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| Vol. 5 | Issue 8 | February 20, 2007 |    |
A new study by the Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University shows
that having the option to tip or not improves patrons’ perception of a
restaurant’s
value. The research also shows that people may avoid restaurants that build in
the tip, even though the bottom line may actually be lower.
More than 300 people who dine out at full-service restaurants an average of five times a month — almost 80 percent of whom had at least some college education and almost half of whom earned more than $50,000 a year — participated in a controlled test in which, via computer, they viewed four hypothetical restaurants: exteriors, interiors and menus. All were essentially similar. The participants were then asked to order an appetizer, entrée and beverage from each menu. Finally, they recorded their perceptions of how expensive each restaurant would be, both before and after they saw the final total including tip.
The goal of the study was to examine the impact of “partitioned pricing” — prices presented in several different categories rather than bundled together. Studies of consumer pricing behavior in other areas have consistently shown that shoppers interpret unbundled prices as being lower, even when simple math shows they are not. For example, auction bidders prefer to pay an auction fee separately, even if they wind up paying more than if they had opted for the fee-included price.
So much for the appetizer; here’s the main course. The primary variable in the four hypothetical restaurants was how they handled tipping. The total average price at the restaurant that quoted one fixed price, including tip, was actually the lowest, but participants viewed it as the most expensive before they saw the check, and still ranked it the second-most expensive even after they saw the check. (Each restaurant was ranked individually, not comparatively.) At the other end of the scale, participants rated the restaurant that left the tip up to the diner’s discretion as the least expensive, both before and after they saw the check. It wasn’t.
Unfortunately for the people who participated in the study, they
didn’t get to actually eat anything they ordered. On the other hand,
they didn’t have to leave a tip either. 
Ticketholders on any of the 17 Star Alliance member carriers can now not only
track their flights changes on the alliance Web site, but can also receive
alerts via email or text message. Travelers can sign
up at one time to track all flights on their itinerary, and then register
for alerts to
be sent to one or more mobile devices. For example, get an email sent to your
PDA about changes in your departure time, while a text message about a change
in
your arrival time is sent to the person meeting you at the airport.
Etihad Airways is offering its premium passengers flying out of New York (JFK)
complimentary airport transfers to and from home, from now on. The private
limousine perk is good for first- and business-class passengers heading
to or coming from anywhere within a 70-mile radius of JFK, including
parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
If you really, really love your Hyatt, you can now decorate your home to
look just like your hotel room. Items available at the new HyattAtHome.com
online store include the made-to-order Grand Bed, Egyptian cotton bedding,
Eames chairs
and other furniture, iHome clock radios in your choice of colors, and shower
heads. The site also sells most of the portable amenities that can be found
in Hyatt rooms, from Portico bath products to robes, slippers, towels and fitness
equipment. High-ticket items, the bed for example, are delivered by white-gloved
installers and come wrapped with a red bow.
If you’re interested in something a little stronger than tea for your
afternoon socializing in London, the new InterContinental Park Lane is introducing
the Martini Tea. For $58 you get a choice of tea-infused martinis and suitable
accompaniments such as oysters, dill scones and crab salad, plus more traditional
teatime choices. The hotel is still in its “soft opening” phase,
but next month a further flurry of new amenities arrives, including the hotel’s
new spa, which will have a full menu of treatments, therapies and grooming
services.
Tired of all that travel paperwork? Avis Rent A Car feels your pain. Now,
when you rent from Avis, use a Wizard number
and have an email address in your rental profile, the company will automatically
email you a copy of your receipt
within 24 hours of the time you return your rental car. The service, called “e-Receipts,” is
free. If you don’t have a profile on file, you can request
an e-receipt by email to custserv@avis.com or
by calling Avis customer service at 800 352 7900.
Hotel Mela
120 W. 44th St.
New York, NY 10046
tel 212 710 7000, fax 212 704 9680
www.hotelmela.com
In New York City, with its 71,000 hotel rooms, 44 million annual visitors and occupancy rates near 90 percent, discovering a new hotel with open bookings and introductory rates is a near-miracle. The deluxe boutique Mela Hotel is so new (it opened in January) that it’s still relatively unknown, although it won’t stay that way for long.
Walking east on busy 44th St., I almost missed the Mela’s entrance. When a small hotel is creatively built into the preserved shell of a former office building, as this one is, it’s easy to overlook. The small, plain-looking lobby made me wonder how the hotel would deliver on its promise of deluxe rooms. Fortunately, with a quick and efficient check-in, it didn’t take long to find out.
