Anchorage Daily News

Pick any big city: San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York. Almost all have some sort of deal or bargain on hotels or activities, particularly during fall and winter.

Try as I might, I was unable to find any real bargains in San Francisco last month -- but September still qualifies as "peak season" there. We'll watch in November for off-season bargains on hotels and activities.

In Seattle, the annual "Seattle Super Saver" promotion is kicking in, with bargain hotel rates all around town. More than 80 hotels participate, but the deals are not all created equal. I like the Homewood Suites near the convention center. It's newly remodeled and offers a tricked-out free breakfast. The sale prices start at $189. Over by the Space Needle, the Quality Inn is available for $90 per night, including free Wi-Fi, free parking and a continental breakfast buffet.

In New York, the visitors' bureau is sponsoring a "Stay Sunday" promotion. Select hotels are offering a 20 to 30 percent discount for Sunday night only. Additionally, many hotels are offering discounts on food and parking. Several of the hotels offer the discount only on phone reservations, using a discount code available at nycvisit.com.

In Chicago, fall and winter is the time for the "Chicago Dine Around" program. This event takes place each Sunday evening from October to April. The cost is $79 per person, including "stylish" transportation, a city tour, dine-around food guides and all gratuities.

Guests enjoy hors d'oeuvres and wine at the first restaurant, the main course at the second restaurant and dessert at a third. Check it out: www.chicagodinearound. com.

Portland hosts a "Big Deal" promotion each fall for weekend stays. Participating hotels offer free parking, free continental breakfast and discounts on shopping and restaurants. I like the RiverPlace and the Hotel Vantage Plaza.

In Vancouver, British Columbia, there are a couple of package deals this fall. The first offers a third night free when you purchase two nights. These bargains are available now through Dec. 15. Rates start as low as $79 at the Ramada Inn, located in the Granville Entertainment District. Or pick the Georgian Court, a boutique downtown hotel, for as little as $179 for the first two nights. All prices are Canadian dollars, of course.

The other special in Vancouver is a "Visa upgrade" program when you pay with your Visa-branded credit card. The upgrades are subject to availability, so it's hard to bank on them if you arrive on a sold-out date. But the tourismvancouver.com site has great hotel deals, including the Patricia Hotel for as little as $39 per night.

Even Washington, D.C., gets into the act with discounted hotels. Choose from several that offer a 30 percent discount when you stay three nights, including a Thursday or a Sunday night. The Marriott Key Bridge hotel has rooms starting at $71 per night. Browse Washington's visitor Web site, www.washington.org, for tips on traveling with families to the city's most popular attractions.

Watch for more deals to pop up this fall on both hotels and air fares. One of my favorite hotel sites is biddingfortravel. com, which offers tips on how to offer bids on Priceline.com for deals that typically are better than any advertised rates.

On the air fare front, be careful of advertised specials. For example, a Northwest Airlines ticket to Charlotte, N.C., from Anchorage is $417 round trip. That sounds good -- until you add on Northwest's fuel surcharge and other taxes. The total price is $619.

Wow.

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based travel marketing consultant. E-mail him at zoom@toursaver.com.

Scott's tips

• SEATTLE SUPER SAVER: Pretty good deals on hotels around town:

www.seattlesuper saver.com

• PORTLAND'S BIG DEAL PROMOTION: Visitors trim an average of about $21 per night off their total. Free parking and continental breakfast included.

www.travelport land.com

• SAN FRANCISCO STILL IS MY FAVORITE CITY: Try the Hotel Union Square by the cable car turnaround on Powell Street.

www.hotelunion square.com

ADVERTISEMENT