ALT Toronto hotel deal for readers of this blog ... Delta says bye to the Chelsea..

The new ALT Hotel Toronto Pearson has a deal Wayne Gretzky would love; a 99 days of "ALTernative hospitality" for $99 a night. That's a 30 per cent discount on the regular, daily rate of $149 for folks travelling between Jan. 1 and April 9.

The hotel promises "ultra-comfy beds a mere seconds away from Pearson International Airport terminals." I haven't seen the property, but I've heard good things. ALT is part of the Germain group, which runs the Le Germain hotels in downtown Toronto, which are terrific; especially the Mercer St. location in my book.

ALT also has a parking deal on tap. You can stay one night at the hotel and park inside the economy parking lot for 8 days for $169 or stay one night and park for 15 days for $239! Travelers can take the quick LINK train to shuttle, free of charge, between the parking lot, airport and the hotel.

On top of the 30 per cent savings, folks who mention my blog when they reserve a hotel room will get a $10 voucher to use for food. Officials say the voucher can be used for fresh-baked croissants in the morning, for curry and coconut milk chicken during the day or for "the most flavourful gazpacho north of the 401."

Call 1-855-855-6080 or enter the promo code BLOGPERK when reserving online at althotels.ca and the voucher should be yours.

DELTA WAVES GOODBYE TO THE CHELSEA

Here in Toronto 2012 has been a battle of the (potential) five-star hotels, with the Ritz-Carlton duking it out with the likes of Trump, Shangri-La and the new Four Seasons for top ratings dog. Now we might get a battle for who can be Canada's leading four-star chain.

As outlined in the Star's business section Wednesday by reporter Sue Pigg, Delta Hotels and Resorts says it wil cease to manage the Delta Chelsea in downtown Toronto effective June 30, 2013. The massive hotel is hugely popular, with a giant waterslide and indoor pool and great rates, often around $119.

The 1,590-room hotel will be renamed The Chelsea Toronto and will be the first Canadian property run by The Langham Hospitality Group. The Chelsea is owned by Hong Kong-based Great Eagle Holdings Ltd., which also owns Langham. Langham runs some very high-end properties, so it'll be interesting to see how this will work.

The Delta move is part of the company's national effort to rebuild and rebrand itself as a “next-generation premium four-star hotel” chain, Pigg reported.

As for Delta departing the downtown Chelsea, Delta officials said the move "fits within our overall brand repositioning to make Delta the leading four-star, full-service hotel chain in Canada."

They also said Delta's brand repositioning "will deliver the most upscale guest experiences in the four-star hotel category, and involves introducing new properties and renovating existing ones to feature the most modern design and techno-enabled guest spaces in the Canadian hotel marketplace," officials said in a press release. "Some examples include our recent announcements of newly repositioned hotels in the Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo markets, and the introduction of new properties to market including the first upscale hotel in Kingston and Thunder Bay."

A new Delta Toronto is supposed to open in late 2014 next to the convention centre, at Lower Simcoe St. and Bremner Blvd. The property will be connected to Union Station, the convention centre, the Air Canada Centre and the downtown, underground PATH system. The hotel" will feature 566 well-appointed guest rooms including 24 extended-stay suites for travelers who are in the city for a longer period of time. It will boast 15,000 square feet of technologically advanced meeting and conference facilities with a 6,500 square foot ballroom offering views of the CN Tower, contemporary dining options, fitness facilities and the latest in sustainable features."

Sounds good. But I don't know about being king of the four-star properties. There's a ton of competition out there from the likes of Sheraton and Westin and Fairmont, let alone smaller, boutique properties such as St. Germain and the ALT brand, which I mentioned above.

Anyway, with all the hotels coming and going and the new Air Canada rouge service starting July 1 of next year, plus Porter's new package program and the new WestJet Encore regional brand coming in 2013, it's certainly a great time to be covering the travel biz in this country.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, is offering a deal for $1,101 for the 4.5 star Grand Oasis hotel in Cancun.

Jaunt Highlights

• BONUS: Sunwing's RELAX inclusions including unlimited a la carte dining, 20% spa discount, late check-out (when available), sparkling wine in-room and more
  
• All-inclusive  7 night stay at the 4.5 star RELAX at Grand Oasis Viva, located in Cancun, Mexico.
• Includes return airfare from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary or Winnipeg to Cancun.
• Accommodations in a Ocean View Room, featuring 1 king or 2 double beds. (Maximum occupancy: 3 adults)
• Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, and unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks

Extras:

• Peaceful, young, adults-only (18+) vibe in a small, intimate atmosphere
• Ideal for those who love nightlife
• Unlimited reservations at fabulous on site a la carte restaurants including an Italian eatery, seafood restaurant, Mexican eatery, sushi resto, chicken and pizza joint and more

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on the following departure dates:
  Toronto:  January 5, 12, 19, 2013
  Ottawa: Jan 5, 14, 2013
  Montreal: Jan 12, 19, 2013
  Calgary: Jan 7, 14, 21, 2013
  Winnipeg: Jan 10, 17, 24, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person):

• Toronto:
  Single: $1119
  Double: $749
  Triple: $719
  Tax: $357
  
  Ottawa:
  Single: $1119
  Double: $749
  Triple: $719
  Tax: $352
  
  Montreal:
  Single: $1639
  Double: $1269
  Triple: $1239
  Tax included
  
  Calgary:
  Single: $1169
  Double: $799
  Triple: $769
  Tax: $350
  
  Winnipeg:
  Single: $1119
  Double: $749
  Triple: $719
  Tax: $350
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until 5pm EST on December 26 2012. After this time, this offer is 100% non-refundable.