No EU Visa Requirements For US – Yet, Behind The Scenes At Hotels For NBA Players, & More

Here are some of the posts and news bits from the day that I found to be interesting.

• No EU Visa Requirements For US – Yet – This is a story that started recently as the EU was talking about instituting a type of reciprocity visa practice for US and Canadian passport holders. This was in response to the US and Canada requiring visas for people traveling from some countries in the EU, like Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria. Well, the EU has punted on this and pushed it at least 3 months down the road. I seriously doubt that they will ever implement something like this anyway but they obviously want to get a discussion going.
• Emirates Has Bought 2 More A380s – Already the biggest A380 operator in the world, Emirates placed another order with Airbus for 2 more A380s. They are due to be delivered at the end of next year. Good news for people that want to try them out as they have extended the reach all over the world!
• Behind the Scenes At Hotels for NBA Players – An interesting read on how one hotel prepares to host NBA players. Obviously, with that many big people, some changes are required and that includes having beds that are 12 inches longer than standard beds and shower nozzles that are 8 inches taller. This is in addition to putting the teams logo on food service items and many more details.
• Inside TripAdvisor’s #1 Hotel – When TripAdvisor came out with their list of the top 25 hotels in the world, Umaid Bhawan Palace in India found itself at the top. Here is an inside look at this #1 hotel.
• A Micro-Hotel To Hit Washington, DC – With rooms averaging no more than 250 sq ft, Washington DC’s first micro-hotel is due to open later this year. Rates will be between $125 – $150 per night. Certainly not as small as Japan’s capsule hotels but certainly a nice way for the younger people they are targeting to crash someplace at reduced rates while still being in the city.
• Free Starbucks Gold Status For One Year With Just One Purchase – Starbucks has just changed their loyalty program to one that is revenue-based (sound familiar?) but they are giving people a chance to get Gold for one year with just making one purchase! This is a great deal and one you should take advantage of!
• New Indoor Marathon Records – This is not an event that is hugely sought after! That is because it requires running 211 laps on a 200 meter, indoor course. But, two people this past weekend set new world records for the event by taking at least 6 minutes off the former records. Malcolm Richards ran 2:21:56 and Allie Kieffer ran 2:44:44. Quite an accomplishment!