March Madness: As the stomach is the route to a man’s heart, a deal is the route to a traveler’s wallet

In light of spring training, hotels are offering killer deals. To play on FireSky Resort & Spa's "Play Ball" package, the on-site restaurant, Taggia, is offering a Thursday Homerun Happy Hour.

Economy and net worth aside, everyone loves a good deal. But as Americans have gone from prioritizing luxuries to necessities, a deal’s deliciousness has become ever apparent. The media of yore (2004) extolled excess, but in keeping with the times, they now serve as a megaphone for all kinds of deals – and The Arizona Republic (AZR) is no exception. 

Over the last year, the outlet has been opining about great buys across the board from goods and services to real estate and hospitality –  the latter two of which are key drivers of Phoenix’s economy, top draws for tourists and topics of our firm’s most frequent pitches. While these two arenas have shared the editorial spotlight in the past and are offering compelling value propositions at present, hospitality has taken a clear lead in light of the credit crunch. 

The reason is simple:  The economy has whittled away at disposable income and the notion of a home as a high-return investment, but it hasn’t whittled away at the appeal of sunshine, shopping, dining, baseball, golf, hiking and r-n-r. Such things seduce people with shallow and deep pockets alike. In light of this and for the sake of survival, smart Valley resorts have decided to fill rooms with stellar packages at reduced rates. And boy, do those business and leisure travelers love and need those reduced rates.  

Although a February 10 article in the AZR reported that 2009 was the worst for Valley hotels (more here), the outlook for 2010 is already better. Smith Travel Research (STR) recently noted that our city’s reservation rates are outperforming the national average with an ADR of $118.62, and our occupancy rates have been on the rise in on the year, up 1.7 percent in January and an estimated 5 percent in February. Sure, our town is lovely and has much to offer. However, the uptick is thanks in large part to deals, says AZR reporter Dawn Gilbertson in a March 8 write-up.  

The Valley’s deals du jour appeal to a mix of tourism interests, wooing wallets with creative lineups and digestible dollar figures. Of late, spring training packages are scoring homeruns for hotels – as are happy hours like this one at FireSky Resort & Spa’s Taggia. Other getaway deals around the state are getting attention, including this offer at Hidden Meadow Ranch,which beckons travelers and Phoenicians to trade sun for snow during spring break. 

Like the economy, the depth of available hotel deals is but a season in our life, city and state – allowing you to take the least of your travel budgets and make the most of it. So get out and check in!