A clean or dirty room can mean the difference between a happy repeat guest or an unhappy one, a disgruntled customer who tells 10 of their friends never to stay at a certain property.

Here is a great article about how to find a clean hotel room.

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I've worked for Hilton, Wyndham and Sheraton national hotel chains plus a couple of privately owned resorts. For more than 20 years I worked behind the scenes and on the front lines within the confines of the hospitality industry in Scottsdale, Arizona. It's been a long ride and I'm glad it's over, I'm retired now, a full-time blogger and finally I can tell my story.

And while I did meet & work with some great people, enjoyed traveling in connection with my job, to international trade shows, travel shows, etc, if I had to do it all over again I would go back in the marines!

Some career highlights:

Partying with Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie at the Bowery Ballroom in NY City.

Smuggling a body out of a suite during a mortuary convention.

Sitting next to Lee Trevino on a flight to Dallas.

One on one against Chef Gordon Ramsey at The Phoenician

Giving Arnold Palmer putting tips at The Tradition at Desert Mountain

Meeting Tony Robbins, Conrad Hilton and Bill Marriott

Stay tuned for some dirt!

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Except as otherwise provided by the President and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President may authorize and prescribe, it shall be unlawful for any citizen of the United States to depart from or enter, or attempt to depart from or enter, the United States unless he bears a valid United States passport.

My friend Elliot found this out the hard way while traveling from Paris to the US. He had lost his passport and had to go to the US Embassy and spend $100. on an emergency passport.  Don't let this happen to you. Read the full story

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Hotels Need to Adjust Their Thinking

They say that timing is everything and for once I guessed right, 2009 was a good year to leave an insane business in a big city and start a new Internet Marketing consulting business, moving the family, lock, stock and  dog to a small town. I can safely say I am glad to be gone from the likes of Wyndham,  Hilton Hotel Corp. in Scottsdale, and working in the hotel business in general. Not that there is anything wrong with those particular brands, they are all equally screwed up!

I don't know about the rest of the country's resort destinations but I do know the Scottsdale market and they are down considerably over 2008.  According to the Arizona Republic's December 25th article Travel slump hurts Scottsdale hotels Scottsdale's hospitality industry continued to struggle in October with a 23 percent decline in revenue per available room from a year ago, according to Smith Travel Research.

Ouch! This means that hoteliers (us poor sales slobs) filled only 61.4 percent of their rooms, not a good number and not good news for hotel management companies who have to answer to investors . On top of that bad news they posted a miserable $136.79. average room rate, down over 21%!

Revenue per available room, which combines occupancy and average room rate, was $83.97. Basically what this all means is that in spite of a horrible travel slump, of the kind never seen before, the bull-whips come out and sales has to come through. I wish them all the luck in the world, I did it for 25 years and I am done!

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Not like the Arthur Frommer's of the world would have you believe.

I support sensible and non-hysterical interpretations of the 2nd amendment as it applies to today's standards by our lawmakers and wish the NRA would stop whining when an automatic weapon is banned, then using it as a blanket accusation against NRA opponents, those "commie-pinko, patriotically challenged gun control liberals."

I do not hunt but I have friends who do and I support that right.

I believe in having some sort of firearm for personal protection – but reject the idea that it should be an automatic weapon, (I became quite familiar with them as a marine in Vietnam and believe me you do not want to go there!).

I also believe only the police should be in possession of weapons in public places, handguns, assault weapons, etc. Didn't I just read about some homeowner getting shot by the police because he was brandishing a gun while protecting his home against an intruder?

My jury is still out on concealed weapons for protection of couriers, precious gem agents, etc, but anyone sporting a gun better be trained and ready to use it – without hesitation. It's a bitch getting shot with your own gun.

Come to Arizona folks, everything is fine here, beautiful scenery, fun activities, golf, fabulous spas and resorts, world-class restaurants, and friendly, genuine, southwestern hospitality. In the 25 years I have lived here no guns of any kind have been visible in bars and I have NEVER seen anyone walking around with an assault weapon. It was all a publicity stunt, orchestrated by someone to discredit the Obama Administration. Nice try but no sale!

Time for the Poll:

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It works like this: Homepage of MSN.com today: Arizona says it's legal to bring guns into bars, which, by the very manner it's presented, is inflammatory, made to get us stirred up with outrageous indignation about guns and implanting an image in the readers brain of visiting Arizona and getting "called out" by a drunken cowboy at a bar.

The guy with a Colt Peacemaker at his side, who then proceeds to gun you down out on main street because you looked askance at his girl – the one with no teeth. Just like that movie, Westworld, anyone but me remember the gunfighter droid that ran amok (Yul Brenner) in that movie? Heck, I can't possibly be the first one to come up with this comparison, am I?

It's so ridiculous and it would be funny if people didn't actually pay attention to what guys like Arthur Frommer said. Anyone who has visited our wonderful state can tell you that it's perfectly safe to vacation here. Read my lips: virtually no bar owners in Arizona want guns in their bars. It has nothing to do with the second amendment, it's strictly economics folks: if you bring a firearm into an Arizona bar, guess what? You can't drink alcohol. Now what bar owner is his right mind wants a customer that can't drink? If you don't believe me check out what EJ Montini says about it in his Arizona Republic article; Restaurant Gun Law Changes Nothing

This is the article that you are taken to if you click on the link on MSN.com's homepage: Guns To Be Allowed In Arizona Bars and after giving it a read you should feel the need (like I did) to tell: the rest of the story, Loose talk that Paul Harvey would have nipped in the bud, first time he heard a guy like Arthur Frommer telling people not to come here cause it aint safe. That's nothing short of an irresponsible statement by a man who still has a voice in the travel industry. Paul Harvey LOVED Arizona and would have come to our rescue during these outrageous times. He is about the only one who had the creds to do it and not sound self-serving about it. But alas, dear Paul has gone to that great announcers booth in the sky. We miss him here in Arizona!

