“AP TRAVEL AND LEISURE DIGEST for week of Dec. 28 - Daily Mail - Charleston” plus 3 more

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• AP TRAVEL AND LEISURE DIGEST for week of Dec. 28 - Daily Mail - Charleston
• Ritz-Carlton, Naples named No. 1 hotel in Florida by Travel and Leisure - Naples Daily News
• Jamaica Resorts and Hotels Receive High Rankings On Two Prestigious 2009 Lists - South Florida Caribbean News
• Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel ranked in top 20 business hotels - eTaiwan News

AP TRAVEL AND LEISURE DIGEST for week of Dec. 28 - Daily Mail - Charleston Posted: 29 Dec 2009 06:08 AM PST Eds: Beginning late January, AP Travel features and news briefs will be transmitted daily rather than weekly. AP Travel for week of Dec. 28 NC SKI BLOWING ROCK, N.C. - Skiers in North Carolina have an unusual treat this year: The Blue Ridge Mountains are dressed in winter white from an early snowstorm coating native rhododendrons in iridescent crystal ice and creating a solid base on the slopes. The ski resorts and snow guns are going full bore. By SOFIA MANNOS. AP Photos NY403-405 EAST V WEST SKI Long before settling among the soaring peaks of southwestern Colorado, where she helped create a ski experience unlike any other in North America, Jen Brill learned to carve turns on blue ice at some of the better known ski resorts in the East. "I remember seeing sheets of ice for hundreds of feet and just trying to hold on," Brill recalled. No longer does Brill concern herself with what eastern skiers sometimes refer to with a bit of humor and hyperbole as "bullet proof" ice. By BRETT MARTEL. AP Photos NY406-409 BUDAPEST BATHS BUDAPEST - Sometimes called the city of spas, Budapest is home to over a dozen thermal spas. The bathhouses make perfect destinations for weary tourists, sore backpackers, and families - as well as hung-over concert-goers. By Carey J. Williams. AP Photos NY410-416 AIRPORT ATTRACTIONS With the latest terrorist incident over U.S. skies, air travelers are more on edge than usual and security lines are even longer. But if you're looking for something to take your mind off the worries and the waiting, a few airports actually offer whimsical attractions and unique things for passengers to do. Not that it will make the lines shorter, but checking out the stuffed polar bear at the Anchorage airport, playing slots at the Vegas airport or watching live music at the Austin airport might just bring a smile to your face on an otherwise stressful day. By BETH J. HARPAZ. AP Photos NY417-426 AIRLINER ATTACK-PASSENGER CONFUSION CHICAGO - Security on one flight is draconian: Passengers on one plane can't get out of their seat, access their carry-on luggage or even listen to an iPod. Security on the next appears no different than before the Christmas Day terror attack. The airlines each say something different, and the Transportation Security Administration isn't saying much at all. That might be the point: What's confusing to passengers is just as confusing to potential terrorists. By Michael Tarm. AP Photos, video. Moved spot later Monday on national news lines. TRAVEL BRIEFS Items on Santa Fe 400, Vail lift, 2010 Virginia guide, 2010 travel trends, Conde Nast Traveler port call tips, Expedia promotion, Vermont snowboarding blog, Travel + Leisure best hotels, Jim Henson exhibit. Photo with final item on Henson FLIGHT PLAN Moving Wednesday. UPCOMING TRAVEL STORIES: Eds: For planning purposes, here are some of the print stories scheduled for the AP Travel package for the next few weeks (list subject to change). For Jan. 4: Gasparilla Festival, Tampa Winter at Stone Mountain, Georgia Flushing, Queens - NY's other Chinatown CyberTrips For the near future: Sun Valley resort, Idaho - Jan. 11 Vancouver - OLY prevu - Jan. 19 Cruise trends - late January Miami- Super Bowl prevu (game is Feb. 7, story will run late January) Frank Lloyd Wright tour - Florida (tour is in February) Michigan - modern architecture Louisville Slugger factory - March Shanghai Expo - story late March/early April - event begins May 1 Motorcycle - tour rentals Catalonia AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz is reachable at bharpaz(at)ap.org. For AP Photos, call 212-621-1921. Reruns of stories are available from http://apexchange.com or from the Service Desk (800-838-4616). Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Ritz-Carlton, Naples named No. 1 hotel in Florida by Travel and Leisure - Naples Daily News Posted: 29 Dec 2009 01:50 PM PST NAPLES — The Ritz-Carlton, Naples resort has been voted the No. 1 one hotel in Florida by readers of Travel and Leisure in its annual survey "World's Best Hotels: T+L 500" in the January 2010 issue. Every year the editors ask hundreds of thousands of readers to vote on their favorite hotels throughout the world. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples was the highest ranked among the 14 Florida hotels cited, scoring above other well-known resorts in the state. "Especially in today's economic downturn, the Travel and Leisure honor is a reflection of our staff's commitment to delivering excellent customer service, exceeding guests' expectations and offering an exceptional product,'' said Ed Staros, vice president and managing director of The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples, in a statement. "During this year, we have continued to enhance the vacation experience while creating new trends to delight our guests." The Travel and Leisure article noted the hotel's spa, golf and family-friendly programs. Opened in 1985, The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, will be celebrating its 25th birthday in 2010. For the past 22 years, the resort has been consistently named a Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond recipient. Contact information: (239) 514-6001 or www.ritzcarlton.com/naples Leslie A. Cohen is with Laura Davidson Public Relations Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Jamaica Resorts and Hotels Receive High Rankings On Two Prestigious 2009 Lists - South Florida Caribbean News Posted: 29 Dec 2009 05:54 PM PST NEW YORK Jamaica once again appears on two prestigious annual travel lists; Cond Nast Travelers 2009 Gold List and Travel + Leisure 500 Worlds Best Hotels. These awards come on the heels of Jamaicas multiple wins at the 2009 World Travel Awards in London. Cond Nast Travelers 2009 Gold List features a total of four properties in Jamaica. Hot off the press this month, the Gold List presents a selection of hotels voted by readers to have the best rooms, service, food, design, location and leisure activities. The Jamaica properties listed are: The Caves, Couples Swept Away, Jamaica Inn, and Jakes. In its January issue, Travel + Leisure gives high accolades to Jamaica with its seventh annual T+L 500, the comprehensive guide to the 500 highest rated hotels from their Worlds Best survey. For this highly respected feature, the magazines global team of reporters and editors identifies what distinguishes the most outstanding properties in the world, as chosen by Travel + Leisures readers, who evaluated them based on best rooms, services, amenities and special features. The seven Jamaica properties listed are: Couples Negril, Couples Sans Souci, Couples Swept Away, Couples Tower Isle, Jamaica Inn, Rockhouse Hotel and Royal Plantation. Continuing Momentum These newly announced listings continue an ongoing appreciation for Jamaica as a top choice among visitors from North America. At the 2009 World Travel Awards, Jamaica was named Leading Caribbean Destination, Worlds Leading Cruise Destination, Caribbeans Leading Cruise Destination, Caribbeans Leading Airline Air Jamaica and Caribbeans Leading Airport Sangster International Airport. Jamaicas Director of Tourism John Lynch commented, Jamaica is thrilled to be honored again with some of the travel industries most coveted accolades. Some of the most unique properties in the world are in Jamaica. The Cond Nast Travelers Gold List and Travel +Leisure 500 are special because they are voted upon by readers who have experienced first-hand the level of service and accommodations of our exceptional resorts, hotels and inns. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel ranked in top 20 business hotels - eTaiwan News Posted: 29 Dec 2009 08:06 AM PST Readers of the travel magazine Travel + Leisure have just ranked Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei second of the most recently chosen top 20 business hotels in the world, enabling the hotel to write unprecedented Taiwan hotel industry history. Travel + Leisure has a worldwide readership of 5 million and is a leading travel magazine in North America. As part of its annual World's Best survey, the publication provided readers a list of services and amenities as criteria in making their choices. Pudong Shangri-La, Shanghai also received recognition. The selection of the world's top 20 business hotels was a collaborative project of Travel + Leisure and Harris Interactive. The online survey was directed at a broad spectrum of well-travelled readers who use hotels for professional and leisure purposes and who enjoy various levels of luxurious and services. The criteria were based on the most important requirements of business travelers, including central location, efficient check-in and check-out, reliable high-quality technology, comfortable work spaces and personalized but not intrusive service as well as room rates and overall stay experience. In August this year, Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei was honored by Travel + Leisure when it was ranked number 89 among the world's top 100 hotels and number 11 among Asia's top city hotels. At that time, it was the only hotel in Taiwan to receive such recognition. In October this year, Business Traveller Asia-Pacific rated the hotel as Taipei's best business hotel. "The succession of important recognition given to Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei attests to the hotel staff's determination to uphold the hotel's record of excellence, ever seeking to serve guests with respect and provide them a most pleasant stay. The hotel remains ever appreciative of the guests' patronage and will endeavor to maintain a pursuit of excellence in service," said Ulf Bremer, the general manager of Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei. Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 65 hotels under the Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms inventory of over 28,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, Canada, mainland China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The group has over 40 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, United Kingdom and the United States. For more information or reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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