Big discounts, 20 hotels.

It’s no secret that I love to travel. However, I don’t often announce this, but I love to plan my trips almost as much as I enjoy the trips themselves. For me, it’s like a really engaging puzzle, with a great reward at the end. Of course, both the planning process and the end result are just that much sweeter if I am able to find a fabulous deal.

Since I enjoy this, I typically spend a good amount of time researching hotels, then searching for the lowest prices. Ever since I first learned about TravelPony, I’ve been amazed at how they are able to offer MUCH lower prices on certain properties, and how these properties are often on my short list. My recent steals include almost half off a Four Seasons stay, plus 40% off a Kimpton night.

20 deals

TravelPony’s most recent deal is an array of 20 deeply discounted properties around the world. Because I love TravelPony, they’ve given me an exclusive code to share with my readers. Use code PIXIE10 for an additional 10% off the properties listed below, until May 14, 2014. As with any sale, there is a mixed bag of options here; depending on what you are looking for, you could either score a “luxury bargain” at a premium property, or you could snap up a cheap stay at a really great price.

If you need inspiration for an upcoming trip…if you need a hotel in one of the cities listed below…or if you are just curious…here’s the list!

United States

New York – Affinia 50

Las Vegas – Encore at Wynn

Miami – Pestana Art Deco

San Francisco – The Fairmont

Maui – Makena Beach and Golf Resort

Chicago – Trump International Hotel

Washington, DC – Washington Marriott

Orlando – Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes

Los Angeles – The L.A. Hotel Downtown

Boston – Lowes Boston Back Bay

Europe

Paris – Le Pierre

London – The Kensington

Berlin – Waldorf Astoria

Prague – Hotel Golf

Asia

Hong Kong – Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees

Bangkok – CitiChic By ICheck Inn

Singapore – InterContinental

Canada

Vancouver – Four Seasons

Montreal – Hyatt Regency

Toronto – Hilton Toronto

Do these deals make sense for you? Shop around.

Since I spend a lot of time planning trips (both for myself and for other people), I’ve learned a lot of tips and tricks to save a lot of cash.  Because there are endless ways to plan a trip, the most important thing is to be open to a variety of money-saving options. Don’t get locked into one specific “go-to” method, or you could be leaving money on the table.

Also, just because it’s a great deal doesn’t mean it is a great deal for you. As with any sale, don’t just buy it because the price is right – make sure that the location and the amenities are a good fit as well! If not, it could be like buying a pair of too-small shoes at a sample sale: sure, they were a steal, but if they don’t fit, they weren’t a deal.

The right tool for the job.

I like to think of all my options as a toolkit: I use different tools for different things. Sometimes I use hotel points and airline miles to build free trips (such as my recent $5 trip to Chicago!), sometimes I focus on earning points and miles at a low cost so I can use them later for a premium redemption (such as our upcoming stay at the Park Hyatt Tokyo), and sometimes – if the price is right – I decide to pay cash.

Why pay cash when you could use points?

Sometimes, cash just makes the most sense for my travel plans. For example, this summer I’m headed to Vegas with a group of friends. Some of us are points-collectors, some aren’t. To make things easier, we’ve decided to find a hotel we’re all in love with, pay for our stay in cash, then split the bill.

Another reason that I am happy to slap down the plastic is when I want to stay at a specific hotel that doesn’t have a loyalty program.

And sometimes I don’t have enough points for a free stay, or I’m saving up points for another use.

Since I am personally interested in finding a good deal on a hotel stay in Vegas, I decided to see how this current TravelPony discount would work for me.

Encore at Wynn Las Vegas

Vegas, end of the summer. One person in our group loves the Encore at Wynn and wants to stay there. Two nights in a suite at this property will set you back a hefty chunk of change, especially if you book directly with the hotel. For our dates, we would be looking at $861.

Kayak usually provides a lot of less-expensive options; in this case, the cheapest is Hotels.com. Let’s try it. With taxes, the total comes to $612. Much better than the total above. Can we do better than this?

Let’s take a peek at TravelPony. Using the PIXIE10 code, you would save $128 from the above price. You can also use my referral link to earn an additional $35 credit, for a total cost of $449.60. (Note that the credit is not displayed in the example below).

That is $400 cheaper than booking directly with the hotel, and $163 cheaper than the least-expensive publicly advertised rate.

 

In other words, you can stack the PIXIE10 code with the $35 referral credit to earn a bigger discount.

This is a great deal.

I’m all about the high/low mix, the blend of luxury and thrift. When I find a service that provides both, I am a happy camper, and I’m going to shout it from the rooftops.

Do you see any hotels on the list that work for your travel plans? Anyone able to score a great deal?

Note that TravelPony is not paying me anything for this article – I just really like them and want to spread the word!

.