While most business travelers wrestle with soaring New York lodging rates, Victoria’s Secret chief executve Sharen Tierney pads her expense account by not staying in Manhattan hotels. According to a proxy statement cited by The New York Times, Tierney, who owns a New York apartment, received an allowance last year “equal to the amount that the company would have had to pay to stay in a hotel during her business-related travel to New York.” The hotel tab? $40,000.

Last week’s Springtime in the Park drew a record-breaking 4,518 participants. The event attracted 2,390 buyers and a nearly equal number of exhibitor personnel. For the record. more than two decades ago Meeting News founding editor meetpete was an exhibitor at the inaugural Springtime. Hopefully, I’ve aged as well as the event!

A number of airlines have quietly announced introduction of a surcharge on passengers checking more than one bag. That’s bad news for golfers who will have to pay an additional $50 (or more) to bring their golf bags. Doing the math, that means $200 roundtrip for a twosome…or $400 for those traveling as a foursome. If that doesn’t make you cringe, imagine a Partridge Family ski vacation: if everyone brought their own equipment, the package cost would increase nearly $1,000! Recreational enthusiasts are urged to boycott said airlines before the practice is adopted industrywide.

Europe currently plays host to EIBTM, the annual global meetings and incentive exhibition. According to a report in Successful Meetings magazine, Reed Travel Exhibitions is planning to introduce a companion event, Americas IBTM, in the Summer of 2009. Like EIBTM, the event would rely heavily on “hosted buyers” from around the world.

In recent years, much has been made of the improved sleeping comfort that started with Westin’s “Heavenly Bed.” The next frontier, it seems, is pillows. The Benjamin, a Manhattan hotel, now offers a choice of 12 pillow types, overseen by a “sleep concierge.” They even come with a guarantee: money back if a guest doesn’t sleep as well in the hotel as at home.The Franklin’s pillow menu includes the “Snore-No-More,” which holds the chin up to open nasal passages. A reported 75 percent of guests try one of the special pillows.