With the average price for a standard hotel room in London weighing in at a hefty $253 USD (value added tax included), securing a decent place to stay for $57 to $195 sounds pretty good. That’s the price range travelers will find at three “budget” hotels in London:

Base2Stay

easyHotel

Hoxton Hotel

All three are geared toward travelers seeking a no-frills, but clean and comfortable London hotel that’s a step (or two and a half) above a hostel. At easyHotel, guests must book months in advance to score the lowest rates, but can save money by foregoing amenities standard at other hotels like TVs and daily maid service. At the Hoxton, you’ll find Frette linens and flat screen TVs, but the location is about a half-hour by tube from central London’s main attractions. Base2Stay has the highest average room rates, but it offers amenities like in-room kitchenettes, attractive decor and a central location in Kensington.

The story linked below breaks the basics of each hotel down for readers in greater detail.

Three Newcomers to London’s Hotel Scene

Although you might not realize it from the Clarion Collection web page, Albany’s 74 State Hotel is being touted as an upscale boutique property, upscale to the point that its $250+ room rates are more than twice as much as the average Albany-Schenectady area hotel, according to the Albany Business Journal story linked below. Of course, it’s too soon to tell whether visitors to downtown Albany will be willing to shell out $250+ per night. The hotel just opened its doors this week, and the fitness center, restaurant and bar won’t be fully operational until Jan. 6, 2007.

High End Hotel Now Open on State Street

The Georgia Aquarium has extended the deadline for purchasing annual passes from Dec. 31, 2006 to Jan. 31, 2007. Annual passholders can visit without making advance reservations and have their own private members only entrance. They also receive a 10 percent discount on tickets for their guests, as well as 50 percent off admission to aquarium tours. Other member discounts include cheaper parking, food and gift shop deals. Passes are $62.50 for adults, $45.50 for children ages 3 to 12 and $51.50 for seniors over 55. To put that in perspective, a general admission ticket for an adult is $24. If you plan to visit more than once a year, buying the pass is a good buy - especially since you can go without having to secure an advance time slot.

The Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort and Spa in Santa Fe is offering a Ski Resort Package that includes two nights accommodations, two adult lift tickets and a full breakfast for two each day of your stay. Package rates start at $289 and go up depending on the room (i.e. an oversized king room with balcony, fireplace and great view is going to cost more than a traditional king room). That’s not bad when you consider that an all day adult lift ticket at Ski Santa Fe costs $51. The catch? Ski Santa Fe is about 15 miles from Bishop’s Ranch Resort, so you’re getting a deal for the inconvenience of driving to and from the slopes each day.

Could banning trans fats become the next trend in healthy travel? Loews Hotels ousted them in December, and now Universal Studios in Hollywood, Calif. and Orlando, Fla. are eliminating trans fats from most of their park food vendors’ menus. The majority of the fried foods that form the backbone of theme park menus are now cooked in trans fat free oils, although some menu items - notably the churro - will not make the switch to trans fat free oil until later in 2007. In addition to the healthier oils, the parks have added menu items like salads and fruit bowls. Somehow, I think French fries will still manage to woo more park visitors, but at least they’ll be healthier fries.

Need more info on health risks associated with trans fats? Check out Trans Fat on Wikipedia.

Universal Studios Parks Ban Trans Fats

Following United’s lead, the other major U.S. carriers have matched its fare sale prices for travel between January and March 2007 - generally a slower travel period than at other times of the year. With 14-day advance purchase and other restrictions like two-night minimum stays, travelers will be able to score discounted tickets from United, Continental, US Airways, Northwest, Delta and American. So if you’ve been waiting to buy those tickets for a February getaway, now would be a smart time to look. Just do it by January 9 - the day when sale fares expire.

I knew both Chicago Midway and O’Hare offered wireless Internet access for $6.95/day thanks to TravelPost.com’s Airport Wireless Internet Access Guide, but I have to give the airport props for hanging signs announcing the service, informing travelers about the service over the speaker system and providing a link to wi-fi access information right from the airports’ joint home page. These are the kinds of things that make me giddy.

Hilton has opened its first Embassy Suites in Mexico with the Embassy Suites Hotel Mexico City - Reforma. The location? The Reforma district, um, obviously. The hotel is advertising itself as the first upscale, all suite property in the area and offers guests 24-hour room service, daily complimentary breakfast, high-speed wireless Internet access in each room, flat screen TVs, Rivolta Carmignani bedding, swimming pool, fitness center and business center.

Here’s one to bookmark and check before heading to the airport the next time you travel (or pick someone up).

FAA Flight Delay Information Tool

United has announced a fare sale to many U.S. and international destinations. Purchase is required by Jan. 9. Here are a few sample roundtrip fares:

Chicago - New York $118

Los Angeles - San Francisco $108

Chicago - London $354

Baltimore - Los Angeles $218

Boston - Munich $318

United New Year Sale