SANGEETA PATEL
BIZ/TECH REPORTER

Humber students planning a quick getaway or vacation should consider booking soon to take advantage of low hotel rates.
February and March traditionally see low corporate travel and lower prices, said Paul McCabe, hotel and restaurant management program co-ordinator.
“Rates are still coming down because of the recession,” he said, “and they’re probably not going to go back up until 2011.”
Rates for hotels in New York are lower now than they were last year, said McCabe.
A room that was about $360 in November can be $180 now, which is a great price, he said.
But Linda Chao, an international recruitment manager who travels often, said she found prices have gone up elsewhere.

Professor says booking rooms now will save students cash. (Sangeeta Patel)

“We travel a lot to China, India, Taiwan and Russia, which are all very expensive to travel to usually,” she said.
“We haven’t found that rates are going down at all, and we do check rates at on-line sites.”
Rates over the summer months will also be interesting to watch, said McCabe.  With the strong Canadian dollar, passport restrictions and the recession, business from the United States might be weaker than usual, leading to bargain prices in Ontario.
Nathania Bron, the athletics co-ordinator who organizes rooms for the school teams, said students might want to take advantage of group rates to get the best discounts. “Usually if you can get a large enough group together, hotels will offer you some sort of perk like free parking or a complimentary breakfast,” she said.
Even with the lower rates offered by hotels, McCabe said that customer service will stay at the same levels.
“The margins are going to be very tight, but hotels will still have to offer things like concierge and bellhop services because customers will remember that when they book rooms in the future,” he said.