Resorts cash in on 'momcation' trend; high-tech theme park ride ups and downs

Momcation, take me away

The momcation, a vacation designed to give tired mothers a break from children and spouses, is on the rise. Hotels and tour operators are attempting to cash in. In California's Napa Valley, the Archer Hotel has the "Mom's Wine Country Getaway" package, which includes homemade salted caramels, a bathrobe, slippers and "complimentary Wi-Fi and a flat-screen TV with premium channels — plus a remote you won't have to share." At the Resort at Pelican Hill, a five-star retreat in Newport Beach, Calif., customers booking the "Mom-cation" package receive a $50 spa credit, a "Guilt Be Gone" bath bomb and a branded bathrobe, which they can wear while sipping on their complimentary bottle of "Mom Juice" (red, white or sparkling wine). True Tahiti Vacations offers the Moorea Momcation (from $4,777) and the "Magical Momcation" (from $7,204), two weeklong escapes in pool-front or over-water bungalows that include spa treatments, snorkeling with turtles and round-trip airfare.

New York Times

Delta gets the metal out

Delta Air Lines launched its redesigned credit cards Thursday with revamped benefits and a surprise: The two most expensive cards, platinum and reserve, will be made of metal. Existing cardholders won't get the new cards until their current one expires, but eager customers can request a card replacement through their American Express account. Gold, platinum and reserve cardholders will earn more points on daily purchases, such as restaurants and supermarkets. There are a few trade-offs. The annual fees will increase from $95 to $99 for gold, from $195 to $250 for platinum and from $450 to $550 for reserve. Delta also announced that it will issue new uniforms next year, in the face of growing pressure from employees saying their uniforms are making them sick.

KRisten Leigh Painter

Theme-park ups and downs

The next ride to open at the Universal Studios Hollywood this spring will feature characters and scenes from the animated film franchise "The Secret Life of Pets." The park is boasting that the new attraction will rely on a "series of technological firsts" that will turn a rider's face into the mug of a puppy in need of adoption. The ride represents the latest in the theme park industry's move toward more sophisticated and technologically advanced attractions. But technology can have drawbacks. This month, Disneyland opened Rise of the Resistance, a ride that combines holograms, animatronics, live actors and pyrotechnics to put riders in the middle of a space battle. The ride has been getting rave reviews from parkgoers, but the attraction has temporarily broken down several times since it opened Jan. 17.

Los Angeles Times

A new day for Condor

The owner of Polish airline LOT is taking over German carrier Condor, which offers seasonal nonstop service between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Frankfurt, Germany, with connections to much of Europe. The acquisition is expected to close by April. The German government had granted Condor a 380 million-euro ($421 million) loan to give it time to find a new investor after its British owner Thomas Cook collapsed in September. "Maybe there was uncertainty about Condor's future," PGL and LOT Chief Executive Rafal Milczarski said at a news conference in Frankfurt. "I would like to say very firmly today: There is no more uncertainty. Condor will not only survive, but it will grow very dynamically."

Associated Press