Daily Travel Deal: 100 hotels for under $100

by Grant Martin on

In rough times like these, it’s important to save money on every facet of your travel, whether it’s business or personal. Airfares are controlled pretty tightly by the industry, but hotels are a great way in which you can cut a few costs.

Short of camping in the park or staying at a youth hostel, there are plenty of hotels that you can find at reasonable rates, especially in this economy. To that end, AOL travel has compiled a list of 100 great hotels for under $100, separated by domestic region and international destinations.

It’s a handy check during your hotel scouring to see if there are any super steals for your destination.

Check out the list of 100 hotels for under $100 here, and make sure you swing back to the hot deals section for any up to the second updates. And remember, inventory is limited so travelers should act quickly to take advantage.

Relax in style at the Hotel Hivernage

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The greeting you’ll receive at the Hotel Hivernage is pure charm, but it requires patience. Instead of tapping your toe at the front desk while the guy in front of you spills his life story, you’ll be invited to sit in the lobby while you complete your check-in forms. The staff is not in a rush, so set aside your New York-sculpted expectations. This first taste will set the tone for your stay: relaxed, luxurious and high-tough.

When you visit Marrakech, you’ll be tempted to stay in the medina (i.e., inside the city’s walls). Trade proximity for comfort with the Hivernage. It’s a short walk to the medina, though a taxi is prudent (and cheap) depending on where you want to go. Being able to retreat from the craziness of the narrow alleys at the end of the day will be worth the seeming inconvenience. While the action inside the walls is fast and the environs confined, the Hivernage is spacious and clean.

No detail is overlooked, from the melon juice cocktail served at check-in to the rose petals scattered in your room’s sink and bathtub. Stretch out on the king-sized bed at the end of the day, or sip a glass of wine out on your private balcony.

Hivernage offers several dining options, including a bar, full-service restaurant and café (which is great for breakfast). Menus are available in both English and French, and the waitstaff can accommodate both languages (and Arabic), as well. The food is tasty, but neither adventurous nor exotic. Both local and western dishes are provided.

Be sure to block a day off to spend in the hotel’s spa. You can take advantage of a variety of treatments, including several traditional therapies. The contrast to the souks – the shops in the medina – is profound, but you’ll be too subdued to care when the stress of haggling with the medina’s merchants is kneaded from your back and shoulders.

This touch of luxury is not as expensive as you would expect. A comparable hotel in New York or Paris would cost you at least $500 a night. I spent just under $150 a night for the Hivernage … expensive by local standards but absolutely worth it.

Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon nabs top hotel award

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The Crowne Plaza Today, Gurgaon just picked the Best Luxury/Upscale Hotel of the Year Award at the Fifth Hotel Investment Conference for South Asia (HICSA). Winners were determined by a vote of registered HICSA delegates, and this was the first year the awards were held.

Tony South, Chief Development Officer for InterContinental Hotels Asia Pacific (which manages the property) was obviously thrilled, “It is an honour to receive this prestigious award. This is yet another feather in Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon’s cap. With IHG hotel management, our business partners are assured of quality service delivery and brand standards to guests, especially important when establishing brands in new markets.”

On the other hand, here’s a look inside the “dirtiest hotel in America.”


Hyatt Gold Passport wants to know how you would spend 365 free nights and one million frequent flier miles

by Scott Carmichael on

To celebrate the relaunch of their Gold Passport guest loyalty program, Hyatt is giving away one of the most insane prize packages I’ve ever seen – 365 nights at their worldwide chain of hotels.

And don’t worry about how to get to any of their exotic locations, because Hyatt will even throw in one million frequent flier miles for use on any Hyatt Gold Passport airline partner.

The enhanced Hyatt Gold Passport loyalty program now offers a wider range of rewards, including free nights with no blackout dates, complimentary Internet access, suite upgrades and elite-only check-in areas.

All you need to do to enter this contest, is tell Hyatt how you’d spend those nights. Your 250 word submission can be in video, audio, photo or an original drawing. The video I posted above should give you some inspiration!

Now, there is of course a slim chance that you are not lucky enough to win this amazing prize, but fear not, because in addition to their Big Welcome contest, they are also holding the Big Welcome sweepstakes, where they’ll be giving away a whopping 10,000 nights (in fact, the total is 30,000 when you count each region the contest is being offered).

To enter the Big Welcome contest, or the Big Welcome sweepstakes, head on over to www.thebigwelcome.com. Both promotions run from today until May 13th 2009 and you’ll need a Hyatt Gold Passport account to enter. Signing up for a new Gold Passport account is free, and only takes a few minutes.The rules of the contest can be found here.

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For hotels, bankruptcies looming

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The financial crisis isn’t just a problem for the residential market – hotels are getting slammed. So are cruise lines, and we all know about the airline industry’s unending woes. The travel industry in the United States is steeling itself for a wave of foreclosures and bankruptcies.

So far, the hospitality business hasn’t been hit hard, certainly not to the extent that the residential real estate market has. But, Los Angeles hotel attorney Jim Butler was quoted in USA Today as saying that the bubble is growing, even if “it hasn’t burst yet.”

Occupancy rates, and revenue, consequently, are expected to plunge this year. We all know that. If you’ve noticed the wave of travel deals that we’ve been running here at Gadling, it’s not hard to do the math. This translates directly to their ability to meet mortgage obligations.

According to Mark Woodworth of PKF Hospitality Research, 36 percent of full-service hotels in the United States won’t have the cash flow to pay their mortgages this year – compared to 21 percent in 2008.

Ouch.

So, should you adjust your vacation plans this year? How do you avoid hotels that are in financial trouble?

The good news is that a foreclosure usually won’t shut a hotel down. Closing the property means closing any possibility of revenue, and creditors want cash more than the building. But, cuts will be common, from room service hours to staff at the front desk. You’ll pay less, and you’ll get less for your dollar. But, at least you’ll still be able to get a room.

Still, if you’re sensitive to the risk of losing your stay, try to avoid newer hotels. They are more likely to struggle, as they don’t have the brand recognition and repeat guests that benefit established properties. For the most part, though it should be business as usual, though “usual” might be a bit slimmer than you remember.