The Historic Hotels of America has a little promo going to mark the annual daylight savings clock change, which goes down on a week later than usual this year on Nov. 4th. Through the Historic Hotels of America Fall Back in Time promotion, there are 75 hotels and inns offering promotions and deals that have something to do with the year each was built. Here are a descriptions for a few (text taken from HHA):

Kings Courtyard Inn, Charleston, SC: Built in 1853, the Kings Courtyard Inn offers the “1853 Then and Now” three-night package for two in a standard room. Complimentary continental breakfast offered each morning and sherry and wine are served each afternoon. (Available October 1 through November 30, 2007, valid Sunday through Thursday; $235.00 per night for two nights and $18.53 for the third night.)

The Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa, Asheville, NC: The Grove Park Inn has been drawing rave reviews since opening in 1913. The “Fall Back in Time” package features a nearly 50% discount on a two-night stay in a Mountain View room. (Available October 1 through November 30, 2007, valid Sunday through Wednesday; $385.00 for the first night and $19.13 for the second night.)

Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club, Lenox, Mass: In 1894, almost five years after Harriet Beecher Stowe’s brother, the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, owned what is today Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club, the Sloane family built their Gilded-Age “cottage” Wyndhurst Mansion on the property. Celebrate Cranwell’s heritage with the “Fall Back in Time in the Berkshires” package. (Available October 1 through November 30, 2007; book one night at full rate and receive the second night at $18.94, Sunday through Thursday night, excluding holidays.)

The Middlebury Inn, Middlebury, VT: Enjoy one of Vermont’s loveliest historic inns built in 1827. The “Fall Back in Time” two-night package offers luxury lodging, picnic lunch, a “Hunt for History” scavenger hunt with prizes, two passes to the Henry Sheldon Museum and the U.V.M. Morgan Horse Farm, self-guided covered bridge tour, afternoon tea and continental breakfast. (Available through November 4, 2007; $699 per room, Sunday through Thursday; $749 Fri. & Sat. Add a three-course dinner for two priced at $18.27 per person.)

The Wort Hotel (pictured), Jackson Hole, WY: Commemorating the hotel’s gambling lore and 1941opening, the “Fall Back in Time” package offers three nights in a themed suite, signature yellow rose bouquet, one-hour poker instruction and commemorative poker set, dinner in the Silver Dollar Grill and $19.41 credit in the famed Silver Dollar Bar, Jackson Hole historical walking tour map, two signature Wort Hotel bath robes and a copy of the hotel’s coffee table book. (Available October 1 through December 7, 2007; $1,941 per couple, including tax; additional nights $194.10.)

And here’s an added perk for American Express cardholders: Book a Fall Back in Time package through the Historic Hotels of America (online or by phone, 800-678-8946), pay with your card and receive a complimentary one-year membership to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Yesterday Boston’s historic Charles Street Jail building reopened as an upscale boutique lodging option called the Liberty Hotel. While most of the 300 rooms and suites are housed in a separate, newly constructed tower, the original jail building offers 18 rooms with exposed brick walls, stainless steel fixtures and mahogany furnishings. Located in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood near Mass General Hospital and overlooking the Charles River, the hotel’s central rotunda lobby area features catwalks once used to monitor inmates, while mosaics depicting true crimes and prison scenes play along with the building’s criminal past. The original “drunk tank” takes on new life as the appropriately-named hotel bar Alibi, while the former prison exercise yard is now a landscaped courtyard garden.

A quick check today revealed room rates for two adults on a weekend night in October to range from $315/night for a King room or room with two doubles to $715 for an 800-square-foot one-bedroom suite to $5,500 for the 2,200-square-foot presidential suite, which also includes a library and butler’s pantry.

Ask George: I recently traveled on Amtrak’s Acela train from Boston Back Bay to New York, and found it to be a much more pleasant experience than flying, even though we departed 45 minutes late (the crew never explained why). But here’s my question: somehow, we managed to arrive in New York just 5 minutes late, which makes me think that Amtrak could easily operate a much faster schedule, perhaps traveling Boston to New York in far less than the current 3 hours and 25 minutes or so. Any idea why they don’t go faster? It would certainly increase their ridership if they did.

Answer: As do the airlines, Amtrak builds in extra travel time to compensate for delays. That way, they can boast a higher on-time performance record. In fact, were it to operate nonstop, and not run into other rail traffic along the way, the Acela could easily travel from Boston to New York in far less time than its current schedule. The real question is why, if the Acela can travel 150 miles per hour, it can’t make the approximately 250 mile trip from Boston to New York in under a scheduled two hours, and there are two main reasons:

1) Amtrak doesn’t own the tracks between New Haven and New Rochelle, NY. The Metro North Railroad, part of New York City’s MTA, owns and operates this part of the route, and because the overhead electrical wires are so antiquated on this stretch, trains are limited to 80 MPH (any faster, and the trains pull down the wires, especially in warm weather when they tend to sag). Also, Metro North gives priority to its own trains along this heavily traveled portion if there’s a delay or heavy traffic.

2) Amtrak had hoped to eliminate all grade crossings, straighten some especially curvy stretches of track, and replace antiquated bridges (which mandate slower speeds) along the part of the route it owns, but they ran out of money, in part because they faced legal challenges from property owners and environmental groups. This litigation dragged on for years, and by the time it was settled, costs had skyrocketed and legal bills drained Amtrak’s budget for the reconstruction of the route. You’ll notice that in some of the more wealthy communities along the route in Rhode Island and Connecticut there are still old-fashioned (and potentially dangerous) grade crossings (that’s where a gate comes down to block vehicular traffic). A representative from the Acela’s manufacturer explained to me that these communities sued Amtrak to force the railroad to maintain these crossings, which requires the trains to slow down when passing through them.

