Expedia $200 Off Coupon For Vacations of 3+ Days

How about a 3-day vacation, including air and hotel, for under $150? It's available for the asking.

Expedia has teamed up with Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) and various airlines to give customers an instant $200 cash back on select Expedia vacation packages priced $200 (pre-tax) or more.

Check out this sample itinerary above. Flying round-trip Virgin America SFO to Orange County and a three night stay at Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites near Disneyland, for just $129 bucks! Plus, in addition to the frequent flyer points you earn for flying, if you are a member of the ThankYou network (yet another frequent travel program), you earn points for making this purchase through Expedia.

Here are the details (a bit vague) of this offer. Essentially, you need to book at participating IHG properties, such as Holiday Inn's and Crowne Plaza hotels, and select airlines, including U.S. Airways, JetBlue and Virgin America. Travel valid any day of the week through September 30, 2009. Enter promo code 200IHG during checkout.

So have some fun with this promotion. An opportunity for some cheap getaways to Phoenix, Portland, or Vegas, or apply the funds to a larger vacation elsewhere.

Click here to start your search.

Priority Club: Stay 8 Nights, Score 2 MLB Tickets

Here's a grand slam deal for baseball friends. Stay a total of 8 nights at any of the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Expresses worldwide, and earn a 2 Major League baseball tickets. Stays between now and September 30, 2009, will count toward the promotion. Register before your first stay. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express are party of the Priority Club Rewards hotel incentive program.

Mid-Market Hotels As A Solution for Travelers

Came across this great blog piece at Forbes.com describing how mid-tier hotel chains such as Holiday Inn Expresses, Residence Inns and Hyatt Places are a smarter, more economically-sound choice compared to luxury properties such as the Ritz's and J.W Marriott's. The author, Rich Karlgaard, editor of Forbes magazine, considers the varying amenities and services provided at each class hotel, and concludes mid-range hotels offer a surprisingly good deal for many travelers needs. Take a read: The Holiday Inn Express Solution

Holiday Inn Relaunches Brand

One of the most recognizable hotel names, with more than 3000 properties worldwide, has some grand changes in the works.

Holiday Inn is relaunching their brand, shining a new logo, freshening up their guest rooms, redesigning their welcome experience and committing to a new service promise.

Highlights of the changes:

Redesigned Brand Signage – Holiday Inn is making dramatic changes to its signage (see photo), including energizing the signature green color and eliminating the current shield shape. The new brand signage will also be incorporated into design elements in each of the more than 3,100 hotel lobbies and more than 400,000 guest rooms worldwide.

Refreshed Guest Room – Guests will be able to enjoy a new bedding experience with fresh, white duvets and pillows that come in two comfort levels: soft and firm. Bathrooms will feature a showerhead that offers superior pressure while conserving water as well as enhanced amenities, to deliver an invigorating and up-to-date bath experience.

Warm Welcome – A new signature arrival, including new lighting, landscaping and design features will create an energised and a sense of welcome that is universally recognisable and unique to the brand. Guests can expect a more interactive and efficient check-in process, while customised music and scent selections will also engage them in a complete sensory experience.

New Service Promise – Holiday Inn is committing to provide the best-in-class service. As part of the relaunch, the brand will initiate a new service culture – “Stay Real”. The service culture will enhance staff behaviour and skills to best serve guests, treating them as real people and consistently delivering the real, genuine service for which Holiday Inn is known.

The relaunch is currently rolling out to hotels around the world at the rate of 150 properties a month. Holiday Inn expects the new branding to be completed by 2010.

The original Holiday Inn was founded in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee. Holiday Inn, and Holiday Inn Express are part of the Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG).