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January 29, 2013 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise Takeoff  Travelers aren't very loyal when picking hotels, survey finds A survey by Deloitte & Touche found that only 1 in 4 travelers go to their preferred hotels for more than 75% of their hotel nights. Only 19% of respondents considered a loyalty program as a very important factor when selecting a hotel, compared with room rates, which ranked as very important to 47% of respondents, the survey shows. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (1/28)       Business travelers are saving by booking in advance, report says Business travelers are shying away from last-minute booking and saving more by booking flights in advance, Travel Leaders Corporate says. "We've been able to demonstrate to our clients that they can save significantly on travel expenses by booking their airfare in advance. In fact, since 2010, we have seen a 10% increase in travelers booking 14 or more days prior to their trip. During the same time period, the number of transactions where clients booked less than six days in advance went down 8%," said Travel Leaders President David Holyoke. TravelPulse (1/27)       The Smarter Traveler  Google's Flu Trends monitors activity in 30 countries It's been an especially harsh flu season; however, there is no need to cancel a business trip without first knowing the facts about the spread of the bug in your destination nation. Simply click into Google's Flu Trends site for a snapshot view of flu activity in 30 or more most-visited countries. Business Insider (1/28)       15 travel gadgets to make business trips more productive You can take the challenge out of your next challenging business trip by stocking up with these nifty gadgets. "Whether we’re posting news on the fly, uploading ... hands-on videos in the middle of a convention or chatting with our toddlers via Skype, there's nothing more important than staying connected," Avram Piltch writes. You'll stay connected, charged and armed for business with this arsenal of high-tech products. LaptopMag.com (1/18)       Refuel and Refresh  Airline lounges pack in the amenities Today's airport lounges offer everything from complimentary food, drinks and Wi-Fi to showers, workstations and spa treatments. Travelers can enjoy the cigar room at Etihad Airways' Diamond First Class Lounge at Abu Dhabi, or zonk out in a private sleeping room in Lufthansa's First Class Terminal at Frankfurt International Airport. FoxNews.com (1/24)       A new twist on relaxation: Airports offering yoga rooms The airport in Burlington, Vt., has opened a yoga room for weary travelers. "We find that traveling can be stressful so we try to take a little bit of that out," said Eugene Richards, interim director of the Burlington International Airport. Other airports with yoga rooms as an amenity include San Francisco and Dallas. NorthJersey.com (Hackensack, N.J.) (free registration)/The Associated Press (1/22)       Travel Pulse  How important is hotel loyalty to you? Very important Somewhat important It's a minor consideration I don't take it into account at all SmartQuote  We have more ability than willpower, and it is often an excuse to ourselves that we imagine that things are impossible." --François de la Rochefoucauld, French writer          Business Travel Resources SmartBrief for The Business Traveler Partners U.S. State Department Travel Warnings CDC Traveler's Health TSA Traveler Guidelines   SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! Accounting Advertising Automotive Aviation & Aerospace Biotechnology Business Chemicals Construction & Real Estate Consumer Packaged Goods Distribution Education Energy Finance Food Service Health Care Insurance Legal Manufacturing Media & Entertainment Nonprofit Retail Technology Telecommunications Travel & Hospitality   Subscriber Tools SIGNUP   SEND FEEDBACK   E-MAIL THIS BRIEF Today's Brief - Permalink | Print friendly format | Web version | Privacy policy Advertise Account Director:  Candace Donlin (202) 407-7861   SmartBrief Community: Most Clicked Facebook Twitter Publish your Press Release LinkedIn Get this RSS Feed Search Archive About Download a SmartBrief Mobile app today     Recent SmartBrief for The Business Traveler Issues: Thursday, January 24, 2013 Tuesday, January 22, 2013 Thursday, January 17, 2013 Tuesday, January 15, 2013 Thursday, January 10, 2013     Lead Editor:  Liz DeHoff Contributing Editor:  John McGran     Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004     © 1999-2013 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information