Every time we jump to another web page it seems as though hotels are practically giving away rooms to keep their occupancy levels up in this down economy. We have looked at a handful of specials that are running at popular chain hotels for spring and (in some cases) beyond, and evaluated each deal to decide whether or not it's worth it.
Best Western (tel. 800/780-7234; www.bestwestern.com) has come a long way from being an unremarkable off-the-Interstate hotel chain. With "Jump Into Summer," Best Western is trying to get you to stay in the spring so you come back and spend more in the summer. Here's the deal. If you sign up for Best Western's free rewards program and stay at one of its hotels twice between now and June 14 you can receive a $50 travel card from the company, valid for use at any of its locations and earn 250 bonus points. The travel card does not expire until July 31, 2010 and it's valid at locations around the world including Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Brazil, Indonesia, China, India, and more.
Deal or No Deal: Deal. Although $50 does not sound like much, this is, for the most part, a modestly priced brand. The Best Western in downtown New York City at the South Street Seaport is priced for under $200 per night for a weekend stay in spring. The Best Western Hawthorne Terrace, in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, is priced from $269.
The bonus points promotion run by Hilton (tel. 800/HILTONS; www.hilton.com) nets participants 1,000 HHonors bonus points every night of a stay, valid April 13-June 30, with no blackout dates. What's nice about this promotion is that you're not locked out of using the points as long as a standard room is available at any of its 2,800 participating properties in the family -- Doubletree, Hampton, Hilton, Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites and even the Waldorf Astoria Collection. How does it really work? Travelers can receive 10 base points plus five bonus points per eligible U.S. dollar and are able to earn points and miles for the same stay; for that option, you earn 10 base points and one airline mile for every dollar. For example, free nights start at about 7,500 points for the Hampton in Atlanta/Douglasville or the Hampton Monterrey Airport in Mexico, For 10,000 points you can stay at the Doubletree Jackson or the Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort in Malaysia.
Deal or No Deal: This can be a good deal for those who travel frequently.
Hyatt (tel. 888/591-1234; www.hyatt.com) is offering a number of promotions at the moment, including a spring sale of 50 percent off your second night's stay, with kids under 12 eating for free. The promotion is valid through May 17 for Thursday-Saturday check-ins at a handful of properties: Grand Hyatt Atlanta and Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Hyatt Regency Greenville, South Carolina, Hyatt Regency Suites in Marietta, Georgia, and Hyatt Regency Jacksonville, Florida.
Deal or No Deal: It's narrow -- only a handful of its properties are offering this promotion -- but deep. For a two-night stay at the end of April, for example, rates start at around $129 and the web site shows you the difference between the web site's rate and the promotion's rate, and the price for each night's stay.
Kimpton Hotels (tel. 800/KIMPTON; www.kimptonhotels.com) a chain of boutique-type properties located in North America has a "Cocktails or Breakfast For Just $1 More" package, which is valid for stays now through December 31. When you make a reservation, all you have to pay is $1 to receive a continental breakfast the next morning for up to two people. Or you are out late and want to relax at the hotel bar you can order a cocktail for just a dollar for every day of your stay. Make sure you enter the word "dollar" in the rate code field. Rate for Kimpton Hotels start around $169 and Kimpton's hotels are found in resort and/or major metropolitan areas across the United States and Canada.
Deal or No Deal: A good, albeit quirky, deal. Continental breakfast will set you back on average of $10-$15 per person per day and up to $13 per cocktail.
Starwood (tel. 866/924-8703; www.starwood.com), which operates W, Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis, and Le Meridien, is running a great promotion called Better Tomorrows that nets you 50 percent off your second night's stay in select resorts in North and South America. Make sure you mention the code ZBT when you book. Caveat: You must prepay the rate and the stays are nonrefundable. Hotel stays require a Thursday, Friday or Saturday arrival, whereas the resorts require a Sunday-Wednesday check-in. You want to stay more than two nights? Every second night you stay is eligible for a 50 percent discount. A search for a Thursday, April 23 check in at W Times Square starts at $319 with the second night's rate at $159. The Four Points by Sheraton Resort and Casino at Palmas del Mar in Puerto Rico, for the same two evenings, will cost you just $322 altogether.
Deal or No Deal: Getting half off the price of a Starwood room is definitely a deal.
Ritz-Carlton (tel. 800/542-8680; www.ritzcarlton.com) has a multifaceted promotion: a $50 credit if you stay two nights and a $100 credit if you stay three for standard room accommodations on Thursday-Sunday stays for its City Reconnect promotion. If you want to upgrade, stay in a suite for two nights and that credit bumps up to $100; stay for three, and it goes to $200. This price-point is valid at specific locations in the United States in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Washington, D.C., along with hotels in China, Indonesia, Germany, Korea, Qatar, Malaysia and Singapore. For hotels in a different group of markets -- California, Florida, New York, Texas, Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Spain, Turkey, Japan, and more, the savings start at $100 for a two-night stay and $200 credit for a three-night stay in any standard room. And again, if you opt for a suite, you can receive a $200 credit right off the bat or $400 for a three-night suite stay.
Deal or No Deal: Deal. Although the brand name may make you think you can't afford to stay here, some of the rates start at just under $200 a night.
Viva Wyndham Resorts (tel. 877/999-3223; www.wyndham.com) is running a Caribbean Vacation Stimulus package that gives you two free nights when you stay two consecutive nights, and a $100 food and beverage credit per stay for use at one of three of its resorts: Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico; Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace Casino in Nassau, Bahamas; and Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The rates start at $305 for travel now through December 20 at the Wyndham Rio and the Nassau location starts at $309 for standard accommodations through December 24. The St. Thomas resort is priced from $324 per night for stays now through May 31 and from $286 per night for stays June 1-August 24 for resort view rooms; those with ocean views are, as you'd expect, pricier.
Deal or No Deal: Mixed. If this is where you want to go, this is the deal for you. It's too bad the promo isn't more widely available at other destinations.
