As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, coupon and discount codes for travel have been among the more noticeable trends in the online travel space this year. In a short time, they’ve gone from being pretty much non-existent to regular features in airline, car and hotel newsletters, web sites and special offers sections. And recently, we ran across CouponShack, a web site that aims to round these kinds of travel discount codes up all in one place.

In the travel section (the site offers coupon and discount codes from all kinds of online retailers), you can quickly scan the list of current hotel chains and online travel retailers to find available codes and their expiration dates.

We noticed that clicking on many of the travel merchants listed led us to deals available without codes and required us to use a reservation or booking engine to search for available dates and corresponding rates as we would with any deals-oriented section of a web site, but we were able find several current discount codes for BedandBreakfast.com, Marriott and Extended Stay.

What we liked the most about the site was the clear listing of expiration dates and the option to rate different deals and discount codes. The site also lists codes for air travel and cruises, not to mention tons of mainstream stores and retail brands.

Keep reading for more current travel deals and hotel promotions….

[Photo: JW Marriott Hotel Houston]

Yesterday, we featured a hotel package aimed at families traveling with teenagers. Today, we’re taking that idea a step further and highlighting TravelPost’s list of the Best Hotels for Teens…with their parents in tow, of course.

Finding a destination that will please the whole family is difficult with young children, but becomes all the more so when you add freedom-seeking teenagers to the mix. With the help of TravelPost travel experts and hotel reviewers who’ve visited, we selected the following hotels and resorts for their overall teen travel appeal.

We were careful to choose hotels in a variety of destinations and at varying price points, while still selecting properties that we think offer plenty of options for adults and young adults. Many hotels that made the list offer special teen programs or teen facilities, while others are well known for a wide variety of water sports, recreational activities and dining options in a safe, scenic environment. And we couldn’t resist throwing in one unexpected option especially for Twilight fans….Let us know what you think:

Smuggler’s Notch Resort (pictured)

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island

Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort and Spa

Club Med Punta Cana All Inclusive

Loews Coronado Bay Resort

Kingsmill Resort and Spa

Kalaloch Lodge

Crown Paradise Club All Inclusive

Amelia Island Plantation Hotel

Looking for more hotel recommendations? Check out more of TravelPost Top 10 Travel Lists….

Something tells us that, when it comes to most teenagers embroiled in the upheaval of a family vacation, perfect is a lot to hope for. But decent? Tolerable? Kinda sorta okay? Most parents traveling with teenagers will take a ho-hum shrug and a I-guess-it-was-okay over all out teen angst any day.

But it looks like the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa in Southern California is up for a bit more of a challenge. In that spirit, the resort located just over a half-hour drive south of Santa Barbara is hoping to offer teens and families the Perfect Teen Vacation package.

Good for families with up to four kids under 18 for stays of three nights or more through Sept. 3, the offer tacks on an extra room for the kids at no extra charge. While the $605 starting package rate will no doubt strike many as a little steep, others may be willing to pay a little extra to stay in a resort that offers the family-friendly facilities and activities found here. Along with golf and a spa for adults, there’s a kid’s camp for ages 5 to 12, teen golf program, teen hangout area called the Nest and special teen spa services.

Looking for more teen-friendly resorts? Check out our list of the Best Hotels for Teens….

A second AVIA hotel has joined its Savannah sister. Officially opened yesterday, the AVIA Napa is, for now at least, the newest boutique hotel in Northern California wine country.

With its downtown Napa location, the 141-room hotel will likely please guests seeking a wine country home base within walking distance of numerous restaurants, shops and tasting rooms. Many lodging options in the area are smaller inns and bed and breakfasts in more remote locations that appeal to travelers looking to put distance between themselves and the trappings of civilization. But not everyone wants to be tucked away and in need of a car to get everywhere, especially when wine tasting is the chief objective on the day’s itinerary.

Beyond the notable location, the hotel piques our interest with the promise of 58 tub suites outfitted with two-person soaking tubs, evening wine tastings, free wi-fi and sun terrace with outdoor fire pit and porch swings. Sadly for would-be guests with four-legged friends, pets are not allowed.

A look at rates today for a weekend in August returned a classic king guestroom for $279 per night, a suite for $319 and a master tub suite with fireplace and balcony available for $399 per night.

If you plan to go, ask about complimentary room upgrades now being offered to guests through Sept. 1, 2009.

Find more recently opened hotels…..

Via the Los Angeles Times Daily Travel and Deal blog, we learned of a current hotel promotion launched today that brings a whole new meaning to the phrase volunteer vacation.

With the Serve America and Stay rate from Washington hotels the Savoy Suites Hotel and the Carlyle Suites Hotel, guests can take a volunteer vacation without having to actually volunteer on vacation. Instead, guests will receive 50 percent off one night’s stay for every five hours they volunteer through VolunteerMatch, and the volunteer hours can be completed up to 90 days before the stay at the hotel, during the hotel stay or within 90 days of departure. The hotel will refund 50 percent of the room rate once it receives the paperwork documenting dates and time of service.

Good through Sept. 7, the promo is a nice way for those planning to volunteer this summer to save on travel costs in D.C., regardless of where and when they choose to donate their time to community service programs.

The amount travelers will save varies depending on when they visit. For a weekend stay in August, we found regular room rates starting at $119 per night. Complete the necessary volunteer hours, and you’ll have quite a DC lodging deal on your hands.

Keep reading for more hotel deals we’ve mentioned recently on the TravelPost Insider…..

