Cyber Monday Deals
November 25, 2009 by USA Post
As millions of people return to work next Monday and begin their holiday shopping from their desktops, at least 60 hotels – including some of Starwood Hotels’ top resorts – will try to fill rooms next year by tapping into the ceremonial Cyber Monday holiday shopping madness.
Will shoppers buy sweaters, electronics – and hotel getaways? That remains to be seen. But according to Shop.org’s eHoliday Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, hotels can tap into a growing population.
About 54% of workers with Internet access – or about 69 million people – are expected to shop this coming Monday for holiday gifts from their workplace. Young adults ages 18-24 are the most likely age group to shop at work, and men are more likely than women, the survey says.
Yet while the numbers of potential buyers may be impressive, hotels still have their work cut out for them as retailers grab most of the attention. Most retailers surveyed (87%) said they plan to pitch customers with a special Cyber Monday deal this year, up slightly from last year’s 83%, according to the Shop.org survey. That raises the question: Will consumers think “vacation” when it comes to gift giving (even for themselves)?
These hotels – all experimenting with Cyber Monday specials for the first time – are betting that people will remember them on Monday. Some of the offers you’ll find:
Starwood Hotels (50): Starwood on Cyber Monday will kick off a 3-day sale for 50 of its resorts ranging from the exotic to the nearby. The catch? You must book your vacation online on Starwood’s website. The special rates are good only for specific resorts and only during a specific period – Jan. 1 through April 30, 2010. The benefit? You’ll save up to 45%. To get a preview of destinations, click here; the list ranges from the Bahamas and Bora Bora to Vancouver and Vermont. Examples include the Westin St. John Resort & Villas, with rooms starting at $289 a night, and the W Fort Lauderdale, with rooms starting at $229 a night. The cancellation policy is worth reading, because cancellations are non-refundable on this offer.
Affinia Hotels (7): Get 15% off your 2010 stay at any Affinia Hotel in New York, Chicago and Washington D.C. by booking on Cyber Monday. How? Create or update your My Affinia profile between 12am and 11:59pm EST on Nov. 30. Affinia will then give you discount code good for 15% off any Affinia stay through Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. If you’re among the first 50 people do this and book a room using the discount code, Affinia will also throw in a $50 American Express gift card upon check-in for that stay. Good news? The discount is valid at any of Affinia’s seven hotels, and there are no blackout dates. Bad news? It’s only good on the best available rate booked on Affinia’s web site and can’t be combined with any other packages or promos. Also, you can’t book the Cyber Monday promo until 12 am, Nov. 30.
The James Hotel (1): Buy gift certificates good at the hotel – called James Credits – on Nov. 30 and receive a second batch of James Credits of equal value for no extra money. The gift certificates can be redeemed anywhere inside the James, a luxury boutique hotel in Chicago, whether on a night’s stay or dinner at the hotel’s steakhouse, David Burke’s Primehouse, or drinks at the lounge or lobby bar. The idea is that customers might use one batch (say $100) for themselves and give the second, free batch (also $100) away as a gift.
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