Starwood Hotels Sale Ends March 31

Starwood hotels is offering a sale of up to 25 percent off at almost all its hotels and resorts worldwide for stays through May 31, 2010, but the discount is considerably less in some cases.

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Get Compensated When Hotels Fail To Deliver

Did you ever check into a hotel only to find the pool closed or some other amenity unavailable?

It has happened to me, many times. Usually, if it’s temporary, I just deal with the disappointment. But there are times when it’s appropriate to complain, and even to ask for some kind of compensation.

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Vermont Resort: $99

There’s a nice deal on Travelzoo for the Castle Hill Resort & Spa in Cavendish, Vt. — $99 per night, which comes out to $108 with tax.

That rate is available Sunday through Thursday through April. You need to book via the link on Travelzoo. Rates through the hotel’s website are much higher.

Resort Fees Should Be Illegal

What if a store advertised a refrigerator for $600 and when you showed up to buy it the cashier added a $50 store admission fee and told you it was to cover your parking, bathroom privileges and the right to use your cell phone in the store.

You’d be outraged. Maybe you’d call the state consumer protection department.

So why do hotels get away with essentially the same thing?
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Choice Hotels: Free Night After Two Stays

If you stay twice at Choice hotels before April 30 you can get a  free night on a third stay. Here’s the deal:

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Vegas Hotels Lead The Way In Fees

If what happens in Vegas really stayed in Vegas we wouldn’t have to worry about the spread of some pretty pernicious hotel fees. But we probably should.

Like banks, airlines and car-rental companies, hotels lately have been tacking new fees onto all sorts of things. Las Vegas might be the leader in this, and the wise budget traveler wants to watch out for the tricks:

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Vacation Rental Agencies Can Deal Out Bargains

If you watched the Super Bowl you probably saw the HomeAway ad for its vacation rental service.

HomeAway, which owns vrbo.com, charges the owners of vacation homes, condominiums and apartments to list their properties. Travelers can search the database for a property and rent directly from the owners.

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Hotels Reward Guests Who Do Without Housekeeping

Would you accept a $5 daily credit to do without housekeeping services during your next hotel stay?

Starwood Hotels reports that 8.5 percent of its guests choose to forego housekeeping in exchange for a $5 credit to hotel restaurants or 500 points in the loyalty program for each night, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Hotels are promoting this option as ecologically friendly because towels and linens don’t get washed and vacuum cleaners don’t get used. It’s also economically friendly – for the hotel — because housekeepers don’t get paid. The article cites an estimate that it costs a luxury hotel $22 a day to clean a  room.

So I’m not particularly inclined to take the bait on this one. I think I’d rather have the room cleaned and keep the housekeepers employed.

I also can’t help wondering how long it will be before this option becomes a perk and hotels start charging a cleaning fee.

Worldwide Hostel Ratings Released

Hostelworld.com has released its list of the world’s best hostels, based on guest surveys.

The so-called HOSCARS (HOStelworld Customer Annual Ratings) are top-heavy with European hostels — five of the top 10 are in Portugal — but also include ratings by continent. In North America, the top-rated hostels are: the ACBB Hostel Niagara in Niagara Falls, Canada; USA Hostels in San Diego; and Clarence Castle in Toronto.

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An Illustration: Priceline vs. Travelzoo

Aqua Palms & Spa pool, Waikiki.

I was fascinated to see that Travelzoo’s top three hotel deals in Hawaii feature two hotels that my husband and I stayed in on our recent trip. The third is a direct competitor, very close to another hotel we stayed in.

This is not so surprising as it might seem. We reserved all three hotels through Priceline’s blind bidding, and the hotels offering the best deals through Priceline are likely to be offering discounts elsewhere.

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