Visit CCRA at ASTA's THETRADESHOW top

If you’re planning on attending ASTA’s THETRADESHOW next week, make sure to stop by CCRA International’s booth #1814. CCRA will be among 500 experts wanting you to learn all there is about the travel industry. The 3-day conference offers education and training to enrich your travel industry knowledge.

During THETRADESHOW, we will be conducting a product seminar on CCRA International – Your Hotel Booking Solution. Agents will learn how CCRA offers the best booking options from a worldwide hotel inventory, and how to get the best prices and the best value for your clients. Let us demonstrate how convenient CCRA is when comparing Internet and GDS rates.

In addition to the product seminar, our CCRA experts will conduct live trainings and present demonstrations at our booth! This is your chance to get one-on-one training and get registered with CCRA. We look forward to a very exciting weekend of meeting new and seasoned travel agents, and sharing with you the benefits of booking with CCRA.

To view CCRA’s online brochure and profile for THETRADESHOW, click on the following link thetradeshow.org/CCRAprofile.

The Best Kept Travel Secret Revealed top

As we leave summer behind, and welcome cooler temperatures and lower gas prices, you can expect people to discover the best kept secret for travel – Fall! These autumn months are a great time for your clients to find amazing deals in some of the world’s most desirable destinations.

Fall travel is ideal for seniors and families for a number of reasons. With kids back in school, and most people trying to recuperate from their summer travels or preparing for winter vacations, there are fewer crowds, cheaper hotel rates and more affordable flights available.

Travelers will typically see better weather in the fall than in the peak seasons. Just one example: during the summer, the American Southwest can reach temperatures of 100-degree heat. Come fall, temperatures drop to more bearable levels.

Along with great weather, travelers can plan on saving 15 to almost 50% on their hotel stays September through mid-November. This is a great time to take advantage of discount pricing at hotels worldwide. Check out some of the rates we found at 4-star properties on CCRAtravel.com:

To find these and other great rates in top destinations worldwide, visit CCRAtravel.com or look for the CCRA code in the GDS. We offer the best booking options for CCRA members, no matter where you book.

IHG & CCRA Presented Exclusive Webinar Winners top

CCRA International and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) partnered together this summer for a series of four exclusive webinars for CCRA agents. In these webinars IHG shared with agents their plans for future developments, new amenities and client services offered by its great brands.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts | Crowne Plaza | Hotel Indigo |
Holiday Inn | Holiday Inn Express | Staybridge Suites | Candlewood Suites

We were happy to offer over 600 registrants the chance to improve their expertise of the IHG portfolio of brands. By providing agents with information about IHG’s seven brands, CCRA agents can now use this information to book their clients the perfect stay!

If you missed our webinars and would like a chance to learn more about the IHG portfolio of brands, visit ccrainternational.com to view the PowerPoint presentation that was presented.

All attendees were given the chance to win 90,000 Priority Club Points (equivalent to a 3-night stay at any IHG property worldwide). Three winners were picked from each webinar. Congratulations to the CCRA Agents listed below, you were the big winners!

World Religious Travel Expo top

Did you know faith tourism is a booming $18 billion industry? Destinations such as Israel and Jordan are experiencing record growth in 2008. As one in four Americans are interested in faith vacations, church and religious group travel is growing at double the rate of the overall tourism industry! CCRA members were given the chance to join two of the world’s top faith travel authorities, Kevin J. Wright, President of the World Religious Travel Association and Honnie Korngold, President of Christian Travel Finder, in an exclusive webinar: “Five things You Can Do to Capitalize on the Booming Faith-Based Travel Market: How to Make This a Significant and Continuing Source of Revenue for Your Business.” If you missed the presentation, click here to watch the video.

If you would like continue your education on Faith based travel, we invite you to attend the World Religious Travel Expo October 29th. The World Religious Travel Expo is the most important gathering of the “Who’s Who” in Faith Tourism. Travel agents will network with the top wholesalers and suppliers in the Faith Tourism industry, while also receiving first-class education on the following travel services: Pilgrimage, Cruising, Leisure, Touring, Events, Missions, Attractions, Retreats, Adventures, & More!

