Bedbugs are an unfortunate risk of traveling, regarded by the Environmental Protection Agency as a major health hazard, that has nothing to do with cleanliness standards, or hygiene. Some hotels have them; others don't. Planit Meetings' job is to inspect, for you, find out what individual hotels are doing to protect against, and to inform you.
My personal bedbug tip is: prevent them from hitching rides in your suitcases, by opening and unpacking your suitcases away from the beds, in your hotel room's vestibule. The good news is that bedbugs do not transmit disease.
In his August 22, 2011 eNewsletter, Dr. Andrew Weil offers the following bedbug tips:
What to look for:
oval, flattened, brown, wingless, 1/4 inch long, that produce welts on skin
blood and orangish-brown spots of bug feces on pillows and sheets
unpleasant, pungent odor, in or near bed
To prevent:
check behind hotel bed frames, and under mattress covers, and mattresses for orange-brown fecal spots;
when you get home from your trip, wash clothes in hot water, and store suitcases in hot car trunk or attic
at home, use mattress covers designed to suppress bed bugs (some hotels, but not all, hotels use them; our job is to verify which hotels have them on all their beds)
Dr. Weil reported that getting rid of bed bugs isn't easy, because they seem to be developing resistance to pesticides. Since bed bugs cannot survive extreme heat, ask a professional exterminator to try pumping hot air into your bedroom, before using stronger pesticides.
Planit Meetings is excited to partner with Captain Bill Ross, of The National River Tour Company (http://nationalrivertours.com), to offer our Planit Meetings travelers, and their guests, a generous, exclusive discount on National River Tour Potomac River Cruises.
The usual cost is $14. Print this blog, present it when you board the boat at Washington Harbor, and get a $5 discount, for $9 for a boat ride on the Potomac River. This offer is available through October 15, 11:30 - 6:30 p.m boat rides. The Potomac River Boat Cruise season ends October 15.
On a personal note, those who know me, know my passion for the Potomac River. Over the years, I have taken many, many Potomac River boat rides, with visiting friends and family. Of all the Potomac River cruises, from the Georgetown DC waterfront, I like this National River Tour cruises the best. Among other things, this tour boat talks, so I don't have to! The genial boat captain narrates sights, on a lovely stretch of the river, at a leisure pace, answers questions about the river, and environs... a truly salubrious respite in a busy day of meetings, or sightseeing.
Don't delay...there is only one more month to enjoy this Potomac boat ride, before the boat ends its tour season.
For questions, don't hesitate to email. Also, please visit Captain Bill's website: http://nationalrivertours.com
Planit Meetings will be regularly offering discounts, through our partners, for our past, present, and future clients in Washington, DC and other cities. Watch for upcoming restaurant, and bakery discounts, in the coming weeks.
By the way, if you don't have time to take the $9 Potomac River boat ride in October, by October 15, I'll send a reminder, of the discount, in the spring, when the boat rides start up again. Further, if you're not in Washington, but have friends or family who are, Planit Meetings invites them to partake of our $9 river boat ride.
Don't forget...for all your hotel room needs, from one to one thousand, in major US cities, contact
www.planitmeetings.com
Welcome to Planit Meetings, the go-to place for one or one hundred hotel reservations, in major cities in the United States. Planit Meetings is a full-service meeting provider, that assists in all facets of conference and function planning. Planit Meetings also makes individual hotel reservations in select cities.
Site selection services are provided free of charge.
Offices are located in Washington, DC, Annapolis, and Raleigh/Durham. Our staff's collective experience includes all components in the meeting process, from managing hotels, meeting planning, to making travel and airport pick up arrangements.
Planit Meetings also offers discounted hotel rates for individuals, at hotels like the Kimptons, the Fairfax and Dupont Circle Hotels, in Washington, DC, and many, many others. Our staff also regularly visits hotels that we use regularly, to ensure that hotel standards are maintained.
Planit Meetings is excited to announce that it is endorsed by IATAN, the International Airlines Travel Agent Network.
In this blog, we will be addressing hotel and travel issues, giving individual travelers and meeting planners tips of the trade, and help you get the best values.
Welcome!
