MORE FOR YOUR MONEY
Finding a hotel at the beach for less
A cheap beach getaway in summer? Snow in Malibu is more likely.
FOR THE RECORD:
Beach hotel room rates: A chart with a June 21 More for Your Money article about finding deals near the beach gave incorrect room rates for the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica. The chart reported a rate of $219 on the hotel's website and $249 for phone or walk-up reservations. On the date checked, the lowest rate offered was $255 on the hotel's website and $319 on the phone and for walk-ups.
But just last December, snow did fall on Malibu. And although affordable summer coastal stays are scarce, they happen.
To increase your chances, stay on weeknights, slip in on a Sunday, grab extras or a free night, bid online or (yes) lower your sights. Get a last-minute deal at the front desk? Maybe.
Seeking seaside rates
Fairmont
Online: $219
Phone: $249
Walk-up: $249
Le Merigot, a JW Marriott Beach Hotel & Spa
Online: $219
Phone: $249
Walk-up: $249
Loews
Online: $319
Phone: $319
Walk-up: $339
Here's a closer look at these strategies. (All rates quoted are without taxes and may change at any time.)
1. Stay on weeknights. Rooms that are booked every weekend and holiday often sit vacant after vacationers head home. So hoteliers may cut prices.
For example, a room marketed for $269 a night for the July 3 and 4 holiday weekend was $110 less per night July 5 and 6 at the Pelican Cove Inn in Cambria, when I recently checked the hotel's website. It was the same story at Fess Parker's Double Tree Resort Santa Barbara: $485 per night for the holiday and $375 for July 5 and 6.
Your best bet for weekday discounts is a small bed-and-breakfast or inn that caters to leisure travelers. Big hotels that also attract business travelers may keep rates constant or even increase them on weekdays.
2. Slip in on a Sunday. Can't afford two nights? Take one.
Arrive at your destination early Sunday, enjoy a full day and night, check out and then explore the area until evening before returning home. Many hotels will store your bags free or for a small fee. You'll avoid the two-night minimums and higher weekend rates.
"Sunday night is usually the slowest night of the week," said John A. Fox, New York-based senior vice president of PKF Consulting, international consultants in the tourism industry.
3. Grab extras or a free night. With room rates of $300 or more, some upscale coastal resorts show few signs of recession. But they are not unaffected by the downturn, which has reduced hotel occupancy by 12% nationwide in the last year, said Bruce Baltin, Los Angeles-based senior vice president of PKF Consulting.
"In some cases, the hotels are not necessarily lowering the rates that much, but they're offering extras with real value, such as meals and spa treatments," he said.
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