Roger Collis: At The Edge

Nearly half (45 percent) of airline passengers admit to flirting while in the air, with 95 percent aspiring to join the Mile High Club, according to a ‘Valentine’s Day’ survey by Skyscanner a Scotland-based travel booking site.

The survey of over 1000 travelers revealed that one third of those who admitted flirting on board, ‘had a rendezvous after the flight,’ with 8 percent resulting in a relationship.

‘You are sitting next to someone for an hour or more, and the fact that you’re both traveling to the same place means you already have something in common,’ Karin Noble, a Skyscanner employee and a former cabin crew member, wrote in a statement from the site.’ Add this to the heightened effect that alcohol can have at altitude and the more relaxed ‘holiday mood’ that many travelers feel, and it tends to give people the courage to flirt with a fellow passenger, or even take things further, especially on long haul routes such as flights to Australia.’

There’s no doubt that the relationship between passengers sitting next to one another in a plane has a confessional element to it. Relaxed by food and drink, you can unburden your soul without trepidation, safe in the knowledge that you are unlikely to see your in-flight companion once the wheels have touched down.

A separate survey found that 20% of travelers already claim to be members of the Mile High Club and half of these had qualified for membership with a stranger they met on a flight.

Several high profile celebrities have enjoyed a bit of flirting in the air, it seems. Virgin boss, Richard Branson and actor Ralph Fiennes both claim to have taken it to the next step with membership of the Mile high Club.

That I should be so lucky: Invariably, the most attractive woman on the plane is sitting 10 rows in front of me. I wonder if the MHC offers ‘associate membership.’

The desire to get amorous at altitude has even spawned services that offer private flights specifically for joining the club. The Chicagoland Skydiving Center runs flights on a plane that has been converted for romance and comes complete with private double bed, champagne and promises of complete discretion.

However, a British firm offering similar ‘Mile High’ flights was recently shut down by the Civil Aviation Authority after two years of operation, as they were not satisfied that onboard safety criteria were being met – fearing that such in-flight action could be ‘too distracting’ for pilots. Not to mention cabin crew and other passengers. There may be scope for specialist dating agencies.

Research is only as good as the questions asked and the way they are phrased. I’d like to have seen some sort of scale - from exchanging pleasantries to serious chatting up.  And knowing how many passengers joined the MHC with their regular partners. It would also be nice to have a ‘cross-analysis’ for gender, occupation, age and nationality. Did cabin crew male/female participate in the hanky panky?

I must confess that the most exciting in-flight adventures I’ve had have been in the mind. You can date whoever you wish; and no-one will ever know.    

Talk about traveling with pets. Here comes British budget hotel chain Travelodge with news that it has found 75,000 teddy bears left behind by their errant owners at its 452 hotels within the last 12 months.

In response to this staggering finding, Travelodge surveyed 6,000 Britons to investigate the nation’s fascination with cuddly bears. The survey revealed that more than a third (35%) of adults admit they sleep with their teddy because they found cuddling their bear comforting; and the calming feeling of a bear hug also helps them to de-stress after a hard day – which aids sleep.

A quarter of male respondents reported they take their teddy bear away with them when traveling on business. As it reminds them of home and a bear cuddle helps them to nod off as they miss a bedtime cuddle from their partner. In addition, over a quarter of adults 26% use a teddy bear hot water bottle so that they can have a warm bear hug to help them nod off.  

Psychologist Corrine Sweet says: ‘Cuddling a teddy bear is an important part of our national psyche as it evokes a sense of peace, security and comfort. It’s human nature to crave these feelings from childhood through adult life. This is why 35% of British adults sleep with their teddy bear. It’s not surprising, then, that taking a cuddly bear on a business trip is so popular, even among men (25%). A bedtime bear evokes the secure feelings of home and warmth, which can aid sleep – just like in childhood.’ 

‘We have never had as many as 75,000 cuddly bears left behind in Travelodge hotels before,’ says Shakila Ahmed, a Travelodge spokeswoman. And our staff has worked extremely hard in reuniting the bears with their owners.  Amazingly, the owners have not just been children – we have a large number of frantic businessmen and women calling to say they have forgotten their teddy bear.’

Well, yes. A lady psychologist I know says that teddy bears represent ‘safety objects.’ In the absence of a real human being, hugging a bear in bed is ‘soothingly tactile and comforting.’

‘A teddy bear on a man’s bed,’ she adds, ‘shows his sensitive side to a lady visitor – although more than one cuddly animal may not be quite so cute.’

I don’t know about that. But I don’t think, Vanessa, my life-size inflatable doll would like a teddy bear around.

