business travel a successful one:
1. Plan your business trip long before you leave the office.
2. Always prepare a travel bag with complete necessities to be used on any emergency trips.
3. Bring some ready to eat foods, it will save you a substantial amount of money, considering the high cost of foods in hotels.
4. Be sure to have a buffer time between your flight and your scheduled meeting.
5. Choose aircraft that has better seats with ample leg room.
6. Put all your valuable materials in a small carry-on bag.
7. When calling your main office, use the 800 numbers as much as possible because it’s much cheaper.
8. If you’re a businesswoman, it is important to dress well. Additionally, you must bring casual clothes for your free time.
Not all hotels have inexpensive telecommunication systems from their rooms, so always choose your hotel’s business floor, for these rooms are made especially for business traveler. These rooms should have dual telephone/modem lines, fax machine, and free communications between rooms. In order to save money on calls, use your calling card and place calls through your country’s long-distance carrier or find a pay phone in the hotel’s lobby. If available, use a nearby business center for your fax needs since fax service within your room will probably cost more.
These days, a business traveler has to bring a lot of electronic equipment such as; cell phones, electronic organizers, laptop computers, etc. Here are some suggestions on how to keep your expensive business items safe:
1. Put your laptop inside a bag that will not indicate that there’s a laptop inside. The same works well for other equipment such as camera, electronic organizer, etc.
2. Don’t expose your laptop to x-ray scanners at the airport security check, rather have it checked manually. X-rays could damage your electronic equipment.
3. Don’t place your laptop on the aircraft’s overhead bins; instead place it near your seat or under the seat in front of you.
4. Always bring extra batteries for your equipment.
Today’s business travelers are enjoying much comfort compared to their counterparts a few decades ago. Low airfare, plenty of airlines to choose from, communication equipment (especially cell phones and laptops) make modern day business travelers more efficient. Even on a business trip, parents can always be with their family members and co-workers can still get in touch with their office work, at least virtually.
