As a past guest at the Trump Hotel Las Vegas, I just got word of an amazing deal via mass e-mail. I can't believe it. The hotel's condo suites are luxurious to the max and include fully stocked kitchens with dishwashers and microwaves and marble bathrooms big enough to sleep in. 

According to the e-mail, if you stay Jan. 12-26, depending on availability, you can get rates as low at $89, plus late check-out and a $50 spa credit. This is just more evidence that Trump, like lots of hotels in Vegas, must be hurting. When I stayed there last year, rates were near the $200 mark. And at Thanksgiving, I thought $129 at the Bellagio was a great score -- this is even better.

Here's the fine print: For reservations or more information, please contact 866.939.8786 and mention promo code "SUITE ESCAPE" or email trumplasvegas@trumphotels.com

The question is, how can hotels continue to cover costs if they offer rates this low? Anyone care to answer? Also, I keep hearing about layoffs in the industry, but they are generally kept very quiet. Do any readers know what's up out there?

Photo courtesy of Trump Hotel Collection

That's what Hotsheet reader Barbara Cosio says happened to her daughter Nicole and future son-in-law on New Year's Eve in Las Vegas. here's what she wrote me:

"My soon-to-be son-in-law (Sam) and daughter checked into the Stratosphere Hotel/Casino on December 30 to get a good night's sleep, and they checked out on at 11:00 a.m. on December 31.  ... Upon our return, Sam discovered that the Stratosphere has charged his credit card for an additional night, New Year's Eve, for over three hundred dollars. Immediately calling the casino for an explanation, we were met with the most unprofessional behavior from hotel employees that I have ever had the misfortune to experience in my life.

"Apparently, someone called from the hotel room at approximately 10:30 New Year's Eve and spoke to either the hotel front desk or housekeeping (we were told different versions of how this security breach happened depending on which Stratosphere staffer we talked to) and claimed they were Sam. This person said that Sam and my daughter were 'too sick to leave' and that Sam 'had checked out accidentally from the room television while ordering a movie.' That alone should have alerted security to go check out the situation in the room and ask for driver's license identification.

"My daughter and Sam had checked out almost twelve hours earlier, picked me up at my hotel and off we went to celebrate New Year's Eve at the Venetian and the Wynn." Barbara says the family tried to explain they believe they are victims of a scam and asked the Stratosphere to check security tapes to back up their story.

She says hotel staffers have been rude and insisted Sam prove the couple's whereabouts (they did the town and then rested briefly at her hotel elsewhere in the Vegas area before driving home to Colorado, Barbara says). "I have never been accused of anything, nor have I had my integrity questioned by a hotel. In light of the fact that Vegas is having trouble filling hotel rooms, I would think that accusing and interrogating guests would be frowned upon .. the Vegas I remember has disappeared with my youth."

Barbara provided me with a timeline of the family's whereabouts New Year's Eve and asked if I could help. I called the Stratosphere PR contact, Michael Gilmartin, who says the resort aims for good customer relations and that executives usually treat complaints seriously and respectfully. He said he would check into the matter for me, and I will report back when he does.

Meanwhile, have readers experienced anything like the situation described? Have you been billed for an extra night after you thought you had checked out? How did you resolve it? Have unauthorized people taken over a room and had it billed to you? Hoteliers, do you know of this happening? Please share. 

Photo of the Stratosphere by the Associated Press

Remember I mentioned an upcoming free-breakfast promotion from Marriott full-service hotels? Here are the details from Marriott spokesman John Wolf:

"The free breakfast promotion booking window begins Jan. 8 though Jan. 26 for stays between Jan. 15 through March 29 at participating Marriott Hotels & Resorts and JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts in the U.S. and Canada. It is valid for couples staying two 'weekend' nights (Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights). The breakfast will be the buffet. The breakfast will be included in the existing rack rate, no increase. The promotion is aimed at getaways and business travelers extending their stays for leisure."

If you love France -- and a great deal -- set your alarm clocks early Friday.

Starting at 6 a.m. ET you can click here and try to snag a room for two at the luxurious Hotel Martinez in Cannes for 80 euros, breakfast included. (The website is www.hotel-martinez.com/80), and a publicist swears web staff are prepared for a land rush. Eighty rooms will be rented at that rate, which is about $107 at today's exchange rate and way below what this legendary hotel usually charges. The catch is you have to stay in February, which is not peak season on the Riviera.

The promotion is pegged to the hotel's 80th birthday. I've eaten at the excellent, Michelin-starred La Palme d'Or restaurant at the Martinez and visited a friend who stayed there during the Cannes Film Festival, and it is a lovely place to roost if you can afford the stiff tabs on the French Riviera.

