Extra Mile Awards 2005: The 10 Winners

Kids can hang out 24/7 if their parents don't mind. At the entrance is a red door frame with the words the door is always open, on which it's become custom to leave a note, a tag, or random graffiti in Magic Marker. "It's as popular as any technological item we could have installed," says Mark Wiser, vice president of marketing. "Teens like the idea of leaving their mark, and it doesn't hurt that this is something they're normally not allowed to do." Versions of The Ramp are expected to open in 2006 at Club Meds in Ixtapa, Mexico, and in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Microtel Inns & Suites: A Hotel Room Telephone That You'll Want to Use

Hotels often view phones as moneymakers along the lines of the minibar. Dialing long-distance can bring connection fees and ridiculous per-minute rates, and a local call might cost as much as $2. Many hotels even charge guests for toll-free calls. "What's outrageous is when you pay $300 a night and get nickel-and-dimed," says Jon Leven, executive vice president of marketing for Microtel. "Our guests, who pay around $50 per room, don't want to pay $5 to make a phone call." (Who does?)

The Atlanta-based chain figured out a way to make guests happy. As of February, all Microtel rooms in the continental U.S. come with free local and long-distance calls (within the lower 48). You can order a pizza, keep in touch back home, or chat with an old buddy across the country, all without using minutes on your cell phone, dealing with mobile-phone static, or worrying about the cost. Then, to sweeten the deal, Microtel added free Wi-Fi.

Travelocity: Adding Good Service to the Booking Engine

For years, there's been an assumed trade-off for booking online: You may find a deal, but you're on your own if something goes wrong. In May, Travelocity challenged that notion, announcing a customer bill of rights and pledging that its agents will intervene if your expectations aren't met. For hotel stays, if you book a suite but are given a standard room, or if you show up and the pool is closed, they'll talk directly to the property to correct the situation or find you a different place to stay at no extra charge. And if you book a flight with the wrong dates, you have 24 hours to make a change for free (dates only, not routes). "This is our way of telling customers there is a face behind the computer screen," says Michelle Peluso, president and CEO. "We've got thousands of customer service agents here ready to help people."

The initiative includes steps that traditional travel agents have taken for years. But Travelocity is the only major booking site to plainly spell out its services. In August, Delta Airlines upped the ante, allowing customers to change or cancel tickets-- totally free, no questions asked-- within 24 hours of payment, through its central reservations or its website. This is a trend we really like.

Google: A Revolution in BothMaps and Directions

Though still in testing stages, Google Maps (maps.google.com) and Google Earth (earth.google.com) have changed the way travelers locate addresses, directions, and more. To scout out a hotel, type in the name at Google Maps. A map IDs street names, shopping centers, and train stations, and there is an option for a satellite view--you can often zoom in and see the hotel pool--or a hybrid view, with streets and landmarks listed on aerial photos.

The maps allow you to scroll and zoom without having to reload images. There are also services you wouldn't expect from a map. Type in "free Wi-Fi" and a zip code, and hotspots will appear. Plug in keywords--"barbecue," "Omaha"-- and up pop nine restaurants on the city map, with phone numbers and links to dining reviews. But the heart of the operation remains helping users get from A to B. "We want to make sure our driving directions are the fastest and most accurate," says Bret Taylor, Google Maps product manager. "We'll stop tweaking the site when my dad stops e-mailing me complaints that our directions take him the slow way." Maps aren't available everywhere, though the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. are covered fairly well.

Google Earth has even more promise, incorporating the best of Maps (directions, business listings) with high-resolution 3D images, in some instances making it possible to check out the scenery from whatever angle you like-- including the view from a rooftop restaurant. A toolbar pulls up selected info to accompany the images: crime statistics, hospitals, pizzerias, tips written by friends or random users. At press time, there were hi-res images of most major cities worldwide and well over 100 U.S. towns. It only works with PCs, and using the high-tech program can be time-consuming. But the potential is, well, earth-shattering.

InterContinental Hotels Group: The Rewards Program Willing to Test Your Loyalty

InterContinental, the company that owns Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and other hotel brands, understands that customers like options. Its Priority Club Rewards program has often introduced new ways to thank clients: About 25 percent of all points are now traded in for non-hotel rewards, often in the form of cool merchandise-- golf clubs, iPods, mountain bikes, DVD players.

In July, InterContinental expanded the possibilities, allowing club members to exchange points for Any Hotel, Anywhere cards. The prepaid lodging cards, valued between $100 and $250, are accepted at all hotels that take American Express-- including non-InterContinental properties. "The first reaction we get is often, 'That's insane!' " says Steve Sickel, senior vice president of Priority Club Rewards. "Why would you want to let your customers stay in a competitor's hotel?" The risk of a brand-loyal guest defecting was outweighed by InterContinental's confidence in its hotels, as well as in its members' gratitude at having more choices.

The cards can be used for stays at five-star resorts, family-run B&Bs, and anything in between--as well as for meals and services provided by the property, such as massages and valet parking. What's especially nice is that there's no reservation code or special procedure required. It works like an ordinary debit card.

Independence Air: A Free Flight If Your Luggage Arrives Late

As too many of us know from experience, checked bags don't always show up when or where they're supposed to. Nearly all airlines cover the costs of toiletries and other minimal expenses passengers incur due to delayed luggage. Independence Air, based at Washington-Dulles Airport, saw a better way to compensate travelers. If your bags don't arrive with the other luggage on the plane, you're eligible for a free one-way ticket, to be used within a year of the original purchase. "Everybody in the industry pretty much only does the bare minimum required by the government," says Rick DeLisi, the carrier's director of corporate communications and the man most responsible for the new policy, which was introduced in May. "We were trying to stand out in an industry in which people have become accustomed to indifferent, sometimes surly, service." The program is valid on flights through the end of 2005, and at press time, Independence Air was considering extending it.

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts: Radio That's Sure to Please Everybody

A little music in the hotel room can set the right mood. Struggling to find good tunes in a city where you don't know the stations can do just the opposite. "The way most hotels are set up, you don't get good reception, and the sound quality is poor," says Matt Adams, vice president of operations at Hyatt. "That $15 clock radio just doesn't cut it anymore." As of this fall, Hyatt guests won't have to fuss with static and constant commercials. All 50,000 of its guest rooms in the continental U.S. are being outfitted with complimentary XM Satellite Radio, both in the clock radio and in a separate unit at a desk or entertainment center. The service is the same one that XM subscribers receive at home or in the car, with more than 150 channels separated by genre (country, rock, sports, talk, etc.), including 67 commercial-free music stations. Guests have the option of listening to vintage radio programs from Jack Benny and Abbott and Costello, news and talk shows from all sides of the political spectrum, every Major League Baseball game