Free Republic

Last week was more than just the end of Howard Johnson's. It marked one more place in our culture that lost touch with its customers because the owners had little in common with them. HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pennsylvania—In truth, the last Howard Johnson’s restaurant closed long before the one in Lake George, New York, did last week. The only thing that particular location had in common with the fried clams and 28 flavors of ice cream the restaurant was famous for was maintaining the iconic orange roof that signaled to families for generations you were pulling up to a place you could...

White House press secretary Jen Psaki struggled to explain why President Joe Biden’s administration was considering putting up migrants in hotel rooms. Psaki did not dispute reports that the Biden administration awarded a Texas-based nonprofit $86 million to provide hotel rooms for six months for approximately 1,200 families who cross the southern border. AD Newsmax reporter Emerald Robinson questioned Psaki on why the Biden administration would provide hotel rooms, food, and shelter for migrants even as American national guard troops were forced to sleep on the floor when they protected Capitol Hill. “That’s a disparity a lot of people are...

If you believe that 'strangers are simply friends you haven't met yet', you could be making a lot more if you stay at some Marriott hotels in the near future. The largest hotel chain in the world is planning to make communal rooms in some of its hotels that will be shared by between six and 16 guests. The idea, which is still in the design stage, would be rolled out in 23 Element hotels which is the chain's eco-conscious, extended stay brand....

The sharing economy is changing the way we work, live and play. But nowhere have we better seen the benefits of this change than in our transportation and travel. In just a few years, we’ve added Lyft, Uber and SideCar to our zeitgeist for rides and turned to Airbnb for housing when visiting a city. We’ve lovingly termed this change “disruption.” It’s a disruption of industries that have remained relatively unchanged for decades and a disruption craved by us all. We’re turning our cars and homes into valuable assets and facilitating the type of customer experience we all want. Of...

As far as the state of New York is concerned, most of Airbnb's business is illegal. What had been a relatively civil legal proceeding spilled into the press this week when the rental startup and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman met in court on Tuesday. Airbnb has said the attorney general “is determined to fight innovation and attack regular people.” The attorney general's office claims it has worked with numerous other tech companies to stamp out illegal activity, but that Airbnb is being evasive. At the center of the dispute are records of Airbnb’s hosts who rented their homes...

Rome, Italy, Jan 31, 2011 / 02:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Rome is already bracing for the impact of the many pilgrims who will converge on St. Peter's for the May 1 beatification of Pope John Paul II.Sleeping space in religious communities across the city - around 15,000 beds - was booked up within a day of the Jan. 14 announcement. The Domus Aurelia hotel run by the Emmanuel Community has been reserved "since literally two minutes after the announcement," said Lorenzo Amico, who was working the hotel desk at the time. The hotel is located a short way from St....

BETHESDA, Md. -First lady Michelle Obama has helped open three new residences for families of ailing U.S. soldiers and veterans in Maryland. Obama cut the red ribbon Thursday for the Fisher Houses at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. She was flanked by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Ken Fisher of the Fisher House Foundation. Obama says the homes provide a comfortable place for families who have made a sacrifice for their country. The residences will provide free lodging for the families of as many as 60 sick and injured service members. The Rockville-based foundation has built dozens of...

When Manoj Patel's family bought the Wigwam Motel in Rialto, Calif., four years ago, the iconic Route 66 property was rundown. Its stucco teepees, built in the 1930s by Kentucky motor-inn visionary Frank Redford, had been frequented by drug addicts and prostitutes because the Wigwam's previous owners tried to reel in customers with a cheesy sign urging them to DO IT IN A TEE PEE. The Patels, who left India for the U.S. in 1980, worked hard to restore the motel to its former glory and added some modern amenities, including free wi-fi access. Says the owners' son Manoj, 27:...

In the rooms of Manhattan's trendy Soho Grand Hotel guests can enjoy an eclectic selection of underground music, iPod docking stations, flat-screen TVs and even the living company of a complimentary goldfish. But, alas, the word of God is nowhere to be found. Unlike traditional hotels, the 10-year-old boutique has never put Bibles in its guest rooms, because "society evolves," says hotel spokeswoman Lori DeBlois. Providing Bibles would mean the hotel "would have to take care of every guest's belief." What might be surprising to many Americans is that the Bible-free room isn't a development just in hip New York...

Hotel chain quits animal rightists The national Accor Economy Lodging hotel/motel chain has responded to a flood of calls and letters from U.S. sportsmen and is discontinuing its partnership with the nation's largest animal rights group, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). So says the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, a hunting advocacy organization that has led the fight to get Accor Economy Lodging to stop helping HSUS. Hunters and anglers might want to thank Accor Economy Lodging for its decision. Contact George Le Mener, President and CEO, Accor Economy Lodging, P. O. Box 809092, Dallas, Texas 75380-9092, or send...