Don't laugh. Cleanliness is a top concern of U.S. travelers, and I'm wondering if veterans have tips on making sure you get one to start with. Do any of you call ahead to convey your desire for a super-clean room? Are there chains you favor because of cleanliness? Do you stay in new vs. old lodgings with the thought they'll be more spic and span?

Please share your tips, and if you care to, read a report picked up by the Hotel News Now blog about a random inspection of 16 rooms in Britain. Mold was found on one mattress (yuck), urine on a toilet pedestal (yecch) and blood on a duvet. In my experience, rooms have gotten cleaner over the years. (My colleague Ben wonders whether that could be due to sites such as TripAdvisor, which can spread a bad hotel experience around the world in a matter of seconds). But I wonder what readers think.

Some past posts:

12/31: How to ... tip or not to tip housekeepers

12/17: How to ... get the best available room

12/3: How to ... tip room-service servers 

11/5: How to ... get VIP treatment at a hotel

10/29: How to .... make sure your room is clean

10/22: How to ... get around hotel parking fees

10/15: How to ... score a pool chaise

10/05: How to ... deal with bad guests

09/24: How to ... make a hotel room homey

09/18: How to ... get a good rate at a luxury hotel

09/02: How to ... tip bellstaff

08/27: How to ... protect personal belongings

08/20 How to ... avoid being 'walked" 

08/13 How to ... deal with dirty laundry

08/6  How to ... change a room you don't like

07/30 How to ... get unwanted fees off the bill

07/23 How to ... find the best free breakfast

07/16  How to ... complain effectively

07/09  How to ... get an upgrade even if you reserved via a discounter

07/02 How to ... deal with noisy neighbors

06/25 How to ...choose a roadside lodging

President-elect Barack Obama's stay at the historic The Hay-Adams hotel opposite the White House has not closed the hotel to the public or to other check-ins. It's business (sort of) as usual, I learned in a call to the hotel. Guests paying $500-plus for rooms as well as those visiting the hotel's small restaurant and Off the Record bar must pass through a Secret Service check that includes a metal detector and wanding.

The Obama family arrived in D.C. early so that daughters Sasha and Malia could start the term at their new school and are staying at The Hay-Adams because the Bush administration said Blair House (an official residence where dignitaries often are housed) was booked until the weekend before the inauguration. Here's a photo of the Obamas at The Hay-Adams getting their daughters ready for school.

Meanwhile, hotel spokesman Rob Volmer says he can't give me details about Obama's accommodations, as The Hay-Adams (like most other lodgings that cater to VIPS) does not allow comment on its guests to protect their privacy. But the hotel is "completely open," he says.

Volmer adds that The Hay-Adams will have a first for the inauguration: an on-site Neiman Marcus mini-store selling furs, jewelry, evening wear and accessories, and offering makeup application,manicures and pedicures. The store will open Jan. 17 (after Obama is due to leave) and is open to the public. Interesting choice for this inaugural, given Neiman Marcus' Texas roots. 

Photo courtesy of the Obama Transition Office

Rooms under $100 at decent Manhattan lodgings? You know the Big Apple needs business.

But bite fast, because this Quickbook sale ends at 5 ET Friday. Deals are good through March.

Sample steals: The Radisson Lexington Hotel, from $84; On the Ave from $97.

Click on Quikbook.com to check it out.

Happy new year, everyone. I know we'll all be looking for bargains this year, and in that spirit, a reminder that New York rates are wayyy down this month, the city's slowest.

And if you are looking for lodging under $170 nightly, here are two new entries on the scene, both in the vibrant Chelsea neighborhood. It's convenient to both Midtown and lower Manhattan:

*The GEM Hotel Chelsea, has intro rates from $159 through the end of February. It has free Wi-Fi and iPod docking stations, plus down pillows, water and Wolfgang Puck coffee. Says Ritesh Jariwala, president of Gemini Hospitality Management in a statement: “Research and feedback have shown that guests staying at hotels at a higher price point feel nickel-and-dimed by added charges for things like Internet and bottled water." Amen to that. This will be the third GEM hotel; check out the website here.

*Introductory rates at the Wyndham Garden Hotel Manhattan Chelsea West start at $169. There's free Wi-Fi and ergonomic Herman Miller desk chairs. Staff uniforms are designed by Michael Graves.

So, have you noticed more hotels offering free Wi-Fi? Should this be a standard amenity in 2009? Hoteliers, how much does it really cost to offer?

Photo of GEM Chelsea lobby courtesy of Sonheim Photography

The previous discussion on whether and how to tip hotel housekeepers generated a barrage of interesting comments. I also received an e-mail from reader Larry Gould, who has an intriguing suggestion. He writes:

"Tipping the maid may be the most neglected aspect of travel. First, there is the problem of not having the right amount of cash at hand, during the rush to check out. Then there is no special place to put the cash; some hotels put out an envelope or a folded 'tent,' but most don't.

