November 22, 2012

SOUTH CAROLINA PARKS ABOUT TO PAY THEIR OWN WAY

In a state where revenues are precious, South Carolina’s 47 state parks, covering more than 80,000 acres, are only a year or two away from becoming self-sufficient.

South Carolina’s park user fees are designed to avoid needing revenue from the state’s general fund to keep the parks well maintained and a viable outdoor entertainment option.

By raising rates for cabins and campgrounds to approach the level of private accommodations, annual revenue has reached $21 million, according to The State newspaper. Golf courses, fireworks, swimming, picnic shelters, fishing piers, historic sites and tours, multi-park/activity passes and admission fees are among revenue generating park features.

It costs approximately $24 million to operate the four-dozen parks each year and the admission price ranges from free to $7.50. An annual pass to all state parks costs $75 with a $99 pass adding extra services.

Santee State Park

Approximately 8 million visitor days were recorded last fiscal year.

Duane Parrish, director of State Parks, Recreation and Tourism, told the AP the state is developing its first-ever guidebook for the parks with help from BMW and Fuji film, both of which have major manufacturing plants in the state.

Currently only two state park systems – both with revenue-generation ski resorts – pay their way: New Hampshire and Vermont.

Published: 11/22/2012 8:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

November 06, 2012

CELL PHONES - NOT IN MY RESTAURANT

Cell Phone Restaurant.JPG Like the nationwide use of cell phones while driving, cell phone use inside restaurants has been proliferating, sometimes causing delays in check-out lines, disturbing nearby diners and creating a different eating environment.

The conflict has two sides with restaurants and their owners in the middle.

On one side are those who can’t spend a waking moment without a cell phone in their hands – sometimes for social reasons, sometimes for business and sometimes for just plain online security.

Then there are diners who don’t want to hear the phone ring or listen to loud conversations (voices tend to escalate when talking on a cell phone) or stand behind someone in line talking on the phone instead of paying attention to the check-out clerk.

The battle was detailed in a recent Associated Press article by Michael Hill.

He noted a Facebook campaign to ban cell phones from restaurants, a restaurant offering discounts if the phone is checked upon arrival and another adding an extra fee if it is used in the restaurant. One cafe posted a “No cell phones at the counter” sign.

Banning certain behavior – or guests – from a restaurant is an ongoing struggle for some. Smoking bans have grown popular in the past few years. Some restaurants ban children after a certain hour to quiet the restaurant environment.

Then there’s New York City where, at the urging of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, trans fats were banned five years ago from being used in restaurants – a ban that hasn’t diminished New York City’s reputation as a sophisticated dining Mecca.

But cell phones are different.

They are omni-present. Usage is as polite – or rude – as the owner.

Will your favorite restaurant ask you to turn yours off or let you do what you feel is socially acceptable?

Just reducing usage could also be a goal.

When eating in a group, Hill talks about the “phone stack” challenge. Everyone in the group puts their cell phone in the center of the table and the first one to pick theirs up, pays the entire bill.

In the final analysis, this controversy/conflict has just begun. And there may be no winners.

Published: 11/6/2012 8:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

November 01, 2012

MY PICKS FOR BEST WEDDING SITES IN THE CAROLINAS - NC

When a couple is getting married, and money isn’t a critical factor in selecting a location, there are some great – and memorable - venues for this life event in North and South Carolina.

On Tuesday, I shared my four recommendations for South Carolina. Here are my picks for North Carolina.

Carolina Hotel
Pinehurst is a sleepy, genteel Southern town boasting antique stores, restaurants, boutique shops and the legendary Number Two golf course at the Carolina Hotel (there are 8 courses). Built at the turn of the 20th Century, this remains one of the oldest and most historic hotels in the South with two sister hotels under the same excellent management. Rated AAA Four Diamonds.

Carolina Hotel

Old Edwards Inn
Located in Highlands, this mountain retreat includes the inn – a cluster of historic and new stone and brick buildings – and a lodge behind the swimming pool. Casual elegance and quirky charm due to the inn’s kaleidoscope construction make it fun to explore the nooks and crannies. The bar and library are memorable relaxation venues. Rated AAA Four Diamonds.

