Have a drink here. Watch out for tiki gods. BrandlandUSA.com is the website of business and travel writer and editor Garland Pollard. Contact him about freelance writing and editing; his personal website is at GarlandPollard.comMORE HERE

PALM SPRINGS – Any person who owns a silly little motel by the side of the road ought to look at Hope Springs Motel Resort in Palm Springs, California. It’s an utterly nondescript motel that has turned into a Travel & Leisure favorite. The recipe? A hip approach, minimalist designMORE HERE

LONDON – It’s like 1925, a Merchant and Ivory movie. On September 10, October 29, and November 14, Orient-Express will be offering “The Dinner” on The British Pullman train departing from Victoria Station in London. The cars are original, and enable travelers to take an Orient-Express train journey that’s shortMORE HERE

The Invicta board game Master Mind swept the 1970s; part of the charm of the British-made game was the box. The Invicta game had an Asian woman and a “distinguished” man sitting below her. Many a college thesis could be written on the implications of this came. Questions include: WasMORE HERE

How place names represent brands Anyone who names things for a living will tell you a name is simultaneously the most important and least important signifier of a brand. It’s the most important because it’s the most succinct verbal expression of everything the brand stands for. It’s the least importantMORE HERE

Piggly Wiggly is one of those brands that is famous mostly because it is a cool name and a cool mascot. For generations, Americans have loved the concept that you followed a grocery store around like a pig’s tail, and you would pass through ALL the merchandise. Hence, Piggly Wiggly.MORE HERE

There is something very 1970s about The Club pre-mixed martinis. Is it the idea that it is somehow too difficult to mix vermouth and gin? Or that it is too hard to find a cup, and you can use the top to drink it? That’s the question we asked ourselvesMORE HERE

IRVINE, Calif. – Best known for its car-care products, the niche boat and car cleaner brand Meguiar’s sold out to 3M on October 3, 2008. 3M already makes a number of automotive products, and the Meguiar’s product line includes waxes, polishes, cleaners, conditioners and protectants for the automotive and marineMORE HERE

CROSS CREEK, FLORIDA – We happened to be in Cross Creek, the home of the noted American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Just around the corner is an old fish camp and restaurant named after Rawlings’ book, The Yearling. On the front was old sign advertising Southern Stamps. We have toMORE HERE