RETAIL / TOURISM : Hotels to Kick-Start Peak Season With Discounts, Despite Recessionary Fears

Fearing that the lingering recession will turn away the hordes, county hotels and resorts are locked in a discounting war.

Even some hotels and resorts that have shunned price-cutting in the past are joining the fray. And they are planning to take the price hits at what would normally be their busiest time of the year.

For instance, the beachside Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point--which has consistently been ranked as one of the top hotels in the nation, not to mention one of the most expensive--is ready to start mouthing the “D” word. Its discount deal is a two-night package for $395, compared to a normal price of $550.

The Walt Disney Co. this summer is offering a free Disneyland admission to children accompanied by adults who buy a vacation through the Walt Disney Travel Co. that includes lodging at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. The major chains operating in the county are cutting room prices too. But, apparently afraid of becoming lost in the discounting milieu, they are looking for an angle to set themselves apart.

Marriott--which operates hotels in Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Irvine and Newport Beach--is offering up to 60% off its regular room prices. But its tactic, borrowed from the way discount fares are handled by the airlines, is that the price cuts are available only with 14- or 21-day non-refundable advance purchase.

Taking the middle ground, the Woodfin Suites Hotel in Cypress is aiming for the customer’s heartstrings instead of directly for the wallet. Every time a weary traveler plops down in a special luxury suite, the hotel will donate money to a center for missing and exploited children. Embassy Suites--with hotels in Brea, Buena Park and Irvine--has refused to join in the price cutting. The chain is mounting an aggressive advertising and marketing campaign to convince travelers that its larger rooms, free breakfasts and drinks are amenities more valuable than slashed room rates.