A Roundup of Entertaining Travel Reads Around the Web

-A Sneak Peak at the Renovations & Plans for San Francisco Airport's Terminal 2 (FlySFO)

-San Francisco Detours Into Reality Tourism (NY Times)

-Intercontinental becomes first hotel to trial iPad (Breaking Travel News)

-Celebrate the Golden Age of Meissen at San Francisco International Airport (SF Examiner)

-A Hotel Made of Key Cards (Places)

-Potty Policy Has Air Travelers Holding It In (AOL)

Free 1,000 Priority Club Points for Hilton HHonors Members

Priority Club, the frequent traveler program for the InterContinental Hotel Group, has taken a jab at the Hilton HHonors program for its recent devaluation of points. Recently, Hilton HHonors increased the number of points required to stay at many of its hotels by about 20%. In response, Priority Club, which includes the InterContinental, Crown Plaza, Holiday Inn and Candlewood brands, is giving away 1,000 points to their program in hopes of luring guests away from Hilton. All you have to do is register here before February 28th, and the 1,000 points will post immediately.

Expedia $200 Off Coupon For Vacations of 3+ Days

How about a 3-day vacation, including air and hotel, for under $150? It's available for the asking.

Expedia has teamed up with Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) and various airlines to give customers an instant $200 cash back on select Expedia vacation packages priced $200 (pre-tax) or more.

Check out this sample itinerary above. Flying round-trip Virgin America SFO to Orange County and a three night stay at Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites near Disneyland, for just $129 bucks! Plus, in addition to the frequent flyer points you earn for flying, if you are a member of the ThankYou network (yet another frequent travel program), you earn points for making this purchase through Expedia.

Here are the details (a bit vague) of this offer. Essentially, you need to book at participating IHG properties, such as Holiday Inn's and Crowne Plaza hotels, and select airlines, including U.S. Airways, JetBlue and Virgin America. Travel valid any day of the week through September 30, 2009. Enter promo code 200IHG during checkout.

So have some fun with this promotion. An opportunity for some cheap getaways to Phoenix, Portland, or Vegas, or apply the funds to a larger vacation elsewhere.

Click here to start your search.

Earn 3,000 Priority Club Points With Netflix

If you are considering joining Netflix be sure to sign up with one of the many frequent traveler programs to earn yourself bonus points/miles. The latest offer comes from Priority Pass, offering 3,000 bonus points for signing up when you start a new Netflix account.

Last month we posted partnerships between Netflix and United, American and Delta Airlines, awarding up to 3,000 bonus miles for new Netflix subscriptions.

In general, Netflix bonuses are for first-time customers only. But word on the street is if you open a new account with a different postal and email address, and a different credit card and frequent traveler number, you might just earn those bonus miles.

250 Priority Club Points for Completed Survey

From the email box this week comes an offer to earn 250 bonus Priority Club points for completing a short survey about the hotel's loyalty program. The survey takes about 2-3 minutes to complete. Offer ends February 28, 2009.

Holiday Inn Relaunches Brand

One of the most recognizable hotel names, with more than 3000 properties worldwide, has some grand changes in the works.

Holiday Inn is relaunching their brand, shining a new logo, freshening up their guest rooms, redesigning their welcome experience and committing to a new service promise.

Highlights of the changes:

Redesigned Brand Signage – Holiday Inn is making dramatic changes to its signage (see photo), including energizing the signature green color and eliminating the current shield shape. The new brand signage will also be incorporated into design elements in each of the more than 3,100 hotel lobbies and more than 400,000 guest rooms worldwide.

Refreshed Guest Room – Guests will be able to enjoy a new bedding experience with fresh, white duvets and pillows that come in two comfort levels: soft and firm. Bathrooms will feature a showerhead that offers superior pressure while conserving water as well as enhanced amenities, to deliver an invigorating and up-to-date bath experience.

Warm Welcome – A new signature arrival, including new lighting, landscaping and design features will create an energised and a sense of welcome that is universally recognisable and unique to the brand. Guests can expect a more interactive and efficient check-in process, while customised music and scent selections will also engage them in a complete sensory experience.

New Service Promise – Holiday Inn is committing to provide the best-in-class service. As part of the relaunch, the brand will initiate a new service culture – “Stay Real”. The service culture will enhance staff behaviour and skills to best serve guests, treating them as real people and consistently delivering the real, genuine service for which Holiday Inn is known.

The relaunch is currently rolling out to hotels around the world at the rate of 150 properties a month. Holiday Inn expects the new branding to be completed by 2010.

The original Holiday Inn was founded in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee. Holiday Inn, and Holiday Inn Express are part of the Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG).

InterContinental San Francisco $129/night

Travelzoo just posted another great deal for the brand new InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco. Rates are available from $129/night (lowest I've seen yet!) on select days, including weekends, through September 1st. Have friends or family coming to town - why not have them stay at this luxury property in the SOMA?
Click here for more information from TravelZoo.

Holiday Inn 'One Stay Two Ticket' Giveaway

Receive two free movie tickets from Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express with the One Stay Admits Two Movie Ticket Giveaway. Simply stay at a participating U.S. hotel between February 1 and April 30, 2008. Book the Double Feature Rate when making reservation. After your visit, you will receive an e-mail with everything needed to redeem free tickets to be used at virtually any movie theatre in the United States.
Click here to receive 2 free movie tickets from Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express with the One Stay Admits Two Movie Ticket Giveaway!

Grand Opening - The InterContinental San Francisco

The largest hotel built in San Francisco since 1987 opened its doors last week. The InterContinental San Francisco, located near Howard & Fifth in the vibrant SOMA district, features 32 stories of floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the amazing views of the city. Amenities include an indoor lap pool, fitness center, and an 11,000-square foot spa and wellness center.

Just saw some pretty good rates from $152+ during the last weekend in March. Also, Intercontinental Hotels has a Visa promotion going on through March: Stay at an Intercontinental hotel in the U.S or Canada and Pay with your Visa card, you earn a $50 Visa Gift Card. Register here.

250 bonus Priority Club points for a quick survey

Priority Club members can receive 250 bonus points for completing a quick survey about the loyalty program. About a dozen questions, takes under two minutes. Go for it! =)

Visit: https://www.priorityclubpromotion.com/survey/