Accomodations In Santa Clarita - Spain Suffers Worst Corporate Slide Of Crisis

Source - http://www.ft.com/

By - Miles Johnson and Tobias Buck

Category - Accomodations In Santa Clarita

Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Accomodations In Santa Clarita

Spain’s largest companies suffered the worst drop in quarterly earnings since the country’s crisis began as new data showed the Spanish economy was shrinking at a faster rate than expected.

On a day when more than a third of Spain’s Ibex 35 index reported full-year results Bankia, the nationalised lender, reported a net loss of €19.2bn, the largest in Spanish corporate history. Meanwhile, ongoing restructuring woes at Spanish carrier Iberia saw International Airlines Group swing to a near €1bn full-year pre-tax loss from a profit the year before.

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“It has been the worst year for corporate earnings in Spain since the crisis began,” said Emmanuel Cau, European equity strategist at JPMorgan. “Earnings have collapsed in Spain for domestically focused businesses, which reflects a sharp fall in domestic GDP.”

With eight companies still to report, the Ibex 35 index as a whole reported a net loss of €2.7bn in the fourth quarter, according to analysis by Mirabaud, the worst since the crisis began, with banks contributing to the bulk of the losses.

But while the earnings reports highlighted the depth of the economic downturn last year, several corporate leaders voiced confidence that their companies would enjoy a better performance in 2013. The turnround is set to be especially pronounced at Bankia, which predicted it would post a full-year profit this year, while Telefonica pleased investors by showing signs that the deterioration in its Spanish business was stabilising.

Other large Spanish companies continued to be sheltered by profits from their international businesses while earnings at home were hurt by domestic woes, with one in four people jobless. Telefonica, Spain’s former state telecoms monopoly, said sales at home slumped 13 per cent over last year, while Repsol, the oil group, saw fuel sales at domestic petrol forecourts fall 9 per cent.

The flurry of earnings reports came as new data revealed that the Spanish economy contracted at a faster pace than previously thought late last year.

In a sign of the continuing weakness in the country’s credit-starved economy, output fell 0.8 per cent in the last three months of 2012 – the sharpest quarterly drop in more than three years – Spain’s national statistics office said.

Analysts said the fall highlighted the challenge faced by the Spanish economy this year. “Official forecasts for the economy look far too optimistic,” said Jonathan Loynes of Capital Economics, pointing out that the government was predicting a fall in GDP of only 0.5 per cent in 2013, about one point less than consensus forecasts.

Analyst expectations for corporate earnings in Spain has collapsed since the crisis began, with 12 month forecasts for earnings per share growth down by 42 per cent from their peak five years ago, according to analysis by JPMorgan.

“Everyone is saying we have seen the worst, and the second half is going to be better, but there are few signs of this. We have heard this before,” said Ignacio Méndez Terroso, head of strategy at Mirabaud in Spain.

Hotel Reservations In Santa Clarita - Facebook Knows Where You Shop, Even Offline

Source - http://www.brw.com.au/

By - Jane Lindhe

Category - Hotel Reservations In Santa Clarita

Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

 

Hotel Reservations In Santa Clarita

Facebook will now be able to track where its users shop, how much they spend and what they’re buying, even if they’re not online.

Facebook has inked deals with four data collection firms, Datalogix, Acxiom, BlueKai and Epsilon to use their data about customers’ offline purchases to its controversial marketing tool, Custom Audience.

In layman’s terms, Facebook will now be able to target ads based on a user’s offline shopping habits as well as their online presence.

Custom Audiences, a marketing product that was released in September last year, allows advertisers to identify users through their Facebook ID, email or phone number. The new partnerships will allow advertisers to match that information with the data that is collected by retailers through loyalty programs.

By adapting these third party tools, marketers can improve Facebook advertisements to be more customer-specific in two ways: business can integrate information they’ve already received from third parties to create campaigns on Facebook or they can use Facebook’s third parties to create customer-specific programs.

“Business of all sizes will now be able to target categories like ‘soda drinkers’ or ‘people who browsed for a specific make on my website,’ ” Facebook says in a blog on its website.

“For example, an auto dealer may want to customise an offer to people who are likely to be in the market for a new car. To do this many businesses work with third party companies to better understand who might be in the market for a new car.”

