Bryan Landaburu (aka Reno Bryan, Willie Vega, and Fuze) | Dont call me a blogger

Reno Airport vs. Las Vegas Airport "Free" WiFi

So this is a post that came from a "Tweet".  Originally I posted these to TwitPic, but today, in an effort to get organized I was cleaning my desktop and came across these 2 photos that contrast the "free WiFi" in Nevada's 2 major airports.  It got me thinking that I haven't ranted enough on the topic.

Here at the Reno Tahoe International Airport (RNO), the local fishwrap (RGJ) has made it their charter to "monetize" free WiFi access at the airport...turning access into a profit center through the "magic" of abundant banner advertising. See ad's circled below:

In comparison, our friends to the South, Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) have a version of "free WiFi" that is not littered with banner advertising. See below (notice no pink circles):

One must wonder how in the world Las Vegas survives and puts shoes on their kids without "monetizing" their free WiFi. Must EVERYTHING be a streaming ad? 

Speaking of RGJ...on the RGJ's redesigned site (which I think is a vast improvement over the previous rev) you are still served irrelevant ads non-stop - constant pop-outs, video ads, display ads, and random links disturb the user experience on the site. Other newspapers seem to manage without it (ex. TheGuardian).  So, if one must have ad's to keep ones publication alive, then cant one serve the ad's contextually and relevant?

The ad's on RGJ are rarely (if ever) served contextually.  Example: I am reading a story about Artown, so OF COURSE I am REALLY thinking about Carpet Cleaning (a video ad for Evergreen carpet care was served in the article).  An example of a good contextual ad here would be something for downtown bars/restaurants, art galleries, or something that GOES WITH ARTOWN.  My theory for the reason ads on RGJ.com are most often OUT of context and irrelevant is that they don't have enough advertisers to be contextual and relevant.  They just need to fill inventory.  To their advertisers, they call this Johnny Appleseed disbursement of advertising "value-add" but I call it "wasted-cash".

Anyway, I don't [necessarily] want to rant on our local news rag because they publish many (1) articles about Fuze and Me. I just think the free WiFi should be free.  Simple, no?

BL

Airline musings. March edition.

Things are a little hectic around the Fuze camp. Primarily because I have been jetsetting like a madman. I just realized I am sitting across from David LaPlante from Twelve Horses on this flight. It was nice to catch up a bit since we've been trying for months to schedule a meal together. Anyway, I am heading out now on my 3rd venture to San Diego in 6 weeks. Lots going on down here. I am nearing speaking paralysis these days. I haven't done a slide count but I believe I have prepared about 200+ Powerpoint slides for various events in the last few weeks. I just wrapped up at SMX West and the Miva Developers conferences last week. This week is NFRA. See other posts for show wrapups.

The hive is buzzin with things to do. I think Calder and I (mostly Calder) have done an excellent job of positioning ourselves within the ad space in northern nevada which is keeping him, dan and the other artists plenty busy. David is hangin tough on the interactive side and is really becoming loved by the clients. Our development crew's plate is pretty full for the remainder of the quarter and our pipeline also looks good. That seems to be common among my peers in the space as well. Things seem steady on the web side. We've expanded our relationships and service offering with our email marketing providers, commerce platforms, testing platforms, and our analytics providers, further strengthening a line up that was already pretty strong. My charter remains to continue to cart our course to a diverse client mix that is industry & geo balanced. So far so good. We have also revamped our client review and project management processes to be much more systematic. We have formalized all our internal procedures - many of which were just in need of evolution vs. revolution. So anna our agency coordinator has her work cut out in order to keep all of us on track. We have added media strategy and media buying to our business, out of necessity mainly, but Fong is very capably manning that ship. Finally we have extended our services even further by adding full-service Public Relations through our partnership with RKPR who are helping us win, and manage these great new, and existing accounts.