This all started with the idiot that appeared in the crowd with an assault weapon across his shoulder when the new president came to Phoenix. I wonder what special interest group put him up to it? But before I get in hot water with the gun crowd let me just say first that I am a former member and supporter of the NRA, (Charlton Heston) was one of my favorite movie stars. I am an advocate of the second amendment to the United States Constitution & US Bill of Rights, that which outlines the rights of the individual to keep and bear arms without infringement by the federal government. My opinion doesn't mean squat but it should come as no surprise to anyone that the American Bar Association has noted "there is more disagreement and less understanding about this right than of any other current issue regarding the Constitution."

Boy! You can say that again. Just look at what I am saying about guns and ME, just a nobody with an opinion. Am I an advocate of guns, an enemy of those against gun control of any kind or just someone who wants the state of Arizona to regain their rightful place in the USA as the Grand Canyon State and the epicenter of tourism in the Southwest? You decide.

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Go On A Vacation – Where?

Arizona, of course! it's just about as good as it gets for people needing a vacation. As a former travel professional, hotelier and golf packager I have brought thousands here from all over the world, in a career that spanned over 25 years in hospitality. I brought them to Scottsdale over the years to: play golf, have corporate meetings and retreats, bask in the mild-winter sunshine, hike it's unique landscape or enjoy the good life at one of Arizona's world-class resorts, hotels and spas. NEVER ONCE do I remember the safety of a visitor from out of state being in question that was attributable to our gun laws.

It's just a real shame to have to disappoint all the Dr. Doom types out there that foster this kind of negativeness and I hate to be the one that has to break it to em but Arizona just doesn't measure up to all the hype. Gun control nuts may call me disloyal but Arizona as a state is no more sinister when it comes to guns than the other 40 states in this country with similar gun laws, Georgia and Florida among them. Just two US states who are cognizant of the gun rights of it's citizens and support similar gun laws.

Bars and restaurants are caught in the middle of this issue and it's a typical lose-lose situation for the working man just trying to make a buck. If you want to know more just read past the headlines and dig deeper into these stories where Arizona comes off as nothing more than the untamed wild, wild west.

Fact is, it's not anywhere near as dramatic as they would have you believe. Using our gun laws to sensationalize an issue as sensitive as gun control and all this negative and UNFAIR publicity is not a joke, it is hurting my state and I want it to stop. Tourism is a critical component of Arizona's economic health and it has already taken some hard licks with the state of the economy. We don't need any more comments by a few individuals who panic before they think. Are you listening Art? Who started all this nonsense, Nevada?

It's time for us in the business of travel to stand up and be more vocal about defending our state and our industry. One way to do that is to take our World Opinion Poll (WOP): Should Guns Be Allowed In Arizona's (fill in the blank). Another is to react quickly and take offense in writing to those who attempt to put the tar brush to Arizona without ALL the facts, and instead, letting their misleading headlines contribute to the economic blood letting of our tourism business.

Swine flu scares, border violence, a weak economy and now the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requiring a passport to travel to Mexico from the US. are all converging in that "perfect storm" and are taking their toll. Only about 30% of Americans have a passport and the tank top crowd that has kept Mexico hopping are not prone to getting a passport.

So guess what, fellow travelers? Now is the perfect time to travel there, the deals are unbelievable. Get a passport and go! 

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As a former hotelier I feel qualified to offer my opinion. My advice to hotels to go even more green? Simple, stop building them! Don't we have enough brands and types? Do we need more "boutique" hotels, "loft" hotels, "limited service" hotels, "extended stay" hotels, "resort" hotels, "full-service" hotels, "transient" hotels, "conference" hotels, "casino" hotels, ad nauseum. Everyone claims to be an expert in their "niche" market, but just how many niches does it take to change a traveler? Answer: When hotels start paying you to stay there!

But seriously, here in a nutshell here is what the big boys are doing to capture a bigger slice of "green" travelers:

Motel 6 – retrofitting guest rooms with occupancy sensors that readjust when a guest leaves the room.

InterContinental & Holiday Inns – Wants to cut energy consumption by a whopping 25%.

Marriott – always setting the pace for the other big chains, has replaced over 450,000 incandescent bulbs with the compact, more energy efficient, fluorescent ones. In a major effort to conserve water they have installed low flow showerheads and toilets, and have invested in pre-washed towels.

Starwood – Starwood's new brand Element is to be LEED certified, that means each room will be fully loaded with Energy Star appliances, LED lighting, and state-of-the-art ventilation systems. Grounds will be designed and tended with water-efficient landscaping.

Hilton – (My alma mater in the hotel business) plans to reduce water use at all of its brands, such as Hilton, DoubleTree, and Embassy Suites, by installing water-saving toilets, showerheads, and faucets.

Hyatt – saving millions of gallons of water annually and reducing their overall water consumption by re-fitting rooms with "low-flow" showerheads. .

Special thanks to Brad Tuttle, Budget Travel & MSNBC where I found Brad's article, Have a Green Stay.

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