The move has sparked privacy concerns, with bloggers suggesting that Facebook is opening the floodgates by providing personal information to marketers. But Facebook denies that any personal information is exchanged between the site, marketers and third parties.

Instead it says that the third parties use “hashes” of customer information to create audience groups. When advertisers reach these groups of people with ads, they will get back the same anonymous aggregate ad reporting that marketers on Facebook currently receive.

“We think carefully about how we can best honour the commitments we’ve made around privacy by giving people control over their information, being transparent about how we use that information and being accountable to our users and regulators,” Facebook says.

In other news, overnight Facebook agreed to buy campaign management software suit Atlas Advertiser Suite from Microsoft for an undisclosed amount.

California Vacation Packages - Teenage Girl's Father Launches Facebook Court Challenge

Source - http://www.bbc.co.uk/
By - Press Release
Category - California Vacation Packages

Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

California Vacation Packages

A Northern Ireland man has launched a legal challenge to compel Facebook to stop his teenage daughter using the site or publishing suggestive images.

The social media company should be forced to do more to stop the 13-year-old girl having highly sexualised contact with men, the High Court heard.

The case could have major implications for Facebook in the UK.

If the girl's father wins, it could make it much harder for children to use the social networking site.

In court on Wednesday, a lawyer for the girl's father claimed Facebook's open registration system allowed children to log-in and warned that it could put them at risk from paedophiles.

Under Facebook's policy, no-one under 13 is allowed to use the site. But the girl from Northern Ireland, who is subject to a care order, has reportedly posted suggestive images of herself on it since she was 12.

She has used up to four different accounts on the site and has been in contact with a man who is restrained from any contact with her, the court sitting in Belfast heard on Wednesday.

Her father's lawyers want to secure an injunction compelling Facebook to take steps to prevent her using the site or publishing images.

A barrister claimed there had been a breach of her privacy. He argued that her highly sexualised contact with men on the site was degrading, abusive and harassing.

He said that Facebook's open registration system was flawed because 13-year-olds cannot enter a contract or legally consent to their data being used.

Even younger children could claim to be the required age and give themselves a fake name, the lawyer argued.

He said Facebook could change its terms of registration to require users to verify their identity and age.

A judge is to deliver his decision on whether to grant the injunction later this week.

Hotels In Northern California - Entertainment and Internet Providers Launch Copyright Alert System

Source - http://abcnews.go.com/
By - Daniel Bean
Category - Hotels In Northern California
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotels In Northern California 

Several groups from the entertainment industry have teamed up with five major American Internet service providers to create something called the Copyright Alert System. The system aims to educate and dissuade consumers from participating in illegal methods of sharing copyrighted materials online.

It’s a new effort by entertainment companies to keep people buying what they offer — something that’s been threatened by digital technology.

The system includes some of the country’s largest Internet providers — AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon — and will begin informing their customers “over the course of the next several days” how they will each participate in the alert system.  The entertainment companies — makers of movies, music, TV shows and so forth — have banded together under the Center for Copyright Information (CCI for short).  The CCI’s content partnerships are with the Recording Industry Association of America, Motion Picture Association of America, the Independent Film and Television Alliance, and the American Association of Independent Music.

“Through the CAS, copyright owners send notices of alleged copyright infringement to participating Internet Service Providers…who then forward these notices to their Subscribers in the form of Copyright Alerts,” says the Center for Copyright Information’s website.

“Users will be sent a maximum of six Alerts with an increasing degree of seriousness. In general, there are two Educational Alerts, two ‘Acknowledgement’ Alerts that require a response from the Subscriber, and two ‘Mitigation’ Alerts that impose minor consequences to emphasize the seriousness of the problem.”

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In the “educational alerts,” the system will also “provide links to authorized, legal ways for you to find that content,” Jill Lesser, Executive Director of the CCI, said in an interview with onthemedia.org. “For us, it’s about reaching the casual infringer, which is a large percentage of peer-to-peer piracy.”

However, beyond the first several alerts, the system’s “mitigation” steps could include slowing down users’ download speeds, which has brought opposition from digital civil rights groups like theElectronic Frontier Foundation. “Just because content is copyrighted doesn’t mean sharing it is illegal,” said the EFF in a statement. It added, “We are disappointed if not surprised by the tenor of the CCI’s approach to surveillance and education.”