We added the following new clients in Q1:

• Clearstar Credit Union - agency of record
• Magiko Carson Valley - agency of record
• NNDA (the other white meat in the Econ.Dev space) - agency of record
• Reno Tahoe Blues Fest - agency of record
• Lazaro SoHo - for email marketing
• Food Bank of Northern Nevada - interactive agency
• Cashill Law - agency of record
• True Blue Gaming - agency of record
• The Gaming Standards Association - agency of record
• Legends Reno Tahoe Open - while not a new client, we have formalized our relationship with the tournament and will take on all interactive Agency tasks in 2008
• Titan Construction Supply - agency of record
• JP Menante Real Estate - interactive agency

We have completed site launches for:

• The Entrust Group
• University Health System
• Boyd Gaming
• You Name It Events
• Fennell and Associates
• those are off the top of my head...there are probably others.

If you're wondering how we get it all done? Its with a team of about 15 folks who are dedicated to their craft and making big shit happen. We are also getting ready for another round of hiring, though the positions are already spoken for (in our heads). There is a lot on the plan for the remainder of 2008. We WILL launch a new website(s) to better represnt who the hell we are. Its brewin'. Trust me its brewin'. But, as most are aware, we are not big on exploiting our work, so in the meantime you probably won't see things like:

"Fuze awarded a website job", or "Fuze chosen to build an ad" in the business journal, awards events, or the local fishwrap. Those items are hardly newsworthy.

We rather enjoy our underground status...it let's me write from the cuff, typos and all, and simply let the work speak for itself.

Thanks to all who have helped get our 2008 off to a great start. Come on baseball season...opening day countdown. T minus 4 weeks...

BL


(another treo post...sorry for the typos)

This is why I hate flying...

A perfect example why, even after earning platinum status with my air miles, I still hate my next flight as much as the previous one.  Is it that as we get older that we start to fear death more as if its closer to us than before?  Whatever it is, i hate flying and if I were on this particular flight:

I most certainly would have screamed like a girl.  Pretty much like everyone else.  Nice job on the recovery by the pilots, but lets add them to the dumb ass hall of fame for not heeding what had to be significant warnings about the wind shear, and unstable/inclement weather. NOTE: from seat 13A you should never be able to see the runway better than the pilots.  Thats generally a bad thing.

BL

Flying overnight...much needed R&R

Watch for the anecdotal rants to increase a bit as I continue another week or two of rest and relaxation (much needed).

My hope is at the end of this journ that in addition to missing my son greatly, I will also have a renewed energy and a fresh set of ideas for the business and our clients.

Need to reach me? Try that message in a bottle thing till I get back in december...

WBV

Disgruntled employees, the airline industry, and you...

Today I received an email rant from one of the marketing/tech recruiters I personally respect greatly, Marc Cenedella, CEO of TheLadders. He had an interesting observation which sent him off on a rant only another perfectionist can appreciate.  Here are some excerpts from his message to me today regarding employees, the increasingly raggedy-ass airline industry, and what it should mean to you. [note - I bolded my favorite parts]

A grumbly Monday morning to you, Bryan,

...other people’s travel hell stories are about as interesting as other people’s "kids" or "new exercise regimen" stories, so I’m not going to bore you with one of those. And as a matter of fact, my recent flight on American wasn’t uniquely miserable. It was just run-of-the-mill lousy. But what really got me bummed out was my flight attendant’s outfit.

Katherine had gone to the trouble of wearing buttons with all sorts of sayings on her uniform. You know, when you’re on a flight on one of the legacy airlines, you kind of hold out hope that somebody - anybody - will give a damn. And like a drowning man might, I saw Katherine’s buttons as a statement. She cared! She was going to stand out against the ennui and mediocrity of her co-workers and let the world know that she, Katherine of American Airlines...was taking a stand! A stand for friendliness, and approachability, and caring about her customers...

...I am a bit of a nut for our customers. We love you. We answer all your emails within 24 hours, and 88% of them within 3 hours. We run all of our business out of the good old USA, right here in New York City, and don’t outsource stuff overseas...and we generally try to treat our customers like our family. So when I see somebody breaking out against the norm, standing up for customers, and daring to care, I can get pretty excited.

