Normally we wouldn’t post a hotel deal that rings in at $999—we don’t come across that many and frankly, most hotels don’t offer them. So, when we came across Equinox Resort’s “Cloud 999 Package” we wanted to see what the real deal was. The historic hotel celebrated its 239^th birthday last year (yes, it’s been around since 1769!) by getting a $20-million “face lift,” including interiors by renown designer Geoffrey Bradfield. His version of contemporary New England charm? Bold striped patterns and dramatic floor length window coverings. Drapery aside, this winter deal focuses putting guests on Cloud 9 via the spa.

Deal: The “Cloud 999 Package” includes 3 nights in a Superior Room and a $999 credit for spa treatments of your choice, making the room theoretically free. Every one of the spa’s 27 treatments are available with the package—from typical Swedish massages and facials to the spa’s custom “Mother Earth” prenatal massages and full-body “Autumn Ritual” treatments.

Breakdown: With 10 treatment rooms, the Equinox Resort’s 13,000-square-foot spa offers a variety of Vermont-inspired spa treatments (think: maple sugar and wildflower). Treatment prices are standard for a full-service hotel spa and for $999, we calculated that two guests could each enjoy: a 50-minute Swedish massage ($115), 75-minute custom facial ($175), 50-minute body exfoliation or Reflexology session ($120) and 50-minute Simply Hands & Feet treatment ($85).

Deal or No Deal: We found the average Sun.-Thurs. nightly rate for a superior room with two guests to be $169 during the deal’s dates (booked through their website). Times three nights, that’s a savings of $507. If on the hunt for a relaxing, hotel spa experience this deal could be a winner for the perfect pair. Split between a couple, each guest could visit the spa 1-2 times a day during their 3-night stay with an added bonus of utilizing the spa’s inclusive amenities: the 75-foot indoor heated swimming pool, yoga and Pilates classes, a full-service fitness room, sauna, steam room and a relaxation area complete with a Vermont stone fireplace. We’ll take our post-massage fireplace sitting with a glass of Cab and plate of Vermont cheeses!

Side Note: If you tire of the lavish indoor spa treatments, head outdoors where Equinox offers a bevy of eclectic activities: The British School of Falconry, The Land Rover Experience Driving School, The Archery School, sleigh rides, snow-mobiling, snow-shoeing and more!

Dates: Valid through April 30, 2010 (only on Thurs.-Sun.). Deal details here.

Celebrating it’s 25th anniversary with a “World Needs Interesting” campaign, boutique hotel brand, Morgans Hotel Group has not only slashed rates, but is reminding the travel industry of its iconic status as a hip, trendy brand. This IS the hotel group that made Philippe Starck-designed, surrealist lobbies the rage! The campaign’s print component centers around various playful—and sometimes seductive—tag lines (a la “the world needs more R-rated R&R”), while in true hip hotel taste, a video ad features Morgans’ take on an “interesting” world: a compilation of fast-paced dancing, cocktail-filled glass clinking and a kissing duos finale montage.

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We turn one year old today and took the opportunity to reflect on what we accomplished in the past 12 months, as well as look forward to another fun and fast-paced year ahead. Below is the press release with the details:

DealBase.com Celebrates Its First Anniversary: Great Hotels Now Within Reach of All Travelers

Hotel deals website has helped over 1 million travelers find insider savings and “in-the-know” discounts.

San Francisco (PRWEB) November 12, 2009 — DealBase.com, the source for insider hotel deals and offers, celebrated its first anniversary today, capping a phenomenal year of growth. Since launching last year at the 2008 PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit, DealBase.com has become a trusted resource for hundreds of thousands of travelers. Key milestones the company accomplished in the past year:

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Although Santa may care if you’ve been naughty or nice, The Signature at MGM Grand does NOT. Rewarding all good and bad Vegas visitors, the hotel is offering two heavily value-added deals for the holidays. The hardest thing about making your Vegas holiday wish list? Choosing whether you want to spend an evening at Studio 54 or an afternoon at the spa; toast to the holidays with champagne and strawberries (oh, so nice!) or with an in-suite vodka station amenity (just a wee naughty). With these fabulous deals, you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, because the holidays are coming to town…ahem, Sin City.

Property: THE SIGNATURE AT MGM GRAND, Las Vegas

Deal: “Naughty Holiday” and “Nice Holiday.” Night rates for both deals end up being the same (ranging from $119 to $239) and include 40% off tickets to the hotel’s Crazy Horse Paris show or KA by Cirque du Soleil, as well as turn down service with a “romantic gift surprise.” The only difference between the two deals is the other value adds: nightlife party-goers who like to drink will not surprisingly prefer the “Naughty” package, while the spa loving/breakfast-in-bed types will opt for “Nice.”