Old Edwards Inn

Inn on Biltmore Estate
The proximity to the famous Biltmore Estate is a plus as is the walkable distance to the Antler Village and Winery shopping complex below the inn. The balcony at the inn has rocking chairs and the lobby overlooks the estate. Biltmore wines have won awards. Exploring the estate and touring the Biltmore home are major attractions. Rated AAA Four Diamonds.

Inn on Biltmore Estate

Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club
Owned by Duke University, the on-campus inn has a world-class golf course and a AAA rated Four Diamond restaurant, The Fairview. The Sunroom is great for morning coffee and the bar is a gathering place for college sports fans. The outside stone patio overlooks the 18th hole, as do many of the guest rooms. Meeting space for large groups is plentiful and elegant. Rated AAA Four Diamonds.

Washington Duke Inn

Published: 11/1/2012 8:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

October 30, 2012

MY PICKS FOR BEST WEDDING SITES IN THE CAROLINAS - SC

A friend’s daughter is getting married and she asked me for suggestions. Her wedding party is at about 100 people and producing good memories is a major criteria.

My knowledge extends to AAA rated Four and Five Diamond accommodations in the Carolinas, so here are my four picks for South Carolina. On Thursday, I will share my four picks in North Carolina.

The Village at Wild Dunes and the Boardwalk Inn at Wild Dunes
Located across the street from each other, this site offers a seashore gazebo situated among the dunes. There are shops in the Village and townhouses along the boardwalk for groups of friends invited to the wedding. The beach is right there and Charleston is only 20 minutes away. Both rated AAA Four Diamonds.

Boardwalk Inn at Wild Dunes

Charleston Place
One of the most elegant downtown hotels in the Carolinas with an indoor pool, spa, a stunning lobby with a circular staircase that looks like it came from the movie Gone With The Wind, a garden outside the Palmetto Café, marble-floored hallways lined with upscale shops and a concierge floor with drinks and hors d'ourves second to none. Rated AAA Four Diamonds.

Charleston Place

The Inn at Harbour Town
The iconic lighthouse at Harbour Town is a short walk from the Inn, where the hospitality staff dresses in kilts and Royal Stewart Tartan Plaid Scottish attire. The nearby Harbour Town Golf Links is a regular stop on the PGA tour. Guests have access to all Sea Pines benefits, including numerous discounts, swimming pools, etc. Rated AAA Four Diamonds.

Inn at Harbour Town

The Inn at Palmetto Bluff

One of the best-kept resort secrets in the Carolinas, the cottages and homes on this once-private hunting estate, are magnificently maintained. On cooler evenings guests sit around outside fire pits roasting s’mores; in daytime golfers hit a Jack Nicklaus-designed course, kayak the rivers, bike village trails or enjoy a river-side swimming pool below a first-class gym. Rated AAA Five Diamonds.

Inn at Palmetto Bluff

Published: 10/30/2012 8:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

September 27, 2012

CAROLINAS LANDSCAPES BECOMING COLORFUL PALETTES

Fall Foliage.jpg

Fall foliage experts predict a multi-colored 6-8 weeks of trees festooned with red, yellow, purple, orange and gold leaves from mountain vistas to back-yard copses.

At higher elevations, the changes have begun and mountain-area lodgings are booked solid for weekends and some are enjoying high occupancy during the week.

Anywhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway, vistas are available for stunning arrays of rainbow colors painting tree-laden valleys and mountains.

Sam Boykin, writing recently for AAA Carolina’s GO Magazine, recommends viewing sites near and along the parkway such as Mount Mitchell, Pisgah National Forest, Graveyard Fields and Cedar Rock Mountain.

Chimney Rock, Clingman’s Dome and Grandfather Mountain also have strong viewing endorsements.

South Carolina has its vistas along the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway and in the Caesars Head and Jones Gap state parks.

For more details, visit AAA.com/GO and view Boykin’s descriptions.

Published: 9/27/2012 8:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

September 25, 2012

SUMMERVILLE'S STERLING FIVE DIAMOND WOODLANDS RESORT AND INN CLOSING TO BECOME A PRIVATE HOME

Woodlands Exterior.jpg The only inn and restaurant in South Carolina to be both a AAA rated Five Diamond Inn and also a Five Diamond restaurant has been closed and is being sold to Tom Limehouse, owner of Summerville Auto Auction.

The Woodlands, as it was affectionately called, was on a wooded 10-acre site offering a sophisticated hideaway and a hospitable haven for anyone looking for yearning for the finest hospitality and dining in the Palmetto State.

