Entries by Karen Kuzsel

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –LATE MARCH 2025

March 24, 2025 /0 Comments/in /by

THEY SERVE UP DEALS! YOU SAVE!

Higgledy, Umbridge’s former house-elf, can be seen at Epic Universe.

Create Your Own Vacation Package with Universal Epic Universe (Orlando, FL). Save up to $200 when you book seven nights or more (but savings begin at a two-night hotel package with a three-park + one-day Universal Epic Universe ticket package). Book from now through December 10 and stay from May 22 (official opening) through December 31, 2025. Included in this package are tickets to Universal Epic Universe, Universal Studios Florida, Universal

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –MARCH 2025

March 4, 2025 /0 Comments/in /by

THEY SERVE UP DEALS! YOU SAVE!

New olive grove patio venue for events or strolling at Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa.

Book your event by March 31 for use from June-August 2025 or 2026 at Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa (Santa Rosa Mountains in the Greater Palm Springs Valley, Indian Wells, CA) and receive some exclusive incentive perks, such as one (1) night stay resort certificate; one (1) waived room rental; one (1) comped villa

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –FEBRUARY 2025

February 13, 2025 in /by

WANT TO HELP SET A WORLD RECORD?

Even if you never learned to play a kazoo, this is your chance to helped set a world record. Friday, March 28, join thousands of visitors & Maconites (Macon, GA) during the annual International Cherry Blossom Festiva​l to attempt the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the Largest Kazoo Ensemble. Proceeds from the $5 admission fee (children six and under are free) to the Atrium Health Amphitheater will go to the Otis Redding Foundation & Otis Redding Center for the Arts. The program is sponsored by Visit Macon, Cherry Blossom Festival, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Choose Macon, Otis Redding Foundation, and many more Macon Community Organizations! The current record is 5,190 participants and was achieved in

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –LATE JANUARY 2025

January 22, 2025 /0 Comments/in /by

THEY SERVE UP DEALS! YOU SAVE!

Dinner under the stars is one of the amenities with Pueblo Bonito’s February romance package.

Romance is in the air throughout February at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf & Spa Resort, an adults-only beachfront property listed among “The World’s Most Romantic All-Inclusive Resorts” by Travel + Leisure. For couples looking to celebrate, the 201-room resort just 10 minutes from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and situated along a 1.2 miles of virgin beach, there are a variety of options included that evoke romance, from sparkling wine

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –JANUARY 2025

January 6, 2025 in /by

Back to the Future filmed in Utah.

Once upon a time, I was intensely involved in the Florida Film and TV industry. Back in those days, we mistakenly thought we would be Hollywood East and that the state’s tourism and economic development office would continue to do whatever was necessary to encourage that growth. They didn’t and other states have since capitalized on film and TV productions. I bring this up because I just learned that The Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –DECEMBER 2024

December 4, 2024 in /by

Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry opens May 22, 2025 at Universal Epic Universe.

 I confess. I have read all the Harry Potter books twice and have seen all the movies more often. I have traveled on the Hogwarts Express between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventures in Orlando, FL and I’ve peered in all the shops at Diagon Alley, so you can just imagine how excited I am that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, will be one of the themed worlds when Universal Orlando Resort opens its fourth theme park – Universal Epic Universe, on May 22, 2025.

NOTHIN’ COULD BE FINER THAN OUR MEALS IN THE CAROLINAS

November 21, 2024 /0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

No food pictures this time. This was going to be a leisurely few days getaway… and then we discovered restaurants worthy of your attention if in Greenville or Franklin (North Carolina) or Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Originally, my husband Russ and I booked a flight and hotel in Asheville, NC. When Hurricane Helene drove forceful winds and powerful floods throughout the artsy mountain community, we ended up staying

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –NOVEMBER 2024

November 10, 2024 /0 Comments/in /by

Universal Epic Universe Opens May 22 2025

Universal Orlando Resort’s fourth theme park – Universal Epic Universe – officially opens May 22, 2025. More than 50 incredible experiences, Epic Universe will present a level of theme park immersion and innovation unmatched across five themed worlds: Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and Dark Universe. Anchoring the park is Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel – a majestic 500-room property with one-of-a-kind views of the park and will feature

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –OCTOBER 2024

October 7, 2024 /0 Comments/in , /by

NO CAR, BUT HOTEL CHARGED MANDATORY VALET PARKING FEE!

No car, but parking fee charged anyway.

Robert Kraus, travel professional, event planner, and owner of Small Conferences LLC took an “expensive van service from the airport to a Florida hotel for a three-day educational conference aimed at meeting planners,” he explains. In his LinkedIn post, Kraus said the property was “near a beach that literally brags about how most of the properties there do not charge a “resort fee” and even offer free parking. The actual town I stayed in offers a surplus of complimentary parking along the main strip with no parking restrictions – welcoming guests to drive and stay there (as they are an hour away from the closest regional airport).” Along with his key and information about the complimentary breakfast

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –SEPTEMBER 2024

September 10, 2024 in /by

Gran Acuario Mazatlán (Mazatlán, Mexico) became the largest aquarium in Latin America, and the only one in the world dedicated to the Sea of Cortéz, when it opened in May, 2023. Now the tourist attraction and research institute has added snorkeling and diving experiences.  (September 4, 2024) – The recent debut of snorkeling and diving experiences at the world-class add an exciting new interactive dimension to the already popular tourist attraction and research institute. The minimum age to snorkel is 12 years old and to scuba dive, a patron must be a certified diver. The Gran Acuario Mazatlánanchors Mazatlán’s 75-acre Central Park. The facility houses some 260 marine species, including 36 species of mammals, 31 cetaceans, five of the seven global species of sea turtles as well as sharks, jellyfish, and manta rays. Overall, its exhibition tanks hold more