There's nothing like paying $4 a gallon for gas to make many families start reconsidering their plans for a road trip, and nobody knows this better than the hotel industry. With Memorial Day still weeks away and gas prices climbing steadily higher, some hotels are hitting the panic button early by offering gas credits to guests who spend a few nights in May. Gas rebates have long been a summer fixture in the hotel biz -- typically with amounts hovering in the paltry $10 to $20 range -- but this spring's sky-high gas prices has already pushed some hotels into offering gas credits of $50 or even $100 per trip. Stay tuned to see if we see more of the same this summer.
Here is a handful of the best gas rebates for families we've seen so far:
Sterling Resorts (www.sterlingresorts.com), which operates dozens of Gulf Coast vacation home resorts in Northwest Florida, is giving a $100 gas card for weeklong stays with its "Tanks for Staying" promo. If you stay three nights, you'll receive a $50 credit. To claim your gas credit, just present a gas receipt upon check-in showing a fill-up during your trip to the beach. Book online or call tel. 877/418-0430 and use promo code TANKS.
The online travel company Bookit.com (www.bookit.com) is giving away $25 gas rebates to folks who stay at least two nights at select properties in popular beach destinations such as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For example, at the Barefoot Yacht Club & Resort in North Myrtle Beach, the room rate has been slashed to $69 per night, with a $25 gas rebate thrown in as a sweetener. Book by May 2 and travel by May 25.
In the Midwest, the indoor water park giant Kalahari Resorts (www.kalahariresorts.com) has brought back last year's "Fuel for Fun" promotion at its Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin and Sandusky, Ohio locations. During May, the package starts at $149.95 per night in Wisconsin ($169.95 per night in Ohio), and includes accommodations and water park passes for up to four people, plus a $40 gas card.
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