• Message From Ina Rich - Chairman of Rich Worldwide Travel
  
  
• Business Values
• August And September Convention Incentive
  Aimed At Sizable Ft. Lauderdale Meeting Groups
• Planned Leisure
  Take It Easy. Relax. Rest. And Play!
• Arizona's Four Seasons At Troon North
  Beckons With Added Summertime Value
• New American Airlines Scheduling This Fall
  Leads To Isle Seats (On Antigua & Grenada)
• The Port Will Be Canaveral
  For Carnival's New Dream
• Westin Hotels Offering
  Wii and Wheres For Guests
• London's Brown's Hotel Pushes Romance
  In Remembrance of Traveling Roosevelts
• Parents Magazine Suggests Top Beach Resorts
  For Family-On-The-Go Budget Vacationing
• Rich Worldwide Travel Briefs
  Short Takes - To Take You There!

Call Them Parent/Student "Pick-Me-Ups"
From School Campuses To Vacation Fun

When school is out for summertime recess at universities here and overseas, travel fun is most definitely in order for students happy to be off on "break." It's also a perfect time for parents to schedule a vacation "pick-me-up," if you will -- that permits them to accomplish several things at once. First, a visit to the institutions of learning and the happy reunion with son or daughter. Then, the start of a well-deserved few days away for all to other locales in and around the area, or perhaps to places quite a distance away. The togetherness is a great reward in and of itself as youngsters put down their books and the "books" of parents (as far as overnight accommodations, transportation requirements and so on) produce family fun. We're here at Rich Worldwide Travel to help any way we can. Give any of our account execs a call. Meanwhile, for some ideas regarding adventure travel, check out our adventure travel link (click here).

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has extended its meeting planners incentive program to generate group business for August and September 2008-2010. Meeting planners who book groups at the Brossard County Convention Center for those months and contract a minimum of 600 peak-night hotel rooms will receive free rental of all floor space throughout the Convention Center, as well as have attrition fees waived at contracted hotels. For arrangements relating to business meetings or conventions, contact Nathan Devore, Rich Worldwide Travel's co-president, at 212-997-1600 or 800-333-RICH (7424) ext. 201. Devore's e-mail address is ndevore@richtravel.com or talk with any R.W.T. account executive.

The newly enhanced Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North will be offering its guests added value opportunities this summer including a Stay Longer package which provides a complimentary third night based on two paid nights, an Unlimited Golf package that allows avid links enthusiasts to play all day and enjoy premier golf at value-added rates, and a Summer Spa plan that covers luxurious casita guest room accommodations as well as one 50-minute spa treatment for every paid night. Guests can choose from popular options such as the Golfers Massage, Custom Facial or the Bliss Body Polish. Guests can enjoy championship golf at Troon North Golf Club, treatments in the award-winning spa as well as sunrise hikes to Pinnacle Peak Park and relaxing afternoons lounging in the shade of complimentary poolside cabanas or under the sun while refreshed with complimentary chilled towels, Evian spritzes, ice cream bars and fruit kebabs. For more information and booking arrangements contact Rich Worldwide Travel leisure agent Ange Murphy at 203-743-6222 (800-862-8747, toll free), e-mail Ange at amurphy@richtravel.com or speak with any Rich Worldwide Travel account executive.

American Airlines, which offers more flights from South Florida than any other airline, will begin daily nonstop service from Miami to Antigua this fall – the only nonstop service currently scheduled between Miami and the eastern Caribbean island. American will begin flying the Miami-Antigua route on Nov. 20, 2008. On that same date, the carrier will also inaugurate a new route from the Miami hub with nonstops to the island of Grenada -- the only nonstop service currently scheduled between South Florida and the "Spice of the Caribbean" located approximately 100 miles off the coast of Venezuela. In both instances Boeing 737-800 aircraft configured with 16 seats in First Class and 132 seats in the Main Cabin. will be used. The new service from Miami to Antigua will complement existing flights to there from San Juan, Puerto Rico, offered by American and its regional affiliate, American Eagle. For your airline bookings and accommodations on both islands contract a R.W.T account executive.

