Property spotlight: Summit Condo, Panama City Beach

Today's Property Spotlight shines on the Summit Condo Resort in Panama City Beach, Fl.

Located right on the beach, it's near the heart of all the fun & excitement in PCB.

1, 2, & 3 bed room units are available, so families & groups of all sizes are welcome. They've got 2 huge pools and 2 kid pools).

Of course, most folks visit for the beach, and the Summit boasts over 600 feet of sandy beach front goodness!

They've got on-site dining, too -- so definitely check them out! You can check rates/availability & book online.

Facebook profiles are for people, not businesses...

I'm seeing an increasing number of Facebook "profile" accounts being set up for businesses. This as alarming trend, and I just don't know what exactly to say.

According to the Facebook Terms of Service, profiles are for people, not businesses. At least -- I thought that was the case. Just took a look through the terms and didn't see any reference to that fact.

So, am I crazy? Did they change it??

Regardless, I think "pages" should be the proper outlet for a business.
What do you think?

Property spotlight: Courtyard by Marriott Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre

Just returned from a recent stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre -- although the name is ridiculously long, we had a great stay, and here's the review (recently posted at TripAdvisor).

Found a great rate for a stay at this Courtyard for Memorial Day weekend, when most other places were charging way more.

My wife and I try and stay at Courtyards whenever possible, so we were eager to stay here.

We arrived around 3am, and the front desk employee was nice and friendly, especially given the late hour.

We realized right away that this is not a typical Courtyard -- it's obviously an older building that has been branded a Courtyard. Not a complaint, per se, but if you are expecting a modern Courtyard, this is not it.

There are several separate buildings that make up the hotel, but all are interconnected. Rooms are accessed via indoor corridors which is nice. Our room had a hint of cigarette smell -- that lingering smell found in a lot of older hotels. Wasn't overpowering, so we didn't move rooms.

Parking is adequate (and free), there's a pool and plenty of soda machines and ice machines.

Overall, we were pleased. It's just 1 block down from the Walt Disney World Downtown Disney entrance, and surrounded by restaurants and shops, so the location is great.

You can check rates & book online, as well as read more reviews.

Property spotlight: Gaylord Palms, Orlando Florida

Good morning!!

I've been busy the last few weeks, so I haven't had much time to post or to update the "Hotels using Twitter" list -- but I'm back (for now, at least).

So, I thought I'd share some info about one of my favorite resorts, the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, FL.

Located just outside of Walt Disney World property, this gigantic resort is a beautiful place.

Encased under a huge glass atrium, Gaylord Palms is divided into several different sections, each representing a different part of Florida.

The center section is themed on St. Augustine, and even includes a fort you can explore. The "Everglades" section is amazing as well.

Although the focus is on conventions & convention-goers, its closeness to Disney makes it a good spot for families, too.

So, check them out -- room rates are reasonable, and you won't find a nicer place!

Property spotlight: Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort, Panama City Beach Florida

Introducing a new segment today, the Property Spotlight. I'd like to highlight some lesser-known hotels from around the world here, in helps to bring attention to them they might not otherwise get.

So, without further delay, the first Property Spotlight shines on Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort, located in Panama City Beach, Florida.

Long known for attracting hordes of college spring breakers, the hotel has been catering towards families for the last several years, and the transformation really shows.

Suites with full kitchens are available -- this means that families can save money by preparing some (or all) meals without having to go out for every meal.

An on-site mini-golf course is great for kids of all ages.

There's several options for swimming: 2 outdoor pools, indoor heated pool, slides, lazy river ride, and the beach, of course! Sandpiper is located right on the Gulf of Mexico.

Sandpiper has partnered with Adventures at Sea to provide guests access to beach chairs, pontoon boat rides, jet skis & more!

You can find Sandpiper Beacon online at sandpiperbeacon.com, on Facebook & on Twitter, too!

Hotel Facebook "fan" pages

Last update: 10/03/2009

I'm turning over the "Hotels on Facebook" list back over to Resideo.com - please update your links and point them to:

http://resideohotels.blogspot.com/2009/08/hotels-on-facebook.html

Thanks!

