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KFWB Deals of the Week: Hotels Galore in N. America On Sale!

There is no more visible measure of the doldrums the travel industry is in than the incredible deals hotels are offering these days.

Here are several, from Los Angeles to San Francisco to Beaver Creek and elsewhere around the US.  (You may hear a podcast of my Sunday afternoon travel show that features these deals here.)

• Just off Union Square in San Francisoco, Kimpton's Sir Francis Drake Hotel offers a $99-a-night rate if you book by this coming Wednesday, Oct. 28.  The offer is good for stays from Nov. 1 through Apr 30, 2010.  Call 800-546-7866 and mention rate code SFD99 or use that code when you visit the hotel's web site
• The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa in Colorado offers a third night free until Dec. 1.  Just click on "Special Offers" at the hotel's site.
• In balmy southern California, the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey will sell you a double room for only $199 a night through the end of the year if you book 14 days in advance.  You must pre-pay and cannot cancel for a refund or change your dates. I couldn't find the deal on the hotel's web site, so I'd call the hotel directly at 310-823-1700.
• And, finally, Sofitels all over the US (and Montreal, too) are promoting an "I Love Chocolate" sale that gives you a third night's stay free.  It's good Nov. 1 through Jan. 31, 2010.  And they'll even throw in free breakfast, no small deal given the price of most hotel breakfasts.  And on an after of your choice during your stay, you're invited to a chocolate feast of pastries and hot chocolate.  Rates begin as low as $105 a night at the Minneapolis Sofitel.  Check it out here.

At the Four Seasons Chicago, the Babysitter Comes Free When the Parental Unit Dines Downstairs on Thursdays

There are all kinds of good reasons to check into the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, starting with location and luxury.  (I know "luxury" is a bad word these days, but sometimes a hotel can't avoid being referred to that way, what can I say?)

Here's another, very clever one.  Every Thursday, a family staying at the hotel can count on complimentary babysitting services for the kids while mom and dad dine in the hotel's restaurant, Seasons, between 5:30 and 9:30.  Not that the children will go hungry--they get to jump on the beds, play board games, watch movies, or play with a Nintendo Wii with their caregiver while dining on mac 'n' cheese, chicken fingers and fruit kabobs. 

The menu is a bit more rarified in the hotel's restaurant--beef tartare with homemade beer mustard, anyone?  My only wish: That the hotel could offer this deal seven days a week. 

Utah Ski Deals Heat Up As the Weather Turns Cold

Early Bird Gets the Powder

Sundance Resort – Sundance, UT – December 11-20, 2009

Guests who want to save on their 2010 ski vacation can book by October 31, 2009 to experience The Greatest Snow on Earth® for the greatest prices around.  Package includes: three nights accommodations, breakfast daily, two all-day lift tickets per day and upgraded amenity bag with snacks upon arrival.  Rates start at $375 per night based on double occupancy; three-night minimum stay required.  Blackout dates apply.  Click here for more information.  

Ski Salt Lake: The Ultimate Ski Vacation – 4^th Night and 4^th Day Free

Salt Lake City, UT – Opening day – April 18, 2010

When guests book a four-day, four-night vacation including the Ski Salt Lake Super Pass and lodging at any participating property, the 4th day of skiing/riding and 4th night of lodging are absolutely free. Package must be booked by December 15, 2009.  

Park City Quick START Vacation – Ski Today, Ride Today for Free

Park City, UT

Snow enthusiasts can catch a morning flight from almost anywhere and be on the slopes the same afternoon.  The Park City Quick START Vacation lets out-of-state visitors convert airline boarding passes into free, same-day lift tickets to the Park City resort of their choice: Deer Valley Resort, The Canyons Resort, or Park City Mountain Resort.  Blackout dates apply. 