WORLD RELIGIOUS TRAVEL EXPO
Gaylord Palms Resort Hotel & Convention Center in Orlando, FL
October 29 - November 1, 2008

GENERAL INFO:
Members of CCRA International can attend this fall’s World Religious Travel Expo at the special promotional price of $49 (Regular price $250). In addition, this special CCRA International “Travel Agency Promotion” includes full access to all scheduled Expo meal functions at the Gaylord Resort. As this special savings is not advertised publicly or on the World Religious Travel Expo website, please enter the following promotional code of “CCRA” when registering online at www.religoustravelexpo.com. Please note that you will need to provide credentials that you are a member of CCRA.

REGISTRATION INFO:

ATTEND – CCRA WITH MEALS (CCRA Travel Agency)
This registration category is a special promotion that includes full access to any scheduled meal functions at the Expo. Who qualifies for this registration option? Any accredited travel agent that is a member of CCRA International. (Credentials as a CCRA Member must be presented)

What does the "Attend – CCRA With Meals " registration include? This registration fee includes admission entrance for 1 (one) person to attend the World Religious Travel Expo 2008 with full access to The International Tradeshow and The Educational Conference. This registration also includes any scheduled Expo meal functions.

To learn more about attending the Expo and what it includes, visit www.religioustravelexpo.com.

ADVERTORIAL

The Cumberland Hotel in the Heart of London's West End top

Plenty of people talk about their "vision." Far fewer have the courage to see it through. The vision for The Cumberland was to create a hotel that would inspire, enthrall and amaze, by combining challenging contemporary design with the very highest levels of comfort and service.

The result is a world-class hotel filled with original sculpture, paintings and other pieces that make it a work of art in itself. You will not have stayed anywhere like it before.

Located at the top of the exclusive Park Lane, in the heart of London's West End, The Cumberland offers a unique experience to its guests - whether visiting for business or pleasure.

The Cumberland is one of London's prime destinations for business events. A complete self-contained complex, with 26 meeting and function rooms, we have everything you need for a private meeting, training session or a full-scale conference. Delegates can also enjoy their own unique restaurant, the 'Market' - a distinctive dining experience which offers a choice of five open kitchens inspired by modern international cuisine with a distinctly British influence.

The hotel has over 1,000 designer bedrooms that offer not so much a place to stay as an experience, with specially commissioned works of art in every room. As well as all the comforts you would expect from a world-class hotel, including pure Egyptian cotton linen, sumptuous bathrobes and state of the art bathrooms, each bedroom comes complete with cutting-edge technology, including LCD television entertainment centers.

In addition, you can enjoy a choice of two Gary Rhodes' restaurants. One of the country's finest chefs, who has opened restaurants all over the world, Gary Rhodes has brought his passion and dedication to The Cumberland, with Rhodes W1 Brasserie and Rhodes W1 Restaurant, which has been awarded a Michelin star.

You can also take time out in the hotel's two bars including the Carbon Bar, which offers top DJs, premium cocktails and the finest champagnes set in an inspirational fusion of industrial glamour and sultry style.

Because there is no other hotel like The Cumberland, it could only be a Guoman hotel.

GDS Access Code: TI

To Book the best rates at Guoman Hotels, visit CCRAtravel.com.
Or in the GDS, select the CCR rate code in Amadeus, Sabre and Worldspan or CCRA in Galileo.

ADVERTORIAL

Mardi Gras is going RED! top

Glitzy flowing costumes of Mardi Gras splendor, parades on land and sea, mambo, Zydeco, gumbo and chicken runs, all add to the mystique of the second largest Mardi Gras in Louisiana—complete with ear to ear smiles and warm hospitality of Southwest Louisiana. The entire celebration has been customized by Southwest Louisiana, Lake Charles into a unique experience for Red Hat Society members!

The 2009 SWLA/Lake Charles Red Hat Mardi Gras Tour offers a wealth of opportunities, which are reserved exclusively for Red Hat Society members.

