A brand new travel Web site is raising the stakes on the budget-Europe game by offering three packages to London, the cheapest starting at $339 per person, airfare and hotel accommodations included, for three nights this fall and winter out selected east coast gateways.
The new site is www.offpeaktraveler.com, and though its packages are now limited to London, it claims it will begin offering deals to France, Italy and the Caribbean "soon."
Claiming to head up the only company specializing in off-peak travel packages, the president of the company, Rodney Ezrapour, says it will concentrate on the slow periods when it can negotiate "great rates from hotels and airlines." He is a former BritRail International executive, his partners having served with Air France Holidays and Midwest Express Airlines.
The $339 Mini Stay Package for London runs from October 1, 2002 through March 31, 2003, and includes airfare from New York, Newark and Boston. A one-week package starts at only $399 and is good for airfare, again from New York, Newark and Boston, six nights' lodging in central London, daily breakfast (either continental or buffet), and all hotel service charges and taxes. Airport taxes are extra. A third package, the "Best Buy," goes for $379 and, while the same otherwise as the one-week package, is good only for selected Tuesday or Wednesday departures from the same airports.
For the Mini-Stay package, flights are on Virgin Atlantic any day of the week (no weekend surcharge). Your hotel will be in central London and your room will have a private bath or shower. The tourist class hotel (minimum cost) is the York, while other hotels demand a higher package price. They include the Barkston Gardens (superior tourist class), the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury (superior first class) and the Clifton Ford Hotel (also superior first class). Prices are per person for two sharing a room. Rates are also available from other U.S. gateways, and $99 is the extra charge for all airport charges, taxes and fees. All these rates are subject to availability, and some restrictions apply. Extra nights are, of course, available.
For more information, go to the Web site www.offpeaktraveler.com. This is an Internet-only operation.