Next Generation Private Sale Travel Site Launches

Spire, a new members-only travel site that offers unbeatable, limited-time deals on luxury hotels worldwide, launches today with an expertly-selected lineup of four-and five-star hotel deals that are at least 30% off the lowest offer found anywhere else. Along with these private sales, Spire also introduces a number of firsts such as its Best Deal Guarantee that make the company the most consumer-friendly flash-sale travel site yet.

Directly addressing the most common complaints that travelers have about flash sales, Spire launches with the only Best Deal Guarantee in flash-sale travel. The Guarantee not only promises the lowest price, but it also backs Spire’s pledge to deliver at least 30% off the lowest comparable offer found anywhere else. Spire is also the only site of its kind to allow easy cancellations, giving refunds for up to 72-hours after a trip is booked, minus a $29 fee.

Alan Josephs, CEO of Spire, says these consumer-friendly firsts pave the way for the next generation of limited-time private sale sites and put Spire at the forefront of the flash-sale travel category.

 “Consumers want to know that they’re getting the very best deal before they book, and they need more flexibility in instances where spontaneity may have gotten the best of them,” Josephs said. “Our Best Deal Guarantee and simple cancellation policy give travelers what they need to be more confident in their purchase,” he said.

“If a traveler finds an offer that does not meet our best deal standards, Spire will give them $100 in credit to be used on a future booking plus we will refund the difference if they happen to find a lower price elsewhere,” Josephs explains Spire’s one-of-a-kind Best Deal Guarantee.

Other consumer-friendly benefits include Spire Perks, which are valuable extras, such as room upgrades and spa credits, paired with almost every deal. Spire also makes checking airfare simple by including Kayak search functionality and offers the help and expert advice of U.S.- and U.K.-based luxury travel specialists by phone at no charge.

Spire’s Hotel Deals

Despite these slow economic times, a recent poll of 2,215 luxury travelers conducted by Spire revealed that 74% have splurged on their hotel budget in 2011. When asked how they decide where to go on vacation, nearly one-quarter waits until a great deal pops up in a destination they would enjoy.

This shows that consumers seek both luxury and affordability, which Josephs confirms: “Many travelers are still splurging on their hotel budgets, but they are also looking for a deal. Spire works closely with its hotel partners to deliver the deals they need at the luxury hotels they desire.”

Spire’s in-house destination experts evaluate each hotel and resort individually on requirements such as amenities, services, reputation, recommendations, customer reviews, site visits and much more. Only available to registered members, Spire’s private sales last up to 14 days, giving travelers more flexibility and planning power than other flash-sale travel sites.

Here’s a sampling of deals found on Spire now:

§  A Historic Hotels of America boutique property in New York City for $299 per night (was $449)

§  An all-inclusive, eco-friendly resort in Antigua for $275 per night (was $396)

§  A Condé Nast Hot List pick and authentic palace in Morocco for $140 per night (was $279)

§  A Condé Nast Traveler Gold List resort in Riviera Maya for $94 per night (was $140)

To join Spire’s private community and get access to members-only hotel deals, go tospire.com and sign-up for free or go to facebook.com/spiretravel and sign-up through our sweepstakes for a chance to win a 4-night stay at Cavallo Point – The Lodge at the Golden Gate and $2,500 in Spire credit.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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Dad's life made easier with new photo sharing product

It’s summer.  For busy families everywhere, life is twice the fun and four times more hectic.  Check out a new photo sharing site that will make sharing these memories as simple as one click of the button.  Just made available, PhotoRocket was designed with moms and dads in mind who want to share their favorite photos to friends and family via email, Facebook, Flickr.  I invite you to download PhotoRocket <http://www.photorocket.com> here and tell me what you think!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
 
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Overstock.com Fathers Day Giveaway

Overstock would celebrate fathers this fathers day with an amazing giveaway! All people are eligible to win a three-night stay in San Francisco—with their families, of course. And the whole family will attend an Oakland As’ baseball game at the newly named Overstock.com Coliseum. Here are the details:

• The sweepstakes will run June 10-19.
• Those who visit http://www.overstock.com/fathers-day can register and enter to win a three-night stay in San Francisco and tickets for the family (up to 5 people) to catch an Oakland As’ game at Overstock.com Coliseum in the Diamond Suite.
• Hotel, airfare and game tickets will all be taken care of by Overstock.
• The trip is available through September 22 (after that, the As aren’t at home).

I would love for one of you to win this prize so enter today!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
 
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Loving Eco Launces Today

LovingEco, launching today, is a private members, social commerce platform, that offers unsurpassed and innovative eco-friendly products at exclusive price points (up to 70% off retail), without compromising style. LovingEco is an advocate of ‘style for change’; an opportunity for consumers to ‘vote with their wallets’, making smarter choices about the products they purchase, so that together, we can create a more environmentally and socially conscious planet.

Through a series of limited-time and brand-specific sale events, subscribing consumers are given the opportunity to access and shop eco-friendly, fair trade and natural products at a discount across product categories of: fashion, accessories, beauty and mom and baby. 