From February 23 - 25, 2009, your clients will be treated like the royalty! The package includes:

• The splendor and spectacle of 43 krewes at The Royal Gala, followed by music and dancing
• A private Red Hat Mardi Gras Parade through downtown Lake Charles
• Exclusive grand stand seating for the Krewe of Krewes Parade Party
• A private viewing of the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu, which features the largest costume display in the South
• A tour of the Lake Charles Historic Charpentier District, which includes more than 40 blocks of turn-of-the-century buildings. The Charpentier (French for “carpenter”) District stands in homage to the carpenter-architects who freely designed as they built, creating a unique Lake Charles–style, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This is one red hot trip sure to be the talk of Red Hat chapters for years to come.

For all the details and to book your clients on the 2009 SWLA/Lake Charles Red Hat Mardi Gras Tour, visit http://www.pra-reg.com/redhat today. Or contact Tico Soto at tsoto@visitlakecharles.org for additional touring itineraries for your clients.

To Book the best in New Orleans, visit CCRAtravel.com.
Or in the GDS, select the CCR rate code in Amadeus, Sabre and Worldspan or CCRA in Galileo.

ADVERTORIAL

Spectacular Accommodations at The Tower, London top

Spectacular views and an unrivalled location: what more could you ask for? Great facilities, attention to detail, faultless service? Keep going. At The Tower hotel, you get them all - and much more.

With views of Tower Bridge and the River Thames, this modern hotel has some of the capital's most famous landmarks on its doorstep - including The Tower of London and Canary Wharf - and is within easy reach of the city's financial district. But despite its location at the hub of the city, the hotel offers a tranquil haven, added to by the relaxing influence of the river and stunning waterside views.        

Boasting over 800-bedrooms, including 18 individually styled suites and apartments, and a wide range of dining options, including private dining in the Penthouse, The Tower is the ideal place to bring people together. All bedrooms offer all the modern conveniences and comforts you would expect from a deluxe hotel including luxury linen and high speed wireless internet access, so you can remain online whether you are in the bar, your room or a meeting room.

The Tower also has 19 meeting rooms, ranging up from an eight-delegate syndicate room to The Tower Suite, which can accommodate up to 550 theatre-style and can be seamlessly sub-divided into three separate areas with break-out rooms, each with acoustic walls for total privacy and individual control panels for bespoke technical requirements. The 12th floor penthouse is dedicated to meetings and events with 15 fully equipped rooms and panoramic views of London. 

What's more? You can indulge in one of the hotel's restaurants, The Brasserie or the more traditional Carvery, two bars, including the stunning Xi Bar with views of Tower Bridge and the Thames, or even work up a sweat in the gym work out area. 

Because there is no other hotel like The Tower, it could only be a Guoman hotel.

GDS Access Code: TI

ADVERTORIAL

Guaranteed USD Rates at The Milestone Hotel in London top

The Milestone Hotel, a five star hotel overlooking Kensington Palace and Hyde Park, is simply considered the best. The hotel was voted #1 in London in 2008 by both Condé Nast and Travel + Leisure and was voted the World’s Best Service Award by Travel + Leisure in June 2008. Renowned for its impeccable service and described as a ‘country house in the heart of the city’, the hotel will impress your clients not only with service and style, but price!

The Milestone Hotel is offering your clients an exceptional deal with added extras and all at an affordably fixed US Dollar rate…guaranteed! This special offer, valid for travel through January 31, 2009, locks in $1.70 to one Great Britain Pound and includes complimentary Continental Breakfast daily per person and VAT at 17.5%.

The USD Prices you see have been converted from our GBP price, and are guaranteed regardless of changes in the rate of exchange.  To help those Dollars go even further we have also included Complimentary  Continental breakfast and VAT, so we guarantee the price you see is all your clients will pay for their room.  Payment for accommodation taken on arrival and is charged in USD.  Incidentals settled on departure in the currency of their choice.

To Book the best rates at Milestone Hotels, visit CCRAtravel.com.
Or in the GDS, select the CCR rate code in Amadeus, Sabre and Worldspan or CCRA in Galileo.

Portal Tip - How to Clone a Reservation top

In order to book multiple rooms using the same reservation, select the cloning tool found on the confirmation page. Once you have completed your booking, you will find an option to “Clone this reservation" at the bottom of the page. Click on the clone button to save the hassle of having to start your search all over again.

You will be returned to the Client Information Page where you can change the guest’s name and credit card information.

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