Kids Free During Early/Spring Season

Alta Lodge – Alta, UT – December 17, 2009 – April 3, 2009

Family vacations don't get much better than this package.  Kids, under 18 years of age, stay free and receive complimentary breakfast and dinner when booking a room for four or more nights.  With two kids, this is a savings of over $200 per night.  A four-night minimum stay is required.  

Early Bird Stay and Ski Package

Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort – Snowbird, UT – November 29 – December 23, 2009

Visitors can book two nights or more and a two-day Snowbird-only Tram and Chair pass for $99 per night, per adult.  Package is based on double occupancy and children 12 and under ski free for each night of stay.  Rates will vary based on accommodations and dates selected. 

Ski Utah White Sale

Statewide Offerings – Opening Day – Closing Day

The Ski Utah White Sale is now offering visitors winter steals from more than 20 properties across the state, including the Bronze Ski Package from the luxurious Stein Eriksen Lodge, starting at just $276 per person, per night.  

Dakota Mountain Lodge 5^th Night Free

Dakota Mountain Lodge & Golden Door Spa – Park City, UT – January 1 – April 15, 2010

The first ski-in/ski-out property from The Waldorf Astoria Collection is offering a complimentary 5th night when staying four consecutive nights.  The package is available in all room categories at the resort’s best rate.  Located at the base of The Canyons Ski Resort in Park City, the property features 201 luxury accommodations including six-bedroom Suite options; a 16,000-square-foot Golden Door Spa; and the award-winning Spruce restaurant.  Blackout dates may apply.  

Winter Playland Package

The Canyon’s Resort – Park City, UT – December 4, 2009 – April 7, 2010

When booking a trip at one of the official lodging properties of The Canyons Resort, The Canyons Grand Summit Hotel, Escala Lodges, Sundial Lodge or Silverado Lodge, guests will receive the Winter Playland Package, worth over $500 in special resort gifts.  Visitors can take advantage of any of the following spectacular gift offers:

• Three-Day Adult Lift Ticket – a passport to experience 3,700 acres of The Greatest Snow on Earth®
• Two First Tracks Passes – an exclusive invitation to explore the mountain a full hour before it opens to the general public
• Three-Day Sport Equipment Rental Package – guests can skip the excess baggage fee from the airline and let The Canyons outfit their adventure
• Full-Day Adult or Child Group Ski or Snowboard Lesson – adults and kids alike can receive expert training from one of the resort’s award-winning instructors
• $150 Resort Dining Credit – food aficionados can choose from over a dozen restaurants in the Resort Village and on the mountain 50-Minute Massage at the Grand Summit Spa – wellness enthusiasts can relax, rejuvenate and refresh and at the Grand Summit Spa undoes what the mountain has done to them. 

Sunsets After the Tsunami . . . Dateline, Thailand

Early last year I posted a blog item about the coastal village of Bann Talae Nok in southern Thailand. This was the place that lost nearly 200 residents, including 16 schoolchildren playing on the beach, when the 2004 tsunami devastated that part of the world.

(You can read that post if you click on "Breaking News" at the bottom of this page and scroll down to Feb. 10, 2008.)

The blog Global Citizens recently asked me to pick one of the most memorable sunsets I've seen in my travels, and I chose the sunset I saw (and photographed) on the beach at Baan Talae Nok when my television crew and I were there shooting part of an episode on southern Thailand for the most recent season of "Rudy Maxa's World."

Not only was the deep, orange sky noteworthy, but every night, as the sun sets, a herd of wild buffaloes comes down to the water's edge and seems to debate for awhile whether to wade into the Andaman Sea.  The decision is always, eventually, "Yes," and you can see them in the photo I loaned to the Global Citizens blog. 

Deal of the Week, KFWB 980 AM Los Angeles, 18 Oct 09

Pay attention closely, now, kids--I've got a handful of deals, and I'll run through them quickly.  They run the gamut from cheap but upscale hotel rooms in New Orleans to free skiing in Crested Butte.

