How to Get the Best Hotel at the Best Price

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The following are some tips that might be helpful in making your choice of hotels.

1. Hotel Ratings:
The initial step in choosing a hotel is to make a list of hotels that are in the area you plan to visit. Then find out about each one. There are several ways to do this. One method is to simply ask someone who’s been there. Another way is to do an online search for guest ratings. While on line, you can also read reviews by former guest. In addition you could call the Tourist Bureau or Chamber of Commerce in the city you plan to visit. They can provide very helpful information, as well as giving recommendations of good hotels and good prices.

2. Facilities:
Once you have narrowed down your choice of hotels to something manageable, the next thing to consider is what kind of facilities they have. Some considerations might be good concierge services, shuttle services, good laundry services, indoor or outdoor swimming pool, Internet connections, on site restaurants, gym facilities and whatever else might persuade you one way or another. To determine if the hotel has the facilities that meet your needs, again you can again go online, or just simply call some of the hotels on your list and ask them about the type of amenities they have.

3. Location:
Now that you have narrowed down your choice of hotels even more based on facilities, the next step is to decide upon a location in the area that you plan to visit. Some of the factors to consider are access to amenities, such as restaurants, shopping areas, laundry facilities and proximity to attractions you plan to visit. In addition, if you don’t have access to a car, it would be a good idea to choose a hotel that is in walking distance from some of the amenities as noted above. It would also be worth your while to do a background check of the area, because you would definitely want to stay clear of rough neighborhoods.

4. Transportation and Parking
You need to find out if the hotel has shuttle services to and from the airport, or to and from other locations of interest. If they don’t have this service, find out how much you can except to pay for public transportation. If you’re going to rent a car upon your arrival, check out what rental companies are available and what is their cost, as well as what kind of parking facilities does the hotel offer?

5. Hotel Rates
By now you’ve probably narrowed down you choices to a couple of hotels. However, for those of you who are on a budget, which is most of us, probably the most important consideration is the price of the hotel. Making a finally decision on which hotel to choose, becomes a balancing act between amenities and cost. If they are all too expensive for you budget, you then have at least two choices. One, you can revise your list. You might ask yourself, “Do I really need this or that particular amenity.” Just because a hotel doesn’t have valet parking, for example, doesn’t mean that it is not a warm and comfortable place to stay.

On the other hand, maybe you can still have the facility of your choice, by checking into the availability of discounts. Members of certain car clubs get discounts. Sometimes Military people or veterans can get discounts, as well as senior citizens. Also, sometimes credit card companies offer discount rates for cardholders to certain hotels or you may be able to get hotel discounts through frequent flyer points. In addition, there are hotel coupon books, in which you can get discount coupons for certain hotels or hotel chains. However, probably the best way to get a discount is to travel during off-season or non-peak days, such as weekdays.

6. Booking
It is always a good idea to book you flight and hotel in advance. Sometimes you are required to book as much as 60 days ahead of time. If you are going to use a Travel service, they can tell you how far in advance you need to book, but usually by booking in advance you will be able to get a better room rate, than if you wait until the last minute. If you’re going to stay at a chain hotel, you can often get a better rate by booking in advance online. This may also be possible with some non-chains. Just Google them and see what they have to offer.

The bottom line is, if you take the time to do your research, you will be able to find a great hotel at a reasonable price that still offers the services you need.

The Missing Keys to Building a Successful Corporate Culture

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A friend of mine who owns his own company attended a seminar on building a winning corporate culture. My friend was so inspired to create a winning culture. He immediately returned home and had company meetings to let everyone know they were going to create the best company to work for ever. Yet days and weeks went by and everyone dreaded coming to work just as much as they had before. Every few weeks he would come up with another great idea that would make the company fun. Meanwhile the stress and frustration in his company continued to grow. As the weeks piled on every suggestion appeared more and more disingenuous.

It was clear that nobody cared if they could decorate their cubicles if they had to walk around on eggshells all day. Something was missing. Without this missing piece there was no hope for him to build a great corporate culture.

When building a corporate culture that generates success there are a few fundamentals that often get overlooked. They are extremely simple but without them your attempts to build a winning culture will meet resistance or worse yet, serve to alienate your employees.

If you want to build a winning culture you must do these three things: Set up the game so that company goals and employee goals are aligned. Set your employees up to win. Then celebrate the victories.

First and foremost set it up so that the company goals and employee goals are aligned. This is so common sense yet it is the thing that is most often overlooked. More often in companies the goal of the boss is to have the company succeed and the goal of the employee is to survive the boss. People want to win but if they don’t feel like they can win they will settle for surviving. You must first be clear on what the company is out to accomplish. Then you must make it clear how each person plays a part in that.

People yearn to be a part of something that is bigger than they are. Treat them like they are an important part of a bigger goal and they will naturally move toward achieving it.

Set your employees up to win. If everyone is on the same team and working toward the same goal, it makes perfect sense that you would want everyone to succeed. This is where you as a manager or owner can make the biggest difference. Set your employees up to win! Give them the tools and support they need to achieve their goals.

There is a big difference between supporting them to win and trying to catch them when they fail. Too many managers think their job is to be the police. If you want a corporate culture where people are constantly worried and try to avoid responsibility, become a policeman.

Just as important as it is the first two pieces are, so is this last part. Celebrate the victories. If winning the game doesn’t matter than why win? It is essential that you establish ways to recognize and/or compensate for performance. You have to make it so that winning is better than not winning.

A big mistake that managers make is rewarding those who do a good job with more work. You may add responsibilities to those you know you can count on but you also have to reward them for doing a good job with something more than more to do. If the only prize for winning is that my life gets more difficult, I’m going to choose losing.

Basically it comes down to this, teams that focus on winning usually do and teams that try not to lose most often lose. So, make the goal to win, set things up so everyone can win and make winning a good thing. If you install these three fundamentals, whatever you do to create your winning culture has a great chance for success. Leave these out and you could wind up spinning your wheels like someone I know.

Top 5 Safari Destinations of Africa

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Traveling involves discovering new places, knowing them till depth and enjoying the charm of being there. We all love to travel according to our choice, some like beaches, some mountains and some of us even like the deserts. The traveler inside us urges us to explore more as soon as we start our hunt to find new spots. So, while you are finding a new place/destination to visit on your next vacation, let us tell you something about the top African Safari destinations that should be your next stopover.

1. Maasai Mara National Park: Situated in the Narok country, Kenya, Maasai Mara has been named in honor of the local ancestral inhabitants. It is a large reserve that can make you experience some of the best views of wildlife. The period of July-October witnesses the migration of millions of these unseen and amazing wild animals that can only be found here.

2. Chobe National Park: Chobe is the third largest park in Africa, located in Botswana on the banks of river Chobe, is the most biologically diverse park of the region. A safari expedition in Africa is incomplete without visiting this incredible reserve that happens to be the home of many animals, including zebras, elands, giraffes, Kalahari elephants, lions, antelopes, etc. Plan a visit between April-October to witness the wonders.

3. Kruger National Park: Kruger is the most famous and exciting destination in Africa, which is also the largest game reserve in the country. Home to many rare species of wildlife animals, such as hippos, crocodiles, big fives, cheetahs, black rhinoceros, etc.; it also boasts a large range of birds and reptiles too. It is one of the well-kept and maintained parks in the nation and definitely that makes it an ideal destination for safari.

4. South Luangwa National Park: South Luangwa is a reserve in Zambia, in the Valley of Luangwa River that has been renowned globally for its wildlife haven. There are amazing variety of species of birds, 60 species of different animals and a large variety of endangered species in the park that are a treat to watch. Do not miss to see the hippos relaxing in the Luangwa River while you visit it.

5. Serengeti National Park: Located in the Serengeti system in Tanzania, the national park offers the best African safari experience. The lions walking in the huge grasslands, migration of millions of wildebeest and zebras are some of the spectacular views that you get from this amazing destination.

A wildlife safari can make you witness some of the best and the rarest species of animals, birds, mammals and reptiles too. So, plan a trip soon by taking your travel buddy along to delve into the huge world of the wild. You can get good deals on flights to Africa online.