$8/night Grand Cherokee & It Gets Better!
May 29th, 2006 | 08:23 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 744
Likes: 0
$8/night Grand Cherokee & It Gets Better!
My husband had to fly out to Denver over Memorial Day weekend. It was a last-minute thing and we just knew we'd be hammered on the prices.
Well, it actually turned out REALLY well. We were looking at rental car sites, and noticed that a few of them were only charging $8/night for an intermediate car. Of course we booked it immediately (the next best rate was $25/night). Then we called the car rental company to make sure it wasn't a mistake - the worst thing would be to show up at the car rental desk in the airport and have them refuse to honor it. Well, the car rental customer service rep told us it looked fine to him, and he gave us his name and agent number in case they didn't want to honor it when he arrived in Denver. We thought, sweet! $50 car rental instead of $150. But we knew we'd have a hard time finding a decent hotel.
My husband wanted to stay a little north of Denver - maybe Broomsfield. The Marriott Springhill was $169/night. More than we wanted to pay. We looked all over, and then checked priceline. We put in a bid for $75 for 4 star in Broomsfield, and got it ... the Omni! Woo hoo!
So at this point we are feeling pretty pleased with ourselves. A decent car and a great hotel for really great rates. But it gets better.
My husband goes to the car rental desk (I think it was Dollar) and they didn't give him any trouble. In fact, the clerk said, "Would you mind taking a Jeep Grand Cherokee, we don't have any intermediate cars!" My husband was like, "Um, YES!" So he gets a Jeep Grand Cherokee for $8/day. Of course the gas will cost more since the mileage won't be as good, but he's pretty happy.
He drives up to the Omni and checks in. He tells them he's a select guest member and shows his card, and they upgrade him to one of their 12 VIP suites. No kidding. So he's getting a huge VIP suite with a balcony overlooking the golf course, for $75/night.
Anyway, just wanted to share ... travel bargains can still be had, although sometimes they can't always be planned!
Well, it actually turned out REALLY well. We were looking at rental car sites, and noticed that a few of them were only charging $8/night for an intermediate car. Of course we booked it immediately (the next best rate was $25/night). Then we called the car rental company to make sure it wasn't a mistake - the worst thing would be to show up at the car rental desk in the airport and have them refuse to honor it. Well, the car rental customer service rep told us it looked fine to him, and he gave us his name and agent number in case they didn't want to honor it when he arrived in Denver. We thought, sweet! $50 car rental instead of $150. But we knew we'd have a hard time finding a decent hotel.
My husband wanted to stay a little north of Denver - maybe Broomsfield. The Marriott Springhill was $169/night. More than we wanted to pay. We looked all over, and then checked priceline. We put in a bid for $75 for 4 star in Broomsfield, and got it ... the Omni! Woo hoo!
So at this point we are feeling pretty pleased with ourselves. A decent car and a great hotel for really great rates. But it gets better.
My husband goes to the car rental desk (I think it was Dollar) and they didn't give him any trouble. In fact, the clerk said, "Would you mind taking a Jeep Grand Cherokee, we don't have any intermediate cars!" My husband was like, "Um, YES!" So he gets a Jeep Grand Cherokee for $8/day. Of course the gas will cost more since the mileage won't be as good, but he's pretty happy.
He drives up to the Omni and checks in. He tells them he's a select guest member and shows his card, and they upgrade him to one of their 12 VIP suites. No kidding. So he's getting a huge VIP suite with a balcony overlooking the golf course, for $75/night.
Anyway, just wanted to share ... travel bargains can still be had, although sometimes they can't always be planned!
May 29th, 2006 | 02:04 PM
#5
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 835
Likes: 0
I have found that traveling on the days of an actual holiday can usually result in some pretty cheap hotel/air/car rental prices. But I must say - $8/day for a SUV must be a new personal best! When I was younger my husband and I use to go to Cedar Point in Sandusy Ohio on July 4th and never had to wait in line for any ride! We have received some great rates in Chicago on priceline on Thanksgiving, Easter and NY's Eve!
