5 Deals for Travel in the Autumn

Summer vacation season may be over, but fall travel promises to be a better deal for bargain-hunting consumers.

Americans scrimped on summer vacations, spending just $300 on average, according to Quicken Online, which compiled spending data from the more than 1.3 million consumers who use its financial-management program.

Leisure travel cutbacks have hurt the industry, but it’s the decline in business travel that’s forcing hotels to slash their rates this fall, says Gabe Saglie, a spokesman for travel booking site Travelzoo (TZOO). Companies typically plan for conventions and other off-site events a year in advance, and as we approach the anniversary of 2008’s market crash, many hotels are finding themselves with a surplus of vacant rooms.

Now, the recession’s effect is being compounded by the usual fall slowdown as kids return to school. To offset the loss, many hotels in popular vacation destinations are cutting rates by as much as 50%. Here are five fall destinations worth considering:

Wall Street’s woes have pushed hotel prices in the Big Apple down 29% compared with last fall, according to data from travel-booking site Expedia (EXP). “That’s the biggest drop I’ve ever seen [for the city] in 30 years of covering travel,” says Chris McGinnis, a spokesman for Expedia. The Park Central New York Hotel is now offering a 20% discount when you book a stay of five nights or more, lowering weekday rates for a room with a king-size bed from $349 to $279. Visitors will also find plenty of deals on attractions, particularly Broadway shows – where prices have fallen by as much as 50%. (For tips to snag those theater deals, click here.)

Sample deal: Three-star Murray Hill East Hotel is offering travelers who book through Orbitz a 25% discount on a stay through Sept. 30. Rates regularly start at $164 a night.

A big convention destination, Las Vegas has been hard hit by cutbacks in business travel. In May, Gov. Jim Gibbons said that roughly 400 convention cancellations made thus far in 2009 would cost the city $100 million in hotel income. “Until they see business travel pick up, they’ll focus on getting the leisure traveler with rock-bottom rates,” Saglie says. Some properties have lowered rates by as much as 70%, he says. The Mirage, where rates now start at $77 a night, is offering an additional 10% discount to travelers who book through the casino’s web site. The offer is good for stays before Jan. 31, 2010. (For more tips to save on casino travel, click here.)

Sample deal: At MGM Grand, book a stay sometime between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, and get a third night free. Rates start at $79 a night.