And so as Katherine approached me I strained to get my work weary eyes to read the fine print on her button. It was a light blue button with dark blue writing, and I could just about make out the words:

"I"
"Have"
"No"
"Idea"
"Why"
"I"
"Work"
"Here"

And I have to tell you, that was just about the most deflating, disheartening, dispiriting, depressing thing to read after a relaxing weekend. While I won’t share them with you here, the rest of her buttons were of an equally sour-puss nature.

And you know, Katherine and her type stand for everything that’s bad in the world. For every one of us trying to achieve great things, there’s a Katherine standing nearby ready to tear it down. For each of us trying to make the world a better place today, this hour, this minute, there’s a Katherine in the wings sticking her tongue out. And not only is there a Katherine, but there’s a company willing to hire her...

...And while Mom said if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all, I wish the Katherines...of the world nothing but failure. Failure in their campaign to pull down the productive people, failure in their efforts to keep winners from winning, and failure in the marketplace so that better people and companies can serve American Airlines customers.

So don’t be a Katherine!

His letter gets a little personal regarding good ol' AA (where I still hold my pre-board status), but as you can see, he is pissed.  I join him on the piss when I come across 'katherine-esq' people who are pessimistic, argumentative, know-it-alls without the balls to get out and walk the walk.  Agree with the tact or not, Marc shined a light on a problem in this world.

In addition to the pessimism and poor-me elements of the 'katherine' persona, there is also a mindset where many THINK they are smarter/better/richer/cooler/talented than everyone else, yet unwilling to step out and put their brilliance to the test, see if they can make a difference, or start something of their own, from the ground up and make it into something real. Carpe their own diem.  I seem to see an increasing number of wanna-be entrepreneurs, bench racers, shadows, always quick with an opinion, rarely with a solution. I have completely lost patience for 'katherines', and frankly refuse to have them around me, around my business, and around my circle of friends.

I hope Fuze is forever devoid of Katherines. I encourage other employers to follow suit - sniff these people out and get rid of them. Marc concludes with a fitting sentiment:

You take your career and your work seriously, and we will take you seriously...whatever you do, don’t sell yourself short, and don’t let the Katherines of this world bring you down.

I’ll be rooting for you!

Warmest Regards,

Marc Cenedella
Founder & CEO
TheLadders.com, Inc.

I was so moved by this, that I just had to pass this on.  AA will go on and on surviving but consider this a clear call out to all pessimists, nay-sayers, virus-spewing, jealous know-it-alls. Don't talk about it, be about it. If you're born to be a follower, then be a happy follower. But, if you aren't happy, instead of bringing others DOWN to your level, why not try taking yourself UP a new level [or 2].  You control your destiny. What you are or aren't, is ALL ABOUT YOU. The big blue marble is full of opportunity - this is quite possibly one of the best periods in history - opportunity wise. Make something of it, Katherines.

I will see those who choose the path of greatness in a winners circle someplace.

WBV

It's your future, you shape it, you're in the driving seat.
- The [real]Office

The Tonopah Tales 2007 - a Reality Show Brewin'

 

Tonopah remains a town fit for a reality show based, in the words of George Costanza, on NOTHING. Here in tonopah...there is the acronym AAA. Which stands for...

• Anger
• Alcohol
• Ammunition

...the mix of which are the basis of all the charm and hospitality that ooze out of this ol' mining town. Once a bustling mining & military town, Tonopah presently feels D E A D. The town is a mix of boarded up shops and businesses coupled with roadside fare (namely fuel) to nourish weary travelers headed between reno & vegas. Its income is derived from the tills of the remaining local business and TICKETS (Esmeralda County is the most expensive speeding ticket in the state - believe me I know). The place seems completely impossible for kids to be positive, connected with the world, stay out of trouble and achieve greatness because there simply isn't anything to do.

Yet, to me, for all its ill, there is still something inside that wants to take a week or so off, camp it here, and learn via the power of osmosis what makes these folks tick.  Maybe even work on my ill-fated book idea, or any of my countless other web ideas. I have my journ to the middle of nowhere for 2008 planned already, Speed Week at Bonneville, but perhaps 2009 I will rain down on this town and answer my internal question...what's up? I just have to get to this before the renaissance happens and the Starbucks & Ultra Lounges roll into town shakin' their little behinds for the men folk...

