Superstorm Sandy

This week millions of people on the East coast are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. Instead of taking the usual hurricane route into the Gulf of Mexico, the category one storm took an unusual turn last week and is now headed directly for the Northeast. Major cities are taking extra precautions to stay safe these next few days. New York City, Atlantic City & Washington DC are among the countless cities being affected by Sandy. Residents have been urged to move inland to higher ground and some coastal cities are also implementing mandatory evacuations for the safety of their residents.

In New Jersey, the governor has declared a state of emergency and ordered all schools and state offices to be closed on Monday 10/29.  It is unusual for a hurricane with category one strength to reach the Northeast, but it has happened before. Last year Hurricane Irene plagued the northeast with buckets of rain and heavy winds. This year in preparation for Sandy, New York City has practically been shut down. All mass transit into and out of the city is out of service until further notice.  Thousands of flights have already been cancelled and the busiest airports in the Tri State area are closed until Sandy passes, with each of the three big NYC airports having over 1000 cancellations each just today.

Pieces of the historic Atlantic City boardwalk floating in the Atlantic

 With some of our clients residing in the Northeast, we urge you all to stay smart and stay safe!

Worlds Most Colorful Destinations

If I had to choose a word to describe wintertime in Chicago, I would say gray. After being here for just over four years, my memories of the winters leave me with gray momories. Not to say I didn't have a good time during the gray months, but even the colorful Christmas lights and holiday cheer was masked by a gray shadow that arrives in mid-November and leaves when it pleases, sometimes hanging around until February, other times just chilling (literally) until April. With the gray months just around the corner, I wanted to explore some of the worlds most colorful destinations.

First stop- Old San Juan, PR

Colorful Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

With the warmth of the ocean and the most colorful houses on the island, Old San Juan boasts colorful streets, perfect for someone looking to take a stroll during a sunny afternoon.

Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, South Africa

Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, South Africa

With an even brighter exterior than those of Old San Juan, the buildings in Bo-Kaap are reminiscent of something like a carnival. Coupled with cobblestone streets, the bright and vivid building colors make for a phenomenal photo op!

 The Poppy Fields of Holland

Multicolored Poppy Fields in Holland

Who said only buildings can be colorful? These poppy fields in Holland offer an exceptionally beautiful and colorful view of the land if seen from an aerial perspective.

Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy

Colorful houses create a picturesque community at Cinque Terre

 Part of a rugged section of the Italian Riviera, Cinque Terre is home to some of the most colorfully beautiful areas in all of Italy. The stacked multi-colored houses and apartments hang on the edge of cliffs, hovering over the ultramarine waters of the Ligurian Sea.

Hello From Orlando!

This week Percipia is in Orlando at the HFTP Annual Convention & Tradeshow. This year the show is being held by our friends over at Rosen Shingle Creek. We all get incredibly excited for trade shows because it is an opportunity to meet so many great and interesting people and learn more about their businesses all while promoting our own products and services. This year, our CEO Michael Velasquez, Director of Business Development Katherine Lang and our Global Director of Sales Kevin Yarnell all flew down to Orlando to network and promote our company. Next month we have another trade show in San Diego to attend, but we’ll talk more about that when it gets closer. In the meantime, take a look at some of these pictures from the HFTP Convention!

Welcome to HFTP!

Our booth at HFTP

Nice to see our phone in the guest rooms!

A Rosen Shingle Creek demo now on the iPad

The beautiful view from one of our guest rooms

And finally a special congratulations to Kevin Yarnell and the Last Vegas team for winning an award at this years HFTP Leadership Conference! Way to go!

Airlines and iPads

With the popularity of the iPad on the rise, American Airlines is the first major airline to implement Apple's tablet in its flight plan. In mid-September, American Airlines received the OK from the FAA to use the iPad on planes in the Boeing 777 fleet "during all phases of flight". This means that pilots can use the device for pre-flight preparations as well as during and post-flight operations. The program has been named the "Electronic Flight Bag Program", and the overall goal is to move away from relying simply on paper manuals.

From the moment they arrive to work to the moment they leave the plane, pilots have an immense amount of paperwork not only to complete but also to refer to. Using the iPad to replace such items will provide a  more convenient way for pilots and crew to access all their necessary documentation. This new initiative will also save American Airlines an estimated 1.3 million dollars a year in fuel costs previously caused by the weight of these paper manuals. Typically, a pilot's flight bag weighs around 35 pounds. With the iPad now allowed in the cockpit, the flight bag may become obsolete.

American Airlines is in the process of testing the use if tablets by crew members by supplying iPads to all pilots within the 777 fleet.  These tablets will be preloaded with the proper software - serving as the first step AA is taking towards becoming a fully "paper-free" airline. Additional plans include phasing out all paper flight manuals in 2013 as well as using iPads for flight attendants. With the 777's becoming the first fleet within American Airlines to make use of the iPad, we're left to wonder how long it will be until every fleet within American is equipped with the tablets.

