'Following these simple travel tips will help expedite the screening process at airports and keep travelers healthy and safe throughout the holiday travel season,' said Secretary Napolitano.

TSA's holiday travel tips will help decrease the amount of time passengers spend in line at airport security checkpoints, increase the overall efficiency of airport operations and enhance security by engaging passengers in the shared responsibility of watching out for suspicious activity at airports across the nation.

TSA Travel Tips

* Pay attention to your health before traveling
o The best way to prevent the spread of the flu is to stay home if you're sick or have flu-like symptoms.
o The CDC recommends you get both H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines.
* Practice good hygiene while traveling
o Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
o Wash your hands regularly to help prevent the spread of germs and illness.
* Ensure your government-issued ID and boarding pass are out and ready
o Getting all travel documents together and ready before you get in line will help security officers quickly verify that you, your identification, and your boarding pass match and are valid.
* Wear easily removable shoes and jackets
o Wearing footwear that can be easily removed helps speed the process for X-ray screening. Be prepared to remove all shoes, jackets and other outerwear for screening.
* Take out liquids and laptops
o Remember the 3-1-1 rule for liquids, gels and aerosols at the checkpoint:
+ 3-ounce bottles or less for all liquids, gels and aerosols;
+ 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic zip-top bag; and
+ 1 bag per passenger placed separately in a security bin for X-ray screening.
o The liquid restriction applies only to carry-on bags. Passengers can pack larger quantities of liquids and gels in checked baggage.
o Be prepared to remove your laptop from its case and place it in separate bin for X-ray screening.
* Use TSA Family Lanes if you or your family needs extra time or assistance
o Last year, TSA expanded its popular Family Lanes to every security checkpoint in the United States.
o Family Lanes allow infrequent travelers, those with small children or passengers who need additional assistance to move through security at their own pace. Officers in these lanes work with passengers to screen medically necessary items like baby formula and insulin.
* Keep an eye out for suspicious activity
o Transportation security is a shared responsibility. The traveling public plays an important role in keeping holiday travel safe.
o Travelers should report all suspicious activities or items to airport security personnel.
* Remember TSA's new Secure Flight program when booking new airline tickets
o Fulfilling a key 9/11 Commission recommendation, TSA is working with airlines to implement Secure Flight.
o Secure Flight prescreens passenger name, date of birth and gender against government watch lists for domestic and international flights—making travel safer and easier by keeping known or suspected terrorists from obtaining a boarding pass.
o In addition, Secure Flight helps prevent the misidentification of passengers who have names similar to individuals on government watch lists.
o When booking airline tickets, use your name as it appears on the government ID you plan to use when traveling—along with your date of birth and gender. Providing this information will clear 99 percent of travelers to print boarding passes at home.
o Airlines are phasing in this program; if you are not prompted for this information when booking travel or if there are small variations between your name and your reservation, don't worry—you will still be able to travel.

For more information on these and other helpful travel tips, please visit www.tsa.gov.

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The 32 new locomotives will replace older diesel locomotives, says Edmund Schlummer, Head of Region Central and Member of the Management Board of DB Schenker Rail. By introducing the new locomotives, we are helping make rail transportation more eco friendly.

With a performance of 6,400 kW and a tractive effort on starting of 300 kN, the series-189 traction units from DB Schenker are intended for heavy freight trains along international routes.

In addition to the existing systems in Germany, the traction units also feature the ATB (first generation) and ETCS (level 1 and 2) train protection systems commonly used in the Netherlands. The locomotives will be compatible both with the traditional 1,500 volt direct current overhead line voltage traditionally used in the Netherlands and with the Betuwe route (25,000 volt alternating current).

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Being a fusion between well-being philosophies, the Spa takes the most of western aromatherapy and hydrotherapy combined with a wide range of traditional eastern manual therapies and consequently, it offers a holistic and profound approach to all its treatments. Every visitor is guided by the Spa's professional team so that they can relax, release tensions and maintain their emotional balance. This Spa in Santiago de Compostela is also a hotel which needs to be discovered; a retirement in which you can rediscover yourself enjoying the scents, colours, sounds and harmony of nature.

A Spa with Western and Eastern roots

Water, a vital and therapeutic element, flows through the yard in the winding River Sar, and is also present in the Spa indoor heated swimming pool, with its unique sights and natural lighting. It follows its course in the sauna, the hydro massage, the sensation shower and the ice cabin and reaches the flotarium, where the lack of gravity caused by salt provides a deep relaxing experience.

The aromatherapy based on elements ranging from water to essential oils, is present in the A Quinta da Auga Spa, aiming to arouse incredible emotions and moods by using the best aromas. The essential oil shower, a superb combination of water and plants' 'soul', will uplift your emotions to the extreme, while aromatic drops are ceaselessly running down your skin.

