Gas incentives from hotels

By: Michelle Carolla | SCNOW
Published: July 12, 2008

With the uncertain economy, vacationers are making last minute plans instead of planning months ahead like in years past. Some local hoteliers want to make it easier for vacationers to come to Myrtle Beach, so, they're paying part of their gasoline bill.

So far this season, occupancy rates have hovered near the 75 percent mark. Each hotel tells me the same thing: People are still booking vacations. They're just waiting until the last minute to plan and they are cutting their stay by several days, compared to previous years.

But now, hotels are helping out their returning customers and hoping to bring in new visitors by offering them gas incentives. News 13 learned of more than 20 hotels giving customers breaks.

For example, one is offering 10 cents a mile while several other are offering between 25 and 50 dollar gas cards. One hotel is giving customers $100 dollars if they book three nights or longer.

Matt Klugman,Director of Marketing for Enless Fun Hotels and Resort said they wanted customers to know they appreciate their business. "We recognize that out former guests and guests that are trying to find us for the very first time are in a little bit of a crunch due to the gas prices and the situation with the economy. So, this year, we've been very aggressive with their offers."

In many cases, the incentives create a smaller bill than customers paid last year. For example, if someone spent $1000 dollars last year on an oceanfront room for a five night stay, this year, with the percentages off and gas incentives, they will pay $750-$800 for that same room.

For a complete list of incentives: http://visitmyrtlebeach.com/gasoffers