Daily Getaways Travel Deals 2017 – Week One
The first week of the U.S. Travel Association’s Daily Getaways begins Monday, April 10, 2017.
Here’s a rundown of the first week’s offerings:
Monday
Save 50% on your next Alamo car rental
Tuesday
A variety of Las Vegas getaways
Wednesday
IHG Rewards Club points
Thursday
Busch Gardens and Sea World tickets
Friday
A one-night stay at any Wyndham Rewards hotel
My Thoughts and More Details
Alamo Car Rental
The 50% savings is on a $50 Alamo reward certificate that can be used when you rent a car from Alamo.
This deal is pretty straight forward. Each certificate is priced at $25 (50% of its face value). Purchase one and get $50 toward your next rental. The certificate is sent via email and there is a purchase limit of 3 certificates. (2,000 Available)
Las Vegas Getaways
There are five Las Vegas packages up for grabs.
- 2-night getaway at New York-New York Hotel & Casino. Two nights in a spa suite, dinner for 2 at Gallagher’s Steakhouse and tickets to Zumanity by Cirque du Soleil. Price: $475 Estimated Savings: $425 (8 Available)
- 3-nights at The Mirage. Three nights in a Mirage Suite, dinner for 2 at Japonais, dinner for 2 at Tom Colicchio’s Heritage Steakhouse, dinner for 2 at Portofino Italian Cuisine, VIP seating for 2 at The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil, VIP seating for 2 to Terry Fator, massages for 2, amenities and airport transfers. Price: $1,750 Estimated Savings: $1,750 (10 Available)
- 2-nights at the MGM Grand. Two nights in a Skyline Marquee Suite, 2 tickets to KA by Cirque du Soleil, 2 1-hour massages, 1 dinner for 2 at specified MGM restaurants and airport transfers. Price: $1,545 Estimated Savings: $1,955. (8 Available)
- 3-nights at the Delano Las Vegas. Three nights in a one-bedroom suite, 2 tickets to Michael Jackson ONE a Cirque du Soleil show, 2 dinners for 2 people at Mandalay Bay/Delano restaurant of your choice, 2 50 minute massages and airport transfers. Price: $1,750 Estimated Savings: $1,750 (8 Available)
- 4-nights at Excalibur. Four consecutive nights in a Contemporary Tower Room, 2 tickets to Tournament of Kings, $400 food & beverage credit at select Excalibur restaurants. Price: $475 Estimated Savings: $425 (7 Available)
All of the packages will save some money, but only if you were already planning a similar trip. Vegas is always a good time, and the lengths of stay for these packages are about right for a Vegas getaway…although 4 nights at the Excalibur might be a bit much. Just depends on your tastes and preferences when it comes to dining, hotels and entertainment.
IHG Rewards Club Points
There are six different IHG points packages available. You’re getting points at a discounted rate, but how you redeem those points will really determine if the purchase is a good value.
Here are the points packages and pricing:
8,500 IHG Rewards Club points – Price: $49 Estimated Value: $115 (1,000 Available)
15,000 IHG Rewards Club points – Price: $89 Estimated Value: $188 (1,000 Available)
25,000 IHG Rewards Club Points – Price: $149 Estimated Value: $115 (1,000 Available)
50,000 IHG Rewards Club points – Price: $299 Estimated Value: $575 (755 Available)
100,000 IHG Rewards Club points – Price: $589 Estimated Value: $1,150 (2,900 Available)
130,000 IHG Rewards Club points – Price: $749 Estimated Value: $1,495 (1,000 Available)
The best play with points purchases is for times when you’re close to a desired hotel award stay redemption, but don’t have quite enough points to get you where you need to be. Purchasing a points package that hits the mark is a good value.
Here’s a random example of purchasing the 100,000 IHG points package for $589 and whether it translates to a good value or not.
A 2-night stay at the Intercontinental: Chicago Magnificent Mile (June 16-18) would cost 100,000 IHG points or $682 (room and tax) for the stay.
You’d save almost $100 buying the points package and booking an award stay over paying for the room. Not bad.
Of course, value will be determined by a variety of factors – type of hotel, dates of stay, length of stay, etc.
Check your desired travel location and dates to see if purchasing an IHG points package makes sense for you.
Busch Gardens and Sea World Tickets
Both Busch Gardens and Sea World are offering deals on single-day admission tickets.
Sea World – 1-single day admission for an adult or child to your choice of park (Orlando, San Diego or San Antonio) for $50. Estimated Savings: $50. Max quantity per purchase – 6. (2,362 Available)
Busch Gardens – 1-single day admission for an adult or child to Florida or Virginia park for $45. Estimated Savings: $58. Max quantity per purchase – 6. (1,393 Available)
A quick look at single-day tickets to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay shows an online purchase price of $89.99 per ticket, so the $45 Daily Getaways price would be a deal.
Sea World Orlando advance purchase online single-day tickets price at $79.99, so, again, the Daily Getaways price of $50 would provide savings.
Wyndham Rewards Hotel Night
One night Wyndham hotel stay. Price: $175 (1,143 Available)
While described as a free night, you actually receive 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points to use toward one night at a Wyndham hotel. The description also mentions points can be used at over 25,000 locations including condos and homes for just 15,000 points per bedroom, per night. Explore property offerings at wyndhamrewards.com/redeem
Yes, 15,000 Wyndham points gets you one free night, but with Wyndham’s “Go Fast” booking option, you can use a lower amount of reward points and a cash co-pay to stretch those 15,000 points. Usually, it’s 3,000 Wyndham points and a cash amount based on the level of hotel chosen.
You must be a Wyndham Rewards member to take advantage of this offer, so sign up before purchasing if you’re not already part of the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program.
And, there’s a limit of 2 “night” purchases per Wyndham Rewards member number.
As with most hotel deals, whether the 15,000 point purchase provides value depends on the location at which you stay, and the room rate during the specific date(s) you choose.
Use the Wyndham Rewards link above to check out potential dates and properties at which you may want to stay prior to purchasing this deal to see if it makes sense for you.
Daily Getaways Ins and Outs
All Daily Getaways deals go on sale at 1:00 pm ET the day they are listed.
I’ve noted the quantities available next to each deal – they’re also listed on an individual deal’s page on the Daily Getaways calendar. For popular deals, they will go quickly, so be ready to click the “Buy Now” button right at 1:00 pm.
Actually, if there is any deal in which you’re interested, just to be safe I’d be ready to buy right at 1:00 pm when the deal opens.
As with anything in life, the details matter, so for deals you’re interested in, be sure to look at the fine print…it’s listed on each individual deal at the Daily Getaways site.
So, scope out the deals that interest you for this week, set your cell phone alarm for 12:50 pm the day of the deal and get ready to buy!
I’ll see you next weekend with my rundown of Week 2 deals.
Until then, here’s hoping you get the travel deal(s) of your choice!