If you're behind me on my drive, can you catch the lights?

WBV

NOTE: if you want to represent Tonopah, historic jewel of the desert, please comment here.  I dont mean to give the place a bad rap, i just speak from my own observations.

(another treo post - sorry for the typos)

walker lake...still ugly after all these years

[photo depicts the literally 2's of people who packed the walker lake beaches today]

Many thousands of dollars
+ an award winning advertising agency
+ an award winning photographer
still add up to some head-scratchin'[false] advertising

Walker lake remains an alkali filled body of water not fit for man nor fish, surrounded by dirt, sagebrush, ammunitions, and dirt.

The campaign i speak of features beautiful billboards, ads, etc, with wonderful photography depicting this 'prehistoric' landmark as the cats meow, and something to see with your family before you die.  If you buy into this campaign, you will head out on the open road seeking some real good ol fashioned family adventure.  Here is how i predict it all going down:

metro family of 4 embarks on journ, singing and laughing, without a concern in the world that they have forgone the Disney California Adventure in favor of Walker Lake Landmark. They roll up in the SUV, throw open the doors, shout, "we're here!", look around, kick some dirt, someone says "I'm hungry", mom claps dad over the head with today's fishwrap, teenage son says "this sucks", family loads back into SUV, and motors 85+ to Las Vegas where they partake in Nevada's real past-time, good ol fashioned GAMBLING [and family entertainment].

While I am certain this year's addy's will be filled with loads of hi-fives and back slaps for the absolute beautiful campaign they created, visiting walker lake is no more desirable than visiting Hazen, Moundhouse, Yerrington, Silver Springs or any other sleepy, dusty, rural desert nevada town [err 'landmark'].

Visit Walker Lake...

...still vacancy.
...still dirt.
...still gambling.
...still fossils (mostly ones hiding from society for some reason).

But alas no...

...adventure.
...ammenities.
...good food.
...entertainment.
...viable reason to be here.

Lord advertising sucks some[most]times.  Ever forward on my annual pilgrimage to Vegas for SEMA.

WBV

(another treo post - sorry for the typos)

What's happenin' & where in the world...

Ahhh me-n-the airlines are getting cozy again as I embark on another quarter of travels.  We have been racing this year to grow and keep up and it has just been a whirlwind.  Things are running real stable at the mother ship.  Here's some press-ie style news from the Fuze camp:

New Hires

• Calder Chism - Creative Director
• David Bobzien - User Experience Director
• Anna Satterfield - Agency Coordinator

Promotions

• Dan Waugh - promoted to Sr. Designer

New Client Wins

• Boyd Gaming Las Vegas, NV (nationwide) - Corporate website and interactive agency of record
• Lennar Homes - Reno, NV - Marketing strategy
• The Entrust Group - Oakland, CA (nationwide) - Interactive agency of record
• Spartan Staffing - Tampa, FL (nationwide) - Interactive agency of record

---

Of course there is much more going on that my fingers don't have the energy to type so hang tight for that.  Lookin' forward I am officially booked through April 2008 for travel.  Here are some of the notable trips, engagements, etc. as the Fuze Road Show comes to a town near you:

• September 7-9th - WAR! Giants v. Dodgers - San Francisco, CA
• September 24-27th - ASIS International (client show) & Client meetings - Las Vegas, NV
• September 28th - Reno Tahoe Young Professionals Summit - Speaking - Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV
• October 7th - Social [freakin'] Distortion Show - Rose Ballroom - Nugget Resort Casino, Sparks, NV
• October 10th - Sparks Business Forum (exhibiting) - Nugget Resort Casino, Sparks, NV
• October 11th - Web 2.0: Why It’s Important to YOU (speaking) - Advertising Association of Northern Nevada  (A2N2) - Harrah's - Reno, NV
• October 11-12th - going under the Laser - Lasik surgery - out for a few days
• October 18th-19th - Influx Ideas Conference - San Francisco, CA
• October 31st-November 2nd - SEMA Show + Client meetings - Las Vegas, NV
• November 6th-10th - Future of Web Design Conference - New York, NY
• November 22nd-December 2nd - VACATION (undisclosed remote location with ample rum cocktails, but, no access to any technology)
• December 10th-14th - Florida tour (Miami/Tampa) - client meetings
• January 24th-27th - San Francisco Supercross - AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
• March 17th-21st - Search Engine Strategies 2008 - New York, NY
• April 14-18th - Ad:Tech 2008 - (speaking/exhibiting) - San Francisco, CA

Well then, that'll about do it.   I am certain that  we will have several additional dates get added to this tour with pending trips to Florida and a Euro-trip forth coming.   I'll update like usual, whenever I feel like it.

Goals for the voyage: Plunder. Meet new people. Learn valuable new skills.

Up, up, and awayyyyyy...

WBV

A return to service...

I recently came across an article my Good Experience friend Mark Hurst commented on that i find fascinating and a great trend.  The article refers to "the hotel as a lifestyle", a topic I personally feel very close to.  Major hotel chains, not just the boutiques, are clamoring to develop new properties that deliver something beyond the status quo, hiring the top designers, localizing the hotel and its features, while replicating the concept worldwide. Hotels aside, I truly believe that every industry can be re-energized with attention to detail, and the user experience.  Do you agree?  Here is the NY Times article:

» NY TImes Article - Hotel as Lifestyle

This article also defends my prior post on THEhotel and Joie de Vivre.  Their direction is spot on.  Can you redefine your industry in a similar fashion? 

Success awaits...

WBV

Su Lou Blue - SoHo NYC

While in NYC this spring, i was lucky enough to catch a show by Anna Palma - a photographer who'se images capture a spectacular vision of childhood and simplicity.  The show was held in SoHo.  Here is a link to some of my phone cam images.  I will try to load some better resolution images soon.  (FYI - I had permission to shoot these.)

Enjoy...

WBV

THEhotel - what a hotel should be

A business philosophy, my opinions, and my favorites, rolled into a rambling story about the hotel industry...

At a recent conference I got the opportunity to talk with founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Chip Conley.  Joie de Vivre (JDV from now on 'cause its too hard to spell), is the largest hotelier in California and has a proven model for launching properties that are niche, and hit home with the people that frequent them.  He explained how when they launch a new hotel, the base it on 3 words and a magazine.  For instance, the words and magazine for their property The Phoenix in San Francisco are: Rock-n-roll, irreverent, funky - and the magazine is Rolling Stone.

Chip described that for a guest to enjoy a stay in any particular hotel, especially enough to frequent it, or refer their friends to it, the property must fullfill their expectations and match what they believe they are inside or, what they aspire to be. It must match their persona. We all think of ourselves in a certain way, and we all aspire to be associated and referred to in some way by others.  We like to frequent certain types of places, hang out with certain types of people, dress a certain way, eat at certain places, etc. You get the point.  If a guest chooses a property that doesn't fit their persona, they will likely have a bad stay.  When there is a fit however, the stay can be magical and magnetic. My point is, he's dead right.

For someone like me who will spend at least 60-80 nights a year in a hotel room, I definitely have my preferences and places I like to stay in the places on earth I visit.  We all do.  For instance, I happen to love one of the JDV hotels in the Silicon Valley called the Hotel Los Gatos.  I was first attracted to this hotel because I used to live in Los Gatos and the hotel is built in a residential neighborhood, adjacent to a trendy little downtown, small town, that I love to this day.  I stay there any time I have business in the area...its a great oasis, and matches my persona.

