One Stay at Holiday Inn or HI Express Earns Voucher Award to Buy a USA-48 Airfare for $198
The Holiday Inn Stay to Fly promotion (promotion link) was mentioned 31 days ago by Mrp Alert on FlyerTalk (FT link to promotion discussion), but I just saw it today in my Priority Club email. As an aside to this promotion, there is an interesting link in the signature of FlyerTalk member Mrp Alert. The link is for an InsideFlyer interview article telling how this frequent traveler earned 105,000 miles renting cars for 45 days for only $1150. That’s great travel planning.
Holiday Inn Fishermans Wharf, San Francisco, California
The Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express Hotel Stay Flight Voucher Promotion:
Step 1: Read the terms and conditions carefully for this promotion.
Step 2: Book a hotel stay at a Holiday Inn brand hotel or a Holiday Inn Express brand hotel for a stay between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008. Over 1,500 IHG brand hotels in North America participating in the Stay to Fly promotion.
Step 3: Each guest who books and stays at least one night on the “Stay to Fly” rate will receive one “Flight Voucher Award” within three weeks of the qualifying stay. One Flight Voucher Award will be earned for every eligible stay during the promotion and up to four Flight Voucher Awards can be redeemed for the same itinerary. Flight Voucher Award recipient must be one of the passengers.
Step 4: Flight Voucher Award is valid for one coach class adult round-trip ticket for $198 within participating airports in the lower 48 USA. Award recipient will receive a $50 refund check if base fare for flight is $248 or less.
Travel from lower 48 USA to Canada or Mexico is allowed between participating airports for a $298 ticket fare.
Hawaii or Alaska Travel
Flight Award Voucher is valid for a $99 refund on the ticket price rather than a set rate fare.
International Travel
Intra-Canada or roundtrip travel from Canada to USA 48 is allowed for $298 CAD. USA 48 to Mexico or Mexico to US 48 travel is allowed for $298USD roundtrip.
Ticket taxes and fees are additional. Passenger is responsible for payment of any fuel surcharges.
[LT note – $198 ticket only applies to base fare for airline ticket. Fuel surcharges can impact fare price.
Travel agency fee too? No info yet as to ticketing fees charged by travel agency.]
I find contradictory terms when reading the rules for this promotion. One term states a $99 refund on travel between Continental USA and Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, or Canada. Another term states the fare is $298 USD for travel to Mexico or Canada.
Step 5: Flight Voucher Award contains ID numbers which must be registered at www.HIAirAward.com within 30 days of receipt of email notification for Flight Voucher Award.
Step 6: Flight must be booked within three months of online registration (Step 5) and travel must be completed within six months of booking ticket with travel agency used for this promotion. Travel agency has discretion to choose airline carrier and routing for award travel.
Step 7: Flight requires 21-day advance purchase and must include a Saturday night stay. “Flights will be extremely difficult to obtain during major holiday periods.” as quoted from promotion terms for Stay Here, Fly There.
[LT note – Lack of award tickets during major holidays is to be expected as the conditions of 21-day advance and Saturday night stay are the lowest fare booking codes. Peak travel holidays will not have these low fare tickets. The airlines have to make money sometimes.]
Step 8: Travel arrangements must be made Monday through Friday, between hours of 8:30am – 5:00pm Pacific time when the travel agency has open hours.
Important to Note:
Flight Voucher Awards are non-transferable, but recipient can fly with up to three other passengers on same itinerary. (Three additional persons can travel on same itinerary with someone who earns and redeems four award vouchers. Family trip time.)
Hawaii, Alaska and International Travel to Mexico or Canada: Travel voucher discount between any eligible airport in Continental USA and Alaska or Hawaii or Canada or Mexico is good for a $99 refund on the itinerary cost rather than a $198 fare ticket.
Travel to Canada from Continental USA: Fare is $149 USD each way, plus taxes and fees.
Canada Originating Travel: Travel within Canada or from Canada to the Continental USA 48 and back to Canada will be a $149 CAD each way fare ticket. Flights must be from major airport serviced by both Air Canada and WestJet. Flights between Mexico and Canada are not allowed.
This Holiday Inn deal has loads of fine print on travel certificate redemption. Some of it seems unclear to me. Overall looks like a good deal for someone who wants hotel stays in 2008 and wants to fly on a cheap ticket outside holiday periods over next six months.
Step 6 as I show above states the passenger can only choose dates of travel and departure-arrival cities for award flight. The travel agency can book any airline carrier for the flight at their discretion. The ability to earn frequent flyer miles is undetermined since terms are unclear if flight will be eligible for earning miles as a paid flight or booked in some type of award/consolidator booking code.
Holiday Inn Santa Clara, California
Holiday Inn Express San Jose Airport has a “Stay to Fly” rate for $109 this weekend. The lowest available rate is $89. Basically there is a $20 surcharge for the “Stay to Fly” promotion.
Monterey, California (MRY) to Portland, Maine (PWM) is a $397 base fare for a flight in February. After taxes and fees the ticket is $532.
The “Stay to Fly” flight voucher rate should be something like $198 base fare and the same $135 in taxes and fees and perhaps a travel agency booking fee (estimate $20). Including the extra $20 for the “Stay to Fly” hotel rate, the overall savings might be something like $353 MRY-PWM ticket price + $20 higher hotel rate = $373.
This sample MRY-PWM itinerary might save me $179 through the Holiday Inn “Stay to Fly” promotion.
Real Travel Numbers:
