FunnelScope » News

Fun Fridays: Drug smuggling in hotels safe?

Calvin — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:52:33 +0000

So if you thought you could bring drugs into a hotel and not get caught be very careful with the people around you. If you are rowdy and disrespectful to your neighbors you could get caught. All they have to do is contact the police and watch it. As the video below shows watch how these people eventually get caught. It’s actually pretty cool.

A great date with the person you care about

Calvin — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 02:42:43 +0000

Dirty yummy drinks

So you have just come to New York and you are wondering where to go… Don’t worry, I have the perfect date/day planned for you. Skip midtown, don’t even think about the Meatpacking district…anything upper is a waste compared to what I have in store for you. Tonight is going to be an Asian night – East Village/St. Marks style.

You come to New York and you have to try the ramen. Now you might be thinking to yourself, ‘psh, Top Ramen? In New York? I don’t want that’ or it might even take you back to those late college nights when all you had to eat were cup noodles warmed up in your dorm microwave. Well then if that’s the case, then you are truly in for a treat. Start out the night by heading down to the Lower Eastside. There is an amazing ramen restaurant called Ippudo. Be prepared though because the wait there is going to be at least an hour (even longer on busy weekends). So head there around 7 PM to make sure you get your reservation in. But now you have an hour and a half wait ahead of you, but don’t be discouraged, it is definately worth the wait. Luckily, they allow you to leave and call in to see how your reservation is coming along (a feature that many restaurants should think about adopting.)

Now walk about two blocks and you will hit Stuyvesant St & 9th. You are going to enter a restaurant called Village Yokotcho. Walk up the stairs, take a left and another left to walk inside the doors. What you find is a place so surreal you forget where you just were. You see little angel’s all over the wall, it is a lot more quiet, the curtains are drawn in and the place just has a mysterious vibe to it. It isn’t your typical bar it is more than that. There is no sign, but it merely adds to the mysterious-ness of Angel’s Share. I suggest if you can to go to the back section of the bar where it is even another totally different feeling of even more secrecy. What you find in this section is a debaucherous feeling where you don’t know what is going to happen. The seating is intimate and the set up is comforting. Once I am sat down I open up the menu of drinks and am excited to try the drinks. These drinks aren’t your run of the mill cocktails they are a fusion of mystery. Combining cucumbers, sake or the many other varieties of mixtures that they provide really put you in a mood to get close to the one you are with. I wouldn’t go here with your buddies but more of a place to go to with a date/special someone.

Once you have tried your fare share of drinks it is about time to head back to Ippudo. If your reservation is ready be prepared for an experience like no other. Once you walk into the restaurant it is so crowded that you think that the whole place is going to be wall-wall people however it isn’t. The seating arrangements are very well organized and the space is very accommodating. As your server is taking you to your seats you are greeted very warmly by a traditional Japanese greeting, Irrashaimase, which is very formal way of saying welcome. The restaurant is quite incredible and different in itself as you can see the whole process of the

RAMEN!!!!

ramen. You see the cooks cooking the ramen and all the accoutrements that go with it. Don’t be afraid when you sit down that you aren’t at your own table as you will most likely be sitting next to someone but like I said it is very comfortable and you don’t have to worry about touching elbows with your neighbor. There are a lot of dishes to choose from but if you fill up without finishing your ramen that is sad. To not finish all your ramen is almost like spitting in the chef’s face. In Japanese culture it is very disrespectful to not eat all of the ramen broth and all. So either you don’t like the ramen or you are an a$ for filling up too much. So keep that in mind when ordering. The most I will ever usually get is gyoza and ramen. Since Ippudo Ramen doesn’t have any gyoza the buns are a quality substitute. When choosing ramen know what you like. I recommend a tonkotsu Ramen as they are the most flavorfilled. I had the Akamaru Modern plate and it was scrumptious.

Left is Tonkotsu Right is Miso

For those that like there ramen less thick yet still salty they have a shio(salt) ramen or shoyu(soy sauce) ramen. I have yet to try them but if a restaurant doesn’t have tonkotsu I will get the shoyu ramen. I venture to shio ramen every once in a while. They also serve a miso ramen but isn’t exactly my favorite. I feel it lacked the miso flavor but their tonkotsu ramen was amazing. Remember when eating your ramen it is polite to slurp your ramen so the bigger the slurp the better. Don’t eat the ramen like spaghetti we aren’t in an Italian restaurant it is a Japanese restaurant so don’t be afraid to let the smacking sound! After you have finished you can get dessert, I tend to forgo the dessert as there is a much better surprise waiting. As you leave the restaurant again you leave to a very kind goodbye, a Japanese formal goodbye and thank you very much, Arigato Gozaimasu.