In the Quinta da Auga Spa it is thought that people's health and beauty reflect their inside world through their body. This is the reason why the A Quinta da Auga's therapies are based on scientific evidence-based principles which greatly differs from the approach followed by ordinary spas. In this way, with the thousand-year-old Ayurveda Medicine, 'the science of life' in the Indian healing procedure, therapies can be personalized according to each individual's circumstances through tension relieving massages which harmonize body, mind & spirit. The Spa's holistic approach to wellbeing continues with the Chinese Traditional Medicine which tries to find a balance between 'Yin' and 'Yang' and provides therapies such as acupuncture and invigorating massages. Among its most outstanding therapies it is worth mentioning A Quinta da Auga journey, which includes 90 minutes' flotarium, invigorating body exfoliation with bamboo and relaxing and a revitalizing crystal massage. Although this journey starts in the spa, it will be remembered for ever.

The magic provided by details

In order to assure an absolute calm ambiance, there is a private spa suite with sauna, Turkish bath, shower of essential oils, and hydrotherapy swimming pool which can hold six people and which offers a good alternative to enjoy an original and relaxing spa session.

Besides, A Quinta da Auga offers a new service consisting of therapies meant at pregnant and recent Mothers which provide pregnant women with the a-thousand-year-old body self-massage techniques to be performed before and after giving birth.

Although our services are not only for women, in fact the Spa has designed several treatments aimed at men such as the Equilibrante de espalda ('back balancing') , a therapy based on corn extracts, jojoba and a mud face mask which cleans, refreshes and rejuvenates the back.

We also have some services for both sexes, especially for those who like flirting. Therefore, the basic beauty salon provides men and women with the necessary services so that they can feel gorgeous. These services include testing the PH of the hair, revitalizing hair from the inside out or carrying out a combination of therapies to treat hair, nails and feet at the same time, as a way to optimize time.

Surrender to Galician charm

A bucolic environment where this hotel with great charm is situated, a spa that aims to be the best of its kind in the region, and a professional team working to offer the peaceful and quiet feeling that visitors have been long time trying to find. A Quinta da Auga houses 45 bedrooms, all of which are different in their decor although they share a single goal: comfort and the gift of sleep. The hotel also counts with the restaurant Filigrana for those who enjoy traditionally-served high-quality gastronomy. Filigrana caters for exquisite Atlantic cuisine being served in an extremely warm atmosphere offering typical dishes such as Turnip tops au gratin 'San Simon'(special Galician cheese) with a Galician potato base.

Besides, it is worth to mention the two sitting rooms full of magic and the Q Café Bar decorated in a French bistrot style and thought to be the ideal place to have a home-made croissant for breakfast, read the daily press or have a snack in the dim Galician sunlight. It shows that, this is a unique hotel in Santiago de Compostela which establishes close links with nature and with every single visitor. It only needed the A Quinta da Auga Spa to be considered a touristic destination in itself.

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Marriott GiftCards can be used to pay for spa treatments, products from the spa's store, meals at the spa bistro or most any expense at over 3,000 hotels around the world. Guests can use the June Jacobs 20 percent off voucher towards a one-time purchase through July 15, 2010. To receive this exclusive offer, the gift card must be purchased at participating spas in Marriott, JW Marriott and Renaissance hotels.

The 20 percent discount can be used for 30 to 50-minute treatments that use June Jacobs Spa Collection products. These range from clarifying and anti-aging facials to body wraps to Marriott's exclusive Double Happiness Manicure and Pedicure. Marriott's team of estheticians can customize a June Jacobs Spa Collection home-care regimen to extend the benefits of great skin care. The 20 percent discount can be used to purchase June Jacobs products in the spa retail store. June Jacobs Spa Collection products are based on highly effective concentrations of carefully selected botanical and plant extracts recognized for their soothing and restorative powers.

This promotion is available at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix; JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson; Camelback Inn – a JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Scottsdale; Lodge at Sonoma – a Renaissance Resort & Spa in California; Coronado Marriott Resort & Spa, San Diego; Newport Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, California; Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Indian Wells, California; Doral Golf Resort & Spa – a Marriott Resort, Miami, Florida; Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina, Tampa, Florida; Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Marco Island Resort & Spa in Florida; Orlando Marriott World Center Resort & Spa, Florida; Renaissance Orlando Hotel at Seaworld; Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa, Lexington, Kentucky; Princeton Marriott at Forrestal in New Jersey; Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa in Connecticut; and the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, Texas (opening in 2010).

For more information on JW Marriott, Marriott and Renaissance spas visit www.marriott.com/spas or call 1-800-228-9290. For more information on June Jacobs Spa Collection go visit www.junejacobs.com.

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Bethesda, MD. Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) has unveiled the new look of Marriott.com, the world's 7th largest online consumer retail site.* It is the first in a series of improvements to Marriott.com that will make it easier for guests to find and book hotels and manage their Marriott Rewards® account online. Customers will also continue to earn Marriott Rewards® points, get the lowest rates backed by Marriott's Look No Further® Best Rate Guarantee, and incur no cancellation fees on most reservations.

