Great Winter and New Year Deals at The Birches Resort on Moosewood Lake

Special Packages for the New Year, Accomodations from Roomy Homes to Remote Wilderness Yurts

(ROCKWOOD, MAINE, December 15, 2009).The winter season opens at The Birches Resort in Rockwood, Maine with two great deals:  New Year's Weekend Package (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) includes lodging, New Year's Eve buffet, live music by "Final Approach" on Thursday and Friday nights, and breakfasts in the lodge, plus access to all winter snow sports. Price for two adults starts at just $379 for a lodge room, or $549 for a 1-bedroom cabin. Tax, gratuity, equipment rentals, alcoholic beverages not included.

Snowmobile Club Package for groups of 12 or more starts at just $80 per person per night on weekdays, and $84 per person per night on weekends. Deal includes lodging, breakfast and dinner. Tax, alcoholic beverages, gratuities or equipment rentals not included. Certain restrictions apply.

For more information about these deals or the resort, please visit: www.birches.com or call 800-825-WILD.

About The Birches Resort:

Located on Moosehead Lake in Rockwood, Maine, on a privately owned, 11,000 acre nature preserve. In the heart of Maine’s Great North Woods, the last remaining wilderness in New England. Built in the 1930's as a hunting lodge, today the resort offers guests a variety of outdoor activities and comfortable, homey accommodations. The Birches Resort restaurant is one of the finest in Northern Maine and the lodge is a perfect place to relax after a day on the trails. Cross country skiing, sledding and snowshoeing, white water rafting, fishing, canoeing and kayaking are available within the resort's parameters - you don't need your car once you're there. http://www.birches.com/.

CONTACT:
Gero Communications
mgero@gerocom.com
617-277-1675

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Only All-Suite Property in the Adirondacks: Whiteface Lodge Introduces Two Winter Savings Packages

"Suite Resort Credits" and "Ski Free" Packages Offer Seasonal Savings
LAKE PLACID, NY (December 14, 2009) - The Whiteface Lodge Resort & Spa in Lake Placid, NY introduced two new winter savings packages designed to inspire families, groups of friends and others to enjoy fun-filled activities at the Resort and in the beautiful surrounding Adirondacks.

Suite Winter Package / Available Now - April 1, 2010

The "Suite Winter Package" features varying levels of Resort credits, aimed to motivate guests to enjoy the property's myriad activities, amenities and food / beverage experiences. It's also an opportunity for the Resort to showcase its spacious and elegantly appointed Adirondack-themed one-, two- and three-bedroom suites. The Whiteface Lodge is the only all-suite property in the Adirondacks.

The package is effective immediately and available Sunday - Thursday until April 1, 2010, (excluding holidays). For guests who book a one bedroom suite, the package provides a $50 Resort credit for a one-night stay; a $150 credit for a two-night stay and a $300 credit for a three-night stay. Additionally, guests who book the package will receive a sumptuous and free American breakfast each morning in Kanu, the property's signature dining area. Guests may use the Resort credits towards dining in Kanu or the adjacent Kanu Lounge or they may apply the credits and enjoy a soothing spa treatment in the Resort's on-site 5,800-square-foot spa. The price for a one-bedroom suite is $395/night, excluding taxes and other fees. (The package does not apply to existing reservations. Resort credits cannot be applied toward the final bill). The Suite Winter Package is also available for the Resort's luxuriously appointed, Adirondack-themed, two- and three-bedroom suites.

"Ski Free" Package

Beginning January 2, 2010 through March 31, 2010, The Whiteface Lodge is offering a savvy "Ski Free" package for Whiteface Mountain, site of the 1980 Olympic Men's Alpine competition. The package requires a minimum two-night stay in a luxury one-, two- or three-bedroom suite. Guest who book a one-bedroom suite, priced at $446/night, receive two gratis lift tickets daily; a stay in a two-bedroom suite ($758/night) provides two complimentary lift tickets daily; and a booking for a three-bedroom suite (priced at $920/night) provides 4 complimentary lift tickets. Guests who participate in this package will receive a gratis full American breakfast in Kanu each morning. (Nightly room rates do not include Resort fees or taxes).

About The Whiteface Lodge

Located in the woodland setting of the High Peaks region of Lake Placid, New York, The Whiteface Lodge is the only all-suite Resort in the Adirondacks, offering 94 guest accommodations. The Resort also offers a value-added experience unparalleled in the region, providing guests with access to a wide range of gratis amenities, services and activities, including a sumptuous breakfast each morning in Kanu, the Resort's signature dining area; a creative kids program for ages three to ten called Kamp Kanu; onsite heated swimming pools; fishing in a stocked catch and release pond, with all equipment provided; basketball, tennis and paddle tennis courts; sophisticated fitness center; three-season ice skating rink; family game room with a two-lane bowling alley; nightly s'mores campfire; and a 54-seat movie theater. Additionally, during the summer, guests of the Resort receive complimentary access to the private lakefront "Canoe Club," where kayaks, canoes, and paddleboats are all gratis.

Inspired by the historic Adirondack "Great Camps," signature features of The Whiteface Lodge also include plush Adirondack-styled furnishings, fireplaces, gourmet kitchens, private balconies, granite baths, and complimentary high-speed Internet. A 5,800-square-foot Spa, with treatments and services embracing local elements and ingredients, is a favorite spot for Resort guests.

