Flash your ID for California-resident hotel deals

Elbow those out-of-staters out of the way, and cash in on an exclusive discount in your own Golden State. Various hotels in Southern California are giving state residents reason to plan a getaway on their own sun-splashed turf.

After you’ve booked, all you have to do is show your state identification (i.e., driver’s license, military ID or state-issued ID) at check-in. Here are a few current deal:

Queen Mary Hotel, Long Beach
Spend the night aboard a historic ship with the Queen Mary Hotel. Its “California Special” offers state residents the discounted rate of $109 per night, pre-tax. This is a fantastic discount, as “best available” rates normally start at $189 and special “advanced purchase” rates start at $169. Call to book the California resident deal.

When: Now through March 31.

Contact: Queen Mary Hotel, (800) 437-2934

La Quinta Resort & Club, La Quinta
At this lovely pool-populated resort east of Palm Springs, California residents can book a stay for $129 per night, pre-tax, based on availability. Call to inquire about your dates. To give you an idea of how much you’re saving, $159 is probably the lowest “best available” rate you’ll find in March, and most nights start higher than that.

When: Now through April 17.

Contact: La Quinta Resort, (800) 598-3828

SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
Flashing your ID for this luxury hotel’s promotion gets you rates from $296 per night, pre-tax. The promo code is “SETCAFR.”

Caveat: I tested different dates in March, and for most, the above special was the way to go, with $359 being the best available alternative rate. However, the fully prepaid and nonrefundable “Reserve & Relax” offer, which comes up in the regular reservations search engines, offers rooms starting from $275 on some dates.

When: Now through Dec. 31.

Note: See this photo gallery for a visual tour of this swank hotel.

Contact: SLS Hotel, (866) 716-8149

Sheraton Suites San Diego at Symphony Hall
This hotel near San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter is advertising rates starting at $130 per night, pre-tax, for California residents. On the hotel’s offers page, scroll down to see this special, then reserve via the “Book Now” button.

Caveats: When booking this online, you may have trouble finding that rock-bottom $130 rate. I couldn’t find anything lower than $149 (after taxes, that’s $167). And, with this one, definitely test your preferred dates in the regular booking engine, as you may find that the “best available” rate is less than the California resident rate. This was the case on a couple dates that I tried.

Contact: Sheraton Suites San Diego at Symphony Hall, (866) 716-8130

- Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Top photo: SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills. Credit: Jamie Rector / For the Los Angeles Times]

[Bottom photo credit: La Quinta Resort & Club]

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This entry was posted on Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 2:26 pm by Susan Derby and is filed under California, Deals, Hotels, Los Angeles, Luxury Travel, Palm Springs, San Diego, Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.