“Find discounts on diving trips” plus 1 more

Posted: 09 May 2010 03:39 AM PDT

Travel deals /bargains from around the globe

• The greater Fort Lauderdale region has designated June as Learn to Dive Month, and to celebrate, hotels and dive shops are offering deals that include a free fourth night of lodging and a complimentary graduation dive. Price varies by package. For example, a four-night package with Sea Experience (954-770-3483, www.seaexperience.com ) is $655 per person double, a savings of $350. Price includes the PADI e-Learning academic portion of dive certification, which must be completed before arrival; three days of in-water training; four nights at Bahia Mar Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale; a two-tank graduation dive trip; and taxes.Info: www.sunny.org/learntodive . • More than a dozen hotels, inns and resorts on Amelia Island, Fla., are offering a free night on stays of three or four nights. Requirements for the free night vary per property. Offerings include the Summer Beach Resort (800-862-9297, www.summerbeach.com ; from $255 plus $28 taxes, through June 5); Fairbanks House (888-891-9882, www.fairbankshouse.com ; from $175 plus $19 taxes, weeknights only through Dec. 21); and Amelia Hotel at the Beach (904-206-5200, www.ameliahotel.com ; from $118 weekdays plus $13 taxes, $139 weekends plus $15 taxes, through December). For a complete list: www.ameliaisland.com/free . • Book a night at any of four resorts in New York, Maine or New Hampshire, and receive a free lobster dinner for two. Taxes included; tip and alcoholic drinks are extra. Choose from the Sagamore Resort ( www.thesagamore.com/promo ) on Lake George in Bolton Landing; Wentworth by the Sea ( www.wentworth.com/promo ) in New Castle, N. H.; Samoset Resort ( www.samosetresort.com/promo ) in Rockport, Maine; and Harborside Hotel ( www.theharborsidehotel.com/promo ) in Bar Harbor, Maine. Valid on stays May 15 through June 30. Room rates vary by property and dates. A weekend night in early June at Harborside starts at $229, plus 7 percent tax. Lobster dinner, at either of two La Bella Vita restaurants, is valued at $150 per couple. • Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort&Casino and Sonesta Maho Beach Resort&Casino, both in St. Maarten, are offering a Summer Splash sale. Rates for both room-only and all-inclusive stays are reduced by 25 percent for travel through Aug. 31. Rates and savings vary. At Sonesta Great Bay, for example, the discounted room-only rate in May and June starts at $123, plus $26 taxes; the rate in July and August starts at $154, plus $32 taxes. By comparison, the room typically starts at $205. Deal is based on availability.Info: (800) 766-3782, www.sonesta.com/stmaarten . • Norwegian Cruise Lines is offering reduced fares. As many as five passengers sharing a cabin with two full-paying customers receive significant discounts, which vary by cruise. Price reductions can be taken on select 2010-12 sailings on many itineraries, including the Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean. For example, a seven-night Alaska cruise aboard the Norwegian Star departing Seattle on Aug. 28 is now $900 per adult (including $191 taxes) and $386 per child (including $187 taxes) —a savings of about $100 per person for extra passengers. For example, three of the line's 11 ships offer cabins that can accommodate up to eight passengers; seven ships have cabins that can fit up to six. Book by May 31. Info: (866) 234-7350, www.ncl.com . • American Express has an offer to offset some airline baggage fees. Beginning June 1, the fees for first checked bags will be waived for AmEx's Delta SkyMiles credit cardmembers and up to eight other individuals in the same travel reservation on Delta and Delta Connection flights. For a traveling couple, this equates to $100 in roundtrip savings and $200 for a family of four. Cardmembers receive a first checked bag fee waiver upon check-in. For more information, visit delta.com/firstbagfree.

• Virgin Vacations is offering a sale on premium travel packages to London. Prices vary by dates. For example, for travel in July or August, the deal starts at $2,479 per person double, including $230 taxes. Package includes round-trip airfare on Virgin Atlantic from Washington Dulles to London Heathrow in premium economy seats, six nights at the Thistle City Barbican Hotel and hotel transfers via private car. Priced separately, airfare would be $1,882 per person; hotel $1,716 and transfers $138. Package based on availability; (888-937-8474, www.virgin-vacations.com . Deals sell out and availability is not guaranteed. Restrictions may apply.

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Hotels hoping to book Europe

Posted: 09 May 2010 02:21 AM PDT

Europe is the new battleground for the world's largest hotel companies as they look for sources of growth outside the U.S. market they already dominate.

Four Seasons Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Marriott International are stepping up expansion efforts in Europe, where about 34 percent of hotels fly chain flags, Otus & Co. estimates. They already control about 70 percent of the U.S. market, according to Smith Travel Research of Hendersonville, Tenn.

The chains can build market share in Europe by appealing to visitors from the United States, China and India who are likely to seek out internationally recognized brands when traveling, said Rod Taylor, chairman and co-founder of hotel consultants Taylor Global Advisors in London. Within the next five to 10 years, the branded chains may increase their market share in the region by 5 percentage points, according to Patrick Scholes, an analyst at Friedman Billings Ramsey & Co.

"The U.S. hotel chains have a high penetration rate in North America," said Bernie Williams, who helps manage $44 billion for USAA Investment Management. He didn't specify which hotel shares he holds. "As the sector starts to recover, Europe's very fragmented market offers far more opportunities."

Hotel owners have struggled to attract customers in the past two years as the recession deterred vacationers and forced companies to cut travel budgets. The lodging industry is recovering more quickly in Europe than in the United States.

Hyatt Hotels, controlled by Chicago's Pritzker family, expects to have a higher percentage of rooms abroad than in the United States within 10 years as it seeks acquisitions in Italy and Spain, Chief Executive Officer Mark Hoplamazian said in January.

Four Seasons, based in Toronto, has 14 hotels in Europe and another seven slated to open in the next three to five years. Blackstone Group's Hilton Worldwide operates about 184 hotels across Europe. It had 18 openings in the past year, which included takeovers of independent hotels and franchise agreements. That compares with 12 in both 2008 and 2007.

Starwood had 159 European hotels at the end of 2009 and 20 in the pipeline. The company, which reported higher first-quarter earnings Thursday, said revenue per available room rose 3.7 percent in constant dollars at European properties it has operated for at least a year. That exceeded a 1.2 percent gain in North America.

Marriott said last month that it expects to double its 40,000 rooms in Europe by 2015 with such brands as the Ritz-Carlton and Bulgari Hotels & Resorts. It plans about 30 projects in the region, including in Moscow and Ankara, Turkey.

The chains' global reservation systems, marketing reach and loyalty programs give them an advantage over independent hotels and are helping them secure financing for expansion, company executives say.

One hurdle for the chains is the limited amount of land available for building in Europe, analysts said. That is leading them to try to take over independent hotels or let them operate under a chain's brand in exchange for a fee.

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Hotels Lodging

Sunday, May 9, 2010