I wound up in a handicap-accessible room, which I did not request, but it had its advantages: The bathroom was extra-large, and a neat little light on the bathroom wall lit up whenever the phone rang — a nice amenity for anyone in a full-force shower. The interior designers applied an Italian sense of style (mela means “apple” in Italian) to the décor, with high-thread-count linens, fabric-covered bed benches, thick carpeting on the floor and overstuffed pillows, all in muted earth tones of greens, beiges, dark purple and dozens of shades of brown. A 26-inch flat-screen TV, a mini-bar with energy bars and drinks, and free high-speed Internet all combined to provide a very comfortable environment.
The Mela offers a personal profile system called “Your Desires” (a signature program of Desires Hotels, which manages the Mela). I didn’t complete the online questionnaire prior to check-in, so I couldn’t experience the results in full — one of the benefits is a downloadable podcast featuring hotel information plus the latest news on cultural events and current entertainment in the city, tailored to the individual guest’s interests.
Because the hotel is so new, during my early-February visit it was still a work in progress. Furniture was still coming, only one of the three elevators was working, and the fitness center was not yet open. Saju, a new French-Vietnamese restaurant, was getting ready to open next door. It will have a direct connection to the hotel lobby and will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as providing 24-hour room service, I was told.
The Mela’s location puts it in walking distance of Grand Central and most midtown offices as well as the theater district and Fifth Avenue shopping. Room categories start at “superior” (about 190 square feet) and run upward through deluxe, executive, junior suites and penthouse suites; rates start at $239 a night.
Score: ••••• Ron Bernthal
United Airlines is celebrating the inauguration of its new route between Washington
(IAD) and Beijing (PEK) with low
fares on all its routes to China. These prices are only available
if you purchase tickets by Feb. 23, for flights beginning March 28. From Washington,
D.C., fares for offpeak days, round trip, are $904; that price is also offered
from Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), and Miami (MIA), including connections via
United Express or Ted through IAD. To compete with lower-cost carriers flying
out of New York, United’s fare from JFK via IAD starts at $814. During
the sale, prices start at $730 from Chicago (ORD), $726 from San Francisco
(SFO), and $904 from Orlando (MCO). You’ll also earn bonus miles for any United
flight between North America and either Beijing
or Shanghai
(SHA),
ranging from 5,000 miles in discounted economy to 10,000 miles in first class.
For five months ending in June, renting a Lincoln Town Car is more affordable
at participating airports across the United States, courtesy of Budget
Rent A Car. The special rate of $69 a day ($79, in New York City)
applies to rentals of one to four days’ duration, as long as you reserve
at least 24 hours in advance. We spot-checked rates at various airports for
a midweek day in spring; the special rate usually means a savings of anywhere
from $2 — at Sky Harbor Phoenix (PHX) — to $33 at LAX or Detroit
Metro (DTW). But check first: A few airport locations, such as the one at Little
Rock (LIT), usually charge less than $69 to rent a Town Car. To get the special
rate, use discount code U093407.
If you’re shopping online, why not accumulate airline miles while you’re
at it? Until March 10, Delta SkyMiles members can earn double
miles for shopping at any store in the SkyMiles shopping mall.
That’s a pretty big deal, because most bonus-miles shopping offers only
include a handful of participating stores. And if you’re a United Mileage
Plus member, you can now earn miles for comparison-shopping
at Shop4Miles.com;
Delta and Alaska Airlines also participate in Shop4Miles.
Maxjet, the all-business-class
airline flying into London Stansted (STN), has just opened its spring fare
sale. The
sale fares start at $499 each way, out of either New York (JFK), Washington
(IAD) or Las Vegas (LAS). Reservations must be made by March 5 to qualify,
but tickets can be used until Sept. 15. Tickets can be changed — for
$100 — or
refunded with a $300 penalty. Additional taxes and fees are about $74 each
way.
There’s less than a week left to take advantage of Air New Zealand’s new
fare sale. Fares start at $866 round-trip from Los Angeles (LAX)
or San Francisco (SFO) to Auckland (AKL), $814 from Honolulu (HNL), for travel
between April 1 and June 30, if you buy tickets by Feb. 28. Add $54 for weekend
travel. Accompanied children between the ages of 2 and 11 pay 75 percent of
the sale fare; children younger than 2 pay 10 percent. Complete your purchase
online to secure the lowest fares.
