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.

Read More…

InterContinental Hotels Group has offered one of the best discounts on hotel rooms in Europe for several years with 2 nights for the price of 1 rates at select hotels. These are prepaid, nonrefundable rates, and most of these rates will not earn Priority Club points, but at these room rate savings the risk can be worthwhile and the lack of points earning justified.

I recall finding a great deal for the InterContinental Carlton Cannes on a 2-for-1 rate a few years back, but these days the 2-for-1 deal is primarily limited to Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and HI Express. I took the 2-for-1 IHG link off my Current Hotel Promotions page this last round since the link I had expired June 30, 2011. A Google search turned up a different link for current IHG discounts at hotels in Europe and the UK.

IHG Green Room Discounts

The Green Room is an IHG site for discount rates at Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels in the UK and Europe.

2 Nights for the Price of 1 and 35% off weekends promotional offers are valid for stays through December 31, 2011.

The burbs of London are almost always available for low rates and during holiday periods the rates in Central London typically drop as low as US$100 per night in my 2-for-1 rate analyses of the past several years.

Here is an example of the 2-for-1 rate at the Crowne Plaza Wiesbaden, Germany (aside: I attended 9th grade in Wiesbaden in 1975 at the U.S. Armed Forces High School. A school year wasted or should I say a wasted year of school?)

Crowne Plaza Wiesbaden November 3-5, 2011

2-for-1 rate (tip: click on graphic and image loads in separate webpage as full size image).

The 2-for-1 rate at Crowne Plaza Wiesbaden is 75EUR per night. The rate is prepaid, nonrefundable and no reservation changes allowed.

Compare the 75EUR rate to other rates at the hotel and you see this 2 Nights for the Price of 1 is a pretty good deal.

A rate check of the Crowne Plaza Wiesbaden hotel on the U.S. Priority Club site shows the lowest rate is a 21-day advance purchase, prepaid rate at 111 EUR per night. The cancellation policy refunds 10% of the room rate if you need to cancel or no-show. You will lose 100EUR per night if you cancel this 21-day advance purchase prepaid reservation compared to losing 75EUR per night with the 2-for-1 prepaid rate.

The lowest flexible cancellation rate is 149EUR per night. This rate allows you to cancel up to 6pm day of arrival with no penalty. The 2-for-1 rate is truly a 50% discount compared to the Best Flexible penalty-free cancellation rate.

This is why you Better Know an IHG Rate for Europe. These IHG discount rates can extend your hotel travel budget substantially when touring Europe.

Terms and Conditions for IHG Europe and UK discount rates:

Up to 35% Discount Terms and Conditions

• Offer applicable for stays taken up until the 31st December 2011 at participating IHG hotels in the UK.
• Stays are available over Fri, Sat and Sun nights (some hotels may offer limited midweek availability – please check when booking).
• Discount represents a saving against our Best Flexible rate per room, per night for two adults sharing a standard double/twin room (inclusive of VAT). Room only, breakfast not included.
• Up to 2 children under the age of 18 stay free when sharing a room with up to 2 adults.
• Offer valid on new bookings only, full payment must be made at time of booking; no cancellations or amendments permitted; no refunds given.
• All bookings are subject to availability of rooms allocated to this offer at participating hotels.
  Rates may vary by date of booking.
• A maximum of 2 rooms can be booked under any one reservation.
• This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers or special promotions.
• Priority Club points do not apply.

Half price Discount Terms and Conditions

• Offer applicable for stays taken up until the 31st December 2011 at participating IHG hotels in the UK.
• Stays are available over Fri, Sat and Sun nights (some hotels may offer limited midweek availability – please check when booking).
• Discount represents a saving against our Best Flexible rate per room, per night for two adults sharing a standard double/twin room (inclusive of VAT) for a minimum of two consecutive nights. Room only, breakfast not included.
• Up to 2 children under the age of 18 stay free when sharing a room with up to 2 adults.
• Offer valid on new bookings only, full payment must be made at time of booking; no cancellations or amendments permitted; no refunds given.
• All bookings are subject to availability of rooms allocated to this offer at participating hotels.
  Rates may vary by date of booking.
• A maximum of 2 rooms can be booked under any one reservation.
• This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers or special promotions.
• Priority Club points do not apply.