Each sale features the best eco-friendly brands from top-notch companies, which are hand-selected and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.  LovingEco brings exclusive sales and products regularly to their customers, allowing a unique, one of a kind, shopping experience.

Key launch brands in the fashion space include:

Beatrix NY                                                      Organically Grown                                             

Sustainable Kids

Green As Wee Grow                                        Rebel Green

iPlay                                                                 SIGG

“LovingEco is a passion project for me; to educate and protect women’s health by creating a community of conscious consumption, and to create a sustainable way of giving back,“ says Melinda Moore, Founder and President of www.lovingeco.com. “I have always embraced a natural lifestyle and this is a way for me to inspire other women to discover many innovative and stylish eco brands.”

“Like many women, as a mother I became more aware of the ingredients of products that came in contact with me and my family, along with the longer term environmental impact of everything we consume,“ says Founder and CEO of the site, Justine Lassoff. “I founded LovingEco to curate and promote the best eco-friendly products for women to make it easy to access healthier product choices, while creating a fun and fashion-forward ecommerce platform.”

Background on co-founders Melinda Moore and Justine Lassoff

Justine Lassoff: With a background in digital media – Justine Lassoff was Vice President of Marketing for digital entertainment media start up FirstLook backed by idealab!, and Kleiner Perkins.  Starting her career in digital technology and video gaming at Virgin Interactive and MGM Interactive. Justine Lassoff is also an accredited interior designer. A graduate of the UCLA Interior Design program, she successfully founded her own design firm, garnered a prestigious design award and completed high-end residential projects for numerous celebrity and entertainment clients. She has also managed a family retail business, as buyer, manager and interior designer. Noting her expertise, Justine Lassoff brings a unique skill set at the intersection of the Internet, design and retailing businesses.  She has served on the Board of Step Up Women’s Network and is key member and fundraiser for Team Parkinson.  Justine received her B.A. Stanford University.

Melinda Moore: Melinda Moore is an award-winning integrated marketing executive with more than 15 years of big consumer brand marketing communications, mobile and digital experience.  Most recently, she was the vice president in the convergence department at Rogers and Cowan where she oversaw integrated communications and social media strategies for Scion, Majesco Entertainment and Tongal.  She specialized in managing the creation and execution of large, cross-platform campaigns and has worked with leading entertainment and technology companies including Citibank, Credo Mobile, msnbc.com, Netflix, LIVESTRONG, Orbitz, SONY and YouTube.  Melinda is a frequent speaker on social media and has garnered many awards including a Webby and a Silver MIXX Award.   She was also instrumental in selling STV Communications to Sonic Foundry for $66M in 2000.  She is very active in the non-profit sector and is a founding member of StartingBloc LA and served on the Board of Step Up Women’s Network for many years.  Melinda received her B.A. from UCLA.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

   

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Web-based Platform Reignites Storytelling For All Family Members

Be There Bedtime Stories (www.betherebedtimestories.com) announces “Webtime Stories™;” a web-based storytelling platform that offers families far apart the opportunity to be there for the tradition of storytelling at bedtime or anytime. By leveraging webcam technology and children’s e-books, Be There Bedtime Stories brings storytelling to life via the Internet. 

Creating a Webtime Story is simple:  1) choose from over 250 published children’s books licensed to the online bookstore at www.betherebedtimestories.com; 2) read the story in front of a webcam as it displays on the computer screen and; 3) the webcam recorded video of the storyteller is position on each page and a link to the Webtime Story is emailed to unlimited family members, viewable unlimited times. The price for unlimited access to a Webtime Story is currently $9.99, with subscription plans scheduled to launch in June.

“As social media platforms continue to grow and video chat is rapidly adopted, Webtime Stories represent a new generation of storytelling, using technologies that enrich relationships despite any distance apart,” said Alison Sansone, creator of Webtime Stories and founder of Be There Bedtime Stories.

“With millions of parents separated from their children nightly for many reasons from divorce, to military deployment to business travel, Webtime Stories add a new dimension to the age-old tradition of storytelling, keeping families connected, enabling child development, and creating recorded keepsakes.”

Webtime Stories™ Foster Literacy

The parent-approved, easy-to-use platform also delivers the added benefit of fostering literacy. Whether watching and listening to the storyteller on each page or recording their own Webtime Story, kids are engaging in proven read-aloud techniques that build language and literacy.
Sansone founded Be There Bedtime Stories to allow her to stay involved in the daily lives of her two nieces living more than 2,000 miles away. Forming a partnership with Blue Star Families (www.bluestarfamilies.com), a national military family support organization, was a natural extension of Sansone’s vision to connect families instantly and connect future generations because the recordings last forever.

About Be There Bedtime Stories

Be There Bedtime Stories is a creative webcam storytelling platform that produces memorable experiences for families by allowing them to “be there” through the tradition of storytelling. Founded by Alison Sansone, the format of combining webcam storytelling narrated by a family member provides a kid-friendly, family bonding form of multi-media which encourages budding readers and develops literacy skills. Currently, the company has acquired licensing from eight initial publishers to more than 250 published titles, including a variety of genres (e.g., educational, character building, holiday, Spanish language titles, etc.) appropriate for ages two through eight years old. For more information, visit www.betherebedtimestories.com or engage on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Be-There-Bedtime-Stories. 

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

   

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New Online Resource for Parents

Parenting just became a little easier with the launch of Figling.com, a new, hyper local online community with resources and recommendations for parents, by parents. Starting with a Los Angeles launch, the nationwide Figling.com will expand to several major markets in the coming months, including San Francisco, Chicago and New York. Figling’s services will be available in more than 25 cities by the end of 2011.

Figling.com was launched to fill the void of online referral services that cater to families and their needs. The site provides families with comprehensive kid-friendly event listings, as well as trusted word-of-mouth referrals for goods and services, such as camps, schools, nannies, handymen, and more. To ensure legitimacy and authenticity, all recommendations are manually vetted by Figling staff. 

“Figling was created to fill a major need for parents and families to have a convenient, one-stop online resource for the most important things a family needs in their lives,” said Maya Fidler, CEO and Founder, Figling.com. “Families function far differently today than ever before, and with so much clutter and suspicion on the Internet, Figling.com is a trusted partner for parents to make their lives, and their children’s lives, easier.”

Figling is free, and parents along with local businesses can immediately begin submitting events and resources to share within their local community. With an emphasis on families meeting offline, user event submissions are categorized by age, indoor events and outdoor events, among others, and can be filtered for the user’s convenience.  The site also provides a weekly newsletter for registered users that offers a helpful list of upcoming events and things to do with families. 

About Figling.com  

Founded by parents, for parents, Figling.com is every family’s one-stop resource for events, services, word-of-mouth referrals, recommendations and news. All event and referral submissions for Figling.com are vetted by a staff support team for authenticity. Featuring local content for major markets, including Los Angeles, Figling will expand to 25 cities in 2011. Launched in 2010, Figling’s executive team includes former Yahoo! and Los Angeles Times executives. For more information, visit www.figling.com

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
  
 

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Celebrate Mother's Day with Great Photo Gifts from Snapfish

As you’re gearing up for Mother’s Day on May 8 and searching for the perfect keepsake for yourself or your readers, I wanted to provide you with a few gift recommendations from HP and Snapfish that we think moms will love! These include:

Available from Snapfish.com

• Photo books – Honor mom by capturing her favorite moments in a personalized photo book. You can even archive her favorite family recipes! Snapfish offers photo books with many creative layouts and a range of sizes including 8x11, 8x8, 5x7 and even 4x6 flip books, great for all occasions.Leather bracelet with photo charm – Put mom’s favorite picture on a bracelet so she can wear it every day.
• Sterling silver swinging locket – Looking for a gift she’ll cherish forever? Snapfish’s new sterling silver necklace with swinging locket allows you to display mom’s favorite photo in a locket that is sealed in a waterproof, UV-resistant coating to protect the image. Sent in a gift box, Snapfish does the wrapping for you.
• Keepsake Box – Perfect for keeping all her prized possessions in one place, this beautiful keepsake box is made of dark-stained wood and features one glossy photo tile, measuring 5" X 2¼" deep.
• Hardcover Journal – Inspire mom by helping her record her special day and year with a personalized journal by Paper Coterie. The journal features a photo and several custom designs she’ll flip for.
• Photo greeting card – Who doesn’t love a thoughtful greeting card? But why settle for one you can buy anywhere?  Instead, show your appreciation for mom by sending her a personalized photo greeting card on her special day. Snapfish offers a myriad of selections with more than 3,000 designs. You can even create a recordable greeting card to show mom how much you care, whether she’s close or far.
  
  Available at your local Walmart:
  
• Photo books– Looking for a thoughtful gift that’s easy on your wallet and your busy life?  You can create and purchase a treasured keepsake while catching up on errands at your local Walmart.  HP and Walmart offers instant Photo Books in sizes ranging from 4x6 to 12x12 (product availability varies by store). Even better, Walmart is offering a price rollback now through June 30^th for great gifts at significant savings.
• Photo greeting card – Waited until the last minute to get Mom a card, but don’t want to settle for the picked-over selection at the store?  Create a custom photo greeting card in-store at Walmart and watch Mom smile as she opens it. 

My Take on Snapfish and Their Services

I had the opportunity to try out Snapfish and their services and I was amazed at the breadth and depth of their products. From the pendant listed above to a myriad of different photo books, you can make almost any memento that you can think of. I played around with the site and was intrigued to find how easy the site was to use. In seconds you can upload pictures and start making a photo book or special mothers day card or other unique gift. The sky is the limit! For me, I used a giftcard that I received to make a photo book that I think someone will definitely like (I'm not saying whom for wandering eyes may be watching). 

So if you have a special mom in your life that you are looking for a wonderful unique gift, look no further than snapfish.com where you can let your creativity soar and you can make purely spectacular things!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

   

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