Now it’s dessert time! There are a lot of options around the city however don’t be fooled by the bright lights and shiny toys the real treat is going to be outside. It might be cold but the treat is worth it. I remember it was raining and around 30/34 degrees and I still waited outside for these delectible treats. You might be wondering what is he talking about… Don’t worry, what I present to you are FOOD TRUCKS! The only thing you have to worry about is whether they will be there or not. These trucks are going to be right next the New York Film Academy Cafe.

Wafel & Spekuloos

The first truck you should go to is Wafels & Dinges where the people that work there are very friendly and helpful in letting you know what is good to try out. But of course you are going to get a wafel but what you get with that is unknown. I suggest that you get their signature spread, which is a spekuloos spread. It has a cinnamony flavor and goes on well with the waffle. You can get ice cream, whip cream, nutella and more. Bite into the Wafel with spekuloos and nutella and it is like an orgasm in your mouth. Enjoy the rest of your wafel!

The next truck you are going to is The Dessert Truck. There you will get the bread pudding. They have plenty of other options but I had it and it was like nothing I ever had. The bread melted as you ate it and the cream on top accompanied the bread famously. Enjoy your dessert as it will make your day a thousand times better. Your restaurant portion of the night is over. If you are still interested in going out to bars you are in a prime location. So just head to any of the numerous bars around the block.

Places and food of choice:

Ippudo – Akamaru Modern

Angel Share – the Drinks!

The Dessert Truck

Wafels & Dinges – Wafel with Nutella & Spekuloos Spread

The Dessert Truck – Bread Pudding

Announcing the 2010 Reviewers’ Choice Hotel Awards from FunnelScope

mgjolley — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:38:26 +0000

FunnelScope announces the first hotel awards based on user reviews! These awards leverage an innovative approach of aggregating millions of reviews from travel and review sites and scoring each review for key criteria and categories. The winning hotels by each category are listed below. Congratulations to the 2010 Reviewers’ Choice Hotel Award winners!

The Reviewers’ Choice Hotel Awards for U.S. hotels provide a unique and broad perspective by taking into account user experiences via millions of unbiased hotel reviews and distilling their implied ratings across numerous categories. These categories include: bed comfort, bathroom quality, beach hotels, service quality, business, access to entertainment, family-friendly, gym quality, pet-friendly, pool quality, romantic, overall value, and quality of views.

These days most of us rely on user reviews to help us make travel decisions. FunnelScope’s hotel search engine takes this a step further by quantifying user reviews into ratings that can be quickly and easily understood. FunnelScope’s unique semantic technology was used in scoring the reviews.

Millions of hotel reviews are posted online each year at multiple websites. It’s too much information to digest. In fact, it’s nearly impossible, not to mention a time waste, to find and read all the hotel reviews available. But online hotel reviews are a trusted and valuable source of information. They help people make their hotel booking decisions and often are a key factor that determines the quality of their trip.

Funnelscope solves the problem of being able to digest all that information!

Travelers have been waiting for someone smart to compile all that hotel review information on the web into an easily digestible format. Travelers only want to see reviews that help them find a hotel that meets their needs. FunnelScope is doing just that – simplifying hotel research to find the perfect hotel.

The awards are listed below by category. Congratulations to the hotels listed. They’ve won FunnelScope’s first annual Reviewers Choice awards! Las Vegas flights.

Consumers searching for the right hotel are also winners. Why? Because now they can use FunnelScope’s innovative hotel research engine to generate a personalized hotel list specific to their criteria and location (city or neighborhood).

Awesome Beach Hotels:
PARK SHORE WAIKIKI – AN AQUA HOTEL – HONOLULU, HAWAII

RAMADA PLAZA BEACH RESORT – FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA

SHERATON PRINCESS KAIULANI – HONOLULU, HAWAII

OUTRIGGER WAIKIKI ON THE BEACH – HONOLULU, HAWAII

PACIFIC EDGE HOTEL ON LAGUNA BEACH – LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA

MOANA SURFRIDER WAIKIKI BEACH – HONOLULU, HAWAII

FONTAINEBLUEAU – MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA

SHUTTERS ON THE BEACH – SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

ROYAL KONA RESORT – KONA, HAWAII Maui House Rentals

ASTON WAIKIKI BEACH HOTEL – HONOLULU, HAWAII

Business Traveler’s Top Picks:
THE ORCHARD HOTEL – SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