Gentlemen, start your engines (and book your hotel rooms)!

The start of the NASCAR season is literally just around the corner, so if you're planning on going to a race this year, book your hotel room now!

Here's a list of cities that host NASCAR races (along with a couple of recommendations -- more to come!) -- each with a link to help you find & book a hotel room. If you need help, let me know!


Daytona International Speedway
California Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Phoenix International Raceway
Talladega Superspeedway
Richmond International Raceway

Wyndham Richmond Airport

Courtyard Richmond West

Richmond Marriott

Homewood Suites Richmond Airport


Darlington Raceway
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Dover International Speedway
Pocono Raceway
Michigan International Speedway
Infineon Raceway
New Hampshire International Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Watkins Glen International



Thanks to Lenny Santiago, Director of Marketing Communications at International
Speedway Corporation!

Convention & Visitors Bureaus on Twitter

Latest update: 04/10/2009

Along with the rise of hotels using Twitter, the number of CVBs using Twitter has increased, too.

So, here you go! If you know of any others that aren't listed here, let me know! @webtravelrob



Alabama
alabamabeaches Added 02/07

Tuscaloosa
VisitTuscaloosa Added 02/11



Alaska
Inside Alaska



Arizona

ArizonaTourism

Flagstaff
VisitFlagstaff
Flagstaff_CVB

Mesa
VisitMesa

Phoenix
visitphoenix

Scottsdale
ScottsdaleAZ



Arkansas

Fort Smith
FortSmithCVB



California

Anaheim
AnaheimOC

Long Beach
VisitLongBeach

Los Angeles
discover_la

Newport Beach
NewportBeach

San Diego
visitsandiego

San Jose
visit_sanjose

Santa Clara
SantaClaraCA

Stockton
Stockton_CVB

Vallejo
Vallejo Added 02/09

West Hollywood
westhollywood

Plumas County Added 04/10/2009




Connecticut

New Haven
visitnewhaven Added 02/09




Florida
visitflorida
flaspacecoast
paradisecoast

Jacksonville
Visit_Jax

Kissimmee
KissHeartofFL

Miami
MiamiandBeaches

Panama City Beach
PCBeach

Pensacola
PensacolaCVB
visitpensacola

Sarasota
SarasotaCVB
VisitSarasota

Tampa Bay
VisitTampaBay

St. Pete/Clearwater Added 04/10/2009



Georgia

GeorgiaTourism

Alpharetta
AlpharettaCVB

Athens
AthensGATravel Added 02/12




Idaho

VisitIdaho



Illinois

enjoyillinois
ILMICanal
Central Illinois Added 03/09
Heritage Corridor Added 03/13
Heritage Corridor Added 03/13

Lake County
LakeCoCVB

Alton
VisitAlton

Chicago
VisitChicago
explorechicago
ChooseChicago
chicagonorthsub
ChicagoNShore
chicagonw
CSCVB