It was one of less than a dozen properties nationally that received AAA’s highest rating for dining and accommodate and also Five Star ratings from Forbes, a rival hospitality inspection service.

Perhaps the ratings scared guests or the lure of Charleston’s urban charm was more compelling but the Woodlands struggled to make ends meet, despite praise from guests, food critics who marveled at the Southern cuisine prepared by top-tier chefs and hospitality mavens who succumbed to the ambiance.

As a guest on three different occasions, it was the type of intimate, small luxury property with personalized service that made you feel like a French aristocrat visiting your estate. My wife and I loved it.

The two-story, 18-room French style mansion was built in 1906, 18 years after the International Tuberculosis Congress in Paris described Summerville’s climate as one of the healthiest in the world.

Slow moving overhead fans, working gas fireplaces, a marble bathroom with a cascading waterfall to fill the oversize whirlpool tub beneath a window with electronically controlled blinds, walk-out balconies, a two-bedroom guest cottage – the charm for guests will now be the provenance of Mr. Limehouse, who is a member of the Woodlands County Club and has said he will keep the Inn as a private residence.

South Carolina, which once had four Five Diamond properties, now has only two – the Sanctuary on Kiawah Island and The Inn at Palmetto Bluff.

Published: 9/25/2012 8:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

August 23, 2012

AAA UPGRADES ITS RATING SYSTEM FOR HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS

4C AAA Approved.JPG The hospitality industry’s most respected rating program will be upgraded this summer and incorporate AAA member expectations regarding hotel fees – those irritating hidden costs, like daily Wi-Fi charges, resort fees, in-room safe, fitness center, even the swimming pool.

It has been five years since AAA upgrade the new rating guidelines, which will apply to the 59,000 Approved and Diamond rated hotels and restaurants across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

It has been 76 years since AAA began conducting professional, in-person property inspections and publishing the information for members and it was in 1976 that the Diamond Rating System from one to five was established.

To pass the inspection process – thousands of restaurants and accommodations fail to even get a One Diamond rating – acceptable cleanliness, comfort, security and hospitality standards must be met. Top properties and restaurants receive a Four or Five Diamond rating.

Hospitality trends that will be reflected in the 89 specific inspection categories will now include open and active lobby areas, dramatic headboards, wood and laminate flooring options and the increased use of glass, marble and stone. Amenities should incorporate sustainable and allergy-free products and expanded fitness options. Technology categories will include easy-to-use alarm clocks, single-use coffee makers and power stations for gadgets and devices.

Inspectors will look for guest comfort and satisfaction and innovative touches like check-in kiosks, interactive touch screens, digital signage, mood lighting or fragrances in social areas.

Travelers want more amenities at lower prices, such as flat-screen TVs, portable device docking stations and jack packs that allow transmission of digital information on TVs.

Ratings will be affected when properties charge Wi-Fi and resort fees and the additional costs will be reflected in the information about the property.

Members can access and download eTourBook guides with rating data at AAA.com/ebooks, online at AAA.com/Travel or in TourBook guides available at AAA and CAA offices (to find your local AAA office, click here).

For detailed articles on Four and Five Diamond accommodations and restaurants in the Carolinas, click here.

Published: 8/23/2012 10:00 AM | 1 Comment | 0 Links to this post

August 02, 2012

WHO COMPLAINS MOST ABOUT THEIR HOTEL STAY

When you are traveling, on business or vacation, you don’t want to find yourself staying somewhere where check-in feels like an FBI background check, the food in the hotel restaurant would be rejected by your dog and the rooms that looked so good on the internet haven’t been painted for years.

People book hotels in a variety of ways. Online travel agencies have become more popular recently as travelers seek to find the cheapest place to stay.

But there is a price to pay, maybe not in dollars, but in dissatisfaction.

J.D. Power and Associates conducts an annual North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. In mid-July it noted that guest satisfaction rates overall had declined on their 1,000 point scale from 764 in the same time frame in 2011 to 757 this year.

What was interesting in their survey was guests booking through an online agency were more price sensitive but had lower levels of satisfaction, were less loyal to any hotel brand and reported more problems than guests booking with a hotel website or by phone directly with the hotel.

Of course, AAA believes the highest satisfaction comes from consulting travel agents and using AAA’s rigorous inspection process that weeds out hotels where maintenance, cleanliness, security and guest service are not priorities.

