In the Rolling Stones’ song, Gimme Shelter, Mick Jagger sings,
“Oh, a storm is threatening
My very life today
If I don’t get some shelter
Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away”

Which is exactly how we are feeling these days from the barrage of bad news that keeps raining down on us.

Which is why we have decided to create The Good News Channel and share the bits of good news we found this week..

1. Finally, hotels are liberating the cyber airwaves. Shangri-La is now offering free Internet access to all guests at all its 60 hotels. Holiday Inn is also doing a regional first – it is throwing in eggs and WiFi across its 120 hotels in Asia Pacific. The offer of free Internet and breakfast is valid for stays up to April 30.

We predict more horel groups will follow.

2. Hoteliers are also becoming more innovative in their publicity stunts. To launch Hotel Indigo London Paddington, InterContinental Hotels Group put together the world’s largest hanging basket. The six by three metre (20 foot by 10 foot) structure – weighing over a quarter of a ton – took a team of designers, engineers and gardeners three weeks to construct and includes over 100 different varieties of seasonal plants and flowers.

3. Creativity is also being seen in hotel pricing and distribution in the online channel. Ibis Bencoolen, opening on February 12 in Singapore is giving guests the change to pay what they want. As part of an opening offer, guests can log on to Pay What You Want for a limited time each day and input the price they want to pay.

“This is, to a certain extent, in response to the global financial crisis but it is also the best way to measure what the market is willing to pay,” said the hotel’s marketing director Hiro Inoue, who said that bids of S$70 and S$80 have been coming in.

The 538-room Ibis is offering opening special rates of S$148++ including complimentary WiFi access.

Then there’s Hotel Jen in Hong Kong which is asking customers to “book online and save up to 30% per night” until Feb 28, with lead in rates of HK$800, “going down to HKD560 after three nights”.

4. The battle is on to retain loyal customers. Even Singapore Airlines, which has a reputation for being the strictest (some call it meanest) with its frequent flyer benefits, is making it sweeter for its Krisflyer members with the launch of Kris Flyers’ 10th anniversary celebrations, which come with a range of redemption promotions and exclusive offers.

5. If you are thinking of diversifying to other fields, you might consider investing in bamboo bikes.

A US-based bicycle manufacturer has rediscovered the high-performance and ecologically-sound merits of bamboo-frame bikes and is actively working in developing nations to teach entrepreneurs how to make them.

According to Calfee Design, the reasons to do this are "so strong that it would be foolish not to try", including:

- Bicycles are in high demand in developing nations as a labor-saving means of transport;
- Bamboo-frame bikes cost less than inferior imported steel bikes;
- Bamboo is plentiful in many developing nations;
- Bamboo is easy to grow in dry areas;
- Bamboo bike manufacturing provides skilled employment and an apprenticeship model;
- Bamboo bikes are difficult to mass-produce;
- Bamboo bike building does not require electricity or a large investment.

The bamboo bike has attracted the support of Columbia University's Earth Institute. Its mission is sustainable development. The Institutes' John Mutter has teamed up with Calfee to explore the idea of a micro-business.

"The bicycle is very important for the lives of poorer rural communities . Our purpose here is to try to stimulate the idea of building bicycles from a native product, bamboo. The idea is both that we can build a better bicycle than what's available here now and importantly it can be built locally out of local products."

Calfee is seeking individuals or organisations interested in either loan-financing or sponsoring containers of inexpensive, high quality bicycle parts needed to build complete bikes.

Email craig@calfeedesign.com for more information.