Lesser responded on “On the Media,” “The reduction of speed, which one or more Internet service providers will be using at the mitigation measure, is, first of all, only 48 hours, which is far from termination.” The Center for Copyright Information did not immediately respond when ABC News reached out for comment.

A spokesperson from Verizon told ABC News that their 6th alert will include a step that decreases offenders’ download speeds to a “dial-up” rate (much like the old AOL and EarthLink speeds) for 48 hours. The full details of Verizon’s implementation of the CAS will be released to their customers in the coming days.

Though the private partnership between the content groups and Internet service providers can create deterrents for customers trying to illegally obtain copyrighted materials, the alert system is not designed to go after those that wish to continue copyright infringement beyond their 6th alert. “We hope that by the time people get to alerts number 5 or 6, they will stop. Once they’ve been mitigated, they’ve received several alerts… We’re just not going to send any more alerts, because they are not the kind of customer that we are going to reach with this program.”

Vacations In Santa Clarita - Most Annoying Things About Hotel Rooms

Source - http://www.news.com.au/
By - Press Release
Category - Vacations In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Vacations In Santa Clarita

A hotel room can make or break your holiday. While the vast majority of hotel rooms I've stayed in have been wonderful, there have been times I was left wondering 'what were they thinking'?

Here are 16 of the most puzzling and disappointing hotel moments I've had. What are yours? Tell us below.

Shower over the toilet

This layout makes trying to get clean after a long day travelling quite challenging. That's right - at a hotel in Auckland, New Zealand, the shower was positioned above the toilet. It left me trying to wash while avoiding accidentally touching the toilet bowl with my leg. Not to mention that the water that ran over my feet also went up against the toilet, as it all swirled in together.

Is that it?

It can be very disappointing when the hotel room ends up looking nothing like what you've been promised. That awesome view of the beach is actually a swamp and that modern-looking, bright and spacious room is actually a decrepit run-down box.

Surprise extra fees

Ever heard of "resort fees"? Well stay in Vegas and you'll quickly become accustomed to them. One Vegas hotel assured me there would be no other fees payable on my account, which I'd booked through a third party. However upon checkout days later an extra few hundred dollars had magically appeared on my bill. Don't be afraid to challenge these fees if you weren't notified of them.

Pushy – and snoopy - maids

Sometimes I actually like to sleep in, but maids have other ideas. On one occasion I'd hung out the do-not-disturb sign on the door the night before and was enjoying a sleep-in when, at 8am, the knocking and yelling "housekeeping" began. It continued persistently for two hours, each time I feel asleep.

Parking, what parking?

A lack of parking options close by can be another downside to hotels. Just as frustrating is the extra fee you'll often have to pay for valet parking when it's the only feasible option. You can also face a half-hour wait for your car to be returned to you – and it can be worse during peak times.

Early check-outs and breakfasts

Having to beg for a late checkout, say 11am, and sometimes having to wait until the morning of your checkout to find out if you've secured it or not, can be frustrating. For many the whole point of a hotel stay is to relax and sleep in, not rush out. The same goes for breakfast, which often finishes so early you miss out.

Theft

OK, most people would have returned to their hotel room at some point to find their belongings in different locations or their clothes tidied and put away, so it's clear someone went through your bags, and this can be harmless enough. But when I returned to my room at a new luxurious hotel in Singapore only to find that the seal on my brand new jar of expensive moisturiser had been broken and 90 per cent of its contents removed, I wasn't happy, mostly at the thought someone had been through my belongings. Was this how some hotels filled all those tiny bottles of moisturiser they offer? I got off lightly - fellow travellers have reported laptops and cameras stolen from their rooms.

Mini-bar rorts

I know hotels have to make money somehow, but having ridiculously-priced (and often underwhelming) snacks and drinks is just irritating, especially when there are no other shops anywhere near the hotel and you're on a tight schedule, forcing you to pay an extreme price for your thirst.

Budget Hotels Santa Clarita - Milky Way Shines Over Volcanoes in Amazing Time-Lapse

Source - http://news.yahoo.com/
By - Miriam Kramer
Category - Budget Hotels Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Budget Hotels Santa Clarita

An amazing new video shot over 12 days by an amateur astronomer has captured the stunning beauty of an active volcanoes on Earth with the Milky Way galaxy as its backdrop.

Photographer Justin Ng combined images of the moon, sun, Milky Way other celestial objects as they appeared over three volcanoes in Indonesia to create his first time-lapse video.

