20% Off at Renaissance Parc 55 Hotel San Francisco

San Francisco vacations don't come cheap, but if you book in for a stay between either August 31st to September 1st or between December 9th to December 12th, you'll receive 20% off at the Renaissance Parc 55 Hotel in Downtown San Francisco. You'll have to check for rates and availability, because when I tried to book online, it said that the 20% off is only if you stay for at least 4 nights, and 30% off if you stay for 5 nights. But they may offer the 20% off even for shorter stays if you call them at (800) 595-0507. Rates from $159 per night (this is the lowest standard room rate, without the 20% discount).

They have a lotta other specials, including a 'Cars Stay Free' package, a 'Breakfast for Two' package and a 'Burke Williams Spa Package'. But after looking at the prices on the rest of the packages (around or over $200), I figure the only one worth discussing is the 20% discount package. I mean, if you can get a room for about $120 at a big hotel like the Parc 55, that just about beats the rates offered by all comparable San Francisco hotels.

In addition to 21,000 sq ft of meeting and event space, the Parc 55 offers its guests use of a 24 hour health club, dry sauna, a coffee shop (Barbary Coast), cocktail lounge (Piazza Lounge), a sports bar (Barley 'N Hops) and two restaurants - The Veranda Restaurant which serves California cuisine, and Siam Thai which offers Thai cuisine. Amenities and services for guests include a business center, room service, massage therapists, tour desk, gift shop, valet parking ($44 plus 14% tax for parking - No wonder they have a 'cars stay free' package.. ), overnight laundry and child-care services (on request).

The 32 story Parc 55 offers 1,010 guest rooms and 18 executive suites with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay. In-room amenities include cable televsion with video games and on-demand movies, hair dryer, iron and ironing board and makeup mirrors, blackout drapes, coffee and tea maker, workdesk, complimentary newspaper, high speed internet, and shower massage.

Info: 55 Cyril Magnin Street San Francisco CA 94102; (415) 392-8000; www.parc55hotel.com/

Miyako Inn Los Angeles Hotel Weekend Special

The Miyako Inn, Los Angeles is offering a weekend getaway package for $109 per night, which includes free upgrade to Executive room and a compimentary continental breakfast every morning. Minimum 2 night stay required, and package valid Friday through Sunday only. More details and online booking here. That's quite reasonable, compared to other downtown Los Angeles hotels.

The hotel has a business center and meeting room with computer, internet and copy services (extra charges apply), along with valet parking ($18). For guests, the hotel offers free in-room internet, and the 11th floor Executive rooms have free wireless internet. Being a Japanese hotel, the Miyako offers a health spa with a Jacuzzi, with Dry / Steam sauna, and Shiatsu Asian massage treatment. The Spa also houses a fitness center with exercise equipment.

The rooms, in tune with the rest of the hotel, are functional without being decadent or overly luxurious. Considering the price and location, its not all that bad. Twin beds with headboards, bare walls, a small workdesk with a cair, and large windows with floor to celing drapes. Each room comes with a complimentary DSL connnection, hair dryer, iron & ironing board, coffee maker and electronic safety box. rates from $109 to $149 (taxes extra).

The $149 is the standard per night rate for the executive rooms, so if you book the weekend package, you basically save $40 per night, assuming you want the executive room. In a nutshell, the hotel may not be an A-lister, but if you're on a budget Los Angeles vacation, then the price, location and functionality of the Miyako, not to mention the neat spa, provide an attractive option.

Info: 328 East 1st Street Los Angeles CA 90012; (213) 617-2000; www.miyakoinn.com/

DoubleTree Hotel Sacramento, California State Fair Package

The DoubleTree Hotel Sacramento is offering a special California State Fair package from $105 per night. Includes two adult tickets and transportation right upto the main gates of the State Fair. Valid until September 3rd 2008. For package details and online booking, click here.

The California State Fair this year will be held from August 15 to September 1, 2008. Info: 1600 Exposition Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95815; (916) 263-FAIR; www.bigfun.org/; Discount tickets purchased in advance - $8 adults, $6 seniors (62+), $5 children (5-12) and free for children (0-4). Tuesdays are 'Kids Days', and all kids aged 12 and below get free admission. Seniors can get $2 discounts on Fridays. Single vehicle parking - $8.