We could all make our own list. But here’s an interesting take from the on-line hotel comparison site www.trivago.co.uk. According to Trivago, they all offer a ’special atmosphere and have very good reviews from travellers:’

1. Santini Residence, Prague

The elegant Santini Residence offers nine spacious suites, where couples can enjoy hours of leisure time together. Some rooms have a special highlight: Ornate ceiling paintings that attract the attention of all visitors. Located in the middle of the historical centre of Prague, the luxurious hotel is an ideal base for exploring the capital of the Czech Republic. The Prague Castle and Charles Bridge are easily accessible. In the evening, guests can relax with a glass of red wine in soft lighting and with musical accompaniment on the cosy sofas in the hotel lounge. From £104 per double room per night including breakfast via www.lastminute.com.

2. Hotel 41, London

Guests at Hotel 41 are located in the neighbourhood of the Queen: The luxurious city hotel can be found behind Buckingham Palace. In a quiet and exclusive location, the hotel welcomes its guests with the flair of a traditional London club. In the tastefully decorated lounge with chandeliers and antique furniture, couples can enjoy their afternoon tea in an elegant atmosphere. After a stroll over the Tower Bridge and through the streets of the bustling capital, comfortable and stylish rooms await the guests of the hotel. From £244 per double room per night via www.booking.com

3. Hotel Gródek, Krakow

The Gródek hotel is tucked away in a small side street in the historical centre of Krakow. The 23 guest rooms are individually furnished with a great attention to detail. From here, guests can embark on a journey into the past. The popular “Kings Way” takes travelers past the memorial of the Battle of Tannenberg, a large gothic tower and the medieval marketplace. Only two minutes separate this area from the charming city hotel. In the intimate atmosphere of the hotel restaurant, guests can enjoy the evening with a romantic candle-lit dinner.  From £86 per double room per night including breakfast via www.lastminute.com.

4. Villa Contessa, Bad Saarow

The Villa Contessa is located in Bad Saarow on Lake Scharmutzelsee in Brandenburg and is only around one hour’s drive from Berlin. Located in picturesque natural surroundings, this small hotel is home to eight mundane and lovingly decorated rooms. Highlight for lovers: The Rose Spa Suite with a private bio-infrared sauna and a four-poster bed. Guests who book the luxury suite can enjoy the hotels award-winning cuisine in private on the lakeside terrace. Couples can spend time on a romantic carriage ride, in popular thermal baths or on a boat trip on the lake. From £173 per double room per night including breakfast via www.villa-contessa.de

5. Moulin d’Abbaye, Brantome (France)

Moulin d’Abbaye is located in the charming market town Brantome in a restored mill house on the tranquil River Dronne. The rooms are all named after the Bordeaux grands crus and decorated with a meticulous attention to detail. In the small town in Dordogne there is a lot to see: a well-preserved medieval city, ruin and Gothic facades on the Rue Joussen. After a leisurely stroll through the city, travelers can enjoy a romantic dinner in the hotel’s restaurant and become enchanted by the magic of this hotel. From £130 per double room per night via www.HRS.com.

6. Amfitriti Paradosiakos Xenonas, Nafplio (Greece)

The Amfitriti Paradosiakos Xenonas is a small and elegant hotel in the beautiful port town Nafplio. Each of its five rooms is individually decorated in a particular colour. Handmade carpets and antique furniture give the rooms a romantic historical feeling, without losing the modern day comforts. With a view of the sea from the breakfast terrace, guests can begin their day on the Peleponnes. Lovers of Greek mythology also have a lot to explore, with the archaeological sites of Epidauros and Mykene nearby. From £68 pounds per double room per night via www.booking.com.

7. Hotel The Pand, Bruges

The first-class hotel The Pand is located in the centre of Bruges. Decorated with numerous works of art, antiques and rich fabrics, guests are surrounded by luxury. A boat trip on the “Reien”, the canals of Bruges, is a must on a visit to the city in Flanders. Under picturesque bridges there is a lot to discover along the banks: Hidden gardens, artistic facades and medieval houses. Travelers can also spend the day by the open fireplace in the library of The Pand. From £149 pounds per double room per night via www.booking.com.

8. Il Cantico della Natura, Magione (Italy)

Il Cantico della Natura is built out of massive stones from the 16th Century and is home to twelve rooms and suites. Surrounded by olive trees guests have a breathtaking view of Lake Trasimeno. The rooms are cosy and are individually decorated with fine furniture. In the Jacuzzi or the sauna, lovers can take advantage of the “dolce vita”. For adventure seekers, the hotel regularly organises various activities such as sailing, mountain biking or cooking classes, in which fresh ingredients from the Umbrian region are used. From £139 per double room per night via www.fastbooking.com.

9. Villa Carona, Carona (Switzerland)

In Ticino, in the south of Switzerland, Villa Carona can be found in the artistic village of Carona. In the two hundred year old Patrician House, the hotel has 18 individually designed rooms. At this family run inn, rest and recreation are in the foreground. In particular, the gardens of the house are a little paradise: Here guests can have a breakfast with a view of Monte Generoso before they go on the popular hike from Carona to the picturesque village of Morcote. From £88 pounds per double room per night via www.hotel.info.

10. Ca‘n Simó, Alcudia (Majorca)

The small family-run hotel Ca‘n Simó with only seven rooms is situated between the bay of Alcudia and Pollensa. In traditional Majorcan architecture, guests can enjoy the amenities of modern luxury away from the tourist hustle and bustle of Majorca. The area around the lively town of Alcudia is also a place for peace-seekers: Whether a romantic walk on the beach, a tour of the nearby golf course or an excursion to the dragon caves of Porto Cristo. After an exciting day on the Balearic Island, guests can relax in the hotel whirlpool or sauna. From £85 pounds per double room per night including breakfast via booking.com

Trivago compares the rates of 53 booking sites for 400,000 hotels worldwide. Additionally trivago has integrated over 15 million hotel reviews and shows the overall rating for each hotel. trivago does not just compare the prices of online hotel booking sites, but also the rates. Users can see whether breakfast is included and if cancellation and payment by credit card is possible. Trivago has the first “Freestyle” meta search: travelers are able to search by holiday region, city or hotel name. Trivago has its headquarters in Dusseldorf, Germany and currently operates 21 international country platforms.

The joys of convalescence: there comes a time during convalescence when you start to enjoy the process of recovery; obligations have been lifted for a while; you are freed from deadlines; you are fussed over; the work ethic has been suspended; guilt is assuaged; you are free to roam and experiment. And be creative. It can be a delicious time floating between frailness and gathering strength. So oh, boy, enjoy! The honeymoon will soon be over.  

This only compares to that exquisite time between handing in your notice and starting a new job.  Or going into a budget meeting with a job offer in your pocket; or having three job offers to choose from.   