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Where else in the world can you find the hotel in the world’s tallest building, the world’s only 7-star hotel and a hotel with a refrigerated beach—all in one place? Dubai: the continually evolving desert oasis; a Middle Eastern mecca for glitz, glam and, some would say, gaudiness. Dubai luxury hotel construction is rampant, as is the quest for bizarrely unique architecture and breaking world records. With interest for United Arab Emirates (UAE) travel still hot, new Dubai hotel properties continue to pop up, adding to Dubai’s growing list of adjectives:

HOTEL IN THE WORLD’S TALLEST BUILDING*: Armani Hotel in the Burj Dubai. My fellow Amazing Race 15 racers arrived in Dubai last Sunday, paying a visit (which thankfully did not include bungee jumping) to the world’s tallest building. Not only does the Burj Dubai’s 206 floors (measuring a whopping 2,684-feet) house office and residential space, but 37 of the lower floors will include the world’s first Armani Hotel. Of course the building and hotel have to be completed first, so in the mean time we will keep our fingers crossed that Giorgio Armani’s impeccable classy taste shines through. *The “world’s highest hotel” is currently the Park Hyatt Shangai.

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From urban retreats located in hundred-year-old buildings with quite a history to desert oases offering cattle drives and Jeep tours to tropical getaways that provide your own personal “wellness consultant”—Fall 2009 is proving that new hotels are to be found in any climate. Responding to the continued economic hardship, these hotels are not only offering swanky designs and creative extracurricular activities, they’re offering deals all over the place. If you don’t mind being amidst hardhats, take 50-percent off one property’s rates and at another, enjoy unlimited golfing on a Jack Nicklaus-designed course:

Hotel: AMES BOSTON | Boston, MA

Opening: November 19, 2009

To Note: Housed in a 14-story, 1889-constructed building that was Boston’s first skyscraper; traditional East Coast architecture complete with Romanesque arched windows and original fireplaces; “Benjamin Franklin Meets a Supermodel” tag line from its parent company, Morgans Hotel Group.

Ames Boston Hotel Deals

Hotel: INK48 | NYC, New York

Opening: Currently in “Rough Draft” Phase but still accepting reservations; full opening January 15, 2010

To Note: This new Kimpton Hotel property is offering (surprise, surprise) 48-percent off for staying while the property is still being constructed—that means no fitness room, restaurants or spa (but a hip, lower rate NYC hotel room with room service still at your beck and call); the 1,000 square-foot “Heaven Over Hell’s Kitchen Suite” includes a private 2,200-square-foot rooftop terrace and over-sized deep soaking Jacuzzi overlooking the NYC skyline

Ink48 Hotel Deals

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Being susceptible to allergies can be difficult enough on a day-to-day basis, but traveling to hotels with potential allergy-inducing factors can be even more burdensome. Let’s face it: hotel rooms are not known for being the cleanest, most sterile of environments. While many hotels are pledging to add allergy-friendly rooms, there aren’t many currently. Hopefully, we here at DealBase will help alleviate the headache (and onslaught of sneezing) related to finding an allergy-friendly hotel room—and perhaps even an Allergy-Friendly Hotel Package or a Free “Upgrade” to a PURE Room.

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It’s no surprise that Las Vegas is the most popular destination for online hotel deals here at DealBase; not only does Sin City afford fun for all ages, but it’s 120,000+ hotel rooms consistently offer heavily discounted value-added deals. We sat down for a Q&A with Jen, one of our DealBase Expert Deal Finders to learn the insider info on how to find the best Vegas hotel deals.

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From Miami to Vegas to Cancun, hotels have been the home to many a reality show. Recognizing the potential for spotlighting their properties, many hotels are jumping at the opportunity for playing host to a reality show. Just look at MTV’s The Real World Vegas, which teamed up with The Palms in 2002 to create the “Real World Suite” that STILL to this day is consistently booked.

While as a former reality show contestant, I can’t divulge any insider secrets as to where exactly I stayed on The Amazing Race (minus countless red-eye flights) I can say that it’s not like being put up in a Vegas penthouse suite or a swanky desert resort every night. If you’re looking to live it up like a reality show star (sans an Amazing Race one), these properties will give you that “15 minutes of fame” feeling—even if just for a night.

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Japanese culture has been infiltrating the U.S. for decades but never have I seen an interest in this island nation than of late. While my personal connection with Japan resides solely in running around downtown Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing and taking part in a Japanese game show as a contestant in the reality show, The Amazing Race, I was still able to catch a glimpse of the ultra modern buildings—many that are home to Tokyo’s best hotels. So what hotels would I want to stay in upon a return [non-reality show] trip to Tokyo? Since I’m a deal lover, I’m interested in hotels that still offer the type of deals that we find on DealBase (as we expand into our DealBase coverage of Asia).

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