Thailand has long been a relatively inexpensive vacation destination for U.S. travelers, but these days, the Southeast Asia country is hungrier than ever for tourists. Airlines, hotels, resorts and retail shops in popular Thai tourist areas have cut rates and prices this year in an effort to convince travelers from abroad to visit despite an ailing global economy, swine flu fears and years of political unrest in the country’s southernmost region, a recent AP story reports.

Tourism officials in Thailand expect the domestic tourism industry to suffer a $5.6 billion loss this year over last, thanks to a deep decline in visitors.

While we’d recommend being cognizant of and well-informed about the political issues at play in the country before booking a trip, the unrest there over the last five years certainly hasn’t stopped plenty of tourists from enjoying all that Thailand has to offer. If this country has ranked highly on your list of must-see destinations around the world and you’ve been waiting for an economically-savvy time to go, there are plenty of deals to be had in ‘09, especially during the low season that lasts through early fall. Among them:

- Stay in the Peninsula Hotel Bangkok, and, along with a $100 credit for dining during your stay, you’ll also receive a second night free good for stays at Peninsula properties around the globe.

- A round of golf and a spa treatment now come free to guests who stay two nights at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi.

- Through October, Marriott hotels around the country such as the JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok are currently offering up to 50 percent off rates to travelers who pay for their stay at least 21 days in advance.

- Thai Airways is offering free connecting domestic tickets to passengers flying in from Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

- AirAsia tickets from Bangkok to domestic airports around the country can be had for an impressively low $10.

Keep reading the TravelPost Insider for more current travel deals….

Vancouver was recently tapped as the best city for business travelers by the Economist magazine’s Economist Intelligence Unit, reports the Gulliver blog. And that’s not all. This year apparently marks the third year in a row the city has been honored with the title, which puts it at the top of the 136-city list.

So where to stay when you find yourself pursuing business (or pleasure) in one of the world’s most esteemed metropolitan areas? According to TravelPost reviewers who’ve visited them, the following five Vancouver hotels are among the best the city has to offer:

Metropolitan Hotel

Georgian Court Hotel

Pacific Palisades Hotels, A Kimpton Hotel

Hotel Le Soleil

Pan Pacific Vancouver

Keep reading the TravelPost Insider for more travel news….

[Photo: Vancouver's Stanley Park at sunset]

White sandy beaches, warm blue waves, sprawling swimming pools with views of the sea, tropical menus and water sports and island activities for every age and interest – these are just a few of the things we look forward to during a Caribbean vacation.

Finding ways to relax and enjoy the tropics is never the hard part. For us, the challenge is finding a great place to stay. After all, there’s no shortage of attractive hotels and resorts dotting the islands of the Caribbean. But which ones make travel experts’ lists and get winning reviews from travelers who’ve actually visited? We’ve chosen 10 of the Best Caribbean Hotels to get you started in your resort search.

The hotels that made the list not only get props from TravelPost’s team of travel experts, but also are on the receiving end of positive hotel reviews from TravelPost hotel reviewers who’ve stayed there. Chosen from a range of price points, these hotels also feature notable amenities, solid service and a full range of recreational activities for all ages. Let us know what you think:

Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino

Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort and Spa

Sandy Lane Hotel

Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort

Atlantis, Paradise Island, Beach Tower

Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino

Club Med Punta Cana All Inclusive

Hilton Curacao

Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort (pictured)

Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort

Keep reading the TravelPost Insider for more Top 10 travel lists…..

Year after year, it seems the one thing guests of New York’s Chelsea Hotel can always expect to find within the historic lodging option’s fabled halls is drama. Long a popular destination for out-of-towners enamored of the hotel’s storied past, the property known for sheltering a lengthy list of (in)famous guests that includes authors and artists from Mark Twain to Sid Vicious is making headlines for an ongoing dispute between the hotel’s management and its long term residents.

If the hotel owners had their way, it seems long term residents would be ousted in favor of hotel guests. For now, at least, those who book a room here will still find themselves staying amid the artists, writers and musicians who call the hotel home.

Along with the hotel’s history and unique ambiance, reasons to stay here include the comparatively affordable rates (starting at $99 per night for a room with a shared bathroom) and hard-to-find room configurations like the three double beds room that works especially well for groups of friends traveling together.

Just don’t expect refined service, swanky new interiors or lots of peace and quiet, say TravelPost hotel reviewers who’ve visited. With a rating of 2.6 (out of a possible 5), it’s clear that this is one hotel with the potential to frustrate guests who go expecting the kinds of services and amenities available at standard chain properties. That said, if staying some place unlike any other is part of the agenda on your next visit to New York, this hotel is undoubtedly one of the Big Apple’s most intriguing accommodation options.

Summer in sunny Florida? Yes, please! But where to stay? Start your hunt for the perfect hotel off with TravelPost’s list of the Best Orlando Hotels.

The hotels that made the list have consistently positive hotel reviews from TravelPost hotel reviewers who’ve stayed there, not to mention notable amenities, solid service and locations convenient for visiting city attractions. Here are the picks from our travel experts. Let us know what you think:

Westgate Blue Tree Resort

Hilton Grand Vacations Club on International Drive Orlando

Marriott’s Harbour Lake

Sheraton Vistana Resort, Lake Buena Vista

Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Seaworld International Ctr

Grand Bohemian Hotel, A Kessler Hotel (pictured)

Disney Port Orleans Resort

The Fountains

Universal’s Loews Royal Pacific Resort

Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel

Keep reading the TravelPost Insider for more Top 10 travel lists…..