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HOTEL HEALTH: It pays to check up on your hotel before you book.

The difference between a hotel room at $75 a night and $750 a night is the view, the extra shampoo, the cost of the pillows, the fluff of the towels.

Price is a measure of comfort and service. What must always be the same - at every price - is your security, your safety and cleanliness.

Unfortunately, it's not.

Across the US, hotels are skimping on key safety measures, and the consequences range from stolen laptops and Peeping Toms to sexual assaults and robbery at gunpoint. More than 125 property crimes are committed in US hotels and motels every day, in addition to more than 21 violent crimes (excluding murders).

What's needed is a grading system that will alert potential guests to the quality of a hotel's security, guaranteeing that A-rated facilities have measures in place to assure guests' safety and the rooms' cleanliness. In New York City, Los Angeles and other cities, restaurants are graded based on government inspections, and those grades are posted so you can see them before you walk in the door.

Hotels and motels also are entrusted with customers' health and safety, and they must be held equally accountable.

That accountability starts with basic security. For instance, many hotels fail to perform adequate background checks on job applicants before hiring them.

In September 2011, a woman staying at a Best Western hotel in Arizona woke up in the middle of the night to find a man standing over her bed. She says the man raped her. He was a registered level-3 sex offender, according to news reports, but Best Western had hired him as a night clerk and given him a master key to guest rooms, allowing him unfettered access to turn any of its female guests into his next victims.

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The case for giving hotels health grades

Thursday, December 4th, 2014 Issue 49, Volume 18.

Fallbrook High Schools wrestling team has a home dual meet today (Thurs., Dec. 4) against Guajome Park Academy and the Warrior wrestlers began practice November 15, but perhaps the teams most important starting activity this season was the November 19 ribbon-cutting of the new wrestling room at the high school.

The wall between Room 139 and Room 140 has been removed, giving the wrestling team 3,200 square feet of space.

"Its going to help the program. The boys are excited about it," said Gary Backe, the president of the Fallbrook Wrestling Association booster club and the assistant coach for Fallbrook High Schools wrestling program.

"Weve gone from a room that was about 1,100 square feet," Backe said. "Its very much more accommodating for the growth of our program."

This year the high school team has 32 participants at the various levels, a 50 percent increase over the 2013-14 season. The Relentless Wrestling program for children from age five to eighth grade will also use the new wrestling room; the "Kids Club" has more than 30 members this season compared to 12 a year ago. "Our Kids Club is also benefiting," Backe said. "The room has been a big part of it."

The former wrestling room has been turned into the gymnastics room, giving the gymnastics team a room for the first time. "Gymnastics will also have their own warm-up and practice space," Backe said.

Backe worked with Fallbrook High School gymnastics co-coach Shar Larsen, who is also the schools athletic secretary, on the new wrestling room and the transition of the old wrestling room to a gymnastics room. "Its been a two-year process," Backe said.

In addition to mats, the wrestling room will also have a coaches room, an equipment storage room, and a cardio room. "Its just a nice overall room," Backe said. "Were really excited about it."

The new room has 1 1/2 mats while the old room had 2/3 of a mat. The mats are for practice rather than competition. "Were now able to have all 30-plus of our high school wrestlers practice at one time," Backe said.

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NEW DIGS: New wrestling room expected to benefit Warrior wrestlers, youth program - and gymnastics team

Making good use of a small room often needs clever thinking. Designs like the All I Own House and Kitoko Studio's maid's room conversion in Paris use sliding furniture to reconfigure space as required. A Tokyo bedsit does the same and to the same effect, but in a much simpler way.

Tsukiji Room H, designed by Yuichi Yoshida & Associates, has a floorspace of 47.6 sq m (511.8 sq ft), which is comparable to that of the All I Own House. It is designed as a single dwelling that can also be used as an office. A large, multifunctional central unit is used to give the sense of separate sections within the space.

The available space wraps around the central unit in a "U" shape. On one side are the kitchen and utility area, whilst on the other are the entrance hallway, bathroom entrance and bed. The bed and bathroom are contained within the unit and can therefore remain hidden from sight.

