Your hotel’s proofing page includes two embedded PDF Vitality Guides. One version (with photos) is approximately what it will look like online (these will be embedded on the Swissôtel website). The other version (with no photos) is approximately what the printed handout will look like (available from the concierge).
All entries are completely subject to change following your input! Please check everything for accuracy of content. And we can replace any entries with new places, notes, and photos of your choosing. You are the local expert and it is your guests we wish to serve.
Tips for proofing:
Number of entries:
We need 15 places and/or notes for each hotel—otherwise the guides look incomplete and unprofessional. If your guide is missing an entry it means that I was unable to find more on the Internet. Please provide the additional content, including photos (or point to photos on Wikipedia).
Proximity to your hotel:
All entries must all be “nearby.” Otherwise the perspective on the map becomes unusable for directions. “Nearby” usually means within two kilometers or a half-hour walk. The map PDF (the one with no photos) shows what your entries look like now. Anything further away will reduce the ability to read the map. We can create a separate guide for “Further Attractions” later. But right now we need to focus on “Nearby Attractions” that fit on this map.
Walking times:
The walking times in each entry are between the place being described and your hotel. They were calculated using a directions search on maps.google.com. Please correct the times to whatever you think is appropriate.
Information sources and length:
For these tips I used a combination of the places you recommended and things that I found on the Internet. Some hotels (like Singapore) have a huge amount of local information on the Internet in English. Others (like Sochi), have extremely little. If there is not much information on the Internet in English, then I must rely on you to provide the content, including the photo. Each entry can be no longer than 160 characters, including spaces. Please supply something longer and I will edit it to 160 characters or less.
“Notes” versus “places”:
If local attractions are in short supply, we can use “notes” at the end instead. Notes are text only (no photos are allowed). They can provide interesting history, advice on walking or running, how to find a taxi if you get lost, maybe the concierge’s phone number, or something about your hotel that relates to Vitality—it can be anything you like. I will take care of the editing if you can send me a few rough sentences. Notes must be 320 characters or less (I will edit them to this length).
“Vitality”:
Because these are “Vitality” Guides, it’s best for the places and notes to be about parks, green spaces, architecture, historical landmarks, and other outdoor locations your guests can walk or jog to. Spas are okay, as are restaurants known for healthy food or beautiful views. A good shopping street is okay if has a market or is good for walking. We try to not include shopping malls unless there is nothing else to do or it makes a good walk-to destination.
Photos:
Photos in early proofs come mostly from Foursquare or Wikipedia, which allow the photos to be used without copyright protection. Sometimes I’ve cropped photos from Google Street Views. It would create a better branded experience if we use photos supplied by your hotel. Either way, we must have a photo for every location (but not for “notes”).
British versus American “English”:
Swissôtel style is to use British English. However, I am American and so I often do not catch my errors. British English often inserts a “u” (as in “colour” instead of “color”) and uses “re” instead of “er” (as in “theatre” instead of “theater”). If you spot anything that’s not British, please point it out to me.
Downloading and marking up the PDFs:
The embedded guides can be downloaded from the link below each embed. Please feel free to mark up the PDF and mail it to me. If you wish, you can print it, write on it by hand, then send me a scan.
I very much look forward to including your additions and changes!
Where to send changes:
Please send your comments to John Harlin at vitalityguides@gmail.com or john@johnharlin.com
Thank you!
John