"Then, there is the problem of tipping every day, which is quite a ritual, or tipping on the last day and wondering if the same maid cleaned your room every day. I usually tip $2 per day, all on the last day.

"But here's an idea: Nowadays most hotels slip a bill under your door on the last morning of your stay.  Why not put a blank line on this bill, like in a restaurant, where you can write in the tip?  Then it would be charged to your credit card. The hotel would know who cleaned which room which day and could allocate the tip."

Readers, what do you think about Larry's idea?

Fresh from his Hawaii vacation, Barack Obama and family plan to move into the discreet and venerable The Hay-Adams hotel opposite the White House this weekend, The Washington Post reports. Why? So they can be in D.C. when the Obama daughters start school next week. Right before the inauguration, they'll stay at Blair House, where dignitaries are housed. Apparently it is not available most of next week.

The H-A is a very traditional hotel, by the way. Some might think the Obamas would choose a younger, hipper entry (such as one of the Kimpton boutique hotels), but for location and reputation, the Hay-Adams is up there. In fact, its ideal location came up today at a White House press briefing, as reported in our sister blog, On Politics.

Photo by Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images

Happy New Year, Hotsheet readers, and thanks for reading!

On this day of fresh starts, what resolutions would you like to see hoteliers make in 2009?

I'll go first. Free Wi-Fi. Comfort over looks. Soundproofed windows and walls. Now your turn. (Also, hoteliers feel free to weigh in with resolutions guests should make when checking in at your property).

Tipping is a controversial subject. Those of you who have passed out holiday thank-yous to your hairdresser, house cleaner, doorman, trash collector, mail carrier, no doubt are feeling tipped-out right now.

When it comes to hotel staff, housekeepers are (surprising to me) often ignored when bills are passed out while door people and bell staff go home with pockets bulging with $$$$. (If anyone can tell me how much a doorman in Manhattan takes home daily, please do. I see them tipped by everyone who gets into a cab and a lot who get out, and that's a lot of people daily.)

Anyway, here we are heading into 2009, at a time when everyone is belt-tightening. Do you believe housekeepers should be tipped, and hoteliers, please share your thoughts and give us the appropriate amount depending on the lodging and the work involved. Thanks!

Some past posts:

12/17: How to ... get the best available room

12/3: How to ... tip room-service servers 

11/5: How to ... get VIP treatment at a hotel

10/29: How to .... make sure your room is clean

10/22: How to ... get around hotel parking fees

10/15: How to ... score a pool chaise

10/05: How to ... deal with bad guests

09/24: How to ... make a hotel room homey

09/18: How to ... get a good rate at a luxury hotel

09/02: How to ... tip bellstaff

08/27: How to ... protect personal belongings

08/20 How to ... avoid being 'walked" 

08/13 How to ... deal with dirty laundry

08/6  How to ... change a room you don't like

07/30 How to ... get unwanted fees off the bill

07/23 How to ... find the best free breakfast

07/16  How to ... complain effectively

07/09  How to ... get an upgrade even if you reserved via a discounter

07/02 How to ... deal with noisy neighbors

06/25 How to ...choose a roadside lodging

As we remember the highs and lows of 2008, I got a giggle from an oddball hotel story loyal reader Doodoolemonque sent my way. We've all seen critters on hotel property, but if you think cockroaches or mosquitoes are noteworthy, make way for the lobby-marching elephants. Read all about them here and feel free to post your weirdest animal sighting at a hotel.

Cheers!

If there are luxury hotel customers left standing after all the stock losses this year, this deal's for you!

Pricey New York has been getting less costly, and now even luxury lodgings are doing their best to lure you. NYC & Company, the city’s tourism and marketing arm, has announced a "Third Night" promotion that gives you a third night free Jan. 9-Feb. 27 at participating lodgings.

Hotels participating include some well-regarded high-end properties: Jumeirah Essex House, Loews Regency, the London NYC, the New York Palace, the Sherry-Netherland Hotel, Trump International Hotel & Tower, the Plaza, the Waldorf Towers and the Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel.

Saks Fifth Avenue also will participate by offering a personal shopper to Third Night guests, a percentage off regularly priced purchases and free coffee and dessert in Saks Fifth Avenue’s Café SFA.

For Third Night details, click here.

Everyone, it seems, is jumping on the Barack bandwagon. Even a hotel in Bush Country.

In Dallas, the newly renovated The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa's "Hail To The Chief" package includes Champagne on arrival, a night in a "premier" guestroom, spa turndown amenity and "Obama" cocktails made with trendy Ciroc vodka. The package at the upscale lodging starts at a not-unreasonable $205 per night and runs through Jan. 31.