• The two W hotels in New W New Orleans are putting their rooms on sale for all of December.  The hotel's "Papa Noel" special rate of an astounding $84 a night.  And the W French Quarter drops rates to $109 a night and throws in free parking.  Call the hotels directly to ask for these deals.  The W French Quarter is at 504-581-1200, and the W New Orleans is at 504-525-9444.
  
• The Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino is discounting rates as much as 35% for fall and winter guests with rooms as low as $169 a night.  Book on line and travel before Dec. 21.  Or book by Nov. 30 for stays from Jan 3-Apr 8 and find rates even lower, starting at $159 a night.  
• Is London more your cup of tea?  The swanky Mayfair Hotel in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood has a holiday promotion it calls the "Shop, Sip & Celebrate" deal.  Room rates are discounted up to 35 per cent, with rooms starting as low as $317 a night, a bargain in London.  That includes daily breakfast, afternoon tea for two, the 15% VAT, and a booklet for savings at shops and entertainment venues.  Here's the deal.
• Here's a hotel room in New York City for $99 a night!  OK, so it's in Queens--just take the subway into Manhattan.  The Country Inns & Suites by Carlson has a new, 133-room hotel in Queens with an opening rate of $99 a night for fall and winter stays. Grab it!
• And, finally, stay at any participating lodge at Colorado's Crested Butte Mountain Resort from Nov. 26 through Dec. 16, 2009. Choose the Grand Lodge Crested Butte and pay only $84 a night per person and receive two ski passes for every night you're there.  

There, those deals should keep you on the road for awhile.

KFWB, 980 AM, Los Angeles Halloween Deal of the Week

Got plans for Halloween?

If Las Vegas sounds like a good spot to spend All Ghouls' Day, Caesar's Palace has a deal for you.  But first you have to promise to follow the hotel on Twitter or become a fan of the hotel on Facebook and then link to this special "Trick or Tweet" deal.

Here's what you get: Two nights--Friday and Saturday--at Caesar's plus two passes to the resort's jaw-dropping spa and health club plus free Internet access and a free movie (the hotel suggests "The Hangover").

You'll also receive two VIP passes to the hotel's PURE rather decadent nightclub (that's a good thing) for Friday or Saturday night.  Both nights are hosted, by the way, by that little darlin' and dear friend to us all, Nicky Hilton.  Oh, and there's a $50 resort credit, as well. 

The price of all this starts as low as $175 a night.  With Saturday night usually costing $275, that's a big savings right off the bat.

But wait, there's more.  You'll be led by Tweets to locations around Caesar's all weekend where you'll find free food and drinks and other giveaways.  And while costumes aren't required, they are encouraged.  Can you say, "Toga party?" 

You can find this deal on Facebook.  

Headed To Toronto? Why Not Have a New Friend Show You Around?

You've got a friend in Toronto.  Even if you don't know don't know anyone there, the city's tourism folks would like to introduce you to a local resident who will take into account your interests and then show you around town.

For free.  (Though it might be nice if you buy your genial host a lunch or dinner.)

The service is called Tap into To.  Visit the web site, list the number of visitors and their ages, and mention what kind of sites interest you.  There's also a program to accommodate visitors with disabilities. 

How To Get an Upgrade for Domestic & Foreign Travel Today

One of the most valuable perks of membership in an airline's frequent flyer program is the ability to be upgraded from coach class from time to time.

But the rules vary from airline to airline and are constantly changing.  And rules for getting upgraded on foreign flights are different than getting upgraded on domestic flights.  As Continental leaves the Skyteam alliance (Northwest, Delta, et. al.) to link up with the Star folks (United, US Airways, et. al.), members of those frequent flyer clubs are either winning or losing, as well. 

The Wall Street Journal's excellent consumer travel columnist Scott McCartney does a great job of simplifying the current rules on most US airlines in an article today. It's worth reading if you're a frequent flyer who plays the mileage game.