Link@Sheraton

$5.01 for a hotel room in San Diego had me calling the Sheraton reservations line several times today.  The deal was advertised as a promotional offer of a room for two Lincolns (a five dollar bill and a penny) for the San Diego Hotel & Marina as the first Sheraton to install the new Link@Sheraton wireless internet facilities in the lobby. 

I was not able to find a hotel room for the advertised promotional offer of $5.01 at the San Diego Hotel & Marina despite being on the phone by 7am California time.  I was not able to find any rooms through online reservations either.  You would think that a promotion to launch an internet accessibility feature of the Starwood Hotels chain would have given preference to online reservations.

Once again Starwood puts out a big press release for a benefit that is quite difficult to receive.  I was less than impressed with the response I received from reservationists regarding the promotion.  None of the reservationists I spoke with seemed to have any clue about the promotion.  I had to explain it, give the promotional code, and then be told nothing was available, over and over again.

The promotion was to celebrate the first ever Global-Out-of-Office-Day (G-O-O-D).  Starwood CEO Fritz van Paasschen even opened the NYSE with a remote ringing of the opening bell from a large Starwood Link@Sheraton business center set-up in Central Park, New York City.

Seeing as how the US stock market had its worst day in six years with over 5% drop of the NYSE, a more appropriate moniker for the day may have been the Global-Out-of-Work-Day (G-O-W-D).

As a person who studied labor economics and workplace issues in graduate school, I find the Starwood press release survey results an interesting reminder of the impact technology has played in our lives this past decade. 

·         85% of US professionals feel technology makes their job hours 24/7. 

·         81% of US professionals say they work harder today than they did five years ago. 

·         85% say they check their PDAs in the middle of the night.

Work interferes with seeing the world.

Hotel Indigo  2,000 Bonus Points for a stay

2,000 bonus points for a stay at any Hotel Indigo between August 1, 2008 and January 2, 2009. 

Registration is required.  Only one stay per member will earn the 2,000 points bonus.

Hotel Indigo is the newest upscale brand of the InterContinental Hotels Group.  Think of these hotels as large chain boutique properties.  The marketing campaign behind Hotel Indigo will reveal the word boutique in just about every paragraph. 

A look at the Hotel Indigo websites will reinforce the pitch of escaping the fast-paced environment outside through a serene, peaceful stay inside.  And high-speed internet access is available for free in the lobby.  These hotels are not just a getaway room, but a lifestyle retreat. 

I can’t comment from personal experience as there are still only a handful of open Hotel Indigo properties.  The next 12 months will see several new Hotel Indigo properties open for guests in locations from Knoxville, Tennessee to London, England.

3-Night Stays in September at Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express Earn $50 Gas Card

Registration is required.  Priority Club member must be a US resident for this promotion.  Complete a 3-night or longer stay by September 30, 2008 and receive an American Express-branded $50 gas card.  Only one member per room will be awarded the gas card.  All gas cards will be shipped by November 15, 2008 and are valid for approximately three months.  Terms and Conditions.