The improvements include a modernized look and feel, more intuitive layout, and one-click guest access to their Marriott Rewards® account from anywhere in the site. These customer-driven changes are the first in a series over the next year.

To see the new site, go to Marriott.com.

'Marriott.com is the largest point of interaction with our customers. It receives more than 12 million visits each month and more than 75 percent of our guests say they use our website when planning or booking their hotel stays,' noted Shafiq Khan, senior vice president, eCommerce for Marriott International. 'When we surveyed guests, they gave Marriott.com the highest satisfaction rate – 92 percent – of all possible booking channels. Today customers make 2,000 times more bookings in an hour on Marriott.com than they did in 1999, making it our company's fastest growing booking channel.'

Despite the success and exponential growth of the site, intensive customer testing revealed new visitors could find the site confusing, and often left and booked hotels elsewhere. Marriott reached out and involved its customers in evaluating multiple new design concepts for Marriott.com, ultimately landing on one that those customers described as 'innovative,' 'simple and easy to use,' 'intuitive to navigate' and 'more interactive.'

For the redesign, Marriott kept aspects of the site that were working well for frequent guests, but have now also made it much easier for a large under-served segment of newer customers to navigate, find, and book what they need on Marriott.com. This in turn will generate more revenue and cut booking costs. The changes also take effect on Marriott's international websites in the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Latin America, Australia, Japan, Korea, Brazil and France.

To encourage customers to experience the new design, Marriott is giving consumers and Marriott Rewards® members chances to win travel and gift card prizes in online sweepstakes running now through December 8. To learn about the new site changes and to enter the sweepstakes, go to www.marriottdelivers.com/rewards for Marriott Rewards® members and www.marriottdelivers.com for all other customers. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

*Source: Rankings of top internet websites are from Internet Retailer (Top 500 Guide, 2009 edition), various public earnings reports and Marriott estimates.

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Bethesda, MD. Courtyard by Marriott has officially flagged its second hotel in Rome, Italy, bringing the total number of Marriott-branded properties in the Eternal City to four. Featuring spectacular views of St. Peter's Basilica, the 162-room Courtyard Rome Central Park is located in the quiet residential area of Balduina/Monte Mario, near the city's Olympic Stadium, the Auditorium Music Hall, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the renowned Gemelli Hospital. The Vatican is only 15 minutes driving distance.

Courtyard by Marriott is Marriott International's largest brand with more than 840 hotels worldwide, appealing to a new hybrid of achievement and enjoyment focused travelers who actively balance the demands of business and personal time. These guests are highly engaged and use all aspects of the hotel in their pursuit of a balanced life while traveling.

Public space at the Courtyard by Marriott Rome Central Park evokes a residential feel and an ambience that is casual, inviting guests to feel relaxed, comfortable and welcomed. For meetings and events, the hotel offers 10 modular meeting rooms with a total of 1,000 square meters of meeting space.

Guestrooms are stylish and innovative with amenities that include balconies where visitors can enjoy Rome's beautiful skyline, high-speed internet access, large well-lit work desks, comfortable ergonomic chairs and coffee makers. Wireless internet access is available throughout the hotel.

The Courtyard by Marriott Rome Central Park features an open-space lobby bar/lounge for impromptu mini-gatherings. For dining, the hotel offers 'Moscati,' a contemporary fine-dining restaurant featuring Mediterranean and traditional cuisine. An adjacent terrace offers al fresco dining during warmer months.

For recreation, the hotel is adjacent to the 'Corpus Sport Center' with sauna, Turkish bath, a relaxation area and four work-out areas. Additional on-site services include an on-site fitness room, business center, concierge services, a retail shop, parking and a shuttle service to downtown. There is also a hair salon adjacent to the hotel.

The hotel's General Manager is Georges Midleje and the Director of Sales and Marketing is Angela Piscopo.

In addition to the newly flagged Courtyard property Marriott International's portfolio in Rome also includes the Rome Marriott Grand Flora Hotel, the Rome Park Marriott and the Courtyard by Marriott Rome Airport.

Courtyard by Marriott Rome Central Park along with over 3,200 Marriott-affiliated hotels worldwide, participate in Marriott Rewards, the guest reward program that allows its over 30 million members to earn points or airline miles for each dollar spent during each stay.

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Washington, DC. The Washington Marriott at Metro Center hotel celebrated its 15 year anniversary with the completion of an $11 million renovation, an investment by the hotel's owner, Host Hotels & Resorts. Situated in the center of downtown Washington, DC at 775 12th and G Streets, NW, the 459 room, hotel recently unveiled its new look and feel of its lobby, meeting space, restaurant and concierge lounge. First opened in 1994, the hotel is managed by Marriott for Host Hotels & Resorts.

'We are virtually a new hotel; the property has been re-invented with a contemporary look and feel that is both warm and inviting.' said Meg Bobinski, general manager, Washington Marriott at Metro Center. 'We look forward to welcome our loyal guests as well as new ones to our redesigned hotel and continue to provide Marriott's legendary service to travelers from across the globe.'