2 Nights for the Price of One – Terms and Conditions

• Offer applicable for stays taken up until the 31st December 2011 at participating IHG hotels in the UK & Europe.
• Stays are available over Fri, Sat and Sun nights with many hotels offering midweek availability – please check at time of booking.
• 2 for 1 offer is based on the Best Flex Rate and consists of two consecutive night stays for the price of one, based on two adults sharing a standard twin/double room (max. 2 adults per room) at participating hotels only.
• Full payment must be made at time of booking; no cancellations or amendments permitted; no refunds given.
• Up to 2 children under the age of 18 stay free when sharing a room with up to 2 adults, if suitable accommodation is available.
• Single supplement will be charged at the full room per night price.
• All rooms are subject to availability with a limited number of rooms available at these offer rates. Rates may vary by date of booking. Limited availability may be applicable over public holidays.
• Offer not available to groups and can not be used in conjunction with any other offers or special promotions.
• A booking made pursuant to this offer is non transferable.

3 nights for the price of 2 Terms and Conditions

• Offer applicable for breaks and reservations made from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2011.
• Stays are available over Fri, Sat and Sun nights with many hotels offering midweek availability – please check at time of booking.
• 3 for 2 offer is based on the Best Flex Rate and consists of three consecutive night stays with the 3rd night at no charge, based on two adults sharing a standard twin/double room (max.2 adults per room) at participating hotels only.
• Full payment must be made at time of booking; no cancellations or amendments permitted; no refunds given.
• Up to 2 children under the age of 18 stay free when sharing a room with up to 2 adults, if suitable accommodation is available.
• Single supplement will be charged at the full room per night price.
• All rooms are subject to availability with a limited number of rooms available at these offer rates. Rates may vary by date of booking. Limited availability may be applicable over public holidays.
• Offer not available to groups and can not be used in conjunction with any other offers or special promotions.
• A booking made pursuant to this offer is non transferable.
• Priority Club points do not apply.

IHG Green Room Discount Rates

InterContinental Hotels Group regularly offers 2 nights for the price of 1 night in Europe. The current offer is for hotel stays through June 30, 2011 at participating Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands. Most participating hotels offer weekend 2-for-1 rates with many locations also offering weekday 2-for-1 rates. Up to two children under the age of 18 may stay for free when sharing room with 2 adults.

Main restriction with the 2-for-1 rate is it requires full prepayment and there are no cancellations or changes allowed by the rate terms. These rates are deep discount savings, but use it or lose it once you book your 2-for-1 hotel stay.

Priority Club points are generally earned for these stays, but your results may vary depending on the specific property. Priority Club has a strange rule about not awarding points if the rate is more than a 30% discount. This is a loosely enforced rule, but when applied it seems members are out of luck with earning points.

Two other IHG hotel discount deals currently being offered in Europe like “3 nights for price of 2” and “Save up to 35% on Weekend Stays” specifically mention “Priority Club points do not apply” in the terms and conditions. The 2-for-1 offer terms and conditions do not have this “no points” statement.

London can be an incredible deal with these rates where numerous IHG properties generally mean this deal can be found every day of the week.

My observations for this 2-for-1 offer over the past couple of years concludes this is one of the best deals for European hotel stays. I have written posts in the past showing how London could be done for US$100 per night, but don’t even think you will get this kind of deal for London during the days of the Prince’s wedding.

IHG 2 for 1 special offer rate beats Priceline.com for London

April 22-24, 2011 Crowne Plaza Shoreditch, London

BiddingforTravel.com is a forum where people post successful Priceline.com bids. A member of BiddingforTravel.com posted Feb 26 on a successful Priceline.com bid for the Crowne Plaza Shoreditch at USD$110 per night for a three night stay April 22-25. She states the price on IHG website was $125 at the time.  I assume both these rates are room rate only and do not include the UK 20% VAT tax.

April 22-24 using the 2-for-1 IHG special offer rate lowers the price to just USD$89 per night before tax.

The rate using the 2-for-1 special offer gives a two-night rate for the Crowne Plaza Shoreditch hotel at £109  with 20% VAT = £130.80  or USD$106 per night after tax for the same dates as a successful February Priceline.com bid. This is an overall savings of at least $26 less than Priceline.com and $44 less than the IHG room rate listed on February 26.

xe.com currency conversion

IHG 2 nights for Price of One special rate offer.