Getting to the point, (and further validating Chip's points) there is one hotel for me, that stands out above all others, as the ultimate hotel.  This is the property aptly named THEhotel, and it is part of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.  Now, our new client Boyd Gaming may not want me to tout this so hard, but until Eschelon is open, they dont have a fit for me in Vegas.  For me, THEhotel is "the hotel" against which all other hotels are measured.  It is simply perfect.  Upscale, clean, casino nearby, but no signt nor sounds of a casino when you check in or interact with the property. A nice and lively lobby bar. A spa. A restaurant and nightclub (MIX) with guest elevator access and since it's 60 some-odd floors up, the best views in Vegas. The rooms, all suites, all perfect, all huge...several tv's, separate bedroom, living room, office, bar, 2 bathrooms, incredible beds, beautiful decor, full lighting controls - simply perfect. Everything is designed perfectly from the lobby to the match books, this place leaves NOTHING to be desired.

I love this hotel.  Period. Plain and simple. It matches my "persona" as Chip describes.  I want a place I am proud to tell people I am staying. I want a place that is upscale, well designed (modern), easy to access, and very comfortable when I finally get to bed.  I expect a bed that is as comfortable, or more comfortable that my bed at home. Meticulously clean, nothing out of place, nothing broken or in need of any repair. I want a place I can work comfortably, and when I am done working, I want the ability to seek entertainment close by.  When I wake up, I want coffee and I need my car...they have placed a great coffee bar right next to Valet so by the time they have frothed up your beverage, your car is sitting there ready for you to go. Check, check, and check...THEhotel nails it all. 

The moral of this story...
I find Chip Conley to be one of the most interesting entrepreneurs around.  I believe wholeheartedly in his values and philosophy on business, and I truly believe that people (if given the opportunity) will always do business with people and companies who match their persona.  Businesses must create a persona that matches their target customers. It's why my company Fuze, is a good fit for some, and a bad fit for others. It's why I shop in a certain clothing store, and not another.  Our personas follow us through all our decisions in business and life.  Companies who recognize & harness this, and build a business focused on a persona narrow enough to be different but big enough to cast a wide enough net to make money, will be the most successful in the end.

I will stay in JDV hotels, and other hotels when they match my persona, but when I am in Las Vegas, I promise you, I will ALWAYS be at THEhotel.  Check my Plazes map on this blog and you'll know what time of the month that is.  No pun intended.

WBV

Up, up, and awayyyyy...

Wow...its been a long time since my last post.  I have to admit that my last post was rather boastful and an underestimate on how much work our office expansion and new hires were going to be.  Its surely taken longer than i would have liked, but things are finally coming together.  Here's the latest around the Fuze base camp...

We have a bunch of new people around...they are all settling into their new roles.  We have also expanded our office, adding an additional 2000 square feet of office, conference, and casual space to our current digs.  This will not only impress upon our clients our sense of style, but also provide a much larger venue for our many summer events.  As part of this expansion, we have added all new networks, backup systems, project management systems, and accounting systems.  Our effort here is to be better positioned in the future for our growth and not be playing catchup again in another year or so. Photos of the new space are coming soon, and a grand re-opening party plan is festering.

Client wise, we have parted ways with a couple very long term clients DP Partners, and EDAWN.  After 7+ years of service, we are moving on and we wish these great clients the best of luck in the future.  In their place we have added several high-profile national clients which we will be announcing soon (though we have begun work on their projects already).  Client wise, things are looking really good as we continue to fine tune our client base and target creative/interactive projects. Well, that's a recap of Q1 and what a race its been.  As we enter Q2 I am hading off on a whirlwind of travel all over the US.  If you're wondering where in the world I'll be...here you go:

for the week of:

• March 14 - Speaking Engagement - National Recreation Forest Association Annual Conference - Reno, NV
• March 19-22 - Tampa, FL - Spartan Staffing Website Internal Launch & Training
• March 26-29 - Las Vegas, NV - Client Meetings and the ISC West Tradeshow
• April 2-5 - Fresno then San Francisco, CA - Client Meetings & SF Giants Opening Day
  (also my son's first baseball game)
• April 5th - Reno, NV - Reno Tahoe Young Professional Network Launch Party - 6pm @ 210North (I am on the board and Fuze is a founding sponsor of this great new organization - be there or poop on you (RSVP))
• April 9-13 - New York, NY - Client Meetings, Search Engine Strategies Conference, and The One Club regional meeting
• April 17-19 - Speaking Engagement - Dickson Realty University Classes - Reno, Incline Village, South Tahoe, NV
• April 23-27 - San Francisco, CA - AdTech Conference

