Off & Away goes international

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Off & Away the recently launched luxury travel auction site is offering up its first international destination. On June 7, 2010, the site will send a stay at La Amada in Cancun under the virtual gavel. Other upcoming auctions include the Andaz in New York (June 9, 2010), Turtle Bay in Hawaii (June 9, 2010) and the Alexis in Seattle (June 10, 2010).

The greatest concentration of luxury deals on Off & Away so far appears to be in New York, so if you’re looking to take a trip out here, putting in a bid might not be a bad idea.

NY is being auctioned off right now. Only 1 hour left. Did you know that we’ve had auctions go for as little as $20? http://bit.ly/OAendless than a minute ago via HootSuiteOff & Away
offnaway

Strangely, Off & Away rewards valiant losing efforts. According to the rules:

  • If you’re outbid, apply up to 110% of your used bids towards another room
  • Select from any of our 50,000 partner hotels at the Web’s best published rates

Preferred Hotels Makes Your Golf Addiction Social

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Do you prefer to improve your golf game? Yeah, anyone who swings a club is always desperate to do it better. So, if your handicap is your swing but you still have a jones for all things golf, check out the new Preferred Golf website from Preferred Hotels Group. It includes a social media platform and interactive capabilities you can use to get real-time golfing news, share tips and travails and commiserate with other duffers.

Preferred Golf is the next step in Preferred’s member-based program that includes access to more than 100 top courses, including The K Club in Ireland, Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina and The Broadmoor in Colorado.

“Members of Preferred Golf have always received the best value at the world’s top golf courses,” said Casey Ueberroth, President of Preferred Golf. “Our new website now adds convenience and customization to the list of benefits. So whether members prefer the customized service of our Golf VIP Desk or instant electronic gratification of the new website, we have all angles covered.”

When you’re ready to pack up your bags and head out for a weekend (or week) on the links, use the website to meet new golfers, set up buddy trips and get some extra help from the Golf VIP Desk.

This is a new way for you to feed your golf addiction!

Fairmont Zimbali Resort opens in South Africa

by Tom Johansmeyer on

There’s a new Fairmont in South Africa. The 154-room Fairmont Zimbali Resort has just opened, not far from the Fairmont Zimbali lodge, a 76-room property along the beach. The resort is tucked away in a 700-hectare forest reserve and is only 15 minutes from the new King Shaka International Airport.

Around the resort, there’s plenty to do, from game-viewing expeditions and safaris to micro-light flying and surfing in the Indian Ocean. There are five outdoor swimming pools on the property, including freshwater and saltwater pools overlooking the ocean. And, duffers can look forward to an 18-hole golf course (under construction) designed by Gary Player. Soccer fans, of course, will appreciate the fact that the Fairmont Zimbali Resort is only a short drive from Durban, one of nine 2010 FIFA World Cup host cities.

The Zimbali is one of seven new Fairmont properties to open this year.

What is a Mattress Run, and how can it get you free hotel nights?

by Scott Carmichael on

In the world of frequent travel, the mattress run is to hotels as the mileage run is for air travel – a trip with the sole purpose of getting hotel points or taking advantage of a promotion.

With a mattress run, you book a cheap hotel night, and in return you’ll earn something far more valuable. This summer, I’m taking advantage of a promotion by Hyatt, where I’ll earn one free night for every two nights I stay at their properties.

This may not appear to be a very efficient way to use my time, but the rewards are very much worth it – I can stay 2 nights at a local Hyatt hotel for around $60/night, and in return I’ll earn a free night at any property. Take for example the Park Hyatt in Chicago – as one of the most luxurious properties in the Hyatt chain, this hotel usually goes for around $450 a night during the summer months.

So – for an investment of just $120, I get two nights at a nice Hyatt property and one free night at a really nice one. Best of all, most promotions like this don’t have any limits – so I can earn quite a few free nights with a fairly minimal investment. Of course, my daughter thinks the promotion is really nice, because once a week she gets to go to a hotel and play in the pool.Many hotel chains have their own promotions once or more a year – so pay close attention to those emails they send you. You’ll need to sign up for their frequent guest program, but that won’t cost you a penny.

Some of the more popular promotions this summer season:

  • Hyatt – The Big Welcome Back (stay 2, get 1. Promotion lasts till June 30, free nights must be redeemed by August 31)
  • Hilton – Fast Ways to Free Stays (stay 4, get 1. Promotion lasts till June 30, Free nights must be redeemed within 1 year.
  • Marriott – Marriot Rewards Global Promotion (stay 3, get 1 + $50 off Hertz rental. Promotion lasts till August 31, free nights must be redeemed by December 31)
  • Starwood – SPG Free Weekends (stay 3, get 1 free weekend stay. Promotion lasts till July 31, free nights must be redeemed by December 19)

There are some disadvantages to these promotions – the most important one being a lack of availability when you want it. Award stays may not always have blackout dates, but there are only a limited number of award rooms available on each day, so you may need to settle for dates you didn’t originally want.

Also, hotels usually count two nights as one stay, so to get 2 stays, you’ll actually need two different hotels – which means packing and unpacking twice.

Cuba, China to build new luxury hotel in Havana

by Melanie Nayer on

While the U.S. continues to talk tourism with Cuba, Caribbean developers will break ground on Havana’s first luxury hotel later this year, the Latin American Herald Tribune reported.

The luxe-hotel is a joint effort between Cuba and China that will cost approximately $117 million (51 percent Chinese capital and 49 percent Cuban). According to reports, the hotel complex will have 650 rooms and cover an area of about 19 acres in the “Marina Hemingway” tourist center in western Havana.

This isn’t the first project Cuba and China are working on together – China is Cuba’s second-largest trading partner, so it’s no surprise the two friends have joined together to create a luxury hotel for tourists. The two countries have a total of 13 projects currently in development and spanning various industries including mechanics, communications, agricultural production and tourism.

[via The Latin American Herald Tribune]