Press release: 1995-05-07: PRACTICAL TRAVELER; Hotels Offer Deals and Toys

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: www.nytimes.com (archived)

BY Betsy Wade

May 7, 1995


AN 8-year-old I know is paid for chores in "milk caps" for the Pogs game, a wildly popular commercial version of a Depression-era sidewalk game in which the goal is to flip over your opponent's disks. For this child, playing the game is less crucial than collecting and organizing the caps and the bigger "slammers" that make them flip over. He and others his age should be fascinated to learn that both Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson's are awarding special versions of the caps to young guests this summer as part of their programs.

Starting Memorial Day, Holiday Inns will give each young guest a box containing one slammer and four caps depicting endangered species; Howard Johnson's will give children 18 years old and younger a game package that includes three caps depicting Sega computer game characters.

Many other hotel and motel chains feature tie-ins with cartoons or video games along with special summer rates or discounts; marketing specialists say that children often choose a family's lodging. Deals for Adults, Too

Here is selected information on summer promotion offerings, mostly focusing on appeals to adults' wallets.

Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts calls its promotion Spectacular Options, which includes a discount plus an option such as an upgrade. This will be offered daily from May 26 to Sept. 5 at 31 of 33 properties of Inter-Continental and its partner hotels in the United States, Canada and Mexico. As a sample, at the Inter-Continental in New Orleans (where rates generally drop in the steamy summer), the rate will be $105 rather than the regular $200; at the Lenox in Boston, $146 instead of $190; at the Maui Inter-Continental Resort in Hawaii, $159 rather than $290. In addition, guests may pick one option: an upgrade to a suite; an adjoining room at half-price; a $25 or $15 credit (depending on the hotel) toward food and beverage, and double airline mileage or overnight parking.

Only some rooms at each hotel are available at these prices. Scott W. Boone, vice president for sales, said 10 percent of rooms was the minimum number set aside for the promotion, but most hotels offer more. Inter-Continental: (800) 327-0200.

Marriott Hotels and Resorts offers Two for Breakfast weekend discounts Thursday through Sunday at hotels and suite properties, and all week long at resorts. All 200 domestic and Canadian Marriott full-service hotels, and 26 resorts, including two in Mexico, are participating. Marriott says the savings are 30 to 40 percent; for example, the Wind Watch in Hauppauge, L.I., offers Two for Breakfast at $115 a night, compared with a regular rate of $155; the Denver City Center, at $79, as against $119. The promotional rate includes breakfast, of course. Marriott is providing a frequent-guest tie-in with the Visa Rewards program. Under this, 20 percent of what a customer spends at the Marriott is credited toward a future stay at a Marriott. Gordon D. Lambourne, director of public relations, says that the program is "widely available." The "weekends" number for Marriott is (800) 872-9563.

At 57 Hyatt hotels and resorts in the United States and the Caribbean, guests get a free night after three consecutive nights between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Hyatt: (800) 233-1234.

The Radisson Hotel chain of more than 300 properties worldwide is again offering Shades of Summer, this year tied in to the Six Flags theme parks. The room rates are 30 to 50 percent off advertised rates, the chain says, making them $69 to $159 a night. Last year, half the hotels offered breakfast with the rate; this year, a third do, according to Joan M. Cronson, a spokeswoman. At United States Radissons within 100 miles of the Six Flags parks in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, St. Louis and Jackson, N.J., guests will receive a $4 discount coupon for a one-day admission ticket or a coupon providing a two-day pass for the price of a one-day. The rooms available at the special rates average 10 percent of the total, according to Ms. Cronson. The rates must be requested on reservation. Radisson: (800) 333-3333.

Westin's Kids Club is going into its second summer at 50 hotels and resorts in the United States, Canada and Mexico. From May 27 to Sept. 4, children under 18 stay free and those under 12 eat three meals a day free from a special menu, when eating with their families, room service included. Nine Westins are not participating: the Biltmore in Coral Gables, Fla.; the Algonquin and Plaza in New York; Walt Disney World Swan in Orlando; the Biltmore in Phoenix; the Governor, Portland, Ore.; the Westin Resort in Vail, Colo.; the ANA in Washington, and the Westin Mont-Royal in Montreal. Westin: (800) 228-3000.

Sheraton's Summer Suresavers, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, is a modification of a year-round program. Anyone making a reservation asks for the Suresaver rate, and is quoted the lowest available price except for corporate rates for big companies. At the Sheraton New York and Sheraton Manhattan, the Summer Special is offered from July 5 to Sept. 10 at $169 a night for two, with breakfast included. In both promotions, discounted rooms are limited in number. Sheraton: (800) 325-3535. For Kids: Caps and Casper

Now for the games and goodies. Holiday Inns always allow children 19 and under to stay free in parents' rooms; some Inns also allow children 12 and under to eat free with their parents year round. In summer, starting May 8, more than 1,100 of the 1,600 Holiday Inns in the Americas provide three free meals a day for children, as well as the Pog gifts. Holiday Inns: (800) 465-4329.

Howard Johnson's Kids Go HoJo is in its sixth year. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, children under 18, who stay free in their parents' rooms, may choose as a gift a Fun Pack with crayons and games, including the milk caps, or a video with Sega game tips, starring Sonic the Hedgehog and other heroes of the youthful. Howard Johnson's is offering special rates of $35 to $75 a night for up to four in a room, which represents a 10 to 15 percent saving, the chain says. Howard Johnson's: (800) 446-4656.

Choice Hotels, comprising the Sleep, Comfort, Quality, Clarion, Friendship, Econo Lodge and Rodeway labels, is plunging in on May 20 with promotions featuring Casper the Friendly Ghost, soon to appear in a movie, and later with "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: the Movie." The promotions, ending Aug. 31, offer children chances at prizes, from $250,000 in cash down to a discount coupon for Pizza Huts. The 1,292 Comfort Inns offer a large free breakfast; the Sleep Inns have a smaller version. Comfort, Clarion, Quality and Sleep Inns: (800) 221-2222. Econo Lodge, Rodeway and Friendship Inns: (800) 424-4777.

Starting June 5, some 2,000 Best Westerns are featuring Willy the Whale, soon to be seen in "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" due for release July 4. Free activity books based on the movie will be given away, and there will be contests to win free parties for 20 that include a screening of the movie, popcorn and a soda. Best Western: (800) 528-1234.