And in Chicago,

Any other hotels with Obama-themed packages, feel free to post them here!

Photo courtesy of The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa

Christmas may not be over: A little elf told me that Marriott plans to get in on the added-value hotel trend by offering a full breakfast at many of its full-service properties, such as its signature Marriotts. No details yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I know. How do readers feel about getting a hot breakfast included in your nightly rate? I love it, because paying $15 for breakfast or getting in the car with growling stomach to drive to the nearest cheap eatery is not fun. Do any other full-service chains do this?

I wish readers a merry day, whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus, Kwanzaa or another holiday.

I appreciate your readership and welcome your feedback.

Meanwhile, here is some happy news from the hotel world, from Seacoastonline.com. Two lodgings in chilly Portsmouth, N.H., are offering free lodging to homeless people tonight and Christmas night, with Christmas dinner thrown in.

The Sheraton Harborside and Hilton Garden Inn will host six homeless families in collaboration with a network of churches of all faiths that have joined to help those who have nowhere to go on the holiday.

Each family also receives $50 for Christmas dinner from North Hampton United Methodist Church. Read the story here.

Readers, what do you think of this idea? Please feel free to share any other hotel good works here.

According to CheapTickets.com, the top destination is Vegas, topping Manhattan.

CheapTickets did a survey of bookings for the big night, and did up a chart showing average daily rates for this New Year's -- plus cheaper alternatives near the usual places to stay, such as the Strip.

Take a look:

1. Las Vegas - The Strip
    Average New Year's Eve rate: $154.50

(Off Strip, the average rate found was $137.42)

2. New York City
  $256.53

(Alternative, Newark, N.J., $80.95)

3. Orlando

$93.43
(Alternative:  Kissimmee, $75.32)

4. Cancun, Mexico
  Average daily rate $289.74 (bear in mind that some hotels there are all-inclusive)

(Alternative, Cozumel, $165.71)


5. Miami Beach
  $197.22
(Alternative: Fort Lauderdale, $91.81)

If you haven't yet made New Year's plans, you're not alone. I am hearing last-minute booking is bigger than ever this year, as people wait to see whether a) they can afford a getaway; and b) wait for rates to go down, which they often do. So it still may not be too late to book a hotel stay, lots of good packages out there.

And get this, my colleague Ron scored a stay at a Westin in Cincinnati for New Year's Eve via Priceline for guess how much? I can't believe it. Guess, and scroll down for the answer.

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

$50!!! And that includes a full breakfast and free drinks at cocktail hour. OK, it's $61 including taxes and fees. How in the heck is the hotel making any money?? Thoughts? And if you're staying in a hotel over New Year's, tell me what rate you got. 

The Montgomery County Department of Parks in the Maryland suburbs of D.C. has a solution for those who can't find a reasonably priced hotel room for the Jan. 20 inauguration of Barack Obama. RV camping!

It is opening Little Bennett Campground in Clarksburg, a 45-minute drive from the capital, from Friday, Jan. 16 through Thursday, Jan. 22. “Camping with the family at Little Bennett might make your trip for this historic inauguration even more unforgettable,” said Montgomery County Department of Parks Enterprise Division Chief Christine Brett in a press release.

The department is making 25 campsites available for just $31 a night, with a three-night minimum.

However, hope your RV has a shower -- no bathhouses are available and tent sites will not be open. For info and to reserve, call 301-972-9222 or visit littlebennettcampground.com.

Here's another idea: Even if that campground fills fast, could you rent an RV and go to another campground or park outside a pal's already full house? What do readers think? Anyone doing this?

This is not news to people familiar with the financial workings of condo hotels, or who live in places such as Miami and Las Vegas, where a lot of such face big challenges in the recession.

This analysis I read on on hotelnewsnow.com is very accessible and explains why, like a house of falling cards, a hotel/condo project can tumble in today's economy. So please read it if you are interested. On the other hand, if you are looking for a hotel room to rent, check out rates at those which also are condo projects. They can be quite good right now.

For instance, the new Palms Place Hotel & Spa in Vegas, a celeb hangout, has been offering $159 rates weeknights for studios with kitchen facilities that are ultra-modern and chic. And it's touting a New Year's deal with a lot of extras. A Strip View studio is $399 a night (two-night minimum, subject to availability), including $50 dining credit, in-room bottle of Champagne, access to the spa and Turkish bath. Click here to scope out deals.

Are any readers planning to spend New Year's in a hotel? Recommendations for hotels with great New Year's partis? I'm a fan of ones with orchestras or bands and a lot of dressed-up guests.