Their inventive solution is to court the British leisure traveller. Not only are room rates keener than ever, some of the biggest names in corporate travel are coming up with activity and themed packages to tempt short-breakers, from go-karting for the kids to ballooning for, well, bigger kids. Here’s the pick of the bunch:
HILTON
The properties: 76 four- and five-star hotels the UK, ranging from the 1,058-room Metro-pole, in London, to the 45-room Craigendarroch country-house hotel, Scotland.
The packages: family breaks are available for the first time at more than 50 properties, with prices starting at £58 per room per night, B&B. Children up to 15 stay free, and the package includes breakfast, children’s menus, “splash hours” in the pools, use of a playroom, movies and games in the rooms (including a Sony PlayStation) and discounts at local attractions. The chain has other themed packages, which vary according to location and the amenities available in the properties: for instance, London theatre breaks start at £78pp, which includes a top-priced seat at a popular show. Basic summer rates start at £20.95pp per night, B&B.
Contact: 0870 552 5252, www.hilton.co.uk.
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DE VERE HOTELS
The properties: 21 four- and five-star hotels, including golf resorts and a string of south-coast hotels, most notably the Grand, in Brighton.
The packages: a variety of savings are on offer. Throughout August, one night (Sunday to Friday) at the Belfry, in north Warwickshire, costs £149pp per night — a saving of £50 — including breakfast, three-course dinner and 18 holes on the highly rated Brabazon course. Until the end of Sept-ember, a night at the newly refurbished Cavendish St James’s costs £85pp, B&B. And until the end of August, you can stay at Village Newcastle for £30pp per night, B&B. The rate includes entry to the Beamish Open Air Museum, which normally costs £12.
Contact: 0870 606 3606, www.devereonline.co.uk.
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THISTLE HOTELS
The properties: 56 UK properties, 24 in London.
The packages: the summer deal amounts to 50% off the usual leisure-breaks rates. At the Irvine, near Glasgow, prices start at £29.50pp per night, B&B; at the Ryan, in London’s King’s Cross, the rate starts at £32.50pp per night, B&B.
Contact: book on 0870 333 9198, quoting EEE05, or visit www.thistlehotels.com, entering E05 in the promotional box for the online discount of £50pp per night.
INTERCONTINENTAL
The properties: in London, the InterContinentals Mayfair and Hyde Park Corner, and the Churchill, at Portman Square; in Edinburgh, the George.
The packages: £80pp per night, including breakfast, at the London hotels; and £60pp in Edinburgh. Both prices represent a 50% saving and are available seven days a week. The company also has two other brands. Crowne Plaza has 11 UK city-centre or airport hotels, each offering a summer deal — from £25pp per night, B&B, at the Birmingham NEC, rising to £65 for central London and Edinburgh. Holiday Inn has more than 100 hotels throughout the UK and Ireland, with rates of £39pp-£45pp per night, again including breakfast — and the children stay and eat free.
Contact: 0870 400 8870, www.ichotelsgroup.com/weekends.
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RAMADA JARVIS
The properties: 67 throughout the UK.
The packages: there’s golf at the Ramada in East Horsley, near Guildford: two nights, half-board, with two rounds on the par-72 Clandon Regis course, for £155pp. Or racing: one night, half-board, at the Ramada Jarvis, York, including entry to the Tattersall Stand and a racecard (next meeting Sept-ember 7), is £144pp. Or ballooning: a two-night, half-board break at the Ramada Jarvis in Tunbridge Wells, costs £245pp, including the flight and champagne on touchdown.
Contact: 0845 758 1811.