Hoping to keep its 119 rooms filled, the Hotel Erwin on Venice Beach is offering an unusual promotion for its countercultural clientele: an 'Ink and Stay'' package that includes $100 toward a tattoo and a bottle of tequila to numb the pain
At the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, guests who get the 'Hard Rock and a Hog'' deal can roll through the city on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that comes complimentary with two nights' stay.
But for hotel perks, it's hard to beat the deal offered at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles, where your stay comes with the free use of a Mercedes, Porsche, or a BMW convertible.
As the US hospitality industry struggles through one of the worst financial periods in more than 20 years, hotel managers are moving beyond the usual discounts and offering creative promotions to attract business. Some deals offer big savings for guests, while others are simply meant to generate publicity.
If this all sounds desperate, it's for good reason. Occupancy rates nationwide have been hovering at below 60 percent this summer, the lowest levels since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Hotel revenues per available rooms have dropped by nearly 20 percent this summer, to less than $60, the steepest dive in 22 years, according to industry reports. Even worse, hotel analysts don't expect the industry to rebound until 2011 or later.
Analysts blame the slump on the recession, an increase in hotel openings in the past two years, and a dramatic drop in business travel as corporations cut budgets to ride out the economic maelstrom.
Promotions and package deals have long been a staple of the hotel industry, particularly during slow periods. But industry experts say more hotels are now relying on special packages and promotions to survive the recession.
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Source - Boston.com
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