August 19, 2004 -- When Starwood Hotels, the world's largest hotel conglomerate, announces its "Biggest Sale Ever, " it might be time to for you to pull the trigger on a serious trip you always wanted to take. Say Africa. Or Thailand. Maybe Argentina. Or you can just steal away for a weekend at a drop dead gorgeous property or a favorite city and think about absolutely nothing except what cocktail you're going have next.
But you have to act fast. Very fast. As in today. If you book your accommodations by August 20, Starwood is offering incredible room rates at all of its five properties (Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis, W, Four Points Sheraton, and Luxury Collection), starting at $59. Rates are valid for stays until October 22, 2004 that include an arrival on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday and are the same for single or double occupancy.
If you didn't receive Starwood's e-mail advertising the sale, then go to www.starwood.com for rates and hotel description. Not surprisingly, the sale is buried on the company's home page. You have to scroll down and click on "Worldwide Limited Time Rates from $59" to access the global fire sale on hotel rooms.
Enough semantics. Plenty of deals to look forward to, so get out a map and your calendar. Never been to Saigon? A room at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel and Towers in Ho Chi Minh City costs $120. Want to stay exotic but get away from the city? The Sheraton Royal Denarau Resort in Fiji, normally with rooms well over $300, will run you only $188 during this special promotion. You can hit the links on the property's magnificent golf course set amidst the plush mountain terrain, or just relax by the pool. Brazil is an even better deal. The Sheraton Rio Hotel and Towers, located on the beach, costs $110 dollars. All 559 guest rooms have an ocean view. Rates at the Sheraton Marrakech, an old world hotel with modern amenities just a short walk to the center of Medina, start at $69 making Morocco possibly the jewel of Starwood's sale.
Closer to home the sale offers even less expensive alternatives for some deluxe properties in prime locations. The Big Easy just got easier with the $89 per night rate at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. Located just a short walk to the French Quarter, the Sheraton is central to the downtown casino and Garden District. The Miami nightlife looks good to with rooms at the Sheraton Miami-Biscayne Bay going for $79 bucks. Go further south and hit the Sheraton at Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort on the Grand Bahama Island for just $129 per night.
Well worth it for you art lovers who haven't yet seen Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum, is a stay at the Sheraton Bilbao Hotel where rooms start at $105.
Competitive rates and promotional deals can be found online and off, but they don't offer the one-stop shopping appeal of the Starwood chain-wide sale. For example, the Prince Conti Hotel, a small three-star new Orleans French Quarter large-scale inn is offering weekday rooms for the "low-price" of $69. Weekends go up to $119-$159 with travel valid through the first of the year if booked by August 31, 2004. Go to www.neworleanshotels.com for bookings and details.