Totally off this topic:  

I want to turn people on to the Ryan Bingham of hotel travel who is currently staying in 33 hotels in 33 days on the Las Vegas Strip. Here is a link to Paul Carr’s Huffington Post story “The Strip Diary“. The only relation of Paul Carr to this post is Paul is from London.  I’ll be hanging out in Las Vegas most of next week. Maybe I’ll run into Paul!

IHG has an extended time offer for 2 nights for the Price of 1 across the UK and Europe available for hotel stays through December 30, 2010 at Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, HI Express, Hotel Indigo and perhaps even other brands in some locations. This deal has been available for most of 2010. You are allowed a maximum of one two-night stay using this rate, but there is nothing in the terms against stacking up these rates back-to-back at different IHG hotels or returning to the same hotel on the 2 for 1 rate after at least a one night break in your hotel stay. 

Priority Club Promotion Credit – To be, or not to be, that is the question

Some hotels will post these 2 nights for the price of 1 hotel stays as qualifying rates using this deal and some will not. The good news is the stay may qualify for the current stay twice and earn a free night Sweet Dilemma and Crack the Case promotions. The bad news is that some hotels will argue the rate is non-qualifying since it is less than 70% of standard published rates and you may have no luck getting Priority Club credit. In that case you need to just be happy with the great rate savings.

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life – Samuel Johnson

Loyalty Traveler priced some London city hotels over the slow business travel period from Christmas through December 30 and found some amazing bargains. The streets of London may not provide the most hospitable weather in late December, but hey, if a week in ultra-cheap upper upscale hotel rooms in central London is your idea of a suitable holiday, then IHG has the deals. And there is no need to limit yourself to London since there are hundreds of hotels around Europe to get these 2-for-1 rates.

Crowne Plaza London – The City offers a full two-room suite at $264 per night with breakfast included over December 24-26, 2010 during the “2 nights for the price of 1 special rate offer”.

Hotel Indigo London Paddington – Executive King with complimentary internet for 72 GBP per night. This rate requires another 18GBP in VAT. Currently totals out at USD$142 per night on a two-night stay. 

Holiday Inn London Mayfair as low as 49.50GBP per night for a double bed. 58.17GBP after 17.5% VAT.  That is $91.52USD per night all in for a room.

Executive King for 87.54GBP all-in  =  USD $137.76 per night. 

Holiday Inn London Mayfair – Special Rate Rules:

DESCRIPTION:
2 night minimum stay required. Special Savings! Reservations are final and require full prepayment for the entire stay. Credit card is charged between time of booking and day of arrival. No refunds if cancelled or changed.

ADDITIONAL RATE INFORMATION:
PURCHASE 1 NIGHT(S) AND GET 1 NIGHT(S) FREE

PLEASE NOTE:
Thank you for making your reservation on our web site.

RULES:
- MAXIMUM NUMBER OF DISCOUNTED NIGHTS IS 1.
- MUST STAY AT LEAST: 2 NIGHTS
- MUST STAY NO MORE THAN: 2 NIGHTS
- CHECK-IN TIME: 02:00 PM
- CHECK-OUT TIME: 12:00 PM

DEPOSIT RULES:
A deposit for the entire stay is due at time of booking.

CANCELLATION POLICY:
Canceling your reservation or failing to arrive will result in forfeiture of your deposit. Taxes may apply. Failing to call or show before check-out time after the first night of a reservation will result in cancellation of the remainder of your reservation.

You can always splurge at the Holiday Inn London Mayfair with a One Bedroom Suite = USD $300 per night.

Crowne Plaza London Docklands (Dec 28-30, 2010)

 2 single beds = USD$165.81 for two nights or $82.81 per night.

Desiring more room? A King Bed Executive Suite with two rooms and a balcony, work desk, table and four chairs, sofa, free internet is 239.95GBP all-in for two nights. That works out to just $377 for two nights or USD$189 per night.

At hotel prices this low you can afford to take the kids too 

Holiday Inn Express London Limehouse

December 26-28, 2010 = 34.50GBP per night with VAT included.

That is a total nightly rate of USD$54.30 and within less than 4 miles of city center London.

Even better is the availability of a family room at this rate with a Double Bed and Double bed sofa for two adults and two kids. Travel and spend under $55 per day for a family of four at a Holiday Inn Express hotel in central London and even get your breakfast free. Now that is room rate value.

