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Discusses budget hotels in the United States which cater to the nation's rising number of cost-conscious corporate nomads. Extended-stay lodging, which offers apartment-like amenities including a kitchen; Length of stays including weeks or even months; Use of such facilities by Daryl K. Boe, who was appointed regional manager for the McInnes Steel Company; Economy hotels including Extended Stay America.

Critiques an offer by long-distance telephone company Sprint, which guarantees never to change a certain long-distance rate. The offer to residential customers, of 10 cents-per-minute, during night and weekend hours; Question of how good this offer will be for Sprint, if inflation should return.

Reports on the competition between MCI Communications and AT&T over customers for their respective Internet services. Promotions; Claims of low prices and expanded Internet service.

Informs that AT&T plans to offer its telephone customers five hours of free Internet access each month for a year. How this brings computer network service a step closer to becoming a utility, like water or electricity; Other features of the plan; When the plan will start.

Focuses on New York City travel agent Bill Fischer. His specialization in getting people into sold-out hotels, onto overbooked flights, and into restaurants with unlisted telephone numbers; The fee he charges to enroll a client; His agency's use of an unlisted telephone number; His comments about the exclusivity and cost of his services.

Discusses personalization of Internet services for United States customers. Factors influencing the increasing popularity of personalized services, including the Internet's growth; Difficulty of navigating the Internet; Services which offer personalizations, like Yahoo's My Yahoo, Excite's My Excite, and the set-top Web cruiser My Web TV; Features; Comments from users of personalized services. INSET: Finding the service right for you.

Discusses airlines' in-flight entertainment systems. Details of systems that usually include a video screen at every seat and choices of movies and computer games; Average cost of system installation per airplane; Projected amount to be spent between 1998 and 2003; Problems for airplane manufacturers, including Boeing and Airbus; Individual airline system specifics.

Discusses the use of the Internet by a growing number of United States insurers, doctors and hospitals. Estimate of the number of hospitals who use the Internet, according to a 1998 survey; Use of the Internet to give information like personal medical records directly to a patient; Concern about the privacy of personal information; Internet plans of specific health plans.

Reports that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to recommend that large United States local telephone companies be allowed to build data systems without having to resell their use to competitors. FCC chairman William Kennard's support for the plan, which is expected to be protested by large US long-distance carriers; Details and provisions of the plan.

Focuses on United States use of computer technologies that understand spoken language. Incorporation into airline reservations, retailing, telephone directory assistance, and other areas; Advantages for customers; Comments from researcher Raymond Kurzweil about speech recognition; United Airlines' use of computer reservations systems.

Offers Sam Fine's observations on the availability of cosmetics for black women. His position as a makeup artist; His book `Fine Beauty: Beauty Basics and Beyond for African-American Women'; His development of a makeup line and an instructional video; The particular problems that black women face.

Looks at the increasing focus by airlines on the comfort of their passengers who pay higher rates. Widening of class distinctions in air travel; Translation of the focus into a decline in service for passengers with discount tickets; Details of the practices of specific airlines.

Announces the plans of Amtrak officials and Governor George Pataki to upgrade the tracks between New York City and Albany and rebuild trains used on the route. Cost of the upgrading project; Details on the plan; Fare per person from New York to Albany.

Reports that effective February 1999, American Airlines travelers who want to redeem frequent-flier miles for first-class or business class seats will need more miles. Additional mileage that will be required for these passengers; Response of other major airlines to the move by American Airlines; Reason cited by American Airlines for the change.

Reports that on August 31, 1998, Omnipoint Communications company announced that it would introduce pricing plans for its wireless customers. Information on the company's no-fee prepay plan; Information on the company's custom-tailored wireless plan; Performance of the company's shares in Nasdaq trading.

Reports that the bookseller Amazon.com, has proven that ordinary products not made of chips and bits can be retailed over the Internet successfully and questions what retail category will be next. Categories which Forrester Research firm expects 86 percent in on-line retail trade; Mixed views of analysts over the prospects of selling mundane items like groceries on-line; Limited drugstore items offered by Wal-Mart and Net Grocer on the Internet.