www.voicesetcetera.com

Recruit a worldwide team of 200 peripatetic celebrities, critics, food writers, hoteliers, restaurateurs and assorted entrepreneurs and ask them to report on what they consider to be the best in travel: This is the formula for the fifth edition of Courvoisier’s “The Book of the Best,” published this month in London (Vermilion/Random House, £12.99). It is edited by the food critic Loyd Grossman, who is taking over from Lord Lichfield, founder-editor, who started the publication 10 years ago.
     The result is a travel guide packed with tips and opinions, verdicts and often idiosyncratic insights. The new edition covers 58 countries with 2,500 entries on the best hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés, clubs, museums, galleries, markets, fashion designers, festivals, spas, sports, theater, music, shopping and sightseeing.
      Scattered throughout the book are essays on such eclectic topics as Wolfgang Puck (”chef to the stars” in Los Angeles); Literary New York (readings, bookshops and tours); Best of the Bush (Australia); Melbourne Foodie Musts; Big Breakfasts in Sydney; Indian Choice; Top Tailors, and Pub Grub (London); Nile Tours (Egypt); Bistros, Choice Cheeses, Chocoholics Choice (Paris); Exotic Adventures (Himalayas); Private Palace Hotels (India); Pub Culture (Ireland); Piazza Campo dei Fiori (Rome); Best Parks in Tokyo; Café Life (Amsterdam); A Great River Journey (Papua New Guinea), and the Blue Train in South Africa.
       Don’t look for consistency or objectivity (it takes a serious celebrity to be as fatuous as: “Taillevent is easily the best in France,” Judith Krantz). But there’s too much good stuff here to quibble about that.
        Entries are arbitrary and inconsistent. The United States gets 41 pages; Britain 34; Hong Kong, seven; Japan and Thailand six each; Singapore three; South Africa two; places like Fiji, Sri Lanka, Bermuda and Jamaica have half a dozen entries among them; Cuba gets a page; while Finland, Malta, Israel, most of the Gulf states and the Philippines are left out altogether.
        “The book is highly subjective; we make no claim to objectivity. Most guidebooks either rely on one person’s opinion, or like Michelin on a highly trained team of professionals. Whereas ours is based purely on the subjective thoughts of 200 people who are demanding, cosmopolitan, and sophisticated,” says Grossman. “The best is going to be their collective view. But there’s no question that the best has more to do now with best value and local character than it did, say, two or three years ago. There has been a pretty healthy turn away from the sort of preposterous ostentation of international luxury.
        “Of course, you’re going to have predictable things; I mean when you talk about Paris hotels, the Crillon is going to be there. But what we’ve tried to do this year is to get off the beaten track and stress the interest of things that are local and particular to the various places, to counteract the wave of homogenization one finds everywhere. This is not my personal restaurant guide. But I have attempted to stress value, more about attractions for kids and culture, which I find play an increasingly important role in determining travelers’ itineraries. That may explain why travel to cities has become increasingly popular. Many people visit the Far East on business and return for pleasure. This is my first year as editor. But Patrick [Lichfield], who started it, is a benign influence; he travels incessantly and knows a lot of people.
        “The length of contributions, and indeed which countries get listed at all depends on our contributors; that’s why we have these little essays on places like Vietnam that our gang are increasingly traveling to. If one of our contributors said, ‘By the way, I’ve just spent three months in Timbuktu, it’s a fabulous place,’ we’d write about it. This year we’ve identified places, like Lyon, that tend to get missed out. It’s very amusing to see the opinions of people both on sacred cows and new discoveries. It’s an exceptionally good worldwide telephone directory.”
         I recognized only a handful of the celebrities listed at the front of the guide - authentic luminaries like Peter Ustinov, Richard Branson, David Frost, Andre Previn, Ralph Steadman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jeffrey Archer, Michael Caine, Joan Collins, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Dame Barbara Cartland.
         Lichfield and Grossman recruited 12 of the top celebrities as a jury for 16 somewhat gimmicky “Best Value” awards (”Not the best of the best but amongst the most interesting and stimulating of the best,” Grossman says). Singapore Airlines (Best Airline), Four Seasons-Regent Hotels (Best Hotel Group), Dubai (Best Airport Shopping) and Hong Kong (Best Destination) are arguable, though what you might expect; but Melbourne Moomba (Best Festival); Roscoff Belfast (Best British Restaurant); St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art in Glasgow (Best British Museum), and Opera North in Leeds (Achievement in the Arts in Britain) started me turning the pages. And I wouldn’t quarrel with Best British Breakfast (Simpson’s-on-the- Strand) and Best Pub (The Dove) both in London, or Lyon as Best European Weekend Destination.
        “The Book of the Best” carries the usual disclaimer about not accepting advertising or payment for entries. But it may be a tad incestuous when celebrities just happen to praise one another. Alain Ducasse (a contributor) at the Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo is hyped as the World’s Greatest Chef - which he may well be - but did he pay for his meal at Joël Robuchon’s “temple of gastronomy” in Paris? And is it cynical to suppose that Ustinov got the presidential suite at the Westbury in Dublin because he is Sir Peter Ustinov? Perhaps you have to be a celebrity to get a free lunch.
       “I would be extremely distressed to find out that anyone involved with the book had ever had a quid pro quo, or said, let me stay for free and I’ll give you a write- up,” Grossman says. “At least we didn’t ask Alain Ducasse to write his own blurb. And I happen to think that because he is a great chef, his views on a restaurant, colored as they may be by his philosophy, are bound to be interesting.”
       Well, yes. Until we read that Mohamed al Fayed praises the Ritz in Paris as meeting the exacting standards of César Ritz 100 years ago, when al Fayed is both a contributor and owner of the Ritz.
        A crucial test for a travel guide is what it says about places in your own backyard or familiar stamping ground.
        “The Book of the Best” barely scrapes by on its listings for the Côte d’Azur - sound on art and museums; otherwise predictable and pedestrian.
         But for London, the guide comes alive. Apart from a few dud entries, it’s an excellent London restaurant guide, with an inside track to the trendiest and best value places in town. So I’ll take it with me when I next go to Hong Kong.

            1994 International Herald Tribune

Some years ago, I was having a drink with the chairman – I’ll call him Gerald – of a famous London advertising agency.  Gerald had picked up a chunk of new business and brought his wife along to celebrate.

            ‘Gerald, you’re the best salesman I ever met.’ I meant it as a compliment (after all it was his treat!”). But his wife rounded on me. ‘Gerald is not a salesman: he is an advertising man,’ she snarled.

            Sorry I spoke. But in business, or indeed, life, we are all salesmen in one way or another.  We sell products, services, sentiments, ideas – or simply ourselves. Every successful executive knows , whatever his or her job title, that selling is an integral part of their personality, their management style.

            The first step towards salesmanship is selling yourself on yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, you’ll never be able to sell to others. That’s the key: the ‘product’ is you. Selling is nothing more than a transfer of enthusiasm. Not that I’ve found myself to be a pushover on those recurring days when my level of self-esteem would make Kafka come on like an optimist.

