Great hotel deals in Canada and around the world this summer...

Here in Canada, Starwood Hotels is having a nice Canada Day sale.

Special rates are on offer at 53 participating Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, W, Aloft and Le Meridien hotels across the country.

The sale is available for stays through Sept. 5 and must be booked by 11:59 p.m. daylight savings time on July 1. Rates start as low as $79 per night, based on single/double occupancy and availability. A limited number of rooms are available at each property and blackout dates may apply, so check early and often.

For information, visit www.starwoodpromos.com/canadaday or call 1-888-625-4950 and mention account number 380841.

New hotels in the program this year include Le Westin Montreal, the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland, Four Points by Sheraton Levis (Quebec), the Aloft Montreal Airport and the soon-to-open Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel.

I went online and spotted deals for the Westin Calgary for $109, for Le Centre Sheraton in Montreal from $119 and the Four Points by Sheraton Niagara Falls Fallsview for $119.

Not to be outdone, the folks at Accor Hotels (www.accorhotels.com) are offering a 50 per cent discount on stays from July 8 to Sept. 4 at nearly 1,000 Pullman, McGallery, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure and Adagio hotels worldwide, when booked at accorhotels.com.

  The "Crazy Prices" deal is online only and is valid at destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. the deal is only for participating hotels and blackout dates may apply.

I went online and for July 21-24 I found hotels in Paris for as little as $119. The Novotel Ha Long City in Vietnam, a very nice hotel with good food and a great pool (see photo) along stunning Ha Long Bay was just $52 for the night; about what it takes me to get a cab to Pearson Airport from Yonge and Lawrence. So there definitely are good deals out there.