Focuses on help desk employees at business enterprises in the United States. Finge benefits that help desk employees receive; Job responsibilities of a help desk employee; Demand for help desk operators; Type of training programs that are offered for help desk operators.

Focuses on IBM chairman Louis V. Gerstner Jr.'s efforts to revitalize IBM by capitalizing on the company's size, offering its traditional big customers one-stop shopping for computer products from microchips to mainframes. Importance of providing customer service to the success of this approach; Growth of IBM Global Services; Challenges facing the company as of early 1998.

Focuses on the appeal of airport hotels. First choice for legions of travelers; Reasons for the demand for airport hotel rooms; Amenities provided to frequent business travelers.

States that MCI Communications Corporation is offering local residential telephone service in New York City. MCI as being the first major competitor for Nynex customers; The competition as possibly leading to lower rates and better service for residents.

Reports that Cox Communications Incorporated was ranked first in a customer-satisfaction survey which was conducted by J.D. Powers Incorporated. Number of customers surveyed; Issues discussed; Information on Cox's reputation; Details on Cox's financial strategy; Financial information on Cox.

Examines the expectation of persons in the United States to be adequately served when they purchase items. Feeling of persons that they deserve to be served when buying items; Results of survey stating that most Americans do not believe they get good service; Efforts of businesses to improve customer relations.

Presents information on the tax relief program that Casablanca Hotel in New York City is offering to its guests during April 1997. Details on the program; Contact point for booking with the hotel.

Presents information on deals and discounts being offered by hotels internationally. Names of hotels offering the deals and discounts.

Looks at how the labor dispute between the pilots of American Airlines and the company is affecting customer service. How travelers are affected; Travelers' reaction to the situation.

Opinion. Discusses problems faced by various news and information businesses whilst focusing on America Online's crisis after it offered unlimited service for one price to build its customer base and draw advertisers. Who television, newspapers and magazines rely mainly on for revenue; Reference to what happened to `Look,' `Life' and other magazines in the 1970's; Persons who have prospered by doing business on the Internet.

Reports that on February 3, 1997, America Online Incorporated started monitoring individual subscribers and disconnecting inactive users, in an attempt to clear up network delays. Monitoring procedures; Details on access problems experienced by American Online; What the access problems prompted.

Reports on the difficulties experienced by customers of America Online as they attempted to take advantage of a pricing offer by the company.

Reports on the problems faced by America Online after its decision in December 1997, to offer customers $19.95 a month for unlimited use as oppose to its hourly pricing. Effect this had on most customers; Threats made by states to file suit against the company; Agreement met by America Online and its customers.

Editorial. Focuses on the settlement agreement between America Online and its customers. Circumstances surrounding the settlement; Details of the settlement agreement; Information on the company's plans to meet online demands.

Examines the voice-mail service offered to households on the Upper East Side, New York City by Nynex Corporation. What the service is called; Why Nynex suspended test; How customers reacted to the service; Comments from some customers and residents in the area.

Reports that before switching customers to its flat-rate plan, America Online Incorporated has agreed to obtain their consent. What the agreement resulted from; Company's refund offer to customers wishing to switch back to previous plan; Complaint letter that the company received from 17 state attorney generals on November 18, 1996.

Presents the author's view concerning the importance of customer service to business. Author's experience at a hotel.

Focuses on Flyte Trax, a site on the World Wide Web which offers flight information for any plane in flight, in the 48 contiguous states. Types of information offered on the site; Reference to the site's service being free; Where the data comes from; How the system operates.

Reports that Pointcast Incorporated is offering `Internet broadcasting' which includes delivering customized news, weather forecasts, stock quotes and advertising on the Internet. Pointcast's site a challenge to Netscape Communications Corporation and Yahoo Incorporated; Information on Pointcast's novel application called `off-line delivery'; Estimated number of commercials Pointcast has available.

Reports that General Motors (GM) Corporation announced its plan to cut in half the $7,000 car rebate offered to its G.M. Gold Mastercard users. How card holders earn rebates; What a customer has to do to earn the annual maximum $1,000 rebate.