BEST WESTERN WESTMINSTER INN – WESTMINISTER, CALIFORNIA

THE TREMONT HOTEL – CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

THE RITZ-CARLTON BUCKHEAD – ATLANTA, GEORGIA

BEACON HOTEL & CORPORATE QUARTERS – WASHINGTON, DC

SAN FRANCISCO MARRIOTT – SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

VILLA FLORENCE, A LARKSPUR COLLECTION HOTEL – SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

CLUB QUARTERS – PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

MILLENIUM HILTON – NEW YORK, NEW YORK

W- SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Close to Entertainment:
HOLIDAY INN CHARLESTON (HISTORIC DISTRICT) – CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

THE BELLEVIEW BILTMORE RESORT – CLEARWATER, FLORIDA

HOTEL JEFFERY – COULTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA

IMPERIAL PALACE CASINO RESORT SPA – LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

MARRIOTT’S CUSTOM HOUSE – BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

SIR FRANCIS DRAKE – A KIMPTON HOTEL – SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

GEORGIAN TERRACE HOTEL – ATLANTA, GEORGIA

RAMADA PLAZA BEACH RESORT – FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA

21C MUSEUM HOTEL – LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

HOLIDAY INN EL TROPICANO RIVERWALK – SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Most Family Friendly:
HILTON GRAND VACATIONS CLUB AT SEAWORLD – ORLANDO, FLORIDA

RAMADA PLAZA BEACH RESORT – FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA

ANABELLA HOTEL – ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA

DOUBLETREE GUEST SUITES TIMES SQUARE – NEW YORK, NEW YORK

SHERATON VISTANA VILLAGES – ORLANDO, FLORIDA

SIRATA BEACH RESORT – ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA

DUNES VILLAGE RESORT – MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

ARIZONA GRAND RESORT – PHOENIX, ARIZONA

LAKE BUENA VISTA RESORT VILLAGE & SPA – LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA

PINK SHELL BEACH RESORT & SPA – FORT MYERS, FLORIDA

Pet Friendly Award:
BEST WESTERN INN – BLAKESLEE-POCONO, PENNSYLVANIA

DRURY INN & SUITES GREENSBORO – NORTH CAROLINA

THE ELLIS HOTEL – ATLANTA, GEORGIA

BEAZLEY HOUSE – NAPA, CALIFORNIA

DOUBLETREE GUEST SUITES – LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY

HOLIDAY INN – PIGEON FORGE, TENNESSEE

BEST WESTERN GREAT SMOKIES INN – CHEROKEE, NORTH CAROLINA

MARINER MOTEL – FALMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS

7 SPRINGS INN & SUITES – PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

SHERATON MUSIC CITY HOTEL – NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Best Pools:
RESIDENCE INN ORLANDO SEAWORLD – ORLANDO, FLORIDA

HOLIDAY INN SUNSPREE RESORT – PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA

UNIVERSAL’S HARD ROCK HOTEL – ORLANDO, FLORIDA

SHERATON SAFARI HOTEL & SUITES LAKE BUENA VISTA – ORLANDO, FLORIDA

BEST WESTERN KEY AMBASSADOR RESORT INN – KEY WEST, FLORIDA

THE WESTIN KA’ANAPALI OCEAN RESORT VILLAS – HONOKOWAI, HAWAII

MGM GRAND HOTEL AND CASINO – LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

MONTAGE – LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA

CARIBE ROYALE – ORLANDO, FLORIDA

MANDALAY BAY RESORT AND CASINO – LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Most Romantic:
MADRONA MANOR – HEALDSBURG, CALIFORNIA

SANIBEL SUNSET BEACH RESORT – SANIBEL, FLORIDA

SAINT REGIS ASPEN RESORT – ASPEN, COLORADO

HOTEL MAYA – LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

DIAMOND HEAD BEACH RESORT – FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA

OUTRIGGER REEF ON THE BEACH – HONOLULU, HAWAII

THE HOTEL OF SOUTH BEACH – MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA

OMNI LA MANSION DEL RIO – SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

HOLIDAY INN SANIBEL ISLAND – SANIBEL, FLORIDA

LITTLE PALM ISLAND RESORT & SPA – LITTLE TORCH KEY, FLORIDA

Best Overall Value:
PALACE STATION HOTEL & CASINO – LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

EL CORTEZ HOTEL & CASINO – LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

BEST WESTERN WESTMINSTER INN – WESTMINISTER, CALIFORNIA

MARRIOTT CITY CENTER – SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH Salt Lake Locksmith

DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MUSIC RESORT – ORLANDO, FLORIDA