Most major Sacramento hotels will be packed to the rafters during the third and fourth weeks, so it might be advisable to book well in advance. So let's talk some more about the DoubleTree and the State Fair package. I tried to do a booking for the package, rates for which are 'said' to be from $105, but the cheapest I could find, online, and for the State Fair Package, was $185 plus taxes for a single room with queen bed or beds. If you want a King bed, the cost goes up over $200. And for Sacramento, $200 plus taxes, even if you take out the $16 for the fair tickets, is pretty steep. At least $50 overpriced, if you consider that a hotel in Sacramento charges an average nightly rate of around $120 to $130.

I mean, you might as well get a cheaper room at another hotel and buy a couple of tickets to the State Fair with your own money. And if you have a car, the shuttle becomes redundant. So is the DoubleTree Sacramento worth it for the extra cash?

Well, you decide... The amenities they offer include a business center with meeting rooms and other necessities for business travelers, high chairs and cribs for families on vacation, and general amenities and services include a concierge desk and room service, coin laundry, gift shop and news stand, valet service, fitness center, pool and pool table. Dining facilities at the hotel include an Espresso Bar and the Cityside Cafe just off the lobby which whips up a sumptous breakfast buffet spread, along with the traditional fare for lunch and dinner. Free parking at the hotel's open parking lot.

The 448 guest rooms and suites are furnished with working desk and chair, hair dryers, iron and ironing board, coffee maker with coffee and tea, cable TV 21 channels, HBO and on-demand movies. Internet access in-room is available for an extra $9.95 per day, and most rooms have their own balcony. The Queen bed rooms, which offer the lowest rates with the State Fair package, each offer 5 jumbo hypo-allergenic down pillows, oversized chair and large desk with ergonomic chairs. A spacious bathroom is kitted out with Neutrogena bath products and cotton terry robes.

Info: 2001 Point West Way Sacramento CA 95815; (916) 929-8855; Website

1 Night Free at Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs

The thing about Palm Springs is that it's cheap, and the desert has a whole lotta dirt, so what you have is a dirt cheap Palm Springs holiday with lots of shopping, golf and poolside action. Which is why the Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs is offering the 3rd night free if you book in for 2 nights. Valid until September 30, 2008. Use promo code 89934 for online booking, or call (760) 322-9000. Rates starting at $99, if your stay is in August.

Rates at Palm Springs hotels usually fluctuate on a daily basis much more than other areas in California (don't ask why). So you should probably keep your dates flexible enough and check to see which days of the month you get the best rate.

As far as the Hyatt is concerned, its one of the better digs in palm Springs, and offers everything from an airport shuttle to ice machines (you're gonna need it, trust me..) and a manicure salon and full service spa. Other guest services and amenities include wireless internet, health club, valet parking, a heated outdoor swimming pool and whirlpool with a sundeck, jogging and bicycle trails, and A-grade meeting and banquet facilities.

Dining options include the Palm Court cafe with Californian cuisine, Bar Blue for light snacks and appetizers, and Cafe 285 and Spritzes which serves American cuisine.

The 193 guest rooms and suites each offer two televisions with cable and pay-per-view movies, individual climate control, Full bath amenities with Whirlpool bath or bidet in Executive / VIP suites, hairdryer, coffee maker, In-room refrigerator, Iron / ironing board, in-room safety-deposit box and daily newspaper at the front desk.

Info: 285 North Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs CA 92262; (760) 322-9000; http://palmsprings.hyatt.com/

Zoo Explorer Special at Holiday Inn On the Bay, San Diego

Holiday Inn On the Bay San Diego is offering a 'Zoo Explorer' special which includes overnight accommodations in newly renovated room with walk-out furnished balcony and 2 adult passes to the San Diego Zoo. Complimentary shuttle service available on schedule. Experience relaxing views of the San Diego Bay or Downtown City Skyline.

Passes good for admission, unlimited use of guided bus tour, express bus & Skyfari Aerial Tram. Excludes special ticketed events & attractions. . If you like this one, there's also a 'Sea World Adventure' package which includes two adult tickets to SeaWorld San Diego, instead of to the Zoo. Rates for the Zoo special from $239 based on double occupancy. Average nightly rates, without the special, from $179 (taxes extra). that's pretty decent, as far as San Diego hotels are concerned, and especially when you consider the prime location at North Harbor Drive on the Embarcadero.