Take that jet-setters.  I'll be living quite handily out of a suitcase for the next few weeks.  Come May, I hope to keep my feet on the ground and get back to some resemblance of normal life.  In the meantime, no rest for the weary.  If you plan to be in any of these great cities while I am, drop me a line.  My Plazes account typically tells people where I am.

Ba-ba boey to y'all...

WBV

Orbitz customer service sucks!

I admit that I use orbitz all the time for travel...typically beacuse when i search on Kayak or similar, Orbitz  is always right there on price, yet, when the need calls for customer service, this seemingly brilliant marketing, technology, and service based company falls flat on their face.

I personally find their relationship with the airlines kluge at best.  Case in point, when, because of weather, Delta re-arranged one of our return flights from New York, they left us with a 10min connection in Atlanta.  This is impossible.  To make it worse, they never notified us of the change via phone, fax, email, or SMS, and, they only changed 2 of our 3 tickets in the itinerary so our Nanny was on different flights than we were with the baby. In a mad scramble the night before we were to travel, I had to reach out to Orbitz Customer Service...

After 5 consecutive call attempts to orbitz, re-explaining the situation, re-explaining why i should not have to pay a change fee to get us back on the same flights with proper connections, and how it was Delta and Orbitz who changed some, not all of our tickets...5 times...all the way through convincing, hold, talk, hold, manager, hold, manager's manager, hold...okay sir, let me connect you to Delta to make that change...D I S C O N N E C T!

On call number 6 to orbitz, i was so angry that i told the person that i wanted their operator number, and that if i was going to be transferred, that i would personally find and destroy him.  When i went through my problem for the 6th time he calmly said, "Sir, why dont you just call Delta directly." Err, what??  But the other operators said that Orbitz had to make my change because i booked my ticket through them.  How can it be that operator 1-5 never made that suggestion...they all wanted to start with change fees, and how my plans had changed so it isnt THEIR fault.  And even with all these peoples differeing stories, how is it that we still can't complete a transaction, regardless of how complex, in 5 consecutive tries?  How come nobody calls you back after an incomplete customer service transaction?  They know who we are, they have our mobile #'s for their mobile alert systems, why no call back?? And why have i been disconnected 5 times at the same point in the process???

Now, maybe its because their complex tele-infrastructure can only support 5 continent hops, or, maybe its just that their system doesn't work.  I am not the one to analyze it, but what i wonder is why we need an Orbitz, or Expedia at all?  How much longer will these companies exist? I mean, with a service like Kayak.com, TripAdvisor.com, or similar, who can aggregate travel across hundreds of websites...why can't i just find my deal, and book direct with these companies?  Orbitz and Expedia would say that their value add is that they offer customer service, and en-route travel assistance.    That's sweller than swell...IF it works.  The reality is that if they simply take the call and then defer you to the airlines/hotels/etc., it removes their value from the equation and renders them useless.  They are just a cash register brokering my travel transaction.

Now, i am not saying that i will never use Orbitz again, i probably will, their website works great. But I sometimes wonder if the writing isn't on the wall for the online travel services, much like it was for traditional travel agencies a few years back. 

This is a rant.  Time will tell...

WBV

The Tonopah Tales

Does this this car-o-mine look a tad out of place here?  Every time I come through town in one of my cars I get the inevitable question, how much did that cost? Followed by, what are your payments?  These are typically from one of the kids at the MacDonalds or the fuel emporium.  I think, my god(sh), what on earth do these kids do to have a prosperous life?  Tonopah is dead folks...D E A D. Their industry: fuel, tickets, food.  How one lives here I don't know.

