Archive for the 'News' Category

The World’s Highest Marathon

Published on Thursday, August 4, 2011 in News. 0 Comments

Ever fancied running 26 miles of high-altitude mountain trails for fun? Well, the Everest Marathon is the highest marathon on the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records, and is not for the faint hearted.

The start line, for this adrenaline-fuelled feat, is at 5184m — higher than any European or North American ski resorts — and is close to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Runners then take on the 26.2 mile, mostly downhill, course to the finish line, based at the Sherpa town of Namche Bazaar at 3446m — again higher than any European skiing. The 2011 race will be the 14th time it has been held since 1987.

To make sure the runners are acclimatised for the race they will travel out to Nepal 26 days before the event in 2012. This includes a few days of sight seeing in the capital, Kathmandu, before partaking on a 15 day hike to the base camp, accompanied by a medical team. They will also undergo ascents of Goky Ri, at 5483m and Kala Pattar, at 56623m, where they can enjoy some of the most spectacular views of Mount Everest. With the huge difference in oxygen and the strain on your body of physical activity, the slow build up to base camp with the acclimatisation is essential for the runners.

Though the race is mostly downhill, due to the two steep sections, the rugged terrain and the altitude, the marathon’s organisers advise that "the race is only suitable for runners with recent experience of cross country, fell or mountain running and endurance events. Experience of rough terrain is essential and road marathon experience is not sufficient."

The Everest Marathon really isn’t for the faint hearted, during the race participants will pass through the highest glaciers and moraines, around to 10-15 km stretch, and will pass along the historical route to Everest pioneered by Late Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. The marathon also passes though the highest, in elevation, of the world’s monasteries, monuments, chortens and suspension bridges including the world renowned heritage site — the Tengboche Monastery.

So far the race has managed to raise £520,000 to support health and educational projects in rural Nepal, with runners dividing the money 50/50 between the Everest Marathon Fund, a UK registered charity (number 1005422) and charities at home.

For more information check out the Everest Marathon website.

Preview, Review, Re-review

Published on Thursday, February 10, 2011 in News. 0 Comments

Love them or hate them review sites are growing in popularity and when used, rather than abused, are a great resource of information when booking a holiday.

Growing popularity has also meant sites are coming under increasing scrutiny, with hoteliers accused of placing false positive reviews as part of an Internet Marketing Strategy — or guests accused of posting overly negative ones in hope of getting an unfair refund. Plying your way though all the information out there to find what you need is becoming more difficult then ever.

Back in October, a Bournemouth-based reputation management firm, KwikChex, brought together around 400 establishments to take on Trip Advisor in a  group defamation action. Basically they are accusing sites such as Trip Advisor for hosting damaging reviews that are unfounded and infactual. Last month the battle against review sites took another twist when one of Britain’s most famous, successful, businessmen, Duncan Bannatyne joined the fight.

Sites such as Trip Advisor and Review Centre are being targeted by hoteliers and travel companies as there seems to be increasing number of negative reviews that are infactual and damaging against the property. These negative reviews were described as ‘rogue’ by Duncan Bannatyne, who also expressed that he was being bullied by the sites in question. Though it is possible to reply to bad reviews it is difficult to get damaging reviews that don’t offer any evidence to their claims to be removed.

They also host reviews where people are either voicing a gripe against a hotelier or restaurateur, or are unaware of their surroundings. For example if you were to look at review of the Ritz you would find complaints of a stuffy hotel and my particular favourite where someone complains that being dressed ‘head to toe in Armani’ while carrying ‘a Prada handbag’ wasn’t deemed the correct attire for the restaurant. Designer clothes in no way guarantee elegance and as a recent customer in their restaurant you are politely reminded that gentlemen should wear a jacket and tie, and jeans and casual clothes are not appropriate. I happened to have a great experience, yet have not written a review, and firmly believe that the world’s top and most famous hotels should stand by their traditions.

Now this isn’t to say that review sites are bad, but it does highlight the need to be careful when using these sites. There are more people out there who will write about a negative experience then those who have enjoyed a positive one. It is quite possible that hoteliers are writing reviews to ‘up’ their ratings and even write false reviews about their competitors. Therefore with this in mind here are a few tips on using review sites.

Top Tips To Review Site Success

  • First of all take the best and worst review(s) with a pinch of salt, these are the most likely to be over-inflated opinions or self-promotion.
  • Consider who has written the article, if a couple has gone to a family resort, or the nouveau riche are in a traditional hotel, they may not represent who the holiday, hotel or restaurant are aimed for.
  • Take into account when the review was written, if they talk of a calm resort in mid May, the place could be heaving during the school holidays and vice versa, if the place was too crowded but the review is mid August then you know why.
  • Read between the lines — does the review sound like sumptuous brochure copy or could it be an unprovoked personal assassination?
  • Take as many reviews into consideration as possible. Everyone has different standards, expectations and reviews.
  • Consider the product, as mentioned the Ritz isn’t for everyone and I recently travelled to a Club Med that was slated by someone due to the lack of English nationals — this was a French-run hotel in Italy, what did they expect? Plus I had a great time avoiding the typical Brits abroad.
  • Read the details, if someone booked a week’s catered holiday in the Alps for £300 last minute will it really compare to the £1,000 they spent last winter?
  • Avoid irrelevant rants, people will often slate a property due a problem that was nothing to do with the hotelier or tour operator. People who are injured on holiday can be terrible for this, they just want someone else to blame.
  • Look at how many reviews the reviewer has posted, if it is their only review, or they only ever complain, then they may not be the most reliable source.
  • Also look at the number of reviews the holiday has had, whether a brand new cruise ship or a B&B in Whitby, the more reviews the better.
  • Consider the date of the review, it could be two weeks, two months or two years old and properties may have changed hands, had a refurb or gone to the dogs in that period.
  • Last but not least try Twitter, you’ll be surprised how many people will happily offer advice and opinions, especially if you search the hotel / resort in question.

Don’t get me wrong I think review sites are fantastic, I also agree with the likes of Duncan Bannatyne sticking up for themselves. The moral of the story is to gain as much information and advice as possible and to consider the reviewer’s background or experience to what you are looking for. I have used Trip Advisor to help me chose between hotels, resorts and B&Bs for years, though have yet to let it sway me due to an overly positive or negative post. These sites are a great resource and 40 million users (Trip Advisor’s figures for 2010) show that, but they need to be approached wisely, as opposed to being taken as fact.