With the entrance to the bathroom being in the entrance hallway, it is naturally out of sight from most of the apartment and therefore quite discrete. The bed, however, is built into the corner of the unit and is therefore highly visible. To combat this, sliding wooden doors have been installed around the bed allowing it to be hidden during the day or when entertaining guests.

In addition to changing the use and feel of the space, the sliding doors also hide storage drawers below the bed. More shelving storage is provided around the top of the central unit, in freestanding units elsewhere in the apartment and above the kitchen units. The clearly sectioned nature of the room and its sparse furnishing allow it to be easily adapted as is required at any given time.

Tsukiji Room H was completed in September of this year.

Source: Yuichi Yoshida & Associates

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Clever unit turns Tokyo bedsit into adaptable partitioned apartment

Albany, NY (PRWEB) December 04, 2014

The report presents a detailed analysis of the market, combined with plausible insights and information about various market segments of the global budget hotels market. The report states that in the overall hotel industry, budget hotels have been observing a room occupancy rate of 70-80% in some countries.

View Full Report at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/229295

Increasing demand for affordable yet sophisticated lodging, rising occupancy of middle-class population, and rising disposable incomes have resulted in increased demand for budget hotels in Asia-Pacific and Africa. On a global front, the fact that budget hotels are less susceptible to financial crisis compared to luxury hotels is fueling demand.

The report on budget hotels includes market data from 40 countries between the years 2009 and 2013. Through in-depth analysis of this data, the report also brings forth key performance indicators of the global budget hotels market. The report segments the budget hotels market on the basis of performance indicators such as occupancy rate, number of rooms, number of hotel establishments, room nights occupied, average room revenue per available room, room nights available, average room revenue per occupied room, total room revenues, average total revenue per available room, total non-room revenues, number of guests, and total revenues for the review period (2009-2013) and the forecast period of the report (2014-2018). Detailed assessment of regional budget hotels markets of the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East is contained in the report.

Download Detail Report With COmplete TOC at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/229295

The study states that the European budget hotels market is the key geographic segment of the global market. Many leading brands operating in the budget hotels business including Ibis, Premier Inn, Motel One, easy Hotel, hotelF1, and Travelodge have a strong presence in Europe. Recent instances of economic depression hovering over a number of European countries have led to a consistent fall in consumer disposable incomes and number of out-of-town vacations. This has resulted in a significant rise in demand for economic lodging, making European budget hotels market a key revenue generator for the overall market during the review period.

Despite Europes strong hold on the market, the U.S. will continue to remain the largest segment of the global budget hotels market during the review period, with net worth totaling approximately US$12.4 billion in 2013. However, shares of the budget category of the overall hotel industry remained low in the U.S. compared to those in European countries such as France and the U.K., and Latin American countries such as Argentina, Peru, and Brazil.

Explore All Published Report in Travel Services at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/category/154

The regional budget hotels market of Asia-Pacific registered a strong growth rate during the forecast period. The report states that this regional budget hotels market is becoming increasingly standardized and the level of sophistication is becoming progressively consistent.

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Marketresearchreports.biz: Economic Slowdown in Europe Fueling the Global Budget Hotels Market

For months, the closing of Leon's Triple L Restaurant in downtown Arbutus left many people wondering what will open in place of the community landmark.

Now, they have a new, full-service, family restaurant named Oak Creek Cafe to fill the hole left when the owner of Leon's Triple L, Leon Lineburg, died April 26. The new restaurant is expected to open Friday, Dec. 12, said Sharon Andrews, 47, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Jim Andrews, 64.

"I want to carry on the community feel that Leon started," said Jim Andrews. "Leon was a huge supporter of the community all the athletic associations, the schools, the churches."

Even in these final weeks leading up to the planned opening, the sounds of construction were easy to hear as workers hammered away inside the building at 5309 East Drive.

The building's interior and exterior are being completely renovated, with new plumbing, walls, electrical wiring and kitchen equipment, the couple said.

"It hasn't been updated in a long time," Sharon Andrews said of the building, which had been inhabited by Leon's for 55 years.

Re/Max New Beginnings business owner Deborah SeBour said the restaurant is a much needed addition to the community.

