booking.com Archives - Wander-Lust

08 May 2019

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7 hotels with the perfect view

Sticky Post By Wander-lust On May 8, 2019 With No Comments

We’ve stayed in many hotel rooms and some are better than others. There are several factors that make a stay memorable and one of those important factors has got to be the view from our hotel room. Feast your eyes on these hotels with a picture perfect view!

Overlooking the Big Ben, London

Stay at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel if you want to have the best view of the Parliament House and Big Ben. It offers stylish rooms, studios and apartments plus the award-winning Brasserie Joel features classic French bistro dishes with a twist. The modern hotel is an excellent choice if you want to stay in the heart of London and take a picture of this historic monument from your bedroom window.

Park Plaza Westminster Bridge

Looking at the historic Acropolis, Athens

Across the Acropolis, you will find the stylish AthensWas Hotel offers a phenomenal view of the Parthenon. The Modern Rooftop Restaurant is located on the 7th floor of the hotel and is the perfect spot to enjoy modern cuisine with a refreshing cocktail. The evening illuminates acropolis which makes it the picture opportunity.

Credit: AthensWas Hotel

The Empire State Building, New York

The iconic American building, across from your bedroom? Yes, The Langham Place in New York makes it happen. Located in midtown on Fifth Avenue, features modern rooms and a Michelin Star restaurant. Because the hotel is just 300 meters away from the Empire State Building, you can easily visit the famous skyscraper in the late hours and avoid the long queues.

Credit: The Langham Place

Get up close with the Eiffel Tower, Paris

Résidence Charles Floquet is located in a renovated historic building just 50 meters from the Eiffel Tower. It offers spacious accommodations with private cooking facilities and views of the Eiffel Tower, which after sunset gives a brilliant light show. Sounds ‘formidable’ right?

Dreaming of the Taj Mahal, India

Just 600 meters from the Taj Mahal, you will find The Oberoi Amarvilas Agra. This accommodation has luxurious rooms, a wonderful spa, beautiful gardens, an outdoor pool, four restaurants and a great view of the Taj Mahal. Guests can enjoy delicious traditional Indian specialties in the restaurant or enjoy a good glass of wine overlooking the imposing Taj Mahal.

Credit: The Oberoi Amarvilas

Overlooking the Duomo, Florence

People visit Florence because of the many Musea and beautiful architecture. Hotel Firenze Rentals Corso 12 is located in central Florence and a 5-minute walk from the architectural sight they call the Piazza del Duomo. This beautiful property features self-catering apartments and the balcony overlooks the famous Duomo.

Credit: Firenze Rentals Corso 12

Skyline & Marina Bay, Singapore
Wow, this must be the ultimate skyline view from a bedroom in the Ritz-Carton, Millenia. Okok, we’re talking about the Ritz here of course and there is always a price tag attached. But hey, we can dream of staying here one day, can’t we?!

Credit: Ritz-Carlton Singapore

All there is left to say now is; we are looking forward to see your stunning bedroom shots soon! If you have any tips on accommodations with a picture perfect view, let us know and we might add it to the list!

Love,

Wander-Lust

Ever wondered what the most sustainable hotels in Amsterdam are? Check them here:

21 Dec 2018

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8 x Travel Trends for 2019

Sticky Post By Wander-lust On December 21, 2018 With No Comments

What’s happening in the world of travel this coming year? A lot, if we believe Booking.com. They are predicting 8 travel trends for 2019 and we’ve lined them up for you.

1. Travel to learn
For travelers, making meaningful trips is becoming increasingly important. More than half (56%) of travelers say that traveling has taught them new skills and insights. 68% of respondents want to participate in a cultural exchange and learn new skills, 54% indicate that they want to volunteer and 53% opt for international work placements. We can totally relate and traveled to Bolivia 2 years ago to report about women rights. It was incredible, tough and we learned so much.

2. As easy as possible
In 2019, convenience will become the standard when it comes to technological innovations in the field of travel. The innovations that, according to travelers, will strike the most, are those who offer practical solutions for traveling with artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and speech recognition. Think of opening your hotel room with your smartphone or a robotic concierge who speaks the language of the guests. Crazy? Well, 57% of travelers are interested in solutions such as an app for real-time baggage tracking or one app that has everything for planning and booking their trip. In addition, 31% are interested in the idea of a ‘virtual travel agency’ in their living room, with for example virtual assistants with speech recognition who answer travel questions.

In 2019, a lot is going to happen in the travel world

3. Discover the unknown
When it comes to traveling, we continue to push our boundaries and that includes space tourism. The travel industry and other companies will invest in tests with space travel on earth to make space travel possible. They meet the growing demand of consumers who want to take the big leap. 40% of travelers confirm that they think the prospect of space travel is fantastic, and would also consider this experience themselves (38%). Until space travel becomes reality, 60% of travelers opt for adventure below sea level.

4. The more personal, the better
The generic travel guides are history and make way for shorter but personally relevant content. One third of travelers (34%) want “something” or someone to take the difficult work off their hands and provide them with travel recommendations: 41% would like companies in the travel industry to use technologies such as AI to provide travel suggestions based on on previous travel experiences. The personal is becoming increasingly important; individual recommendations are increasingly giving direction to each journey.

