The Big Country

Bye, Guys! Call me if Anything Important Happens!

One of my favorite stories out of Europe in the past few months is the tale of the mountaineering mayor. Pavel Bem, the mayor of Prague, got approval this week from the Prague city council this week to take a two-month unpaid leave of absence. Health problems? Nope, on the contrary. He's taking the time off to climb Mount Everest.

Bem says that it's his dream to climb the mountain, and apparently the only time it fits into his schedule is right now. Oh, he promises to be back within 48 hours if an emergency occurs, but of course an emergency is more likely to happen climbing Everest than in Prague, barring an unforeseen beer shortage in the city.

I can think of a lot more elected officials who should climb Everest, that's for sure.

It's Too Big. It'll Never Fit.

The A380 is certainly impressive. Doubtless you've seen the numbers on the beluga bird elsewhere, but the statistics that few seem to be considering remain unmentioned: What is the plane's arrival going to be like for everyone else in the airport where the A380 comes to town?

Imagine returning to JFK or O'Hare from Europe. Typically, flights get in mid-afternoon. Now imagine  sharing the baggage carousel with 555 other bags coming off the A380--assuming everyone else brings a single suitcase--and standing behind 555 cranky passengers at customs and immigration.

A 747 holds 100 fewer people, yes, but there are a lot more of them flying more varied routes (i.e. not always jammed). Airbus is touting the A380 to function on margins based on packing them in on super-full routes. So when the baggage carousel looks like this, you'll have Toulouse to thank.

Looks Aren't Everything

Everyone's loath to admit they prefer flash to functionality, but it can be of detriment to a brand (or a person) to lack flair, even if they are selling a superior product. Take Ritz-Carlton: It's not a brand that's ever going to give guests an elevated heart rate, given the woody, chintz-filled rooms and Eustace Tilley doormen. The hotel tends to do most of the details--things like breakfast or procuring dry cleaning--exceedingly well, but guests are so focused on the lack of monochromatic cube-shaped furniture that the hotel gets their ho-hum reputation nonetheless.

Of course, RC hotels in big markets are still full up most of the time, so it's not 100% detrimental to their bottom line, but it's relevant enough that they are repositioning the brand to make it more "relevant" to the locale and less cookie-cutter. Which is nothing but good for everyone, to be sure. Still, if you focus to much on style, it's easy to forget that the substance was there all along. Even if the substance wears a top hat to bring the dry cleaning to your room.