"My goal was to capture the beautiful Milky Way galaxy, star trails and sun rise along with the 3 volcanoes namely Mount Bromo, Mount Semeru and Mount Batok," Ng told SPACE.com in an email.Justin Ng is a photographer based in Singapore. He captured the images between May 26 and June 6 of 2012.

Although Ng's video of volcanoes and the night sky is stunningly beautiful, it wasn't easy to capture.

Trying to capture these shots in a tourist-heavy area like Mount Bromo also created a unique set of issues for the amateur astronomer, Ng said. A wind storm at around the 2-minute, 10-second mark in the nearly four-minute video collapsed some of photography equipment, but the cameras still managed to shoot about  seconds worth of photos before falling over, he added.

"As Mount Bromo is a famous tourist attraction spot, hundreds of jeeps can be seen during wee hours ferrying the tourists to the peak and back," Ng said. "Many of my clips were ruined due to light pollution caused by these jeeps. Also, I have to check the camera LCD screen frequently to prevent condensation issues from ruining my hours of effort and I have to battle against the strong wind from toppling my cameras."

Ng cites luck as a major factor in the success of his trip to Mount Bromo.

"Luck really played an important role to ensure the success of this film. I had to make important decisions everyday because I wouldn't have been able to capture some of the rare scenes if I did not visit the location when it happened," Ng wrote. "Post processing tens of thousands of shots to deflicker my clips was also a nightmare but the beautiful scenes I managed to capture made my efforts all worthwhile."

Family Hotels In Santa Clarita - FAO helps 10 800 people with food aid

Source - http://www.informativenews.co.ls/
By - Majara Molupe
Category - Family Hotels In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Family Hotels In Santa Clarita

MOHALE’SHOEK-Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, local authorities and communities, through extension workers in each 10 districts of Lesotho selected worthy project beneficiaries of the food relief program.

The communication and coordination assistant of FAO in Lesotho Elizabeth Tšehlo said the food aid was a direct response of national food security crisis declared by the Lesotho’s Prime Minister honourable Tom Thabane last year.

“Priority was given to vulnerable families headed by females, orphans, the elderly and those who had chronically ill family members, children under five or pregnant and lactating mothers,” she said.

Beneficiaries at

Tšehlo said statistics show that 725 000 Basotho are considered to be food insecure and this represents a staggering 39% of the total population of the country. 

“As a result”, she warned, “FAO as the agency of the United Nations (UN) scaled up its ongoing rehabilitation activities, with support from the European Commission Humanitarian Office, Belgium and the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund.

From the original 5,000 households, added Tšehlo, FAO is now helping 10,800 vulnerable families, providing seeds and fertilizers, as well as training beneficiaries on the use of sustainable agricultural techniques, such as Conservation Agriculture (CA) and improved Home Gardening and Nutrition”. 

She said the first stage of the nation- wide response program consisted of distributing agricultural inputs, such as maize and bean seeds, fertilizers and vegetable kits pointing out that there are vulnerable farmers in all the districts and the four agro ecological zones of Lesotho. 

In the project, the coordinator said her organization has encouraged the beneficiaries to change their farming methods to CA because it is sustainable, good for the land and enhances yields.

“The three pillars of CA are minimum disturbance of the soil, crop rotations and intercropping permanent soil cover,” she said.

Tšehlo stated that soil erosion is a major problem in Lesotho that affects both quality and quantity of harvests. “By adopting CA, farmers not only ensure better harvests, but also contribute to the improvement of soil quality.”

Although FAO’s programme aims at helping farmers in this emergency situation in the short term, she said it also believes that by disseminating knowledge and practices, farmers will be better placed to enhance their agricultural practices in the long term.

FAO representative in Lesotho Attaher Maiga said it is encouraging to see so many farmers taking CA.

”CA offers us one of the best options to adapt to Climate Change the declining production in the country. The involvement of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has been decisive for the success of this ambitious programme,” said Maiga.

He said this is the first time that CA is promoted widely at national level saying FAO remains committed in supporting Basotho communities and continuing the promotion of CA benefits.

One of the beneficiaries of the program ‘Maletsi Motjamela who is a widow looking after 10 children in the Mohale’shoek district at Mekaling area said the aid came at the right time when her family was struggling to survive.

