Starwood’s Starpicks for last-minute weekenders

Another week has nearly slipped away, and now you find yourself with no plans to get out of town for the weekend. And yet, you are feeling a sensation that doesn’t so much extend from your fibula to your toes but more gets the imagination racing — a certain something we travelers know as itchy feet.

Must you grin and bear it? After all, the world is eager to be explored, and you didn’t have the foresight weeks ago to commit this particular weekend to a getaway.

Deal: Enter Starwood Hotels’ Starpicks program, which offers procrastinators last-minute hotel getaway options for the next two weekends, at a discount of at least 20%.

Have a look at the Starpicks page to see some current discounted accommodations options. The rates under this promotion are valid for two-night-minimum stays with your arrival on a Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday night.

At time of research, the page showed options at Starwood hotels in 10 countries. Within the U.S., there was nothing in California, but among the currently promoted destinations was Four Points by Sheraton Tempe, in Tempe, Arizona — a six-hour drive from Los Angeles. There, rooms are going for $85 per night (pre-tax) Friday, Sept. 12, through Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008. If you can find a reasonable flight to Orlando, Florida, you could consider Sheraton Orlando North Hotel, which has discounted rooms for $87 (pre-tax) this weekend and next.

Other U.S. destinations with hotels offering current last-minute Starpicks promotions include Richmond, Virginia; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Washington, D.C.

Caveat: This deal requires a nonrefundable purchase at time of booking. It must be booked online, via the aforementioned Starpicks page.

Note: Though hotels are limited to the following two weekends, resorts on the Starpicks site offer discounted rates for the following six weeks. At time of research, this included Le Meridien Penina Golf & Resort in Portugal.

– Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: Mill Avenue nightlife, Tempe, Arizona; Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times]

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:30 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Arizona, Deals, Global, Last Minute, Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.