Posts in the category "Contests":

It’s hard to read travel stories about exotic places like, say, Chicago, if you can’t quite swing the cash for airfare and a swanky hotel.

That’s why, even though I never win, I’m in favor of entering contests that award – someone – free travel.

Because I learned early on that you can’t win if you don’t play.

The upscale Radisson Blu Aqua, Chicago open its doors on November 1 and to celebrate the first Radisson Blu in the U.S., Club Carlson is having an Ultimate Getaway Giveaway.

Each week during the eight week sweepstakes, which runs December 16, Club Carlson members will have an opportunity to win a two-night stay at the new Radisson Blu Aqua, Chicago, airfare for two and $2,500 in spending cash. One grand prize winner will receive a five-night getaway at any Carlson hotel worldwide, airfare for two and $10,000 in spending cash.

You’ll need to be Club Carlson member to enter, but membership in that club is free.

In Victoria, B.C., home to one of my favorite museums – the Royal B.C. Museum –  the Hotel Grand Pacific has rolled out a “pay what you want” promotion.

From October 27 through November 11, the hotel is asking prospective guests to visit the contest site, answer some questions about what they’re looking for in a hotel and make an offer for a night’s stay.

Ten rooms for each night between October 28 and December 23 will be available at a “Pay What You Want” rate, on a first come, first served basis.

Good luck! And if you win, please send a souvenir.

Categories: Contests, Hotels
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Thursday evening LAN airlines kicked off a campaign to promote its South American destinations in a really fun way: it surprised about 200 people dining at Nuela restaurant in New York City  with vouchers for free roundtrip tickets to destinations in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, or Argentina.

Lucky them!

And, maybe, lucky you.

Through October 31, the airline will be giving away more tickets to South America via a Twitter contest.

Here’s how to enter

Categories: Contests, Free Stuff
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If you’re fan of the Angry Birds game, you have until September 12, 2011, to enter Finnair’s Angry Birds Asian Challenge. Eight fans will get to play the popular game on a special flight from Helsinki to Singapore on September 20, 2011on board the airline’s Angry Birds-branded Airbus A340.  Enter Finnair’s Angry Birds contest here.

And you have until September 16, 2011 to enter a contest offered by McCarran International Airport, Spirit Airlines and Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In the Spirit of Hollywood Sweepstakes, contestants have a chance to win two different prize packages that include round trip air fare from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, hotel accommodations and entertainment.

Enter the Tinseltown Tag-Along Tour contest here and enter the Silver Screens, Screams for Four contest here.

Categories: Contests
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Do you worry about where to ‘go’ when you’re on the go? Then take note of the beautiful and sometimes bizarre public bathrooms that get nominated for America’s Best Restroom.

Whether sightseeing or heading down the road to visit a new town, finding a clean place to “go” when you’re on the go can be a traveler’s most urgent challenge.

That’s why word gets around when a hotel, restaurant, museum, ballpark or other venue goes out of its way to provide bathrooms that are not just sanitary, but distinctive, inviting and somewhat eccentric.

There’s even an annual award for America’s Best Restroom. For this year’s choice, people can cast their vote online through Sept. 19.

The contest is hosted by bathroom supply company Cintas Corp., which gathers restroom recommendations through the year and then invites the public to help flush out the best loo in the land from a list of 10 finalists.

The 2010 winner was The Fountain on Locust, a vintage ice-cream parlor in St. Louis, Mo., where the bathrooms have hand-painted murals, luxury fixtures and designer mirrors.

This year’s nominees include the dragon- and gargoyle-themed restrooms at the Castello Di Amorosa Winery in Calistoga, Calif., and the loos at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Va., where bird silhouettes on the mirrors light up when the faucets are turned on.

Restrooms on the ground floor of Chicago’s Field Museum have also been nominated. “They’re large and family friendly, with changing stations and sinks set low enough for kids to easily wash their hands,” said museum spokeswoman Nancy O’Shea. “Our housekeeping staff does a great job of keeping those restrooms clean, and we are just delighted to be in the running.”

Other nominees this year include the restrooms at the Main Street Casino in Las Vegas, where urinals hang on a graffiti-covered slab of the Berlin Wall, and Ninja New York, a restaurant where the décor is 15th-century Japan (complete with ninja-dressed wait staff), but the up-to-date restrooms sport built-in seat warmers, water sprayers, deodorizers and driers for the derriere.

There’s even a posh portable potty on the list. Created for President Obama’s 2009 inauguration-day festivities, Don’s Johns DJ5000LX Presidential Luxury Restroom Trailer has granite counters and shelves, heat and air conditioning, an audio system and, for those waiting their turn, a 37-inch exterior-mounted flat screen TV. It’s available for rent by any organization interested in an outstanding outhouse.

(This story first appeared on msnbc.com’s Overhead Bin)

Categories: Contests, Seating
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On Monday, Vancouver International Airport announced the winner in its Live@YVR contest to choose someone to live in and report from the airport for 80 days.

I wasn’t eligible to enter but, I admit it, I felt a twinge of jealously when I learned that Jaeger Mah, who described himself in his entry video as “the Anderson Cooper of YVR,” had won the contest.

Mah moves into the airport on August 17th, 2011. He’ll have a nice room at the on-site Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel and, armed with a camera and editing equipment, he’ll spend 80 days finding stories and sharing them with the public on www.liveatyvr.ca, Facebook and on Twitter.

I plan to interview Mah before he starts his airport stint and check in with him during his adventure.

Here’s his winning video.

Categories: Airports, Contests
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