Gaylord Palms Resort Partners with Travelocity to Offer Hidden Holiday Gnome Hunt

Kissimmee, FL (PRWEB) October 24, 2006 ?-

Gaylord Palms? Resort, the ?headquarters hotel? for the Orlando Christmas season, has teamed with Travelocity? to offer the Hidden Holiday Gnome Hunt, a new family activity offered as part of the resort?s Best of Florida Christmas celebration, Nov. 18, 2006 ? Jan. 2, 2007.

The new holiday activity will take participants throughout the resort?s signature 4.5-acre glass-covered atrium to search for 20 cleverly hidden statues of the Travelocity Roaming Gnome. One participant will win a 7-day 6-night cruise for two to Alaska, compliments of Travelocity.

The hidden gnomes will be located throughout the resort, which is festively decorated for the holiday season, including:

-- Parachuting from the atrium?s soaring roof

-- Peeking through a window of a fort

-- Hanging out in the beach of Gator Springs, the resort?s alligator habitat

-- Rowing in a boat in the middle of the indoor Key West Lagoon

To help visitors find the hidden gnomes, they will be given a map with ten clues. Once the gnomes are located (including ten 'bonus' gnomes), the answers can be submitted into the drawing.

The activity brings a holiday tradition to Florida from across the world. In many Scandinavian countries, it is believed that a holiday gnome lives hidden under your house. Around Christmas, he emerges carrying a sack of presents over his shoulder.

"The hidden holiday gnome hunt is another example of Gaylord's commitment to provide memory-making activities throughout the holiday season," said Kemp Gallineau, general manager. "Our goal is to become the headquarters for holiday fun in the Orlando destination."

In addition to the gnome hunt, Best of Florida Christmas features 46 days of live entertainment, unique attractions and holiday activities, including:

-- ICE!: Hosted by Old Man Winter, this frozen family attraction is Orlando?s most unusual holiday experience, hand-carved from nearly two million pounds of ice. ICE! is presented by Walgreen?s.

-- ICE! Skating: An outdoor skating rink offering a holiday tradition common only in northern climates. Skate rentals are included.

-- ?A Season of Wishes? Christmas Show: A Christmas variety show featuring a cast of characters and a memorable soundtrack of holiday favorites.

-- Christmas in Florida: The County Wreath Collection: A new exhibition of wreaths decorated to reflect Florida?s diverse destinations, from coast to coast.

-- ?Lights Alive!? Show: featuring lights throughout the resort?s atrium, synchronized to festive holiday music.

-- Visit Santa: Kids can take an opportunity to share their special Christmas wishes with Santa Claus?in person, or via email.

-- Brunch with Mrs. Claus: Spend some time with Santa?s ?better half? at Villa de Flora (weekends).

-- Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice: an aromatic pumpkin, orange & spice holiday facial, pedicure, or body wrap, created to rejuvenate the body and restore the mind (at Canyon Ranch SpaClub).

Overnight Best of Florida Christmas packages start at $ 249 per night plus tax, based on a two-night stay. Packages include a Florida-view guest room, 2 tickets to ICE! and ICE! Skating, a souvenir photo, self parking, and a host of exclusive resort guest benefits. Packages and rates are available for families of all sizes, beginning with a one-night stay.

For more information or reservations, call (407) 586-4ICE. To learn more about ICE! or Best of Florida Christmas, guests can visit http://www.gaylordpalms.com/ice. To learn more about other holiday events in Central Florida, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.

Official rules for the Hidden Holiday Gnome Hunt are available on-site, and posted online at http://www.gaylordpalms.com/rules.

About The Roaming Gnome

While the practice of gnome-nabbing has been going on for years, The Travelocity Roaming Gnome has achieved celebrity status, appearing on television and radio ads, posing for photo shoots in exotic locales, and getting recognized in airports across the country. The Roaming Gnome merchandise is available for purchase at http://www.gnomestore.com

About Travelocity

Travelocity is committed to being the traveler?s champion ? before, during and after the trip and guarantees everything about a customer?s booking will be right. If it?s not, Travelocity will work with its partners to make it right, right away. This customer-driven focus, backed by live 24/7 phone support, great prices and powerful shopping technology has made Travelocity the fifth largest travel agency in the U.S. ? booking $ 7.4 billion in travel worldwide in 2005. Based in Southlake, Texas, Travelocity also owns and operates Travelocity BusinessSM and GetThere for corporate travelers, lastminute.com, a leader in European online travel and ZUJI, a leader in Asia-Pacific online travel. Travelocity is owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE: TSG), a world leader in travel commerce.

