Hotels Offering Wide Range of End-of-Summer Deals

FOR CONSUMERS WHO begrudgingly took to the backyard porch instead of the road this summer, take heart: quenching your wanderlust is now a lot more affordable.

Feeling the pinch of rising airfares, gas prices and a shaky economy, hotels are offering all sorts of creative deals and packages to lure travelers into their empty rooms. While some are offering promotions to offset increasingly pesky airline fees and gas prices, others are tacking on complimentary nights or free rounds of golf.

"More often than not, we're seeing significant perks — like spa services, food and beverage coupons, welcome gifts — versus dropping room rates," says Mark Lunt, a principal in the real estate and hospitality group at Ernst & Young.

If you're looking for a Labor Day getaway, visit travel sites like Expedia.com (EXPE), Travelocity.com and Lastminute.com, which offer affordable last-minute packages, with air and hotel together. These sites occasionally hold exclusive deals with hotels that allow you to snag a better deal than if you go through the hotel directly, says Elissa Richard, editor of ShermansTravel Media, a consumer travel web site. And "if you're just trying to get away for a long weekend, try to avoid traveling on Fridays and Sundays because flights are more expensive on those days," she advises.

Here's a sampling of some of the latest hotel incentives aimed at luring reluctant travelers in:

Bag those baggage fees

Angry that you have to pay $25 at the airport to check a second bag (and, at some airlines, $15 for the first one)? Stay at one of Kimpton Hotels' boutique properties (located in San Francisco, Dallas, New York and other cities) and receive a $25 room credit to help offset the cost. All you have to do is show proof at check-in that you paid to check the bag on your flight. Kimpton's "We Got Your Bag" promotion will continue through the end of the year.

Kor Hotel's Los Angeles-area hotels, including the Chamberlain West Hollywood, Avalon Beverly Hills and Maison 140 Beverly Hills, offer a similar promotion. In fact, the hotels will reimburse guests up to $75 for any extra baggage fees paid at the airport. Guests just need to mention the promotion code "money" when they make reservations over the phone or "money bags" for online reservations. Show your receipt at check-in and the hotel will apply a credit toward your stay. Kor's offer requires a one-night minimum stay and lasts until Dec. 28.

About a 20-minute drive from Miami's famous South Beach, the new Regent Bal Harbour is offering an airfare credit to guests who stay at least four nights. Book four nights in a Superior Bay View room and receive a $500 credit. (Four nights will cost $2,500 instead of $3,000.) Mention the airfare credit promotion when making a reservation.

Tack on another night — for free

For those looking to stay closer to home over the holiday weekend, Affinia Hotels is offering travelers a third night free when they book two nights at one of its newest properties in Chicago and Washington, D.C. At The Liaison Capitol Hill, rates start at $149 a night (offer is available through Sept. 2). At the Affinia Chicago, the offer applies to weeknight stays (Sunday through Thursday nights) between now and Sept. 4. Per-night rates start at $229.

Want to visit a more exotic locale? Try the Caribbean instead. Lodge Kura Hulanda and Beach Club in Curacao is offering a free night when you book six. A seven-night stay starts at $435 per person, and includes $140 in food and beverage credits. (Reservations must be made by Sept. 15.) And don't worry about purchasing travel insurance to cover a cancelled trip during hurricane season: Curacao is outside the hurricane belt. Check out other hotel promotions at the island's official tourism web site, Curacao Now.

See a show or hit the links for free

Whistler, a top Canadian ski destination, may not be the obvious choice when it comes to getting in your 18 holes of golf. But the Fairmont Chateau Whistler is hoping to draw avid golfers up north with its "Golf FORE Free" promotion. Guests who book a night at the Chateau between Sept. 21 and Oct. 13 get two individual rounds of golf for free (during peak times, a round of golf normally costs $118 there). Room rates start at about $245 a night, and golfers will also receive unlimited, complimentary access to the practice facility.

Another off-season bargain spot is Las Vegas, which "is ridiculously cheap right now,", says Anne Banas, executive editor at Smarter Travel Media. Many hotels are offering special end-of-summer packages. The Signature at MGM Grand, for instance, is currently targeting parents whose kids are heading back to school with its "Romance Package." For $159 a night, guests receive a $25 entertainment credit (good for MGM Grand's Crazy Horse Paris cabaret or the popular Cirque du Soleil shows), a $25 dining credit, 20% off spa treatments, two free drinks at the lobby lounge and a $35 golf credit. The Signature itself has no casinos, but if you're in the gambling mood, it's a 10-minute walk to the MGM Grand. The offer expires Sept. 4.

Also See:
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5 Least Tax-Friendly U.S. Cities for Travelers
How to Avoid Hidden Hotel Fees