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| Volume 5, Issue 20, May 15, 2007 |    |
Are you a typical business traveler? See how you stack up against the results of the latest Orbitz Take 5 Corporate Traveler Poll, conducted in April.
Have you lost luggage in the past year? If you have, you′re in the minority – fewer than one in four business travelers have lost any luggage over the last 12 months. But only one in three business travelers has never lost any baggage.
What′s your pet travel peeve? For corporate travelers, the single biggest complaint is about flight delays and cancellations – one in three name that as their main annoyance. Security lines bug 22 percent of them, 12 percent are most peeved by carry-on restrictions, and 7 percent really hate having to fill out expense reports. Lost luggage came in at the bottom of the list – only 4 percent say it′s their biggest issue (mostly because they either haven′t lost any, or don’t check any in the first place).
How do you while away those airport hours? If you feel the need to work, ease up; 59 percent of your fellow business travelers are reading, not working. While 21 percent are catching up on work, email or phone calls, 8 percent are simply people watching. Of the rest, more drink (5 percent) than eat (2 percent either eat, nap or shop). 
Qatar Airways will begin service to the United States next month, with one-stop flights (via Geneva) between Newark (EWR) and Doha (DOH) on June 26. Flights out of Washington, D.C. (IAD) will begin on July 19. Qatar will be the second Middle Eastern Airline to serve either city (El Al flies to Newark; Saudia goes to Dulles).
Any Star Trek fan will remember the “universal translator” that let alien species understand each other. That′s not quite here yet, but your cellphone can provide a fair approximation. New products for mobile phones let you choose the word or phrase – in English – you want to say, choose the language in which you want to say it, and then either read the answer or simply let your phone say it for you. Available in 17 languages, the Steape talking word and phrase books for mobile phones work on 138 different models of mobile phones in the U.S. and the U.K. Choose the Mini Speaking Dictionary for more than 500 words, or Steape Travel for basic travel and transaction phrases, including small talk. Both are available for direct download to your phone for $5.
The latest transportation provider to take its communications to the people online is Avis Rent-A-Car. The company has launched a blog site in Europe, www.WeTryHarder.co.uk, where avis discusses new developments and consumers are encouraged to write their experiences and comments. It′s a good way for those visiting Britain to get an inside glimpse of life on the road there. So far, WeTryHarder.com in the United States is primarily promotional.
The newest business hotel in Belgium is the Ramada Plaza Antwerp, located in the heart of the business district and in walking distance of Antwerp Expo. The full-service 210-room Wyndham property has wireless Internet access, a business center and a fitness center, a bar and a restaurant. Introductory rates, available now, start at $134 a night.
The City of London – the famous "square mile" – is now officially wireless. Anyone working in or visiting the area can use any WiFi-enabled device to get online via The Cloud network. Access is free through May 23; thereafter, Cloud rates will apply. Network hardware has been built onto existing City "street furniture" such as street signs and lampposts.
94 Derby St.
Suite 279
Hingham, MA 02043
781 749 1007
www.burtonsgrill.com
An active business community south of Boston (just 20 minutes, in light traffic), Hingham is a strong presence on the suburban landscape. Until recently, though, it’s been difficult to find a suitable venue for a business lunch. Burtons Grill has filled that void.
Burtons is located in an upscale marketplace just minutes from Route 3, making it a convenient meeting place for colleagues and associates traveling from the South Shore and from Boston. The restaurant draws a weekday lunch crowd that, based on a visual survey of the dining room and bar area, leans heavily toward men and women in business attire.
The menu, which is the same for both lunch and dinner, covers all the bases. Burtons prides itself on its “Burtons Burger” — a cheeseburger with applewood-smoked bacon, sautéed mushrooms and onions, but its full entrees — filet mignon, grilled pork chops, lobster and shrimp pasta ― are also excellent choices. My favorite “light lunch” is actually an appetizer: sesame-crusted tuna with cucumber salad, wasabi and ginger.
The clean lines of the dining room and attentive, but not pretentious, service add to Burtons′ appeal. The dining room booths and larger tables can easily accommodate groups that may need space for a lunch meeting. Bar tables seat two to four.
Score: ••••• Lisa Matte
The Hilton Molino Stucky Venice, due to open in June, is offering deeply discounted introductory rates for those who book through May 23. With a planned rack rate of $400, the impeccably restored 19th-century granary, on Giudecca Island, is charging $244 per room per night for bookings within the next week. Once the hotel is open, expect introductory rates are in the $280 range.
Until June 28, Delta Airlines’ SkyMiles Dining Rewards Program is offering triple miles — up to 30 miles per dollar spent Sundays through Thursdays at participating restaurants. To qualify, sign up for the program and register in advance; you also register your credit cards, and then using the card at a member restaurant automatically earns credits that will show up on your SkyMiles program account.
American Airlines is offering an unpromoted special that, on some flights, will upgrade you to first class when you buy a business-class ticket between New York (JFK) and London (LHR). To find available flights, use the AA.com search engine to check flights on your chosen date between JFK and LHR, click the “advanced search” link and search for “first class-restricted” fares. To qualify, travel can be either one-way or round-trip but must originate in New York. If available, the price you see will be the full business class fare rather than the first class price. There is as of yet no expiration date on this program.
Since time is money, we consider parking perks to be good deals, so here’s one for drivers of hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles: You now get preferred parking at Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS). About a hundred parking spaces closest to the elevators have been set aside on Level 6 of the central garage, near the lift and the pedestrian walkways, and on Level 4 of the Terminal B garage. Taxi drivers who go green are getting a break, too: Instead of the typical 30-or-more-minute wait to pick up passengers at the airport, drivers with environmentally friendly vehicles can jump to the front of the line.
If you’re looking for something different to do next weekend, consider a culinary getaway to a coastal Carolina retreat.The Beaufort Inn in Beaufort, S.C., one of the National Trust’s Historic Hotels of America, is offering cooking classes on May 19, conducted by executive chef Jeffrey Pufal of the Inn’s highly rated Veranda restaurant; he previously taught at the Santa Fe School of Cooking. Two-night weekend packages at the inn start at $555 double occupancy, including a gourmet breakfast in the Veranda and other goodies. The cooking class alone costs $35 a person, but is free if you’re a two-night guest of the hotel.
