After weathering months of rising hotel rates, travelers will be able to find discounts this holiday season. The best deals often are at large downtown properties that need to supplement lost business traffic. “Hotels have gotten creative,” says Robert Mandelbaum, director of research information services at PKF Hospitality Research, a management consulting firm that specializes in the hospitality industry. “In general, your big 1,000-room hotel in an urban location is going to find those last two weeks in December to be slow weeks. On the consumer side, it’s a great opportunity.”
For example, the Sheraton in Chicago is offering a “Shop ‘Til You Drop” package through Jan. 21. It includes complimentary valet parking, discounts at nearby department stores, including Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s (through Dec. 31), and accommodations starting at $129 per night. The hotel also is offering guests complimentary coffee and hot chocolate at the hotel’s Java Bar and a shuttle that goes to the Michigan Avenue shopping district.
The Harbor Beach Marriott resort in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., is offering holiday guests hundreds of dollars in resort credits, which can be used at the resort’s spa, restaurants and shops (but not on the room rate). Guests who book a five-night stay will receive a $300 resort credit; those who book a three-night stay get a $150 resort credit. The Holiday Resort Credit Package is available through Wednesday.
This also is the time to look for deals to Europe, says Jerry Chandler, travel blogger for cheapflights.com. While the dollar’s decline against the euro remains a major deterrent for American travelers, airlines are reacting by offering deals. “You name a carrier, and they’re in the process of putting out some great fare deals,” Chandler says.
The catch is you need to wait until after the holidays to travel. [ WSJ ]
BY THE NUMBERS
About 65.2 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this year, a 0.7 percent increase over 2006, according to AAA, the automobile association.