The Washington Marriott at Metro Center hotel's new meeting space is ideal for business and social occasions, offering a total of 15,379 square feet of updated meeting space–with the 6,447 square-foot Grand Ballroom and 15 flexible breakout rooms. The new Junior Ballroom on the second floor has windows overlooking 12th Street, and has over 3,000 square feet of meeting space and 2,000 square feet of pre-function space. Technological capabilities include high-speed Wifi access in all meeting rooms and a state-of-the-art audio visual system. A 24-hour business center is also available to meet guests' needs.

All guest-rooms come equipped with a 32-inch high-definition LG® plasma screen television and Marriott's plug-in panel that provides customers with multi-tasking abilities through versatile multimedia usage. Two new self serve kiosks have been added to the lobby to allow business and leisure travelers to check-in, check-out and print boarding passes with ease. Semi-private seating nooks around the lobby allow guests to socialize, work and play.

With Wifi through out the lobby, guest can upload and work on their personal laptops or unplug and relax in front flat screen high-def television. Available Monday through Friday, Marriott Rewards® members, looking for a quite place to plug-in, have access to the new concierge lounge overlooking the hotel's courtyard.

Fire & Sage, the hotel's new casual restaurant with an all-day-dining menu features American specialties with chef Aaron Tootill's innovative twists, from a fresh hand-carved Roasted Turkey sandwich, a Short Rib Ciabatta with caramelized onions and Muenster and the classic Cuban sandwich; to main course salads, brick oven-fired flatbreads, and original seafood and meat entrees. Fire & Sage's wine menu features a good mix of California, European and other world selections, both big-label and boutique, moderately priced. Over 25 wines by the glass are offered in 6-ounce or 9-ounce pours. Regional microbrew beers such as Old Dominion and Dog Fish ales complete the restaurant's selection of American and international draught and bottled beers. The hotel also features a new Starbucks® with signature specialty espresso coffee drinks and pastries.

The Washington Marriott at Metro Center hotel participates in Marriott's Green Meetings program, offering eco-friendly green meeting products that enable groups of all sizes to save water and energy, reduce waste and recycle during their stays. Energy efficient lighting is used throughout the hotel and recycling bins are offered during meetings at the groups' request. In addition, the hotel uses green products such as pens and notepads made from recycled material, linen-less tables and filtered water in glass pitchers, in lieu of plastic water bottles.

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The brochure, which is being made available through Kuoni's website and from high street stores and travel agents across the country, includes a selection of luxury holidays to 16 countries from as far north as Russia to the Mediterranean islands of Madeira, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, Ibiza and Croatia, and everywhere in between.

Specialising in luxury holidays, the 2010 World Class Europe and Morocco brochure includes 23 newly introduced resorts and hotels across eight countries, including Verona and Lake Garda in Italy, Ibiza and Casares in Spain, St Laurent de Cabrereisse in the French Languedoc region, and the Istrian resorts of Rovinj and Savudrija in Croatia to meet increased interest in this area.

Other highlights include more family-friendly, luxury resorts with facilities to occupy the little ones, in the Algarve, Cyprus, Tenerife, France and Croatia. Also, World Class experiences have been added for the first time.

The new brochure also includes flights on scheduled, low cost carriers and private jets as well as eco-friendly hotels and Michelin-star restaurants and chefs at hotels like the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, the Hotel Arts in Barcelona, and the Palazzo Sasso in Ravello, Italy.

The brochure features 40 tours and one-off experiences including; performances at the world-famous La Scala Opera House in Milan, private wine tasting sessions in Madrid, flying in a private plane or helicopter over the French Riviera and chartering a private yacht in Croatia.

Editor's Notes:

About Kuoni
Kuoni was established in 1906 in Switzerland by Alfred Kuoni, a visionary adventurer and explorer of his time who opened some of Europe's first travel agencies. Today it has branch operations in over 40 countries.

For 103 years Kuoni has been creating holidays with a spirit of adventure and has been recognised consistently, winning coveted awards such as: 'The World's Leading Tour Operator' for the past 11 years at the World Travel Awards; The Daily Telegraph's Ultratravel, Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Daily Mail readers all voted Kuoni 'Britain's favourite'. Kuoni has been 'Britain's Best Longhaul Tour Operator' for the past 26 years as voted by Travel Agents. Kuoni offers luxury breaks in a number of beautiful locations, including a range of Caribbean holidays, Egypt holidays, beach holidays and memorable experiences like Nile cruises.

Kuoni PR contact:
Anne-Marie Hansen
Public Relations Manager
Kuoni House
Dorking
Surrey
RH5 4AZ
+44 (0)1306 744173
www.kuoni.co.uk

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"Our new Italy brochure, only the 6th edition, will be sharing a space with top Italian specialists who have been around for over 30 years," boasts Angelo D'Avino, product manager at Kuoni. "It's spot on for those young lifestyle trendies wishing to stay at the newest and most fashionable hotels in Italy."