5. Awareness Travel
In 2019, the social, political and environmental problems of a possible travel destination will be examined before travelers actually book: 48% of travelers think that social problems in a travel destination are taken into account when deciding on a visit. In addition, travelers are increasingly looking for new and authentic adventures, and want to be sure that they can travel safely – regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation. Platforms such as Destination Pride provide destinations with a score that allows travelers to see how LGBT + are friendly. 19% of travelers plan to visit a Pride festival in 2019, of which almost a third (30%) is between 18 and 34 years old.

6. Fight the plastic problem
Millennials and Gen Z search for sustainability in their destination; looking for opportunities to use less plastic and to work more sustainably. More than a third (37%) is prepared to clean up plastic and other waste on a beach or other tourist attraction.

Surfer Julia van Rooij is fighting the plastic soup

Investing in sustainable start-ups is becoming increasingly important in 2019, because travelers who want to travel responsibly increasingly ask more critical questions about the sustainability of their destination and accommodations. This will lead to a number of new start-ups in the travel industry.

Tip: Compensate your CO2? check out GreenSeat

7. On the hunt for new experiences
Two-thirds of travelers (60%) value experiences more than equipment. That is why ‘Doing’ when traveling becomes just as important as ‘going’, and perhaps even more important. There is no less pressure on life, and therefore experiences can help to strive for a less stressful existence. In 2019, two-fifths of travelers (42%) plan to visit a destination where they can feel carefree again.

8. Small is good
More than half of the travelers worldwide (53%) say they plan to make more weekend trips in 2019. These small trips are characterised by the fact that more activities are planned in shorter times. ‘Less is more’ is the motto, and consumers swear by custom on these trips. Think of weekend trips, city trips or road trips.

Take a city trip to Budapest!

Pepijn Rijvers, Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com says: “In 2019 a lot is going to happen in the travel world. Technological innovation continues, the world is increasingly connected and consumer demand for the best travel experiences is constantly growing.

Happy traveling!

Wander-Lust

31 Aug 2016

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Booking.com reveals top 10 destinations to catch Pokémon

Sticky Post By Wander-lust On August 31, 2016 With 1 Comment

It’s taken the world by storm and even though I’ve never played it, I meet a new Pokémon Go fanatic almost every week. I was on a press trip in Norway last week and while we waited for a ferry, one of the tourist board members jumped out of the bus because she saw a rare Pokémon. True story.
Travel giant Booking.com now connects travelers to a huge range of destinations and capitalizes on the popularity of the game as an option to add to the Destination Finder.

As seen on Booking.com

Travelers can now recommend other travelers to certain holiday destinations where you can play Pokemon Go. This allows players to exchange information with each other and fans can easily on a global adventure to catch Pokémon’s everywhere! Simply fill in Pokemon Go into Booking.com ‘s Destination Finder to see where you should go according to other Pokemon Go players. With a million locations in more than 224 countries , even beginners can be Pokémon Masters.

Based on reviews from travelers and Pokémon fans, Booking.com reveals the top ten destinations to catch them. Discover destinations, new Pokéstops and Pokégyms worldwide. (I had to look up the meaning of these words, seriously) I’m sure there are a few PG fans amongst my readers so here you have it, the top 10 spots to find your Pokémon.

1. Kristiansand, Norway – I was there recently and while I was having my lunch by the harbour, I could see my fellow travelers busy on their phones with huge smiles on their faces. Yes, it was a good spot, apparently.

2. Playa de Palma, Spain – Visit the beautiful beaches of Palma while catching.

3. Corpus Christi, Texas, USA – Travel alongside the coastal cities of Corpus Christi and catch your favorite creature in the water while you lounge on the beach or while you are fishing. Not bad ey? You can even combine it with visits to the many museums and other attractions.

4. Ocean City, Maryland, USA – Discover miles of white beaches while your busy playing on your phone. Or visit one of the theme parks, shops or many restaurants.

Chillin’ or watching out for Pokémon’s?

5. Birmingham, Great Britain– Visit the young Birmingham city center for creative street art , antique shops, great nightlife and the Bullring shopping center. Chances are your Pokémon’s are right here.

6. Santa Cruz, California, USA – Pay a visit to well known Pier 39 and Union Square, those little creatures are hidden around here!

7. Playa de Ingles, Spain – Take a rest and relax on the beach while you’re sipping on a cocktail and working on your tan. Just wait, and they will pass you.

8. Fuengirola, Spain – Visit this beautiful town on the Costa del Sol and relax on one of the beautiful beaches, go to the medieval castles or take a long walk on the beach.

9. Galveston, USA – This island city on the Gulf Coast of Texas, is known for its amusement parks, restaurants, the historic pier and also because of it’s Pokémon’s.

10. Blackpool, Great Britain – Take a trip to Blackpool, the ultimate British coastal town. They are around here somewhere..

Well there you have it. A wanderlust blogpost about Pokémon. I never thought that would happen! Ah well, as long as you get outside and don’t forget to look around you at some point. Let’s be honest, that’s the REAL reason we travel right?

Love,

Elke