Want to Rent a Russian <i> Dacha?</i> It’ll Cost You

Not to be outdone by the Romanians (who have made the country hunting lodge of the late dictator Nicolae Ceausescu into a hotel), the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg, Russia, has just opened up three dachas-- so-called country homes--on Stone Island in St. Petersburg for conferences and meetings. One of the mansions was a private villa built in 1903 for a French architect. Another was built in 1913 as home for a pre-revolutionary businessman. The third was built in 1967 for the City Council and features a theater, large indoor gardens and verandas opening up onto gardens. All three were used, until recently, by Soviet government officials for entertaining important dignitaries. Capitalistic rental prices for the dachas range from $1,000 to $4,000 per day.

Travel Quiz: What Western state holds the world record for the greatest snowfall in a single storm?

Netherlands Wants Gay Travelers: The Netherlands state tourism bureau is trying to get more American gays to visit. Marcel Baltus of the Netherlands Tourism Bureau said that research by the bureau’s New York office indicated homosexual men in the United States are likely to have a significantly higher disposable income than other American tourists, and are far more frequent travelers. Ads sponsored by the bureau, an airline and a car rental firm ran this month in nine U.S. publications aimed at gay readers. The traditionally liberal Dutch capital, which hosted this month’s international conference on AIDS, has a large and open homosexual community.

We’re Not the Only Ones: Even the Japanese, who seemed for a time to be masters of the fiscal universe, have begun to curtail travel plans. The recession has prompted both domestic and overseas travel to dip, according to the Japan Travel Bureau. This is being attributed in large part to the recession there, which is holding down the semi-annual summer bonus and overtime payments, thus reducing disposable incomes. And so the Japan Travel Bureau reports that even the Japanese are taking vacations that follow three principals which may sound familiar to many Americans: free, family and without frills.

Hotel Greenery: Red Lion Hotels & Inns of Portland, Ore., is among the latest hoteliers to implement a program that is so-called “green” or environment-friendly. It is designed to reduce by 12 million gallons--or 36%--the amount of water used annually at the chain’s six Portland hotels. Water-saving steps range from reusing ice for landscape watering, to eliminating the practice of washing down driveways and sidewalks, to installation of new guest room toilets that require 50% less water and faucets that reduce flow by 40%. Based on the predicted success of the Portland effort--to be operational in about a week--the company will expand the program by the end of 1992 to its 45 other hotels in 10 Western states. “It makes sense from a business as well as environmental standpoint because we save money,” said Kim Hansink, spokeswoman for Red Lion Hotels & Inns in Vancouver, Wash. “And customers like to see that businesses are doing their part--especially if they can’t water their lawns at home.”

Another hotel, the Boston Park Plaza, has announced that, beginning Sept. 1, it will offer heavy discounts on conference and meeting space to non-profit ecological groups (depending upon the size of the group and its financial status). In certain cases the hotel would offer meeting space free of charge. This is in addition to the hotel’s ongoing recycling of paper, plastic and aluminum, as well as such creative practices as converting used table linens into chef’s aprons. and elimination of an estimated 2 million plastic containers a year (for amenities such as shampoo) by installing dispensers that serve the same purpose.

Word Maps by Fax: Motorists in Orlando, Fla., have just begun testing TeleMap, a service that will answer the question, “How do I get there?” by delivering local driving directions by telephone, fax or video display. TeleMap is available in the Orlando area on a pay-per-call basis (prices vary but average about $3.50 per minute) and will be available free to AAA members Sept. 1. AAA plans to implement TeleMap in more than 90 cities across the country by 1994. To get directions: Callers with touch-tone phones enter the area code and telephone number of their starting and destination locations. The system then retrieves street addresses from its data base and transmits the route--in a series of written instructions--in an average of 10 seconds via telephone lines on a fax or by video display terminal hooked up to special video teleconferencing telephones. Operators can assist those without touch-tone phones.

Free Conversion Guide: The 1992 Summer Edition of Ruesch International’s pocket-size foreign currency guide contains currency conversion charts for 24 countries, as well as currency import/export restrictions, tipping instructions for frequently visited countries and international weight, measure and temperature equivalents. For a free copy, write: Foreign Currency Guide, c/o Ruesch International, 1875 Century Park East, Suite 1450, Los Angeles 90067.

Tourists Despite Trucks: France tourist officials say they expect record tourism earnings this year despite a 10-day truckers’ blockade that trapped thousands of vacationers on the highways and deterred many potential visitors last month. Tourism Minister Jean-Michel Baylet told a recent news conference that the truck drivers’ conflict cost French tourism an estimated $400 million in lost earnings. But he said the industry should still contribute a record $10.8 billion to $11.4 billion to the French balance of payments surplus this year, up from $10.2 billion in 1991. The number of tourists from the United States is expected to rise by up to 25% this year, according to government projections.

Comparatively Speaking: Average cost of a carton of cigarettes in New York: $25.98. In Houston: $19.33. In Boston: $17.48. In Washington, D.C.: $16.51. In Atlanta: $15.47. (Source: Runzheimer International.)

Quiz Answer: California--where Mt. Shasta Ski Bowl recorded 189 inches from Feb. 13 to 19, 1959.