Pay attention to the 2-for-1 rate details 

Check these 2-for-1 rates carefully since some London hotels include the 17.5% VAT in the room rate and some do not. Also check for lounge access and complimentary breakfast rates which can save USD$50 to $80 per day when included in the room rate.

The main thing to keep in mind is the 2-for-1 rate is prepaid and does not allow cancellation. Show up and get the great bargain or you lose your money. You might consider trip insurance when booking nonrefundable rooms since you can get reimbursed if you miss the hotel stay due to something like an Icelandic volcano or a major U.S. snowstorm stranding you at an airport in the wrong city. 

There’s no Christmas for travel junkies.  

Better yet. Imagine a  rainy deserted street on a blustery Dickens fantasy Christmas holiday in modern day London. Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Dec 26) will find many closed places, but come December 27 the museums will be up and running.

I freely admit that Chinese food for Christmas Day dinner has certainly been my restaurant of choice on several travel holidays in many places.

I am feeling the urge to pack the raincoat and brolly right now.

And if you find yourself in London on Christmas Day – have a pint for me.

Does spending six nights in upscale London hotels for $600 sound like a good summer deal?

The IHG two nights for the price of one is one of the best offers available for summer 2010 travel in Europe through September 27, 2010. IHG 2-for-1 Reservation link.

The IHG two-for-one hotel nights offer is based on the Best Flexible Rate. Availability is primarily for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday arrivals, but most participating hotels appear to allow the rate any two consecutive nights of the week. Rates are variable for different nights of the week.

These IHG 2-for-1 rates are prepaid, nonrefundable and no changes allowed.

London has enough participating hotels that spending a week in Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels in central London can be done for about $100US per night and no extra charge for a second adult in the London hotels. Two kids can even stay free and at these rates you might be able to splurge for a cheap suite.

A Danube River view at the InterContinental Budapest at slightly over $80 per night is a traveler’s Eastern European dream price for a luxury hotel, although a second adult in your IC room can raise the cost of this room by another $50 per night according to the fine print for this specific hotel.

Here are sample hotels and rates found across Europe checking random dates. The rates shown below are the lowest rates listed. Many hotels have multiple rates and may even allow 2-for-1 room rates in suites.

InterContinental Hotels Group 2 nights for Price of 1 in Europe, May 1 to Sep 27, 2010

InterContinental  Hotels Group has a recurring 2-for-1 offer at Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and Holiday Inn Express properties in the UK and Europe. The current offer is valid for hotel stays through February 12, 2010.

2-for-1 Discount Link http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/6c/1/en/c/1/content/dec/teaser/6c/1/en/lp/emea/twofor.html?rateCode=IDEX1

The primary consideration to keep in mind when booking these two nights for the price of one rates is the reservation is nonrefundable and may not be changed.

Sample rates for Cologne, Germany

October 18-20, 2009

Holiday Inn Express Muelheim 27.50 EUR per night (US$40.35 per night)

Holiday Inn Cologne Am Stadtwald 50.00 EUR per night (US$73.35 per night)

One of the better features of this IHG 2-for-1 rate discount is the ability to book higher category rooms, including suites, at significant discounts.

Crowne Plaza London – The City

October 18-20, 2009

Standard Room = 112.50GBP per night (US$180.16 per night)

One Bedroom Suite with City Views = 207.50GBP per night (US$332.30 per night)

These discount rates earn Priority Club Rewards points.

Two-for-one hotel offers catch my attention.  An upper upscale hotel room in Amsterdam, M-Gallery’s well-reviewed The Convent Hotel for $120 per night October 15-17 is a recession era bargain. When TripAdvisor guests rave about a hotel in Europe, you know you have made a decent choice. Expedia was asking $186 and Orbitz $175 for the same dates the room is available for $120 through this special rate offer.

The M-Gallery Hotels “2 nights for the price of 1” offer is valid through October 31 for hotels outside of France. M-Gallery is a new Accor hotel brand with many of the hotels spun off from former Sofitel Hotels.

The M-Gallery homepage has a running slideshow of these high-end hotel properties in locations as varied as Brazil and Bangkok, Melbourne to the Dominican Republic. The hotel webpages are worth a browse just for the sake of admiring the beautiful hotels and descriptions in a free internet Conde Nast-type armchair travel experience.