            Still, optimism – a vital precursor to self-confidence – can be acquired in several spurious ways – which doesn’t necessarily make it less authentic. There’s nothing to match the euphoria of going into a budget meeting with a job offer in your pocket. Even an exploratory call from a headhunter can inspire you to put across the Big Idea to the board.

            Sometimes there can be merit in being passive.

            ‘You’d better go and see Tom. He’s sure to have an idea for us.’ This may involve selling Tom your need for an idea. The selling process can thus be turned upside down, to your advantage. It can also be a subtle way of getting your idea adopted.

            Talking of adoption; the best ideas have many parents; bad ideas are orphans. Throwing ideas around is like musical chairs: make sure you are not left holding the dummy when the music stops.

            On the other hand, a great idea can all too easily be appropriated by someone else. Of course, this may be what you want. But how many times have you made a suggestion only to have it taken up, and refined, by your best enemy? Whatever the circumstances, it usually pays to keep residual rights of authorship for eventual glory. This can be done by ‘banking’ your idea with the boss’s boss – or one of his peers.

            You may also want to protect the provenance of an idea that you have sold to a subordinate – an insurance in case he or she sells it to your boss; at its most dangerous on your open flank in a group discussion. (This is the flip-side of Management by Persuasion, called Management by Pre-Emption.)

            Lateral selling – to peer groups in other departments and subsidiaries – is even more tricky. You obviously want to stay on good terms (you may become a victim of a ‘lateral arabesque’ to the Zambian subsidiary in a future reorganization). But in selling an idea you’re sure to come across the Not Invented Here syndrome. So here again, you have to make them believe that it’s their own idea. This is crucial when selling a bad idea, or an Idea Whose Time Has Not Yet Come. Don’t miss the ‘sell-by’ date.

            Every good salesman knows that you don’t sell a product, or a service, you sell its benefits. Sell the sizzle, not the steak; an old adage, but a good one. It’s the sizzle that makes people’s mouths water, makes them suddenly, excruciatingly conscious of their needs, desires, aspirations… You have to think about the ‘what’s in it for me’ syndrome. Your boss has to see an inside track for his or herself in your new plan for decentralization; if you are selling software, talk in terms of functionality and better service to customers; if you are selling the idea of maintaining advertising in the recession, point out how crucial it is to keep market share, even at the expense of third-quarter earnings, and how to sell this eventuality to the shareholders. And so it goes.

            How, where and when to sell ideas depends on circumstance. You may find the right time to strike is just before the chairman goes on holiday so that he has plenty of time to assimilate the idea and make it his own. Or, just before the shareholders’ meeting when he’s wound up (Management by Terror, or Management by Grasping at Straws).

            These days, I am usually selling the idea of taking up someone else’s time; not always to their advantage. (As Joan Didion once said: ‘Writers are always selling somebody out.’) One advantage of selling on the phone is that you don’t have to buy lunch (not that day anyway). Another is that you can usually keep the chat short, if not sweet.

            This brings me to the last maxim in the salesman’s lexicon: You run the risk of losing a sale if you keep on talking after a commitment has been made. Once you’ve sold, shut up.

            I’m sure you’ll buy that.

Can you lock up your Blackberry for the duration of a hotel stay and live to tell the tale?

This was the challenge offered to business travelers addicted to staying in touch at all times, by Rick Ueno, general manager of the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, with Sheraton’s ‘Blackberry Detox Challenge’ program.

Can anyone tell me what happened to it?

The idea was that addicts who turned in their Blackberry, PDA, or any device that can receive e-mail messages, at check-in to be locked up for the duration of their stay could get a complimentary upgrade and a walking map ‘to see the city, as opposed to being in head-down Blackberry position.’

Ueno, a former ‘Crackberry’ addict, who claimed to have been ‘PDA-free for two years,’ said: ‘Initially it was tough, but the only way to do it is go cold turkey, but two years’ later, there’s no going back,’ Ueno says. ‘All that I’d do would be check my e-mails every few seconds, which would then distract me; now I’m much more productive, more focused on my key priorities. When I have time, I’ll log on to my computer and check my e-mails. I run a hotel with 1200 rooms and 900 employees. I’m more accessible now, and doing it without a Blackberry, not being connected 24/7.’

Leonid Brezhnev is said to have used a cigarette case with a special lock that only opened at specified intervals to help him beat his nicotine addiction. Crackberry Anonymous might offer a similar device to ‘freeze’ your Blackberry for a specified time, blocking incoming (or outgoing) e-mail messages.

How do other handle Crackberry or general e-mail addition?