Unfortunately/fortunately I only get to stop by on my annual drive to the world of automobiles, SEMA. But I think this trip I am more excited than ever to do a little sociological experiment and proverbial slow down.  Just camp out here and see what happens here day-after-day, at night or better yet, maybe film a documentary on the trials and tribs of real life tonopah-ians(sp).  Talk to the characters, hear their stories, especially the life long residents.  If people watched those giggling twits Paris & Nicole on the Simple Life, I think people would watch my show too. 

Ahh...one of many in my file cabinet of mediocre, no-money generation ideas.

Ok...tank's full.  Viva 150mph!

WBV

Where in the world is Bryan Landaburu?

Off I go, into the wild blue yonder.  I was just able to spend the week with our clients www.idwholesaler.com at their HQ in Minneapolis and on my flight home I started thinking about my next set of travel and it was so overwhelmin' i had to write it down.  So, if anyone is wondering where in the world I am between now and the end of the year, here you go:

• Minneapolis - Client Meetings
• Las Vegas - SEMA, Client Meetings
• San Francisco - Client Meetings
• Atlanta - IAAPA, Client Meetings
• Las Vegas - Client meetings
• New York - Client Meetings, Vacation

I will post up photos from SEMA, IAAPA, and NYC from the road.  Excited to see our friends and clients in the coming weeks.  Fuze will also be on a travel embargo for the month of December while we wrap up client projects, catch up on year end billing and accounting, work on our new website, double the size of our offices, and assimilate our new employees.  Ever forward.

Over and out...

Willie Vega

More fun with travel...

You may or may not know I am a junkie for anything that makes my travel planning more efficient. As a person that flies every other week all over the world, I am beyond the training wheels that sites like Expedia, Travelocity, and especially Orbitz offer in terms of research and deals. I used to find myself pining for hours on all 3 sites...attempting in vain to find the best deal.

As important as NOT leaving any moolah on the table at time of booking, I have a level of travel that I am accustomed to...neighborhoods vs. airport, hip vs. every day, signature bed vs. standard king, gourmet restaurant & trendy bar vs. good proximity to the Waffle House...you get the picture.

Well, here is my short list of sites that I feel cut me closer to the chase when I research and book travel:

• www.kayak.com - Poles all major airlines & travel sites to return aggregate search results based on travel varriables.  Allows AJAX screen refreshes as you fine tune your selections. 1-click to purchase on major sites.  Major time saver.
• www.farecast.com - Allows you to browse airfares over a month period to determine the most economical day/time to fly a particular route.  if your travel days are flexible, you can save a bundle here.
• http://matrix.itasoftware.com - another offering...available now (once you create a free account).  Site gives you very powerful fare search tools.
• www.flyspy.com - similar to farecast above - site is still in beta and presently only available (as proof of concept) using Minneapolis as a hub.  Site has received honorable mention from authorities like wired, Fast Company, Tom Peters, etc.  Watch for this to be a splash when it rolls out nationwide...for now use farecast
• www.tablethotels.com - a collection of some of the finest hotels in the world...for hipster, metro dufas' like myself
• www.jdvhospitality.com - the largest hotellier in California...JDV has built their entire business on significantly and effectively branding hotels.  Each hotel carries only 5 key words that describe it, and each caters to a different personality type.  Check out their properties as you travel through California.

Some sites that still have value but are becoming less important to me are: expedia, travelocity, orbitz and even mighty TripAdvisor.  TripAdvisor is falling for me because i dont find that I think like everyone that posts opinion on that site.  You have to take reviews with a grain-of-salt.  I will say that I do enjoy the post-purchase tools that Orbitz has to offer (mobile alerts for flight times, delays, changes, and their mobile site is fast, powerful on my Treo) so as a result, i am always excited when Kayak finds me a deal where Orbitz is the drug of choice.

All in all, my loyalty lies in the best deal or best information...period.  It's high time that the major travel sites start to aggregate the rates and allow booking, or at lease pass us off to sites with the lowest fares ah-la the auto insurance companies (progressive).  The travel sites simply must keep up with the web 2.0 offerings or they will find themselves where they left traditional travel agencies a few years ago...out of business.

Willie Vega.