Harry Potter, Batman Themed Lodging? Eviivo Online Links Travelers with Fiction-Fantasy BnBs in UK

Canongate Luxury Apartment in Edinburgh is a Harry Potter themed apartment, complete with a Hogwarts Express carriage room, and a Gryffindor dormitory common room and bedroom. Kitted out with artifacts, including a desk and a mirror both previously owned by J K Rowling herself, this B&B is a delight for any ‘Sirius’ Potter fan.

Britain-based online booking specialist eviivo has compiled an extraordinary selection of fiction-book themed B&Bs in the UK, including Harry Potter, Famous Five and Batman-themed establishments, perfect for fantasy holiday makers who are hunting for their next experience.

“The popularity of theme parks and adventure holidays has increased in recent years, and can turn an average holiday into an exciting and unique experience, but an expensive one,” Ruth Whitehead, a director at eviivo, said “Now, for less than the cost of a family cinema trip to London’s West End, adventurous families can live out the fantasies immortalised in works of fiction with a stay at a B&B.”

Canongate Luxury Apartment in Edinburgh is a Harry Potter themed apartment, complete with a Hogwarts Express carriage room, and a Gryffindor dormitory common room and bedroom. Kitted out with artifacts, including a desk and a mirror both previously owned by J K Rowling herself, this B&B is a delight for any ‘Sirius’ Potter fan.

A sign outside reads ‘Wizards welcome’, but Ruth Whitehead assures potential guests that “muggles will be let through the Dumble-door too!”

Built in the 1700s, the property already has an old and rustic feel and the owner has made numerous creative modifications to evoke J K Rowling’s fantasy world, including authentic bookshelf style wall paper, and an intricate display of potions bottles. One of the rooms boasts a real wood burner, perfect for snuggling up with a hot espresso-patronum.

This magical experience is conveniently located amongst some of Edinburgh’s best Harry Potter tourist spots, including The Elephant House Café where J K Rowling wrote many of her early novels.

For holidaymakers looking for an action comic experience, the ‘Joker Boat’ is a buoy wonder. Docked in Liverpool, this swanky barge was brought over from LA and restored to accommodate 6 people, after originally being made exclusively for Jack Nicholson for his role as the Joker in Batman.

The boat is kitted out in Gotham-style noirish luxury, complete with leather seats, purple velvet bedding and a 3D 52in LCD TV.  It is the perfect cosy spot for a dark Knight.

Making your way from the airport to your accommodation can be the ‘Bane’ of your existence, but in true Hollywood style, the owner is offering an optional chauffeur service from the airport, in the choice of either a Hummer or a Rolls Royce Phantom.

Families looking to escape to the fantasy world of the mid-20^th century British countryside are advised to visit Enid Blyton-inspired Widbrook Barns.  Situated in the middle of the Wiltshire countryside, this accommodation features a tuck shop, an original gypsy bow-top wagon and a shepherds hut, and comes complete with ‘lashings of ginger beer’ and ‘pick ‘n’ mix’, that will fuel any child’s adventures.

Ruth Whitehead added “Fortunately this accommodation sleeps up to 23, so even more than five can have a wonderful time”.

eviivo is a leading online booking specialist for independent hotels and B&Bs across Europe. Through leading-edge technology, hospitality owners can manage their bookings and sell their rooms online in the highly competitive global marketplace on an equal footing with leading international hotel chains.  Its diverse portfolio represents the best of independent hosts and hoteliers with over 6,600 small hotels, B&Bs and vacation rentals across Europe, offering over 60,000 rooms.  Accommodations span B&Bs, guest houses, pubs and inns, restaurants with rooms, serviced apartments, villas and cottages, hostels, and even boats, castles and windmills. For more information visit www.eviivo.com.

 

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Viator.com, Online Booking Engine for Tours, Activities Offers 10% Friends & Family Discount

These days, gift giving is top of mind and that’s no exception for the team at Viator – the leading resource for researching and booking tours and activities worldwide. Viator’s Friends & Family discount has been extended to frequent customers and newcomers alike. Until December 31, travelers can receive 10% off all bookings (excluding Disney theme parks and attractions) made on Viator.com, the Viator Tours & Activities App (iOS and Android) and Viator’s mobile site. And it’s super simple – just enter promo code “2015” at checkout to receive the discount.