This specialist Italy holidays brochure features over 90 new hotels, most of which are not known in the UK market. They include an old monastery above Amalfi, the historic Sorrento Palazzo, Hotel Villa Cimbrone in Ravello for classical music lovers, the Tuscan medieval estate of Borgo la Bagnaia, the eco-friendly Virgilius Hotel in the Tyrolean Mountains and the lavish Lefay Resort & Spa on Lake Garda.

There are eleven new destinations featured this year, from Como Town for the young and trendy, through to elegant Piedmont and Lake Trasimeno, the volcanic lake of Italy. The brochure also features a resort that is exclusive to Kuoni, the planet-friendly Nova Yardinia resort, which includes the Alborea Eco-Lodge and Kalidria Grand Hotel stretched along the Ionian coast.

The Kuoni Italy 2010 brochure also includes seven new excursions and tours, including fly drives in Sicily, Puglia, Sardinia and Tuscany, and the Best of the Neapolitan Riviera. There is also an array of Italian experiences to get the most out of any holiday in Italy: in Tuscany, the Lakes, across the cities and Campania, and spanning cooking, art, history, wine, theatre, opera, shopping, trekking, festivals, architecture and sailing.

Editor's Notes:

About Kuoni
Kuoni was established in 1906 in Switzerland by Alfred Kuoni, a visionary adventurer and explorer of his time who opened some of Europe's first travel agencies. Today it has branch operations in over 40 countries.

For 103 years Kuoni has been creating holidays with a spirit of adventure and has been recognised consistently , winning coveted awards such as: 'The World's Leading Tour Operator' for the past 11 years at the World Travel Awards; The Daily Telegraph's Ultratravel, Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Daily Mail readers all voted Kuoni 'Britain's favourite'. Kuoni has been 'Britain's Best Longhaul Tour Operator' for the past 26 years as voted by Travel Agents. Kuoni offers luxury breaks in a number of beautiful locations, including a range of Thailand holidays, Maldives holidays, Sri Lanka holidays and memorable experiences like safari holidays or a Nile cruise.

PR contact:
Anne-Marie Hansen
Public Relations Manager
Kuoni House
Dorking
Surrey
RH5 4AZ
+44 (0)1306 744173
www.kuoni.co.uk

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From the start, there will be two apartments available for rent: a studio apartment in Prenzlauer Berg (Eberswalderstrasse subway station) and a big 1 bedroom apartment in Schöneberg (by Nollendorfplatz subway station). The fees start at 60 Euros per night, offering a great deal for the tourist or business traveler to Berlin.

Renting an apartment instead of staying at a hotel is becoming more popular, as more people are discovering the advantages of having more space for a lower price; more freedom and a feeling of being at home rather than away. Checkin apartments are available for short and long term stays and the units come fully furnished.

The opening of the apartment rental service in Berlin will follow more apartments in the city.

For more information, visit Checkin's website www.checkin.se.

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As part of the re-brand, Villa Plus will also be adopting a new tag line; 'Villa holidays with a difference', which reinforces the fact that the company's villas come with many extras as standard and are among the best equipped rental villas in Europe. An impressive 98% of villas are air conditioned and all have their own private swimming pool, many of which are heated. Other additional benefits include sun beds, BBQ's, table tennis tables, pool tables, Playstation 2s, satellite TV (many with BBC and ITV), as well as the added security of an alarm system. All villas include maid and linen service and, space permitting, each villa is equipped with a washing machine and dishwasher.

Simon Linford, Sales and Marketing Manager at Villa Plus said: "Having been about for a while, we've decided it's time to better reflect the fabulous product and service we sell. Our new brand is characterised by a modern logo of a friendly persona. Also, to illustrate the extra value we give the customer, we've come up with the tag line 'villa holidays with a difference'.

"Yet this doesn't mean we've been taken over by the big boys," Linford continued. "On the contrary, Villa Plus remains an independent direct sell tour operator owned and managed by its founders. We have over 700 exclusively contracted villas across nine destinations in Europe and we select the very best villas in the very best locations. All our villas have their very own private pools and are amongst the best equipped in the market."

Villa Plus has been providing quality villa holidays for 23 years and was the pioneer in improving the standard of European villa holidays. Started from the bedroom of founder Nick Cooper, the company has to date booked over 300,000 customers and become the UK's second largest villa tour operator. With a culture of providing strong customer service, Villa Plus has built up an enviable reputation in the business and a well deserved customer loyalty which is unrivalled.

As the company rolls out its fresh, new image, Villa Plus looks forward to the future and continuing to raise the standards of villa holidays for customers old and new.

About Villa Plus:
VillaPlus.com is an independent tour operator that has been providing villa holidays for 23 years to the best locations in Europe, providing holiday villas to rent in Cyprus, the Algarve, Costa del Sol, Mallorca, Menorca, Corfu, Costa Blanca, Kefalonia and Villas in Lanzarote.