"I love it I'm so excited," SeBour said. "Arbutus is experiencing a turnover of businesses, and this is what we need."

Terry Nolan, outgoing president of the Arbutus Business and Professional Association said, "We think this is a marvelous addition to our community and it seems to be well thought out and well done."

The couple said they have received a $250,000 loan from Baltimore County to assist with remodeling.

Originally posted here:
Couple renovates former Arbutus landmark

Thank goodness Jumbars is as charming as ever and the quality of the fare continues to be as exceptional as I remembered it.

Too bad for me it's been eight years since I visited this Bethlehem restaurant; I missed the construction of the new entrance about three years ago. Now the entry opens to a vestibule and a second door: it prevents cold outside air from blasting through the small restaurant. A new partition in the dining area also helps to cut down drafts.

These are welcome changes, even though the dining area lost a bit of space, which translates to Jumbars losing its larger tables. Groups larger than six cannot be accommodated at one table now.

The homey, cheerful decor still sets a happy tone with its sage-toned bead board wainscoting and omelet yellow walls. Multicolored Fiestaware and bold floral oilcloth table coverings keep the bright energy flowing. Local art for sale adorns the walls.

I love the happy vibe here, but what I love even more is that all of the food is homemade, including breads, English muffins and salad dressings.

Breakfast offerings include the usual: omelets, waffles, pancakes. The waffles, however, are whole wheat, and there's a tofu scramble on the menu along with quiche. Quiche holds court for lunch, too, along with paninis, burgers and sandwiches the likes of turkey breast on house-made grilled cinnamon raisin bread with Jumbars' own apple cranberry chutney.

Salads have a strong presence as well. One of these days I'm going to try the roasted duck breast on mixed greens with sliced pear, dried cranberries, roasted walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette.

For our lazy Saturday brunch, a build-your-own omelet ($9.75) and duck confit hash ($10) were savory treats worthy of rare leisure moments.

Caramelized onion, spinach, bacon and Cheddar cheese filled the fluffy omelet, yielding a smoky-sweet flavor combination enhanced by the bacon's chewy crunch and the onion's al dente bite.

The hash, one of the day's specials, was a welcome twist on an old favorite, rich with flavor and the texture of julienne potatoes perfect with two eggs perfectly over easy.

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Restaurant review: Jumbars' charm and quality endures

Published: Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 12:09 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 12:09 p.m.

WINTER HAVEN | Crews are working on Cypress Gardens Boulevard to repair a ruptured gas main.

Polk County Fire Rescue responded about 10:15 a.m. to the gas main break at the construction site of a new Pep Boys auto parts store at 5636 Cypress Gardens Blvd. Officials said the 3-inch gas pipe was ruptured by a piece of heavy construction equipment.

Initially, the Discount Tire store across from the site was evacuated, but employees were let back in about 11:15 a.m.

Florida Public Utilities is working to shut the gas supply off and crews are working to open all lanes of Cypress Gardens Boulevard.

Spokesman Dave Walters said Polk Fire Rescue and the Winter Haven Fire Department are on scene as a precaution.

Britt Guyer, who owns the Golden Corral restaurant located within the road closure area, said he's concerned about his business with the road being shut down during lunchtime.

It's like cutting your blood supply off, he said.

As of about 12:15 p.m., crews had closed the leak and were working to repair the broken main.

Terrance Mike, safety coordinator for Florida Public Utilities, said it construction crews hit the pipe and scraped it causing the leak. Crews should be finished repairing it by the end of the day.

Original post:
Gas Main Ruptured by Construction on Cypress Gardens Boulevard

Sonos Solves Remodeling Problems
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Sonos Solves Remodeling Problems - Video

24 Hour Emergency Plumber Indianapolis IN 317 672 1057
24 Hour Emergency Plumbing Indianapolis IN 317-672-1057 You need a plumber and you need a plumber now! For fast, reliable plumbing service for residential or commercial call this number for...

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Indianapolis Emergency Plumber 46256
Indianapolis Emergency Plumber 46256 Finding a plumber in a emergency becomes a top priority. You need a reliable professional emergency plumber that can get to you quickly and has the ...

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Indianapolis Emergency Plumber 46256 - Video