August 6, 2003 - If you're like me, suffering through the oppressive heat andhumidity right now, you may find yourself thinking that August, not April, is the cruelest month(sorry, T.S. Eliot).And if the weather isn't enough for you to consider a getaway, how about adeal to justify a brief escape?Well over 150 hotels and resorts in 37 countries, mostly in Europe,are lowering their rates through August 31, 2003, with some as low as $79 per room, includingbreakfast.
That's the promise of the Radisson group of SAS Hotels, Park Innhotels and Country Inn establishments in their "Summer Magic" program. This programis especially family-friendly, as up to two children under 17 stay free, in the same room as theirparents, and the kids get special giveaways, which vary by hotel. (In Stockholm, for instance,children can enjoy magic tricks and special surprises by the hotel's staff.) All the hotels also offera special children's menu this summer.
Sample rates, including breakfast, start from €69 per room per night (about $79) for twopersons in Paris or Munich, and from €79 ($91) in Helsinki. A sample rate in Berlin is quoted at €90 ($104), and €99 in Warsaw or Cologne ($114). Other hotels are located in Berlin, Sweden (14properties), the UK, Germany, Austria and France.
For more information or to make reservations, contact this group at www.summermagic.net,or phone 800/333-3333 for Radisson SAS hotels, 800/670-7275 forPark Inns or 800/456-4000 for Country Inns.
A fine German group, Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, has special summer rateswith double rooms in some smaller towns as low as €57 ($66). In Berlin, however, the doubleroom goes for €149 ($171), the same as for many other city hotels in the chain, including those inDusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Konstanz within Germany, and in The Hague andZurich outside the country. The cheaper rates (from €57 per room) can be found in such townsand cities as Augsburg, Bremen, Dortmund and at least three other spots.
For more information and reservations, visit Steigenberger online atwww.holiday.steigenberger.de.