Mobile Booking

Nowadays, practically anything can be done via cell phone. From booking hotels to making restaurant reservations to game playing even to shopping- it literally is a hand held computer. Within the hospitality realm, mobile reservation making is becoming more and more popular. Mobile booking apps are making some serious headway and more and more travelers find themselves booking their hotels and flights from their phones.  Check out this website to gaze an an awesome travel infographic about how mobile phones are taking the travel industry by storm! Here's a an idea...

Have you ever booked a hotel or flight from your phone?

Atlantic City or Sin City?

Las Vegas and Atlantic City - two cities known for their casinos. Each year (especially in the summertime) both cities become populated with tourists from all over the country, both gambling and non-gambling alike. In some cases, Atlantic City is considered the "little sister of Las Vegas". If you're stricken for which city to visit in order to get tour gambling fix, look no further. Here are a few things to consider when deciding to hit Sin City or Atlantic City:

Size: First things first- Las Vegas is huge. There are more casinos than you can count along the strip, so if you're looking for unlimited options, LV is the place to be. If you want a more intimate and not so crazy experience, Atlantic City wins. It has many of the gambling options LV has, just turned down a notch.

Weather: Las Vegas is an oven in the summertime. Temps reach the 100's daily, and although there is obviously air conditioning indoors, one step outside for heat-haters might be the end. The wintertime months bring pleasant warmth to the strip, so it's a perfect winter vacation. As for AC, summertime temperatures do get up there but thankfully there is a nice ocean breeze to cool you off if the heat becomes too much. If you're really feeling adventurous, the ocean is readily available for your swimming pleasure. The wintertime is COLD. Snow and rain generally plague the Jersey coastline, so it's probably not too desirable unless you're into that sort of thing.

Sights: Without gambling, there is still a lot to do and see in Vegas. Just walking the strip at night can be interesting in itself- you can have a grand ole time without emptying your wallet onto the craps table. There are countless restaurants, clubs, museums and sights to mull over. And the lights! The lights alone will make your trip worthwhile. On the other hand, Atlantic City is more low-key. Without the casinos there is a beach and a boardwalk, but nothing that even compares to the flashiness of LV. It all depends on what you want in a vacation.

Speaking of AC & LV, a quick shout out to both Eastside Cannery Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City. These Percipia clients are big names in their hometowns.

Eastside Cannery’s unique exterior lures in tourists from all sorts of places. Located on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas, these luxurious rooms offer unique views of the city and the resort has a casino that boasts variety. With countless bars and restaurant recommendations, Eastside Cannery is certainly a worthwhile place to visit when in Las Vegas.

The Borgata in Atlantic City offers top notch hospitality service, dining, gaming and entertainment. Located right on the beach with views of the Atlantic Ocean, Borgata has become famous for its luxury and class. The casino has over 3,000 slot machines and 25o table games, perfect for any gambler that doesn’t want the craziness of Las Vegas.

These are just a few comparisons between LV and AC. Do you want a crazy, unforgettable trip to the Nevada desert? Or would you prefer a more laid back quiet trip to the eastern seaboard? Then again it is completely what you make of it. The choice is yours. Which do you prefer?

Top Halloween Destinations

Halloween is quickly approaching, and it's definitely time to take out those costume boxes. With the influx of jack-o-lanterns and haunted houses that are about to appear around every corner, it seems appropriate to take a gander at some of America's most famous spooky cities.

Salem, MA

Home of the Salem Witch Trials, this eccentric little town holds a lot of scary history. Beginning in 1692 and lasting only a year, quite a handful of individuals were accused of practicing witchcraft. They were stoned, hanged and executed in a variety of ways. Salem now remembers the Witch Trials history by holding an annual Halloween festival every year. The streets crowd with ghosts and ghouls alike, making it a top destination for anyone looking for a scary good time.

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco is one of the greatest cities in the country, and also one of the scariest during Halloween season. Alcatraz in particular offers tours of the famous military prison called "Alcatraz After Dark". Patrons get a guided tour of the jail, and experience the  creepy and unsettling feeling of the shady jail cells in addition to other rooms in the building.

New Orleans, LA

If you're looking for a not-so-frightening getaway this Halloween season, take a trip to New Orleans. With its yearly Halloween parade, the city celebrates by filling Frenchman Street in the Faubourg Marigny. People decorated in all sorts of Halloween gear celebrate by singing and dancing and showing off their outlandish costumes. The architecture of some of the old buildings throughout the city create a spooky vibe bound to be enjoyed by visitors from all over.

Savannah, GA

Dubbed America's most haunted city, Savannah has the history to scare anyone. From world famous murder trials to bloody Civil War memories, Savannah is the place to be if you're looking for a scare. There are countless ghost walks, all looking for any unsettling inkling of Civil War soldier souls still walking the streets.

Chicago, IL

And just to throw in our hometown pride, Chicago is bound to thrill, scare and entertain you! Aside from Halloween parades and the annual Haunted Hotel Ball, Chicago is also home to the murder castle of H.H. Holmes, a haunted house based on America's first serial killer who terrorized the city during the World's Fair in the late 1800's.

There you have it, just a few of the countless cities celebrating the Halloween season. What are you going to dress up as this year?