The Whiteface Lodge features four dining areas -- The Kanu Lounge for casual fare and Kanu, where guests may enjoy a formal or casual culinary experience, such as tapas and cocktails, or a three-course, wine-pairing lunch or dinner. Featuring old-fashioned decor blended with a wide range of modern ice cream dishes, the Resort's onsite Ice Cream Parlor was developed to provide tasty treats to guests of all ages. Additionally, select grilled culinary fare, complimented by refreshing beverages, are featured at the Resort's private Canoe Club, located on Lake Placid. (The Canoe Club is open only during the summer). Recently, the Resort expanded its culinary services, enabling guests lounging by the pool, in lean-tos or on the outdoor patios and terrace to enjoy tapas, meals and beverages of their choice. The Resort also provides 24-hour In Room Dining.

Awards & Accolades

The Whiteface Lodge is an AAA Four-Diamond Award-winning property. In July 2009, The Whiteface Lodge was named a top resort on Travel + Leisure's 2009 "World's Best Awards" list. The Resort was ranked number 22 among the "Top 50 Resorts in the US and Canada," achieving the highest accolade of any hotel or resort in the Adirondack region. In 2008, the Resort ranked third on the 'Best Hotel Spa' list per Condé Nast Traveler's list of the "Best Spas in North America and the Caribbean." and it placed 41 on Conde Nast's 2008 list of 'The Top 50 Ski Hotels in North America." Additionally, The Whiteface Lodge has been named "one the top places to stay" according to National Geographic Traveler's 2009 "Stay List"; one of 2007/2008 World's Top Hotels, Resorts, and Spas per Zagat's; and was listed in third place on TripAdvisor.com's 2009 list of "Top 10: Spa Destinations." The property has also appeared on Condé Nast Traveler's "Hot List" and The Robb Report's "Best of the Best" list since its 2005 opening. With a renowned culinary program, The Whiteface Lodge was selected to participate in the prestigious 2009 James Beard Society "Taste of New York" culinary event in New York City. The Resort's Executive Chef and Sommelier achieved the coveted honor of creating and presenting the entree and wine pairing to over 50 distinguished culinary experts and journalists.

The Whiteface Lodge is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. For information, please call 1-800-903-4045 or visit www.TheWhitefaceLodge.com.

CONTACT:

Renee Martin (x21) / Danielle Terzian (x14)

Carolyn Izzo Integrated Communications

845-358-3920 x21

rmartin@ciicnews.com

Small retailers expect welcome sales jolt from Free Shipping Day on December 17, 2009

More than 600 merchants big and small have signed up to participate in Free Shipping Day, which is set for December 17.

Ft. Collins, Col. – When the inaugural Free Shipping Day was held in December 2008, retailers embraced the event because it extended the online holiday shopping season and created substantial exposure that the merchants otherwise would not have seen. This is especially true for small retailers, many of which set single-day sales records and web site traffic. Because of this, it is no surprise that most retailers that participated last year have signed up for this year’s Free Shipping Day, which is set for Thursday, December 17. Last year, 250 merchants participated. The number for this year’s Free Shipping Day is over 600.

“We received an enormous amount of online, print and broadcast media coverage, and that created awareness for Free Shipping Day and the retailers that participated,” Knowles said. “Smaller merchants especially benefited because it was free exposure that introduced them to consumers who could become repeat customers.”

Free Shipping Day is a one day shopping event when participating merchants offer free shipping to their customers with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. The event has attracted the major retailers that have deep marketing budgets. For smaller merchants, Free Shipping Day has emerged as profitable in many ways.

Julie Swatek, who is founder and president of Scrap Your Trip, was hesitant to try free shipping until she learned about last year’s Free Shipping Day. She decided to participate, giving customers free shipping. The result was a 92 percent increase in sales over the previous day.

“We were so stunned with the response that we had to work overtime to fill the orders,” said Swatek, whose company sells travel and scene-specific scrapbooking materials. “This year, we know what to expect, so we are working hard to make sure we are completely caught up so on December 17 can just focus on orders generated from Free Shipping Day.”

Swatek was so impressed with the response created by Free Shipping Day that she decided to implement free shipping for customers at the beginning of 2009. As a result, Scrap Your Trip’s average order has increased 23 percent over last year.

Kari Kraichely of Charm Boutique, which sells handmade jewelry and gifts, said her site set a single-day record for traffic because of its participation in last year’s Free Shipping Day. In preparation for December 17, Kraichely has increased her staff to fill the anticipated orders.

“We don’t have the marketing budget of a big retailer, so Free Shipping Day represents a great opportunity to increase our customer base,” Kraichely said. “We already offered free shipping before we participated in last year’s Free Shipping Day, but since the event gave us exposure to people who didn’t know about us, we had a lot of repeat sales throughout the year.”

Knowles expected a favorable response from retailers and consumers last year, but he didn’t anticipate the overwhelming interest that the event actually received. The FreeShippingDay.com web site saw 250,000 hits in a 10-day period, including 100,000 on the actual day itself.

If you'd like to arrange an interview with Free Shipping day founder Luke Knowles, please contact Jeff Louderback at: 407-474-6149.

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Free Shipping Day is a one day online shopping event on Dec. 17, when participating merchants offer free shipping to their customers with guaranteed delivery by Christmas. Participating merchants include Toys R Us, JCPenney, Apple Store, Nike, Sears, Babies R Us, Eddie Bauer, PacSun, Ralph Lauren and Adidas. For more information, visit www.freeshippingday.com.