The 10% discount can also be applied to Viator Gift Certificates as well. Available in multiple denominations and good toward the purchase of any experience on the Viator site, these last-minute, sure-to-please gifts come with free, instant worldwide deliver (great for procrastinators) and are much easier to wrap than the experiences they’ll deliver, such as insider tours of popular destinations like Rome, Paris, London, NY and San Francisco; special access to iconic attractions like the Vatican, Louvre, Empire State Building and Sydney Opera House; active experiences like surfing lessons, bike tours, hiking, kayaking, river rafting, helicopter and seaplane flights; culinary and wine experiences like Cajun and Tuscan cooking classes, Tapas Walking tours, craft beer tours and vineyard tours and tastings; and thousands of other experiences in more than 1,500 destinations.

For over 15 years, Viator has curated one of the largest and most diverse selection of worldwide tours and activities—from traditional sightseeing tours to unique once-in-a-lifetime experiences—all provided by local tour operators that are pre-screened for quality, value and service. Activities are supported by more than 600,000 verified reviews, photos and videos posted by travelers like you, all backed by a low-price guarantee.

Viator, Inc. sells tours and activities through the award-winning Viator.com website, ten local-language sites serving North and South American, European and Japanese markets, five fully optimized mobile sites and more than 3,000 affiliate sites that include major hotel chains and airlines, online travel agencies, city-specific sites and more. For travelers on the go—the Viator Tours & Activities App for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Android provides quick and easy hand-held access to the most memorable travel experiences, bookable up to the last minute, even in-destination!

Learn more—and connect—by reading the Viator Travel Blog, become a fan on Facebook, follow on Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest or subscribe to YouTube channel.

For more info, visit viator.com.

 

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CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. Launch Mobile Websites

During the CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. national conference aboard NCL’s Breakaway, Sean Tolkin, business development director at World Travel Holdings, became the first American to run a marathon at sea, doing it in record time (3 hours 43 minutes), raising $50,000 to benefit Make-A-Wish®, the official charity of WTH’s CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. divisions. In all, the agents raised $108,000 for Make-a-Wish during their conference. © 2013 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

The best way to learn about the deals being offered by major cruiselines and sort through the myriad choices is to go through a travel agent or cruise-agent, and one of the leaders in the field, CruiseOne franchise and Cruises Inc. network of hosted home-based agents has made the information more accessible with a newly introduced mobile website.

CruiseOne franchise and Cruises Inc are part of World Travel Holdings, with 13 entities that collectively sell $800 million worth of cruises. Cruisegoers benefit from their collective buying power, inventory and relationships with the cruise companies.

On the cutting edge of technology and meeting the demands of its new and existing customers, CruiseOne^® and Cruises Inc.^® announced the official launch of their mobile-friendly consumer websites CruiseOne.com and CruisesInc.com at its annual National Conference onboard the Norwegian Breakaway.

“With smart phone capacity growing and online cruise travel searches up 48 percent year over year according to Google, it was only natural for us to take this next step in providing a mobile-friendly shopping experience,” said Sandi Szalay,  vice president of information technology at CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. who oversaw the creation of the mobile platforms.

The new user-friendly mobile sites provide a lean version of the homepage, cruise search/cruise finder and cruise line promotional pages. New features include “Find An Agent Near You” enabling users to search for an agent by geographic location according to zip code or state, as well as an option for consumers to sign up for free promotional emails offering exclusive vacation deals.

“Our clients are on-the-go and we want to make sure they can connect and engage with an agent regardless of time and location,” noted Dwain Wall, senior vice president and general manager of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “At National Conference, we emphasized that innovation is one key to success in meeting consumer demands and keeping ahead of the competition. The mobile websites are just one of the many innovative tools we provide our agents to help in their success.”

CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. agents’ personal websites are also now mobile-friendly, providing an improved shopping experience that makes it easier for consumers who are not near a computer to shop for deals and research itineraries.

For information, visit www.CruiseOneFranchise.com or www.SellCruises.com. 

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Hostelworld Launches ‘Surprises and Delights’ Campaign in San Francisco

A leading online accommodation booking website, Hostelworld.com, is launching their #HostelworldTreats ‘Surprise and Delight’ campaign, creating memorable experiences for their fans in San Francisco.