In addition to the shuttle, amenities at this hotel include business services such as copy & fax, high speed wi-fi internet availability in the lobby with a Microsoft powered PC, courier service, and printing facility. There's also a bike rental and an outdoor pool with a poolside gym, and a full service health & fitness center, if you feel like working out. Other amenities and services include same day dry cleaning and guest self laundry facilities, a convenience store, news stand and a gift shop, concierge services, room-service, self-parking ($20) and valet parking ($26).

The hotel is pet friendly (two pets allowed per room) and family friendly with connecting rooms available, and in fact also has the 'Kids Eat Free' program (you buy a meal, your kid gets one free), cribs and rollaway beds on request, and an in-room Nintendo game cube with in-room video game check-in and checkout facilities.

Dining facilities in-hotel include Ruth's Chris Steakhouse which serves full meals, the Elephant & Castle Pub which is kinda like a British pub and Hazelwood’s Bayside Deli, which is good for quick bites and snacks and takeaways.

The 14 story hotel has 600 guest rooms, incuding 10 suites, with views of the water or the downtown city skyline. In-room amenities include cable television with pay-per-view movies, coffee maker, hair dryer, high speed internet, iron & ironing board, bath with tub, private balconies, and a work desk with lamp.

Info: 1355 North Harbor Drive San Diego CA 92101; (619) 232-3861; www.hisandiegoonthebay.com/

1 Night Free at the NYC Plaza Hotel

The Plaza Hotel, New York City, is offering a third night free summer special until September 1. Includes third night complimentary when you book and pay for two consecutive nights. And a VIP Package at Saks 5th Ave, exclusive personal shopping experience in the Fifth Avenue Club,
complimentary coffee and dessert in one of Saks Fifth Avenue's restaurants. Rates from $615 per night (taxes extra), based on double occupancy. Offer valid on a three-night consecutive stay. Call (888) 240-7775 or click here for online booking and more details about the package.

Please note that I don't normally recommend any hotel which charges in excess of $250 or $300 per night. After all, its just four walls and a roof with a bed and bathroom inside. But the Plaza is a different matter. Its not just a hotel. As any New Yorker who has lived in NYC for the last 10 to 20 years or more will tell you, the Plaza is an institution, a part of the social and cultural fabric of the Big Apple. Brunch and tea with friends and family at the Plaza's Palm Court restaurant used to a be rite - Just one of the weekly things to do in New York. And the hotel has a rich history and over 100 years of tradition dating back to 1907. The building was designated a New York City landmark in 1969, and is also listed as a National Historic Landmark.

The hotel re-opened a few months back after a massive lobby to roof renovation which took 3 years and over $400 million. As of now, it is sparkling new, but maintains the same look and feel, with the same Beaux Arts décor, the stained glass and tradition of afternoon tea in the Palm Court, and the old Oak Room and Oak Bar. New additions to this formidable list include the Champagne Bar, the Rose Club, and a Tranquility Garden with reflecting pools, elaborate lighting and exotic foliage.

The Plaza now offers 282 guestrooms, including 102 suites. Each room has been exquisitely designed with Louis XV style French decor to provide optimum luxury and indulgence. Every room has chamdeliers, 24-carat gold plated Sherle Wagner designed sinks and fixtures cradled by imported and hand crafted solid white marble vanities. This is not the standard issue brass and polish that a Hilton offers. The Plaza offers aristocratic lodgings and treats its guests like royalty.

Even the standard Plaza room is a spacious 475 sq ft, with 1 King bed, a comfortable sitting area with a table and one or two arm chairs, and a writing desk and chair. That's almost double the size of what average New York hotels offer. In-room amenities include a wall mounted flat screen television, a mosaic tiled bathroom with glass shower and bathtub, Mascioni bath towels, robes and linen, Miller Harris toiletries, hairdryer, refrigerated private bar, and iron and ironing board, in addition to other gizmos and electronic gadgets and amenities.

Info: Fifth Avenue at Central Park South New York, New York 10019; (212) 759-3000; www.fairmont.com/theplaza/