M-Gallery participating hotels:

Hotel Bakoua Martinique (former Sofitel) Martinique, Caribbean

The Convent Hotel Amsterdam (former Sofitel) Amsterdam, Netherlands

Hotel Continental Zurich Zurich, Switzerland

Hotel Am Konzerthaus (former Sofitel) Vienna  Vienna, Austria

Hotel Mondial am Dom – Cologne (former Sofitel)  Cologne, Germany

Papadopoli Venezia, M label (former Sofitel) Venice, Italy

Hotel Rotary Geneva Geneva, Switzerland

Auberge de la Vieille Tour Guadeloupe (former Sofitel) Guadeloupe, Caribbean

Cerretani Firenze, M label (former Sofitel) Florence, Italy

Hotel St Moritz Queenstown Queenstown, New Zealand

Hotel Frances Santo Domingo (former Sofitel) Dominican Republic, Caribbean

Le Diwan Rabat (former Sofitel ) Rabat, Morocco

Hostal Nicolas de Ovando Santo Domingo (former Sofitel) Dominican Republic, Caribbean

Grand Hotel Melbourne, MGallery Collection  Melbourne, Australia

Hotel Century Old Town Prague Prague, Czech Republic

Al Saeed Hotel Taiz (former Sofitel) Taiz, Yemen

The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta Yogyakarta, Indonesia

VIE Hotel Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand

Hotel Spa do Vinho Brazil wine country

Songtsam Retreat at Shangri-La Yunnan, China

Tombolo Talasso Resort M label Tuscany, Italy

Good news for international travelers. Accor Hotels, Europe’s largest hotel chain, and the hotel chain with more hotels outside the USA than any other global chain including InterContinental  Hotels Group, Marriott, or Hilton has released a batch of new hotel rate discounts and A-Club bonus points opportunities.

Other Accor Hotels Special Offers: http://www.a-club.com/en/hotel-offers.html

Double points at luxury Pullman Hotels in Asia/Pacific through November 30.

Triple A-Club points in UK at Mercure, Novotel, and Ibis Hotels for stays from Sep 14-30.

Spain 200 Bonus A-Club points for bookings through December 31^st at any of the 39 Ibis Hotels in Spain.

Double points in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia through October 31.

Double points for Novotel Hotels in India through October 31.

Double points for Mercure Hotels in Poland through November 15.

Hilton Hotels has extended the reservation dates for their international hotels 2-for-1 sale to include weekends in September. The booking date remains unchanged at August 17 for special offer rates good for any night of the week to August 31 or weekend nights (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) thru September 27, 2009. This special offer is valid at participating hotels in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Pacific. The rate includes free breakfast and late checkout, up to 6pm where available. This special offer requires a prepaid, no changes, nonrefundable booking.

Analysis and details and of this promotion were covered in this June 24 Loyalty Traveler post.

The animated Hilton Hotels Asia-Pacific website for this sale is worth checking out just to watch the rubber duckies bob in the tub and squeak. I had the catchy musical tune playing in my head all day.

Europe, Middle East, Africa hotel locations

Asia-Pacific 2 for 1 offer

InterContinental Hotels Group is starting a three day sale for select hotels in Japan beginning at 00:00 hours Wednesday, August 5 Japan Time and lasting for 72 hours. The time zone differential means this sale begins 7:00am Tuesday morning for those of us in the USA Pacific time zone or 10:00am Tuesday morning for east coasters.

Sale rates are advertised as 50% off Best Flexible Rate for stays from August 9 – September 30. These rates are prepaid, nonrefundable and do not allow changes. These rates are eligible for points or miles.

Great Japan 72 hour sale Special Offer link.

Participating Hotels

1.       ANA InterContinental Tokyo, The Strings by InterContinental,

2.       InterContinental Tokyo Bay, InterContinental Yokohama Grand,

3.       ANA InterContinental Manza Beach and Resort,

4.       ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort

5.       ANA Crowne Plaza Chitose, ANA Crowne Plaza Niigata,

6.       ANA Crowne Plaza Toyama, ANA Crowne Plaza Kanazawa,

7.       ANA Crowne Plaza Narita, ANA Crowne Plaza Osaka

8.       ANA Crowne Plaza Hiroshima, ANA Crowne Plaza Fukuoka,

9.       Okinawa Harborview Crowne Plaza, Crowne Plaza Kobe

10.   Holiday Inn Sendai

11.   Holiday Inn Express Shin-Kobe

12.   ANA Hotel Wakkanai

13.   ANA Hotel Sapporo

14.   ANA Gate Tower Hotel Osaka

15.   ANA Hotel Okayama

InterContinental Hotels

Best Western has a buy one night and get one night free promotion available for booking over the next two weeks.