AAA has been doing hotel inspections for 76 years and annually inspects more than 32,000 accommodations, rating them from one to five diamonds. Thousands of properties have been rejected over the years because they fail to have the type of physical facility, service, housekeeping or basic amenities that members expect.

Even AAA’s one diamond rated properties are clean and safe enough – and often priced low enough - that guests feel they get their money’s worth.

Published: 8/2/2012 10:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

July 24, 2012

YOU'VE GOT MAIL ON NORTH CAROLINA'S BIRD ISLAND

Bird Island used to be just for the birds, but hurricane activity and shifting sand in the past couple of decades has connected it to Sunset Beach.

Purchased for $4.2 million in 2002 by the state of North Carolina, it is now a pleasant hike from Sunset Beach, heading towards South Carolina, to reach the undeveloped island and the rock jetty at the end that divides the state of North Carolina from South Carolina.

Standing on the rocks, you can see buildings on the Grand Strand shimmering in the sun.

While there are no buildings on Bird Island, there is a mailbox at the bottom of a dune called the Kindred Spirit Mailbox, where nature lovers and philosophers can leave notes to be read by anyone who stops by. A bench provides respite to pen your thoughts.

Bird Island "Kindered Spirit" Mailbox

A notepad and pencil seem to always be in the mailbox, and your choice always is to read the messages or begin watching for the denizens that named the island – the birds.

Egrets are plentiful, including the rare Reddish Egrets, along with Black Skimmers with their needle-like beak, the Purple Sandpiper found only on Bird Island and the Wilson’s Plover. Sea gulls also stop by. Sand dollars are dot the beach and ghost crabs scamper about looking for snacks. Loggerhead turtles call it home.

Composed of about 1,300 acres, much of it swamp grass, the stroll along this stretch of beach provides a real-life glimpse of a beach unmarred by sunbathers, swimmers and lifeguard stands.

It exudes the kind of spiritual ambiance that makes you realize why the Kindred Spirit Mailbox is a popular lightning rod in which to share your thoughts.

Published: 7/24/2012 10:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

July 17, 2012

INNISFREE INN BY THE LAKE IS VIVE LA VICTORIAN

Riding in a pontoon boat on Lake Glenville in the North Carolina mountains with Henry Hoche as captain and his wife, Claire, as the hostess, we sat among a dozen passengers enjoying this add-on benefit offered guests of Innisfree Inn by the Lake.

Rated Four Diamonds by AAA, the Inn is a Victorian-style masterpiece presided over by the Hoches with the type of hospitality and attentiveness usually reserved for when royalty would visit a local London inn during Victorian times.

Innisfree hospitality begins at check-in when champagne or wine is offered to arriving guests who sip their welcome drinks on a wrap-around veranda overlooking shimmering Lake Glenville, called one of the ten most beautiful lakes in the nation. The backdrop showcased a vista of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

During our stay we were shown the public observatory, with its higher, more expansive third-floor view of Glenville’s surrounding beauty.

Evenings found guests sipping wine and cheese and morning breakfast was served in the parlor for guests staying in the inn. Those staying in the Garden House below had breakfast bedside or on their room’s balconies.

One breakfast consisted of quiche, bacon, asparagus stalks, grilled grape tomatoes, a peaches/grapes/blueberries/cantaloupe fruit cup, two fresh blueberry muffins, orange juice, and in-room Folgers or Starbucks coffee.

Each one of the ten rooms in the Inn and Garden House are named for famous English authors and are individually furnished with luxurious period antiques, configured differently to fit the contours of an English mansion.

Our weekend entourage consisted of three couples, who enjoyed pristine air and mountain views, as well as the camaraderie, and visits to Cashiers, the small town near Glenville at the crossroads of US 64 and NC 107.

The men enjoyed rounds of golf at High Hampton Inn while the ladies scoured shops, boutiques, craft shows and outlets for bargains in jewelry, clothes and knick-knacks.

Dinner one night was at The Orchard, a restaurant seven miles from Innisfree, with excellent food and owned by two on-site brothers, that shows its popularity on summer weekend nights when reservations are required.

A mountain-cool weekend at Innisfree Inn by the Lake with shopping, golf and evening meals together was a perfect respite from the hot summer vapors of Charlotte in June.

Published: 7/17/2012 10:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

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