George Hobica is a travel writer living in New York City.

Do you have a question to ask George? Send us your question, and George may feature it in an upcoming column.

Now that the deadline has almost passed for scoring those low, low fares from Virgin America and JetBlue, United Airlines has swooped in with its own fall fare sale. You’ve got to purchase by Aug. 20 and travel by Dec. 13, 2007 on off-peak days of the week. If your travel plans can deal with those parameters, you could snap up tickets on the cheap. Some sample routes (all fares roundtrip):

Washington Dulles - Chicago: $172

Los Angeles to London - $528

Chicago to Puerto Vallarta - $308

Boston to Washington Dulles - $128

United Airlines Fall Fare Sale

Traveling shoe fetishists have reason to head to the Boston Center for the Arts today for the opening of Canada’s BATA Shoe Museum free exhibit of famous and exotic shoes. On display through July 28th, the exhibit features such vaunted footwear as Marilyn Monroe’s red silk high-heel boudoir slippers (and no, we’re not talking about the ones in the picture!) and unusual offerings like 19th-century shoes worn by the Sioux and Inuit and 18th-century evening shoes. Wish we had a pic of the Marilyn slips, but I suppose you’ll just have to go check out the show if you want to see them.

Exhibition of Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum

Here’s a cute way to make your child’s first flight a little more fun: USA3000’s First Flight Certificate. The discount carrier offers them to children on its flights upon request. The airline flies to Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean from 15 U.S. cities (St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Hartford, Philadelphia, Newark, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Ft. Myers and Ft. Lauderdale).

Dog Friendly has released its 2007 list of the Top Dog Friendly Vacation Destinations in the U.S. and Canada. Here, directly from the source (click the link above for more detailed destination information):

1. Boston - Take a boat or whale watching cruise. Walk the Freedom Trail, visit Salem and explore history at Minute Man Park. Your leashed dog is also welcome on the subway.

2. Vancouver - Walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge and park. Take a walking tour of Historic Gastown. Take the ferry and visit nearby Victoria and beautiful Butchart Gardens.

3. New York - Stay in luxury at many fine hotels. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Take a walking tour of lower Manhattan. Ride the carriages. Watch a morning show. Shop in many famous stores.

4. San Francisco - Luxurious hotels, outdoor dining, the Golden Gate Bridge, Baker Beach and many off-leash areas. Ride the cable car to the Fisherman’s Wharf area and stroll with your dog.

5. Austin - Visit Zilker Botanical Gardens, catch a horse and carriage ride, dine in outdoor cafes. See the bats leave the Congress St Bridge at dusk. Use the city’s many parks.

6. Portland - Enjoy over 20 off-leash areas, an amusement park and the famous Rose Gardens. Dine at the Lucky Lab. Visit the Saturday Outdoor Market and hike in the Colombia River Gorge.

7. Northern Virginia - Dine or enjoy happy hour in dog-friendly Alexandria. Take the Canine Cruise on the Potomac. Visit outdoor monuments in Washington and Virginia.

8. Orlando - Stay at resorts such as the Portofino Bay and Sheraton World. Take a boat cruise, shop Winter Park, and dine at Sam Snead’s where Jeb Bush signed the doggy dining law.

9. San Diego - Off-leash dog beaches. Stay at Loews Coronado Resort. Shop at dog-friendly Otay Ranch Shopping Center complete with a dog park. Dine outdoors. Visit nearby Julian.

10. Dallas/Fort Worth - Ride a carriage, visit Pioneer Plaza, take a walking tour. Visit Fort Woof dog park and the Stockyard in Fort Worth. Dine on Texas BBQ at outdoor restaurants.

Ah, I remember the days when Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, excellent role model for impressionable youth that he was, came to my college campus each spring and sang songs while strumming away on a guitar. While I’ll always remember him for that, most remember the former mayor of Providence, RI as the sort of man that pisses on “colleagues” accused of sleeping with his wife. But what does this have to do with travel?

When Cianci emerges from federal prison later this month after serving approximately five years on racketeering charges, he’s going to be employed at Boston’s Fifteen Beacon Hotel. Apparently he’s going to work in the sales and marketing department, which I’m sure he’ll do quite well at considering his political roots. All I can say is this: If Cianci calls and asks for your support, you’d be smart to take him up on his offer.

Cianci Snags Job at Luxurious Boston Hotel

Planning a summer visit to Canada? Right now, Starwood is offering discounted summer rates at many of its Canadian hotels. For example (in Canadian $):

Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Suites London starting at $105

Le Royal Méridien King Edward Toronto starting at $149

Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Lakeshore starting at $125

You’ll also find discounted rates on hotels in Boston and other New England destinations.

Starwood’s Summer Pre-Sale

The Seaport Hotel Boston is busy installing Internet-ready thin-client systems in its 426 guest rooms. The hotel is hoping this added amenity will appeal to travelers who like to have easy computer access, but don’t necessarily need or want to lug their laptops with them on their next visit to Boston. The hotel has put the systems into 85 of its rooms thus far and plans to get them in all rooms by the end of the year, reports PC World in the story below. The system includes a 17″ flat screen monitor and wireless keyboard.

Hotel Guests Can Leave Their Laptops at Home