Offer: Pay one night and get your second night free on a minimum two-night stay at 31 participating Best Western hotels in Asia thru October 31, 2009.

Booking period: July 20, 2009 – August 3, 2009; reservation is prepaid and nonrefundable.

Terms and Conditions: Promotional rate does not earn Best Western Rewards points or airline miles.

Participating Best Western Hotels: http://www.bwrewardsasia.com/freenights

China

Best Western World Trade Hotel , Jinhua

Best Western Kylie Ningbo Hotel, Ningbo

Best Western Premier Ocean Hotel, Yiwu

Best Western Hangzhou Meiyuan Hotel, Hangzhou

Best Western Shenzhen Felicity, Shenzhen

Best Western Harbin Fortune Hotel, Harbin

Best Western Grandsky Hotel, Beijing

Best Western Hotel Sun Sun, Macau

Best Western Hengfeng Hotel, Putian

Best Western Shanghai Ruite Hotel, Shanghai

Best Western New Century Hotel Shanghai, Shanghai

Best Western Premier Beijing, Beijing

Best Western OL Stadium Hotel, Beijing

India

Best Western Resort Country Club, Gurgaon

Best Western Yuvraj, Surat

Best Western Resort Country Club, Hyderabad

Japan

Best Western Takayama, Takayama

Best Western Premier Hotel Nagasaki, Nagasaki

Best Western Hotel Newcity Hirosaki, Hirosaki

Thailand

Best Western Samui Bayview Resort, Koh Samui

Best Western Premier Supalai Resort & Spa, Phuket

Best Western Bella Villa Cabana, Pattaya

Best Western Pattaya, Pattaya

Best Western Premier Bangtao Beach Resort & Spa, Phuket

Best Western Ao Nang Bay Resort & Spa, Krabi

Best Western Chiang Mai Resort & Spa, Chiang Mai

Best Western Ban Ao nang Resort, Krabi

Philippines

Best Western Hotel La Corona Manila, Manila

Best Western Astor Hotel, Makati

Indonesia

Best Western New Kuta Condotel, Bali

Vietnam

Best Western Pearl River Hotel, Haiphong

Asia Hotel Industry by the Numbers (data from STR Global May 2009-Asia Pacific Report)

Hotel travel numbers for Asia are not looking good this year which partly accounts for the promotions being advertised by Best Western, InterContinental Hotels Group (mentioned in Lucky’s One Mile at a Time blog today), and Accor Hotels.

May 2009 STR Global hotel data shows double digit declines over the past year in average daily rates (15.2%) and occupancy (14.9%) for the overall region of Asia and the Pacific.

The Asia/Pacific region showed the greatest decline for any global region for the month of May 2009 and May 2008 to May 2009 numbers.

Thailand and China have seen dramatic declines in occupancy.  Hotels in the resort destination of Phuket plummeted to just 34.5% occupancy rate in May 2009. Suite upgrades should certainly be a negotiable option in this hotel climate.

In spite of the overall downturn, hotel rates actually increased for Bali, Seoul, and Tokyo hotels.

1. Bali, Indonesia ADR up 17.5% to US$127.83. (Bali hotel numbers may drop again after the recent Jakarta bombings.)

2. Osaka, Japan ADR up 8.7% to US$129.72

3. Tokyo, Japan ADR up 12.9% to US$228.55

It is unclear to me what effect currency rate fluctuation plays in this ADR increase.

The largest decrease in ADR is New Delhi, India with a 31.5% drop to US$162.02. I was astonished over the past three years at the data showing the steep rise in average room rates across India. Rates in Mumbai and New Delhi increased at astronomical levels of 30 – 40% per year and $300 per night hotel rates at the major hotel chains was not uncommon. It is no surprise to see a steep decline back to sustainable room rates in this business economy downturn of 2009.

Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne maintained occupancy rates above 70% as did Seoul, Korea. All the fare sales from the USA to the Down Under and the poorer economy keeping more Australians at home on the continent is probably helping hotel travel. Australia only saw a 6% year-to-year decline in hotel occupancy compared to 14% decline in Japan, 15% India, 16% China, and nearly an 18% drop in hotel guests in Singapore over the past year.

Hilton Hotels is discounting Bed & Breakfast rates on multi-night stays for hotels outside of the Americas through August 31.

Offer: Book a nonrefundable minimum two nights for hotel stays from June 26 through August 31 and receive the second night free. For stays of three or more nights receive 50% off the nightly “Bed and Breakfast” rate for each extra night. Breakfast for two (kids 12 or younger eat free) and late 6 pm checkout.

The rates show up on regular searches for all the hotels I checked so there is no need to insert special rate code. Here is a link showing sample hotel rates at participating hotels in various regions.

Timeframe: Book by August 17 for stays through August 31, 2009.

Location: Hotels in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Pacific are participating. This offer does not apply to North America, South America, Central America, and Caribbean.

Loyalty traveler Analysis of Promotion Value:

I checked two hotels for rate comparisons: Amsterdam Hilton and Trianon Palace Versailles, Waldorf-Astoria Collection (rebranded from Westin Hotels in past year).

Amsterdam Hilton, Amsterdam, Netherlands showed a good rate savings, 149.50€ per night for a 2-night, Tuesday and Wednesday nights stay, July 21-23 with the 2-for-1 rate including breakfast. The next lowest rate available was a nonrefundable advanced purchase rate at 239€ per night.

June 24 exchange rate of 1€ = $1.40USD.

Amsterdam Hilton 2-for-1 B&B rate = $419 for 2 nights = $210 per night including breakfast.

I recall the breakfast buffet being about $30 per person at the Amsterdam Hilton several years ago. And I paid around $160 for the Amsterdam Hilton on Priceline in summer 2006.  

This is a decent deal for Amsterdam, but there may be better deals at other hotels. Then again, Amsterdam and Paris have held up better than most European cities for maintaining hotel rates in this global recession.

Waldorf Astoria Collection Trianon Palace, Versailles, France

July 21-23 with 2-for-1 B&B rate = 139.50€ per night for King Classic Guest Room.

Rate exchange works out to about $195 per night for the lowest priced room. Otherwise the low rate is $159€ per night or $222 per night for an advance purchase nonrefundable reservation without breakfast.

2-for-1 sales are excellent time to buy up in room size

The lowest priced room at the Trianon Palace Hotel is the Classic room with a size of 215 to 269 square feet. That is a small room.

The advantage of 2-for-1 sales is the ability to buy up in room size at relatively low rates compared to average rates for the larger rooms.

Trianon Palace room descriptions and nightly room rates using 2-4-1 Bed & Breakfast offer:

Classic Guest Room = 20-25 square meters; 215-269 square feet (This is smaller than average size room which is about 325 square feet for USA) 139.50-164.50€ ($195-$230USD) depending on view.

King Deluxe Park View = 30-40 square meters; 332-430 square feet. (This should be a comfortable size room on par with typical US room size at upscale hotels). 189.50-204.50€ ($265-$286USD) depending on view

King Junior Suite = 57 square meters; 613 square feet (This is a large room that should feel quite spacious.) 324.50€ ($455USD) per night. Double the price for more than double the room.

While $450 per night may be well beyond the price range you have set for your travel, the point I am making is the savings on a high category room type may be a savings of hundreds of dollars per night compared with a savings of $30 to $50 per night on the lowest category room with this 2-for-1 Hilton offer.

These 2-for-1 sales are often the route to incredible savings on high category rooms. And if you are high elite Hilton Diamond you are more likely to receive a really high value upgrade when booking a higher category room type. Book a junior suite and your upgrade to a full suite is much more likely and typically a much greater value.

For example, last month I paid $30 more than the lowest rate to book a junior suite at the Le Meridien San Francisco during a sale offer and I was upgraded to a full suite that would have cost triple the rate I paid.

Trophy Travel: Amsterdam Hilton, John & Yoko Suite, 885€/night using the 2-for-1 B&B rate July 21-23, 2009.

Hilton Amsterdam canal view