Most Basotho are hard hit by poverty and hunger and leave below poverty line.

Area Attractions In Santa Clarita - Hotel Development's Buyers Undeterred By 'One-Sided' Deals

Source - http://www.scmp.com/
By - Press Release
Category - Area Attractions In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Area Attractions In Santa Clarita

About 80 per cent of the buyers in Cheung Kong's controversial hotel development in Kwai Chung have confirmed their deals, even though the contract terms have been deemed "one-sided" by some lawyers. 

This emerged as the government was studying the legality of the sales, under which buyers can avoid stamp duties introduced to cool the property market.

A spokeswoman for the property giant said last night that some buyers of units in the 360-unit Apex Horizon hotel had decided to sign the formal agreement for sales and purchase before today's deadline to do so.

Government officials will discuss the issue with Legco's development panel today.

It is the first time in Hong Kong that a developer has sold hotel suites, classified as commercial property, individually, allowing buyers to escape stamp duty. Some agents are also reported to have told buyers they can get around the law and live in the units themselves, while the hotel will return the rent they pay to comply with licence requirements.

As two buyers who had paid deposits for the hotel suites approached police for help on Sunday, a document named "salient points of Hotel Operation Agreement", attached to the provisional contracts they signed, was revealed to media. The agreement will be included in the formal contract.

While the developer stipulates in the agreement that the hotel is not for private residential use, it has asked buyers to agree to several issues which would favour itself and gives itself plenty of discretion in the hotel management.

The hotel unit buyer has to "[agree] that the hotel operator shall owe no duty to any of the owners to apply for, obtain, renew and/or maintain all or any permits", including the hotel licence after it expires in 2018.

The operator will also be entitled to determine the priority for allocating the rooms to guests, meaning the buyer cannot challenge the operator's decision even though he or she wants to lease it to friends.

The buyer has to acknowledge there is no guarantee the room will be leased to any guest or whether there will be any profit.

University of Hong Kong assistant professor of law Eric Cheung Tat-ming said that the agreement appeared to be "one-sided and in favour of the operator".

"It gives the operator a lot of discretion and almost no liability," Cheung said.

If buyers could prove that they were misled, by agents, for example, into thinking they had more control over the unit than they actually did, and had barely time to read the documents, they could argue for removal of the unfair terms, Cheung added.

Solicitor-lawmaker James To Kun-sun said there was a loophole in the agreement that could allow buyers to keep the flat for their own use, by making use of a clause in the hotel-operation agreement that said it was up to the buyer to instruct the operator to set the room rate and charges.

"The buyer can set his room rate at HK$100,000 and no one will compete with him," To said.

The controversial sales have led to one law firm, one of three suggested to buyers by Cheung Kong, to issue a disclaimer stating that the firm will not be held liable should the buyer suffer any losses from the transaction.

Ambrose Lam San-keung, a solicitor specialising in property transactions, said this was not a common practice, and was used only with clients "who can afford decisions possibly to their detriment".

Six Flags Magic Mountain - Valley View Casino & Hotel Enhances Player Loyalty Program With Playersoft Mobile Enrollment

Source - http://www.dailymarkets.com/
By - Press Release
Category - Six Flags Magic Mountain
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Valley View Casino & Hotel has launched Mobile Enrollment from Playersoft Technologies to allow casino staff to quickly and easily sign up guests for the Casino casino’s Players Club anywhere on the casino floor. Mobile Enrollment allows operators to extend the reach of the Players Club and enhance guest service by using an iPod touch to bring the sign up experience right to the guest, making enrollment quicker, easier and more accurate.

“Valley View Casino and Hotel has earned the reputation of providing exceptional service to our guests and Mobile Enrollment enables us to further that service by eliminating the need to stand in lines to enjoy the benefits of our outstanding Players Club program,” said Todd Jackson, Vice President of Information Technology at Valley View Casino & Hotel. “Using the latest technology to increase guest service and satisfaction is something we are always excited about and that makes Playersoft a great company to work with because they provide exceptional technical skills, without forgetting that excellent service comes first.”

Mobile Enrollment’s open design interface allows for quick and simple integration with any casino player tracking system, transforming the sign up process from several minutes at a club booth to just a few seconds anywhere on the casino floor with the simple swipe or scan of a drivers license. Bringing the club directly to the guest enhances the level of service and allows the operator to increase membership quickly and easily while reducing lines at the Players Club.