ABOUT GAYLORD PALMS

Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center has gained the attention of the meeting and convention industry by providing world-class convention and leisure-focused amenities ? all in one place. The award-winning Gaylord Palms is a Gaylord Hotels-branded property owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a leading hospitality and entertainment company based in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, visit http://www.gaylordpalms.com or http://www.gaylordentertainment.com.

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Credit Union Members Spent 15% More in 2011 Holiday Season; Study by CO-OP Financial Services and Saylent Technologies Shows Robust Growth in Purchase Activity

Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. and Franklin, Mass. (PRWEB) January 17, 2012

Shoppers who belong to credit unions spent 15% more and made 15% more transactions during the peak holiday shopping season in 2011 than in 2010, according to an analysis by CO-OP Financial Services and Saylent Technologies, a provider of payment intelligence solutions.

?This month-long holiday spending surge among credit union members is even higher than Black Friday sales growth among the same group, which we found grew 8.1% year over year,? said Stan Hollen, President/CEO, CO-OP Financial Services. ?This robust sales activity mirrors the powerful momentum of the credit union movement overall.?

The holiday sales analysis is based on more than 71.9 million transactions representing $ 2.8 billion in spending made between November 25 and December 25, 2011. Drawn from debit card transactions across 563 credit unions processed by CO-OP Financial Services, the year-over-year comparison was performed through an advanced analytics solution, CO-OP Total Revelation?, powered by Saylent Technologies, and was conducted by Saylent?s Insight360? consulting team.

?Our analysis revealed a remarkable 10% increase in the number of debit cards in use during the holiday season, the result of a burgeoning consumer interest in credit unions,? said Tyson Nargassans, President and CEO of Saylent Technologies. ?The CO-OP Total Revelation solution provides detailed payment intelligence that helps card issuers uncover hidden opportunities and insights to better serve their expanding roster of members.?

The analysis spanned 30 days of spending activity among the credit union members both at brick-and-mortar establishments and on the Internet. Some of the key highlights:

???? ?Tis the season for politics: The end of 2011 saw a spike in political contributions, up 513% over the same time last year, as the U.S. Presidential campaign season went into full swing.
????Holiday cheer: Tavern and alcoholic beverage purveyors toasted the end of the year with a 48% increase in sales.
????A season of giving: Contributions to charitable and social service organizations were up 38% year over year.
????Stocking up: Buying clubs and shopping services bulked up with a 125% sales increase.
????Popular gifts: Among the merchandise categories showing strongest gains were leather goods (up 42%), records and CDs (up 42%), flowers and nursery stock (up 40%), bicycles (up 22%), computer software (up 21%), books (up 21%), candy and nuts (up 18%), and pets (up 17%).

For more information on CO-OP Total Revelation, visit http://www.co-opfs.org.

About Saylent Technologies, Inc.

Saylent Technologies, based in Franklin, Mass., develops payment intelligence solutions that help organizations understand and capitalize on payment behaviors. Employing innovative analytics and segmentation techniques, Saylent?s Card360? solution identifies card usage patterns by cardholder, targets underperforming or at-risk segments, and enables corresponding marketing programs and metrics. Saylent?s Account360? solution provides a holistic perspective on customers across all payment types, enabling financial institutions to understand and shift customer behaviors and increase share-of-wallet. Saylent?s Insight360? consulting services help clients speed time to value with expert analysis and customized marketing services. For more information, please visit http://www.saylent.com or call (508) 570-2161.

About CO-OP Financial Services

Based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and founded in 1981, CO-OP Financial Services is the industry leader in access and convenience products for credit unions. CO-OP Financial Services connects credit union members to their accounts through network, payment processing, e-commerce, shared branching and call center services. With more than 3,000 credit union members, 30 million cardholders, 28,000 surcharge-free ATMs, 4,400 shared branch locations and more than two billion annual transactions, CO-OP Financial Services offers the tools, counsel and leadership to help credit unions prosper. To learn more, visit http://www.co-opfs.org.

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