Hundreds of travelers and Hostelworld.com fans in San Francisco are being surprised with treats and rewards during the next few months including free accommodation, tickets to attractions, exclusive travel packs, free hospitality evenings and more. Fans simply need to follow @hostelworld using the hashtag #HostelworldTreats to get involved.

In addition to the surprise treats, Hostelworld will launch the Adventure Taxi on Tuesday, October 22 offering travelers in London and Edinburgh the experience of a lifetime.

Lucky travelers will be invited to have a ride in the Adventure Taxi via a surprise phone call at their hostel on the special Hostelworld.com Adventure Taxi hotline. The Adventure Taxi will whisk passengers away on a surprise adventures, such as flying lessons, whitewater rafting, aerobatic stunt flights and more, all unlocked through the spin of a Wheel of Fortune in the back of the cab.

The Adventure Taxi, will run for one week and is open to guests booking accommodation in London and Edinburgh via Hostelworld.com between 22-26^th October and 29-30^th October respectively.

You can follow the Hostelworld.com Adventure Taxi from the 22^nd October on Twitter through the campaign hashtag #HostelworldTreats and find out more about #HostelworldTreats now on Twitter @hostelworld.

View the Hostelworld.com Adventure Taxi video here: http://youtu.be/AaQoNLmb9tU

A global market leader for over 10 years, Hostelworld.com is a leading provider of online reservations to the budget, independent and youth travel market and has been voted the most trusted hostel booking site in 2012. It offers confirmed online reservations for over 35,000 hostels, B&B’s and budget hotels in 180 countries worldwide and is the only hostel booking site to offer a service guarantee. The site also offers budget travelers over 3.5 million guest reviews, award-winning travel videos & podcasts, free customized city guides, a travel social network and more. Hostelworld.com is headquartered in Dublin and is fully owned and operated by Web Reservations International Ltd (WRI). Start planning your next adventure at http://www.hostelworld.com.

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New Broadway League Website, App Offer One-Stop Shopping for Theater Tickets in NYC and Across North America

The Broadway League has launched BROADWAY.ORG, a comprehensive resource dedicated to providing theatre-goers around the world with information about all Broadway shows—both in New York and across North America © 2013 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

The Broadway League has launched BROADWAY.ORG, a comprehensive resource dedicated to providing theatre-goers around the world with information about all Broadway shows—both in New York and across North America.

BROADWAY.ORG combines two previously existing sites: ilovenytheater.com, specifically targeted to Broadway shows in New York, and touringbroadway.com, which was the League’s official website for Touring Broadway productions in nearly 200 markets throughout the U.S. and Canada. With improved functionality, the new site continues to be the official source of information and provider of direct access to all things Broadway.

“BROADWAY.ORG furthers the notion that Broadway is a state of mind rather than a set geographical location. Our ultimate goal is to provide a premier one-stop consumer site for show information and official ticketing links, combining Broadway and Touring Broadway in a central location and under a single site identity,” says Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League. “If you want to see a Broadway show, regardless if you are home or out-of-town, you can go to BROADWAY.ORG to find out where and when it’s playing and easily buy your tickets from the authorized source.”

The new site features a deep integration between the New York City and touring shows. Site users can locate theatres across North America where Broadway shows are playing, and link to their official sites for more information. If they are on the page for a Broadway show, they will also be able to easily view its upcoming tour stops; and when on the page for a show on tour, will be able to see that it is also playing in New York and get information on that production.

The new site provides up-to-date show and theatre information in six languages, a guide to hotel and dining options in Manhattan’s Theatre District, and general information about Broadway theatre-going. It provides access to show tickets at all price points to current and upcoming shows, direct from the theatres’ official ticketing offices in real time, without broker markups.

The thoroughness and simplicity of the new site can be demonstrated with numerous features that are easy to navigate including: Google Maps and social media integration, the ability to search by location, an interactive map of the NYC theatre district and multi-media galleries. The League will be able to communicate timely announcements such as holiday schedules, weather advisories, updates on programs such as Kids’ Night on Broadway^®, and more.

The site also features a mobile app for Broadway in New York and later this year an enhanced app to include touring data is being planned. The League’s Digital and Technology team created the new site with the aid of website design firm Lounge Lizard.

For more than a century, Broadway has been considered the pinnacle of live theatrical entertainment. Broadway is where America’s greatest playwrights, composers, lyricists, actors, singers, dancers, directors, designers, and choreographers bring great plays and musicals to life. Touring Broadway encompasses first-class, professional productions that bring these shows to fans across North America.