“Mobile Enrollment is more than just taking the players club mobile, it improves data accuracy, extends the reach of the player loyalty program and improves guest service, while creating a sign up process that is faster and more intuitive for the casino staff,” said Tony de Leon, President of Playersoft. “Mobile Enrollment allows the casino operator to increase carded play, and reach the guests who otherwise might go unnoticed.”

“We’ve received great interest and response from casinos all over the country, and having our product adopted by a highly respected, service oriented property like Valley View Casino & Hotel further validates the direction of our products to provide staff with the tools they need to deliver exceptional customer service.”

Mobile Enrollment also features an offline mode allowing staff to reach out to players at offsite events, adding even greater reach for new player acquisition and furthering the player’s experience.

Playersoft Technologies was established with a mission to help casino operators improve the players gaming experience, increase player retention and profitability.

Valley View Casino & Hotel, Southern California’s premier gaming destination, combines the thrill of San Diego’s only Certified Loose slots and all of your favorite table games with beautifully appointed rooms, seven delicious restaurants and first class guest service. The casino hotel features 12 Luxury Suites and 96 Deluxe Rooms all featuring breathtaking views and complimentary poolside breakfast. To enjoy the casino, hotel and restaurants, guests must be 21 or older. For more information about Valley View Casino & Hotel or to book a reservation please visit the mobile-friendly ValleyViewCasino.com or call 760-291-5500.

Hotel In California - Hotels Take Fitness Amenities To The Great Outdoors

Source - http://news.yahoo.com/
By - Dorene Internicola
Category - Hotel In California
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotel In California

NEW YORK (Reuters) - From sightseeing city runs and nature hikes down country trails to surfing sessions, hotels are luring leisure and business clients outside their climate-controlled rooms for outdoor activities to keep fit while traveling for business or pleasure.

Morning runs, afternoon power walks and bicycle rides are fast becoming standard fare for hotels in urban centers, with the cityscape dictating the route.

"Since most of our hotels are urban, we like our guests to get outside in the neighborhood," said Mike DeFrino, executive vice president of hotel operations at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.

In cities with a strong running population, he said, managers or assistant managers at the chain ofboutique hotels will lead the morning run.

Many U.S. hotels also offer bicycle borrowing, particularly in cities such as San Diego, California, and Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Studies have shown that exercising outdoors can offer advantages over indoor, gym-based fitness routines. British researchers found that natural environments may increase activity levels with less perceived exertion, reduce stress and improve mood.

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, in California wine country, offers bike tours to local wineries, walking tours to local purveyors and a hike to a 2,000-year-old Redwood Tree, as well as treks of varying levels of difficulty and water yoga classes in thermal mineral pools.

"The hikes sell out almost every morning," said Michelle Heston of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which has 60 hotels around the globe.

Business travelers, who make up about half of Fairmont's clientele, work out to a schedule different from the tourist.

"The business traveler has different habits. Early 6 a.m. offerings are popular with them, those on holiday are much later," she said.

Jodi Sullivan, senior director, global fitness, at Hilton Worldwide, said both business and leisure travelers are increasingly aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

"We always want to take advantage of the great outdoors, said Sullivan, adding fitness activity at Hilton, depending on location, may include bike rentals and beach volleyball courts.

Sullivan, a personal trainer, said Hilton created its fitness program in 2006. For its bicycle program city route maps are printed on the backs of water bottles.

For people who prefer not to leave their hotel rooms at some Hilton hotels they can book a Yoga Room, with a king-size bed and a designated area to practice headstands and postures, or a Cardio Room, which comes with a cardio machine that simulates the workout of an elliptical, a treadmill and a bike.

Hotels routinely offer in-room, on-demand yoga and Pilates programming, and most have indoorfitness centers. Kimpton hotels also lend out hula hoops, resistance bands, hand weights and jump ropes.

"The business traveler is on a tighter schedule. They're less apt to use the planned activities and more apt to use the fitness center at 5:00 a.m.," DeFrino explained. "We encourage people who don't want to leave their room to order a yoga bag, and watch a one-hour yoga DVD on TV."

He added that the outdoor fitness activities are specific to the site. In La Jolla, California hotel clients can borrow a golf cart or surfboard and wetsuit.