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]

Naples celebrates national pride at the Romeo Hotel

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Will you be one of the thousands of people to hit the National Pride Festival in Italy this year? Naples is hosting the event this time around, and the Romeo Hotel wants you to check in. Whether you’re drawn to tradition or contemporary fun, the Napoli Pride Package will have something to turn you on.

Stay at the Romeo Hotel, and you’ll score a room for two with views of Mt. Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples (or the city center), strawberries and prosecco upon arrival and a buffet breakfast daily. The package is available from June 21 – 28, 2010, with rates starting at 475 euro.

Both Montagues and Capulets are welcome.

%Gallery-93910%

Get your third night in Paris Free

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Make 2010 the year you go to Paris. For most of the year, you can stay at the Hotel Beauchamps, in the 8th Arrondissement, and get your third night free. Over your three-night stay, you’ll save an average of 92 euro a night, which can certainly get you started at many of the city’s fantastic restaurants.

The Hotel Beauchamps is an interesting property, not far from the Champs Elysées and located between Rue du Faubourg St Honoré and Montaigne Avenue. If you have a jones for shopping, especially, this is the place to be. The intimate hotel has only 89 rooms on six floors, all of which have views onto Rue de Ponthieu, Rue Du Colisée or the courtyard.

Hotel review – Summerfield Suites by Hyatt

by Scott Carmichael on

In line with our regular reviews of budget friendly hotels, our travels took us to a Hyatt Summerfield Suites. This chain joined the Hyatt brand in 2005, and currently has 34 different properties throughout the country.

Summerfield Suites are extended stay hotels – so rooms come with the kind of amenities you need on stays of more than a couple of nights. Of course, this does not exclude them from people looking for a short term stay.


Check-in was extremely efficient and came accompanied with freshly baked cookies – something all hotels should consider. Within a few minutes I was on my way to the room.

The chain offers several types of room – studio, one bedroom and two bedroom. I had booked a one bedroom, and at just $63 this was probably the best hotel bargain I’ve encountered all year.

The room had obviously been renovated in the past 12 months and was outfitted with a decent flat panel TV (with line inputs on the side for your iPod). The sitting area/sofa bed was quite comfortable, and a very nice corner to sit and watch some TV.

The desk comes with a comfortable office chair, cordless phone and Ethernet cable. The hotel offered wired and wireless Internet (both free) as well as in-room printing to the business center. Internet speeds on the weekend were around 2 mbit/s, but those will probably drop during the busier week.

The bedroom has all the small touches you’d expect from a hotel room – its own AC unit, an alarm clock with line-input and surprisingly decent bedding. For me, a good bed and reliable climate control are all I need to be happy – but I could have done with a flat panel in the bedroom, sadly this property had left the bedrooms with old tube TV’s with lousy reception.

No surprises in the bathroom – but they did provide the nice massaging soap bars I’d encountered at the Hyatt Place properties.

The well equipped kitchen is perfect for a TV-dinner, or a more adventurous cooks. A dishwasher means you also don’t need to worry about making too much of a mess. The hotel also provides a grocery shopping service, and will pick up anything you need and place the items in your kitchen/fridge for you to prepare your own meal when you get back to your room at the end of the day.

The (free) breakfast was also one of the better I’ve come across – the assortment included eggs, French toast, sausages, a variety of fruits, cereal and yogurt and fresh baked cinnamon rolls.

On a busy Saturday morning, the line took some time to pass through, but the staff did their best to keep all stations fresh and full.

A decent pool, sauna and fitness center provide a great way to end the day or to to keep your kids entertained – the hot tub was a huge hit.

Final thoughts

As I mentioned earlier, Summerfield Suites are a fantastic bargain – prices will of course vary from location to location, but in most cities, you’ll be able to find weekend rates around $75 (lower with a AAA membership) – and when you consider that you get a large room, pool access and free breakfast, you’ll understand why I’m so impressed.

With prices like this, you don’t even need a reason to visit a hotel – I find a trip to a local hotel to be a perfect way to get away from it all. Best of all, if you enroll in the Hyatt Gold passport program, you can get one free night for every two nights you spend at a Hyatt property. You do the math – two nights at a $75 hotel, and you can treat yourself to a free night at a luxury property that normally goes for $300 a night.

Click here to learn more about this chain, or to find locations near you.