NO MEN ALLOWED
You’ve heard of single sex dorms… well how about single sex hotels? Okay, how about single sex floors in hotels? That’s what you’ll get when you visit a new Marriott hotel being built in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The entire 19th floor of the hotel will be off limits to men. In addition, a lounge at the hotel will also be restricted to females only when the hotel opens for business in September.
Why the segregation? A Marriott spokesperson says that more than half of all business travelers that stay at their properties are women and many expressed a desire to be able to relax over a drink without getting hit on by guys.
As for the women-only guest rooms, they will be stocked with female-friendly amenities such as special hair dryers, bath products, jewelry holders and chenille throws. But, before you request to be added to the hotel’s guest list consider this: you will have to pay extra for the privilege of spending the night on a floor void of men. Female-only rooms at the hotel will be about $30 more than the usual rate.
Would you be interested in staying in a females-only room?
CELEBRATING COKE
I’ve made no secret that I love Atlanta, Georgia. If my other blogs touting the city’s attractions haven’t convinced you to take a trip yet, perhaps this will: you can get free Coca-Cola in Atlanta.
Okay, allow me to explain. In just a few days a new and improved Coke attraction will open in Atlanta. It features everything you ever wanted to know about the carbonated beverage and much more. The New World of Coca-Cola (as opposed to the original one, which opened almost 20 years ago) is a 92,000-square-foot tribute to the soft drink, located next door to the Georgia Aquarium. The building is home to interactive exhibits and boasts a theater showing a Coke-themed film. There’s also a pop culture gallery with 30 Coke-related works by Andy Warhol and a Coke bottling line.
Oh, and about that free coke—not only are you given free coke samples during your tour–the $15 admission also includes a commemorative bottle of Coke.
UNHAPPY HYBRID DRIVERS
If you drive a hybrid I’m sure these days you are patting your wallet with glee. But your smile may dim when you hear what the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing for you.
The EPA is in the process of establishing new criteria for states that allow hybrid drivers to use the special lanes for avoiding rush-hour traffic. If the EPA gets its way hybrid vehicles would need to achieve 25% higher combined fuel efficiency compared to similar gasoline-fueled vehicles to qualify for high-occupancy vehicle, or HOV, lanes.
In 2005 federal lawmakers passed a bill that allowed fuel-efficient vehicles to use the HOV lanes with only the driver (most states require HOV lanes to carry two or more occupants). According to the EPA, this new proposal seeks to balance the government’s interest in promoting hybrids with concerns that an influx of the fuel-efficient cars could clog up the HOV lanes in congested states including Arizona, California, Florida, Utah and Virginia.