VillaPlus.com has extensive experience and the independent operation means that they can offer ATOL protected air inclusive holiday packages that are genuinely tailored to individual client requirements.

In the late 80s and early 90s VillaPlus.com were the first villa company to try to install into every villa, basic items such as washing machines, dishwashers, satellite TV, microwaves, safes and alarms. These items were later followed by further upgrades such as PlayStation 2, stair gates, pool tables, table tennis, brick barbecues and sun bed mattresses.

VillaPlus.com have a highly experienced and dedicated team based in the UK and overseas who work hard to provide clients with the high levels of professional service required to ensure that the VillaPlus.com holiday experience is enjoyable and hassle free.

Media Contact
Karen Robertson
Villa Plus Ltd.
16 Adelaide Street
St. Albans
Hertfordshire
AL3 5BH
01727 738 516
www.villaplus.com

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UK neighbours also struggled to recognise Dublin city's landscape when asked to identify it without the Ha'penny Bridge. 75% of those surveyed in the UK thought Dublin was Amsterdam in the photo, with only 22% recognising the city without the landmark.

The landmark quiz also revealed that the Irish were quicker to recognise other cities, including London (88%), Paris (87%) and Sydney (76%) before their own home town, even when the key landmarks (Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and the Opera House) in these cities were omitted from the view.

Hotels.com polled more than 10,000 travellers across the globe, to see just how many cities they recognised after a key landmark had been removed.

Nearly two thirds (63%) of Irish people have travelled to a city just to see an iconic landmark, according to the findings. Of the world's most famous landmarks, the overall favourites were the Eiffel Tower in Paris (15%), while one in ten chose New York's Empire State Building (10%) and San Francisco's Golden Bridge (10%). These landmarks were followed in popularity by the Taj Mahal in India and The Vatican in Rome.

Despite the rise in the UK of the mini break, the research showed that it's our neighbouring European cities that we know the least. Less than half (48%) of Irish travellers recognised Barcelona without Gaudi's Sagrada Familia; 38% spotted Pisa without its Leaning Tower, and just 36% recognised Berlin without the Berlin TV Tower.

Ireland fared better when looking across the water to the UK however, with a greater number of Irish people recognising the London skyline (89%) without Big Ben than the Brits themselves. Only 83% of British people surveyed recognised their own capital without the iconic clock.

When it comes to long haul destinations, iconic landmarks seem to resonate well in the visual memory. The Hotels.com research showed that over three quarters of all Irish (76%) recognised Sydney without the Opera House and similarly Rio was identified correctly by 81% of travellers even after the Christ the Redeemer statue had been removed.

Alison Couper, Communications Director for Hotels.com, said: "It's interesting to see just how important a city's iconic landmark is when it comes to recognising the destination. This quirky survey shows that it is the cities which have a famous and world renowned landmark, such as the Sydney Opera House or the Eiffel Tower that tend to resonate more in our minds."

ENDS

About Hotels.com
As part of the Expedia group which operates in all major markets, Hotels.com offers more than 100,000 quality hotels, B&Bs and serviced apartments worldwide including cheap New York hotels, hotels in London, hotels in Edinburgh and hotels in Dublin. If a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will match it. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry negotiating the best rates for its customers, plus there are 1.3m reviews from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure customers make an informed choice when booking. Hotels.com won the Gold Award for best hotel booking site in Webuser magazine in February 2009.

For further information:
Cordy Griffiths
Hotels.com
42 Earlham St
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9LA
020 7019 2268
www.hotels.co.uk

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According to Kenny Doucette, owner of VacationRentalHotSpots.com, 'this site brings vacation rental managers together and educates them with methodologies to make their vacation rentals better and market them better in today's environment. The networking opportunities and the resources provided by the FVRMA can be helpful for any vacation rental.'

Because the FVRMA provides education, influence, and information, Vacation Rental Hotspots can benefit by having some of the best-trained vacation rental property managers, which is something that some vacation rental agencies lack. When it comes to profitable operating standards in the industry, the FVRMA can provide additional support for the property managers, who already operate under the most top-notch standards.

Because Vacation Rental Hotspots handles all kinds of rentals throughout the best locations in Florida, this can be important, when it comes to managing a large vacation rental portfolio. Not only does it provide better ways to improve the bottom line for profitability, but it provides marketing methods to improve the number of renters that companies are able to obtain.

Vacation Rental Hotspots has owned and managed vacation rentals for years, getting their start in Daytona Beach and expanding to vacation rental properties throughout the state of Florida. They are one of the leading vacation rental companies for beach houses, oceanfront condos, golf villas, and Disney area vacation homes at affordable prices. In fact, many of their vacation rentals rent for a week at prices less than a couple nights in a luxury hotel.

When it comes to the experts in the Florida vacation rental market, Vacation Rental Hotspots has been a leader in the industry. Many of the vacation renters are repeat guests that use their rentals for family vacations or romantic getaways. Through customer service and professionalism, they have become a leading vacation rental property management company. Through affiliation with FVRMA, they will become one of the best. For more information, visit www.vacationrentalhotspots.com.