Carnival Cruise Lines has announced that the new 130,000-ton Carnival Dream – the largest “Fun Ship” ever constructed – will be based at Port Canaveral, FL, beginning in the fall 2009. Details on the ship’s itinerary will be provided at a later date. Currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, the 3,652-passenger Carnival Dream is the first in a new class of ship for the line with a unique interior design, sleek hull and distinctive profile, along with a host of innovative facilities and features which will be released in the coming months. The deployment of the Carnival Dream to Port Canaveral continues the line’s 18-year relationship with the Canaveral Port Authority, the longest tenure of any cruise line there. In addition to the Carnival Dream, the line has two other “Fun Ships” scheduled to enter service – the 113,300-ton Carnival Splendor, set to debut in Europe July 2, 2008 (see separate story), and the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, slated for delivery in June 2011. For more information about the cruise schedules, and prices, contact R.W.T.'s Aimee Presto at 914-835-7600, ext. 145. Her e-mail address is apresto@richtravel.com. Or chat with any Rich Worldwide Travel account executive.

Tennis, anyone? Nintendo and Westin Hotels & Resorts have announced a partnership that will allow its guests to play interactive Wii games using a special hotel version of the console. Westin says it's the first lodging company to partner with Nintendo for its Wii console and will feature popular Wii games such as tennis, bowling and boxing at 10 of its U.S. hotels. It also will be among the first of the hotel brands in the USA to get Wii Fit, an interactive fitness game due for release the week of May 19 in North America. It allows users to work out via Wii doing yoga, aerobics, strength training and balance exercises. Eight Westins begin offering the Wii perk in May: The Westin Hilton Head; The Westin Crown Center, Kansas City; The Westin Harbor Castle, Toronto; The Westin Diplomat, Hollywood; The Westin St. Francis, San Francisco; The Westin St. Louis; The Westin Galleria, Houston; and The Westin Savannah Harbor, and Westin plans to roll out additional Wii systems if guest feedback is good. For your travel plans contact any R.W.T account executive.

Brown's Hotel, the oldest hostelry in London (now Rocco Forte's Brown's Hotel) whose much admired elegance, status and long history is evident within its walls, is offering a Roosevelt Romantic Retreat package available Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights now until year's end. Theodore Roosevelt was a guest at the property before his marriage at St. George's Church, and Franklin and Eleanor visited on their honeymoon in 1905. Rates for the package begin at $682 a night for a couple's accommodations (upgrade on arrival) and include tour of the church, full breakfast, champagne, chocolates and fruit, and two robes as well as other amenities. Additional nights can be booked from $491 and more features can be covered at supplemental cost. For details and booking arrangements speak to Rich Worldwide Travel leisure agent Ange Murphy at 203-743-6222 (800-862-8747, toll free), e-mail Ange at amurphy@richtravel.com or contact any R.W.T. account executive.

A growing number of value-priced beach resorts are offering swimming pools with water slides, modern, comfortable room decor, and no-cost kids’ activities, redefining what a budget vacation means, according to an exclusive article on the “10 Best Beach Resorts for Families” in the May issue of Parents magazine. The article, part of the magazine’s on-going “10-best” series, evaluated more than 200 beach resorts in the U.S. and Caribbean based on room rates and other resort costs, the quality of the supervised children’s program, the variety of family activities, the pool and beach area, and many other factors that are important to moms and dads. Top 10 were: Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya, Bahamas; Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic;. South Seas Island Resort, Captiva Island, FL; Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas; Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, FL; Beaches Negril Resort and Spa, Jamaica; Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, HI; Ocean Edge Resort & Spa, Brewster, MA; Loew’s Coronado Bay Beach Resort & Spa, San Diego, CA; and Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort Casino & Spa, Puerto Rico. Contact any R.W.T. account exec for your plans.