My favorite European hotel promotion for the past several years has been the IHG “2 nights for the price of 1” for hotel discounts in the UK and Europe. This offer brings the rate of many hotels in central London to around $100 per night.

The main thing to know with these discount rates is they are prepaid, nonrefundable hotel room reservations.  The terms also state no Priority Club points are earned. This offer is not good for hotel promotions and points, but at these room rate discounts the points may not really matter. Just be aware that you forfeit the entire prepaid amount if you need to cancel your reservation.

The “2-for-1” and “3-for-2” rates are special offers available through this UK link and discounts are based on the Best Flexible Rate. The default page is set to search “IHG Weekend Breaks” in the UK for 35% off Best Flexible Rate.

Use the bullet menu on the right to change rate from 35% off weekend rates to the “2-for-1” or “3-for-2” rates.

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Starwood Starpicks offer discount rates over the next six weeks at select properties.  The discount is typically 20% to 33% off the Best Flexible Rate. AAA and senior discounts are generally 10% off Best Flexible Rate.

Some hotels only offer Starpicks rates for weekends and other hotels offer discount rates seven days a week. Main point to know is these hotel rates are prepaid and nonrefundable. You can’t change the reservation or cancel. You lose the entire stay deposit if you need to change or cancel the hotel reservation.

The Starpicks list looks unusually large this week. January is the slowest period of the year in many places. My search of hotels in California and British Columbia show some good deal low rates at several hotels.

The format has changed and I do not see a webpage with a full list of hotels like in past weeks.

Sample of Starwood Starpicks hotels:

Paris – Le Meridien Etoile 149 EUR

Paris – Westin Vendome 272 EUR

Vancouver – Westin Bayshore 129 CAD

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Starwood Hotels has a new Facebook contest to win a 5-night stay at any North American hotel up to category 6. Contest is open to residents of 50 US states, DC and Canada excluding Quebec who are 18 years or older.

How to Enter Starwood Contest

• Entry period is January 24 to February 28, 2012.
• Like the Starwood Facebook page.
• Register and share what “vacation means to you” by submitting a photo, story, poem, or combination of any.
• Round 1 Voting Period allows voters to register and vote once per day for favorite entry. After February 28 a group of panelists will choose the top 10 entries. Voting results only count for 25% of the criteria used in judging finalists.
• The good news for voters is you get a sweepstakes entry for one prize of two free weekend nights at any North American hotel up to category 5 properties for a maximum 32,000 points prize.
• Top 10 finalists will be posted from March 6 to March 20, 2012 for Final Voting Round.
• The odd rule is it looks like voters can vote once for each of the ten finalists, but no more than one vote for any finalist?
• Entry with most votes in Final Voting Round wins Grand Prize of 100,000 Starpoints for two round-trip flights, $1,000 in spending money and up to 125,000 Starpoints for a 5-night hotel stay at any hotel in North America up to SPG category 6 hotel. (SPG category-6 hotel in peak season is 25,000 points per night. Fewer points are won if hotel costs less. Considering SPG has 5th night free I would think the maximum win is 100,000 points.)
• Next two highest vote entrants win First Prize. One random voting member also wins a Voting Sweepstakes First Prize. First Prize is two free weekend nights (Fri-Sat) at up to category 5 hotel in North America for a maximum prize of 32,000 points.

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The new list of Priority Club PointBreaks Reward hotels posted today. These are hotels available for 5,000 points per night. Hotels are available until the allocated reward nights are booked and then the hotel drops off the list.

Priority Club members can buy points for $11.50 to $13.50 per 1,000 points. 5,000 points is $67.50 and the rate drops to $57.50 per PointBreaks night if you buy 26,000 or more points at a time. Members can buy up to 50,000 points in a calendar year.

Hopefully you already have points in your account. The availability of the Holiday Inn Express in Fortuna, California has me thinking about a coastal road trip north into Humboldt County this winter.

The selection is primarily in the USA this round with few hotels elsewhere in the world.

InterContinental Tahiti at 5,000 points per night is a deal if you can find a reservation and swing the airfare. Hint: Look in Asia.

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