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Londontown Offers Discounted Hotel Rates for World Shakespeare Festival

High School productions of Shakespeare such as this modern interpretation of "Romeo & Juliet" by Great Neck High School, keep the Bard very much alive. A World Shakespeare Festival, Globe to Globe, starts in April with the Globe Theater outside of London as the hub © 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com.

Britain’s best loved playwright, William Shakespeare, is to be commemorated this year with a series of global events and performances, starting on the occasion of his birthday (and anniversary of his death), April 23rd. The World Shakespeare Festival will run until November.

To help traveling fans find a reasonably priced London hotel, the website LondonTown.com has announced discounted hotel rooms close to the Globe.

37 international companies, performing in 37 different languages will be taking part in 37 plays, from a Korean Midsummer Night’s Dream to a Portuguese Romeo and Juliet. Othello is to be interpreted as a hip hop extravaganza by award-winning American troupe the Q Brothers.

The festival centers around Shakespeare’s Globe, where Globe to Globe is running between April 21 to June 9. The Globe is an exact replica of Shakespeare’s 16th Century theater, built just 200 yards from the original site. The theater was constructed using the materials and techniques of its Elizabethan forbear.

Among the London hotel rooms available are deluxe double rooms at the Club Quarters St Paul’s, a 10 minute walk from the theater. For the duration of the festival, the Club Quarters is offering 75% off the standard rate, with deluxe double rooms starting at 99 pounds.

Club Quarters also have a London hotel close by in Gracechurch – Club Quarters Gracechurch – less than 15 minutes walk from the Globe. They are offering deluxe double rooms at the same discount as their St Paul’s establishment, with nightly rates starting at 99 pounds (when booking through LondonTown.com).

To view more discounted London hotel rooms, and to find out more about the World Shakespeare Festival, visit LondonTown.com.

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HotelTravel.com promotes ‘Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’ Festival in San Francisco

HotelTravel.com is promoting the popular Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco from September 30 to October 2 with tough-to-beat rates and a wider choice of hotels around the city than ever before.

HotelTravel.com Chief Marketing Officer Tom Racette said the festival has expanded to embrace a wide selection of musical genres since he last attended the event in 2004.

“That was the final year it was called ‘Strictly Bluegrass,’ now it covers a wider range of musical tastes. Not only is it free, but most visitors staying in San Francisco don’t realize they can enjoy the warmest weather of the year in late September and early October.

“And there is never a shortage of things to do between shows. San Francisco is well known for its multiple attractions, including Fisherman’s Wharf, which offers stunning views across the bay to both Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge,” he added.

For an event overview, read through HotelTravel.com’s travel article: “Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest: Fusion in Frisco.” It covers the program of musical acts and offers helpful tips on how to travel to and from the city’s Golden Gate Park where the festival is held.

Kicking off the weekend after the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, is the 30th annual San Francisco Fleet Week (October 6 to 11), which coincides with the centennial anniversary of United States Naval Aviation. (See HotelTravel.com’s travel event article “Frisco’s Fleet Week Pipes the Public Aboard.”)

For discounts on accommodation in San Francisco for either of these events, check out HotelTravel.com’s San Francisco hotel promotion page featuring rates starting from as low as US$45 per night.

HotelTravel.com has set the global standard for worldwide hotel bookings since 1999, constantly updating its multi-lingual website published in eight languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Korean. Its 24-hour service center is staffed by highly-trained professional native speakers in each language. HotelTravel.com is privately owned and operated, employing over 300 staff in its offices in Thailand, Malaysia, and China.

URLs:
Staying in San Francisco
www.hoteltravel.com/usa/san_francisco/hotels.htm

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest: Fusion in Frisco
www.hoteltravel.com/usa/san_francisco/hardly-strictly-bluegrass-fest-fusion-in-frisco.htm

Golden Gate Park
www.hoteltravel.com/usa/san_francisco/golden-gate-park-in-san-francisco.htm

Frisco’s Fleet Week Pipes the Public Aboard
www.hoteltravel.com/usa/san_francisco/friscos-fleet-week-pipes-the-public-aboard.htm

San Francisco hotel promotion page
www.hoteltravel.com/usa/san_francisco/promotions/promotions.html

hoteltravel.com
www.hoteltravel.com

 

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