London Hotel Deal Makes Cents

Rank Hotels is repeating a winter promotion in which the price of rooms calculated in pounds at five hotels in London will be offered for the same figure in dollars, from Dec. 15 through Feb. 29. Thus, a room normally costing 130 would cost $130.

At the recent exchange rate of $1.78 per pound, that means a savings of about 43% from the regular rate of about $230 per night.

Bookings must be made at least 14 days prior to arrival, and there is a minimum two-night stay requirement. All rates include the value-added tax.

The five hotels include the Royal Garden and The Gloucester in Kensington; the Royal Lancaster near Hyde Park; the Athenaeum in Mayfair, and The White House in Regents Park.

Regular rates at the hotels range from $99 per night at The White House to $230 at the Royal Lancaster.

Sheraton Hotels has introduced a “Next Stop Sheraton” reservations program involving a dozen hotels in Latin America. With this program, a minimum stay of one night at any of the participating hotels produces a bonus food and beverage credit worth $20 for use at any of the other hotels. Only one credit is provided per room, not guest, and per stay. Five of the hotels are in Mexico--in Acapulco, Cancun, Huatulco, Ixtapa and Mexico City. The others are in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Venezuela.

While any of the hotels can make ongoing reservations for you, another booking isn’t necessary to get the food and beverage credit. Ask for a “Next Stop” reservation form at the hotel’s front desk and have it validated there. When you turn in this form at the next Sheraton hotel in the program, you’ll get the $20 credit. The credits will be honored through Dec. 1, 1992.

Travelers staying at any of Guest Quarters Suite Hotels’ 27 properties in the United States are eligible to receive a coupon at checkout worth $25 off their next stay. The coupons are valid through March 1, except at five Guest Quarter Hotels in Florida where the coupons are good through Dec. 15.

Coupons will be supplied through the end of this year. Guests should ask for the coupons at checkout. One coupon is given per room.

Call Rank Hotels, (800) 223-5560; Sheraton, (800) 325-3535, and Guest Quarters Suite Hotels, (800) 424-2900.

Clarification: An item in last week’s Bargain Corner on a Lufthansa offer promoting free rental cars and discounted GermanRail passes incorrectly stated that the offer was was good for “virtually all” of the airline’s bargain fares from the U.S. to Germany or Austria. In fact, Lufthansa’s lowest advance-purchase discount fare does not include the free car or rail pass.