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PARSIPPANY, N.J. Women on Their Way by Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE:WYN), the hospitality industry's longest-running branded program dedicated entirely to female travelers, is kicking off The Local Nation travel writing contest to find ten adventurous individuals who feel that they could represent their fellow travelers on the newly formed Sounding Board and to shape the future of www.WomenOnTheirWay.com.

Starting on November 11, 2009, the Local Nation contest by Wyndham Worldwide invites participants to enter their essays of 350 words or less, plus a photo or video on why they should be selected. All entries will be posted on www.WomenonTheirWay.com with a voting process starting on January 4, 2010. Entrants may share their entry with their social networks in hopes of securing "thumbs up" votes. The top ten entries, as decided by a combination of WOTW Judge's scores and the results of online voting, will then be named to the Sounding Board. All winners will be announced by February 15, 2010 and posted on the Women on Their Way website.

"The Sounding Board is a win-win both for Women on Their Way and Wyndham Worldwide" states Alyson Johnson, director of marketing communications and writer of the WOTW blog, Adventures with Alyson. "The Local Nation will feature blog entries, pictures and fun videos of the contest winners and their vacations at various hotels, rentals and/or timeshare properties within the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands, while the contest winners will provide Wyndham Worldwide feedback on programs and properties. That 'local knowledge' will also help to shape the future of the Women on Their Way website, www.WomenOnTheirWay.com."

The ten Sounding Board members will receive 200,000 Wyndham Rewards points to be used to take a minimum of two vacations, a FlipTM UltraTM video camera to memorialize their trips, the opportunity to be a guest blogger on WomenOnTheirWay.com and two American Express Gift Cards with a card value of $400USD each, to be used for food and fun on their vacations. Each of the ten prize packages is valued at a total of $1,750 USD. The experience is priceless!

The Wyndham Rewards loyalty program is the largest in the lodging industry based on the number of participating hotels. Points can be redeemed at www.wyndhamrewards.com for hotel night stays at participating Wyndham Hotel Group properties in North America, Europe, China, Latin America and the Caribbean. Points can also be redeemed for other rewards including airline tickets, resort vacations, name-brand merchandise, rental cars, rail points or services at many popular restaurants and stores.
About Women on Their Way

Women on Their Way is the hospitality industry's longest-running branded program entirely dedicated to female travelers. Since the program's launch in 1995, Wyndham has supported women travelers as they've emerged from a niche market to a formidable force, listening and responding to women's feedback, which has resulted in a better hotel experience for all travelers; including the addition of various amenities to hotel rooms such as coffee makers, full length mirrors and healthier room service menus.

The Women on Their Way program was re-launched in May 2008. While once a single hotel chain program, Wyndham Worldwide expanded the program across all brands and businesses offering more than 70,000 hotels, vacation rentals and resorts in 100 countries.

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BA's regional general manager Far East, Kevin McQuillan, said: "We need to meet the needs of our customers, and make travel as comfortable and convenient as possible for them. That's the reason we are adding the new flight to Shanghai."

Shanghai is a thriving metropolis boasting gleaming skyscrapers, tree-lined avenues, colonial restaurants and trendy bars. As China's largest city and often regarded as the centre of finance and trade in mainland China, Shanghai was an obvious destination for BA to expand its service by increasing the number flights.

British Airways also offers a range of hotels in Shanghai, from 3* budget hotels for the price-conscious through sophisticated 4* hotels like the Rendezvous Merry which is conveniently located in heart of the commercial district Shanghai, to 5* resorts like The PuLi Hotel and Spa or the Pudong Shangri-La. The PuLi Hotel and Spa is an Urban Resort Concept and a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. As one of the world's 500 best hotels (Travel + Leisure 2009), the prestigious 5* Pudong Shangri-La with its breathtaking views of the legendary riverfront, the Bund is the perfect choice for a once in a lifetime luxury holiday in Shanghai.

All hotels offer superb service and are ideal for business and leisure travellers alike, in great city locations. To mark the launch of the new flight, British Airways has reduced prices at all hotels in Shanghai until the end of the year.

Tickets and hotels are on sale through ba.com/shanghai and direct through BA reservations on 0844 493 0758.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

About British Airways / British Airways Holidays Ltd
British Airways Holidays Ltd. is a fully owned subsidiary of British Airways plc, which offers a range of destinations, hotels, car rental and experiences. With many money-saving special offers available; and the security of travelling with British Airways, British Airways Holidays Ltd can add peace of mind to holiday plans. Working very closely with colleagues at British Airways, British Airways Holidays constantly seeks to exceed customers' expectations, both in terms of the value for money and quality of the service provided.

British Airways / British Airways Holidays Ltd PR contact:
Charlotte Lawrence
Astral Towers
Betts Way
London Road
Crawley
RH10 9XA
01293 722513
www.ba.com

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Andrew McLachlan, the group's Vice President Business Development for Africa & the Indian Ocean Islands, was given the prestigious 'Mover & Shaker' award. The HICA prize is awarded to an individual who through their skills, ingenuity and energy has already had an extraordinary impact in the industry, and recognises his outstanding leadership role and contribution to hospitality investment in Africa.

Between January 2007 and March 2009 McLachlan tripled Rezidor's portfolio from eight hotels (open or under development) in five African countries to 21 Hotels in Africa (open or under development) across 13 sub-Saharan African countries. Over this period the Rezidor portfolio expanded with properties in nations such as Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa under McLachlan's headship.

The Hospitality Investment Conference Africa, is an annual event on the local and international hospitality and investment calendar. This year's event was hosted by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), in association with the conference's founding partners and the Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism of South Africa.

The event proved to be a big success and was attended by the South African Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk. Mmatsatsi Marobe, CEO Tourism Business Council of South Africa, stated on the HICA website, "His attendance serves as confirmation of his commitment to promoting investment opportunities for South Africa and the continent as a whole. The department's continued support for the conference, as well as the launch of the South African Tourism Investment Portfolio for 2009 at HICA serves as further confirmation".

About The Rezidor Hotel Group
The Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the fastest growing hotel companies in the world. The group features a portfolio of more than 380 luxury hotels in operation and under development with 81,700 rooms in almost 60 countries including luxury hotels in London, Manchester and Edinburgh

Rezidor operates the brands Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts, Regent Hotels & Resorts, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites in Europe, Middle East and Africa, along with the goldpoints plusSM loyalty programme for frequent hotel guests. Under a worldwide licence agreement with the iconic Italian fashion house Missoni, Rezidor also operates and develops the new lifestyle brand Hotel Missoni.

In November 2006, Rezidor was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Carlson Companies is the main shareholder.

PR contact:
Christine Reiter
Director of Corporate Communication
The Rezidor Hotel Group
Avanue Du Bourget 44
B-1130 Brussels
Belgium
+32 2 702 9222
www.radissonblu.com

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The World Travel Awards are the 'Oscars' of the travel industry, with 187,000 industry professionals voting for the best company in each category across seven regions of the world.

These two global awards not only reflect Europcar's professionalism but also its commitment to customer satisfaction: a double victory for the group, which further strengthens its position as Europe's number one car rental company.

As the European Leader in short-term light- and utility vehicle rental, Europcar is strongly customer-orientated and strives to listen carefully to its customers' demands. For the last two years the company has taken a global look at its customers' mobility habits with a pan-European survey: the Europcar Mobility Observatory. This has enabled Europcar to better understand and predict drivers' habits across Europe, in order to deploy car rental deals and offers which meet customers' needs.

Europcar has also worked to make progress in innovation and formed partnerships with other leading travel industry players, to offer customers an ever wider and more accessible range of services, as well as renewing agreements with some of the leading names in the European tourism industry. These agreements include easyJet and Swiss, and the launch of a new service of reservations tailored to the customer's needs with ACCOR.

Additional developments include the development of a new B2B website 'click4wheels', known in France as 'Click@ndDrive', which facilitates vehicle reservations through the websites of Europcar's travel agency and tour operator partners. The car rental company has also recently launched a new mobile phone service, which allows users to make or change a reservation, and find the nearest car rental location from compatible mobile phones.

Jehan de Thé, Global Marketing Director of Europcar International, who accepted the trophy in London, commented: "We are truly proud to have won these two awards. They represent our commitment to providing the highest quality of service - a value shared by our entire network, as demonstrated by the awards won by Europcar in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central America."

About Europcar:
Europcar is the European leader in passenger car and light utility vehicle rentals. The company serves business and leisure customers throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Excluding franchise operations, in 2008 Europcar signed more than 10 million rental contracts, with 8,000 employees and a fleet exceeding 225,000 vehicles. In September 2008, Europcar and U.S. market leader Enterprise Rent-A-Car joined forces in a strategic commercial alliance to form the world's largest car rental network, with more than 1.2 million vehicles and 13,000 locations around the world. Europcar is owned by the French investment company Eurazeo.

In addition to being the European market leader, Europcar is leading in its environmental approach to car rental. It opened its first 'environmental agency' in Paris in 1999, and in 2008 it was the first company in Europe to have its 'Environmental Charter' - which formalizes its commitments in favor of sustainable development - certified by Bureau Veritas. In 2008, Europcar was also the first company ever to win the World Travel Award for 'the World's Leading Green Transport Solution Company.'

About the World Travel Awards:
The World Travel Awards were launched in 1993 to promote the travel industry. The awards are given on the basis of votes cast online by travel agents from 187 000 agencies in 160 countries worldwide.

Europcar press contacts:
Jean-Christophe Marteaux
Europcar International
Corporate Communications
5-6 Pl. des freres Montgolfier
Guyancourt
F-78280
France
01 30 44 92 83
www.europcar.com

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