CLUB QUARTERS – PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

MURRAY HILL EAST HOTEL – NEW YORK, NEW YORK

ANABELLA HOTEL – ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA

WINTERHAVEN HOTEL – WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA

BEST WESTERN PALM GARDEN INN – WESTMINISTER, CALIFORNIA

Great Views Award:
THE WESTIN MAUI RESORT & SPA – HONOKOWAI, HAWAII Turtle Bay Resort Rentals

HYATT REGENCY ON THE HUDSON – JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY

LOEWS VENTANA CANYON RESORT – TUCSON, ARIZONA

GRAND AMERICAN HOTEL – SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

ROYAL KONA RESORT – KAILUA, HAWAII

MOANA SURFRIDER WAIKIKI BEACH – HONOLULU, HAWAII

MANDARIN ORIENTAL – NEW YORK, NEW YORK

PACIFIC TERRACE HOTEL – SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

MANDARIN ORIENTAL – MIAMI, FLORIDA

PARK SHORE WAIKIKI – HONOLULU, HAWAII

Most Comfortable Beds:

SOFITEL – PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

THE ORCHARD HOTEL – SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

HOTEL DELUXE – PORTLAND, OREGON

BEACON HOTEL & CORPORATE QUARTERS – WASHINGTON, DC

MGM GRAND HOTEL AND CASINO – LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

AQUA PALMS & SPA – WAIKIKI, HAWAII

RENAISSANCE HOTEL – NEW YORK, NEW YORK

MILLENNIUM BILTMORE HOTEL – LA, CALIFORNIA

THE WESTIN SEATTLE – SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

THE WESTIN RIVERWALK – SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Best Bathroom Quality:
MGM GRAND HOTEL AND CASINO – LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

70 PARK AVENUE KIMPTON HOTEL – NEW YORK, NEW YORK

ST. GREGORY LUXURY HOTEL AND SUITES – ROSSLYN, VIRGINIA

THE POD HOTEL – NEW YORK, NEW YORK

HOTEL METRO – NEW YORK, NEW YORK

HOTEL KABUKI – SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

BEACON HOTEL & CORPORATE QUARTERS – WASHINGTON, DC

W CHICAGO LAKESHORE – CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

MILLENNIUM BILTMORE HOTEL – LA, CALIFORNIA

JW MARRIOTT HOTEL – SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

High Gym Quality Award:
NEW YORK MARRIOTT MARQUIS – NEW YORK, NEW YORK

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE – NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

LOEWS PHILADELPHIA HOTEL – PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

MGM GRAND HOTEL AND CASINO – LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

HILTON – SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

THE FAIRMONT SONOMA MISSION INN & SPA – BOYES HOT SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

GUESTHOUSE WILDWOOD – FLORENCE, KENTUCKY

MANDARIN ORIENTAL – NEW YORK, NEWYORK

GRAND HOTEL – MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

Hotel Prices Forecasted To Drop In 2010

mgjolley — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:19:05 +0000

Yes! Hotel prices are forecasted to drop by 2%-3% in 2010.

You thought there was only good news in the 2010 forecast didn’t you. Sorry.

Here’s the bad news: airlines will be able to raise ticket prices by 2% to 8% in 2010. And, even though hotel costs should go down, the overall cost of a domestic trip is forecasted to increase by 1.2% in 2010. Bummer.

Airlines have been able to lower supply by reducing or eliminating flights leading to the predicted rise in ticket prices. Hotels, on the other hand, have a fixed supply leading to lower room rates as competition for the fewer number of travelers heats up. Business website hosting companies.

Says who? American Express Business Travel, that’s who.

American Express Business Travel recently released it’s annual Global Business Travel Forecast. AMEX has an excellent pulse on travel costs due to their position as one of the world’s largest travel agencies. Business travel accessories.

Do you plan to increase or decrease your travel in 2010 and why? Please comment!

AMEX 2010 Global Business Travel Forecast

Travel Booked Online Expected to Grow

mgjolley — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:30:40 +0000

Travel booked online is expected to continue to see growth over the next 4 years according to Barclays Capital.

However, the rate of growth is slowly tapering off from the 20% range in 2006/2007 to an estimated 9% in 2013.

Independent of economic factors, perhaps the online travel growth trajectory will once again start to see a rise in year over year growth.

How?

With innovation. That’s how.

There has been little innovation in the online search space in the last 5 years. Maybe that innovation will come from what is now a tiny start-up …

FunnelScope.

That’s right, FunnelScope. We’re working hard to come up with great ideas to make your travel search experience even better. Bass guitar amp.

Watch us grow. Give us your feedback. We’re listening.

Online Travel Bookings Barclays Capital