Geneva
GenevaIL

Lisle
Lislecvb

Oak Park
VisitOakPark

Pontiac
VisitPontiacIL

Rockford
gorockford

St. Charles
StCharlesIL




Indiana
VisitIndiana

Elkhart County
AmishCountry Added 02/06
QuiltGardenTour Added 02/06



Iowa
IowaTourism



Kansas

TravelKS



Kentucky

KentuckyTourism

Bowling Green
VisitBGKy Added 02/06

Louisville
gotolouisville




Louisiana

louisianatravel



Maryland

MarylandTrip

Annapolis
visitannapolis Added 02/06

Baltimore
BaltimoreMD



Massachusetts

Worcester
DestWorcester




Michigan

Benzie County
BenzieCounty

Clare County
ClareCountyCVB

Lewanee County
Lenawee_Fun

Battle Creek
BattleCreekCVB

Bay City
BayCityMichigan

Detroit
VisitDetroit

Holland
HollandAreaCVB

Iron Mountain
imtourism

Ludington
Ludington_Area




Minnesota

Milwaukee
visitmilwaukee

Minneapolis
MeetMinneapolis



Mississippi

Natchez
visitnatchez Added 02/09



Missouri

VisitMissouri

Columbia
ColumbiaMOCVB

Kansas City
visitkc

Springfield
SpringfieldCVB



Montana

Branding
brandingmontana



Nebraska

NebraskaTourism



New Hampshire
VisitNH



New Mexico

Las Cruces
LasCruces Added 02/19



New York

Finger Lake
visitfingerlake



Nevada
travelnevada

Reno/Tahoe
renotahoe




North Carolina

Asheville
AshevilleCVB
ashevilletravel

Elizabeth City
ecacvb

Hillsborough
Hillsborough

Surrey
visitsurrync



North Dakota

Fargo/Moorhead
fargomoorhead




Ohio

Canton
CantonStarkCVB Added 03/31

Cleveland
PositivelyCleve

Columbus
ExpCols

Warren County
WarrenCountyOH

Butler County Added 04/10/2009



Oregon

TravelOregon
southernoregon

Washington County
WCVA

Baker City
visitbaker

Corvallis
CorvallisScene

Coos Bay
travelcoosbay

Portland
TravelPortland

Salem
TravelSalem



Pennsylvania

visitpa Added 04/10/2009
paadventure

Lancaster
Lancaster_PA

Lehigh Valley
lehighvalleypa

Philadephia
visitphilly
PhiladelphiaCVB

Reading
readingberkspa

Valley Forge
VisitVF

Williamsport
WilliamsportPA




Rhode Island

Newport
NewportRICVB

Providence
ProvidenceRI



South Carolina

Columbia
ColumbiaSC

Myrtle Beach
MyMyrtleBeach



South Dakota

Aberdeen
VisitAberdeenSD



Tennessee

TNVacation

Monroe County
DiscoverMonroe

Chattanooga
chattanoogafun

Clarksville
Clarksville_CVB

Eden
WelcomeToEden

Kingsport
kingsportcvb

Knoxville
enjoyknoxville

Memphis
MemphisCVB Added 03/13

Nashville
visitmusiccity

Sevierville
Sevierville



Texas

Galveston
GalvestonIsland

Houston
VisitHoustonTX

San Antonio
VisitSanAntonio

South Padre Island
PadreDude




Utah
UtahStateParks

Salt Lake City
MeetInSaltlake



Vermont
VermontTourism



Virginia

VisitVirginia

Fairfax County
VisitFairfax

Norfolk
NorfolkCVB

Virginia Beach
VaBeachCVB

Williamsburg Added 04/10/2009



West Virginia
visitwv




Wisconsin

TravelWisconsin

Madison
Visit_Madison

Wisconsin Dells
wisdells Added 02/09



Wyoming
wyomingtourism

Cheyenne
CheyenneWY



Others
whatcomcounty
GrandRapidsCVB
DiscoverDupage
ctccct
AnnArborAreaCVB
visit_SMC_SV
ShastaCascade
VisitJacksonMI
yakimavalley
TravelAlberta
VisitBtown
Visit_Wausau
HarborCountry
HeritageCVB
PulaskiCountyVC
SantaRosaCVB
columbuscvb
MendocinoCounty
Western Norway Added 04/10/2009
Newquay Added 04/10/2009
Penang Added 04/10/2009





And don't forget to check out GoSeeTellfor monthly CVB Twitter rankings.

Hello!

Hello there!

Thanks for stopping by. You can check out the "Hotels using Twitter" here -- let me know of any new hotels and/or chains that need to be added: webtravelrob@gmail.com.

If you need any help finding/booking a hotel room, be sure to get in touch with me, either via email or on Twitter -- I'm @webtravelrob

I'll be adding hotel & travel oriented blog posts here as time allows. I hope you find my musings interesting and maybe even a bit thought-provoking.

See you around!

Hotels using Twitter

The "Hotels using Twitter" list has moved:

http://resideohotels.blogspot.com/2009/07/hotels-using-twitter.html

Please update your links, and, let Resideo.com know of any "new" Hotels on Twitter!

Thanks everyone for your help & support.

-Rob