Firewind

I mean it in the positive sense. It seems that this is the best time for harvesting points and status (such as it is) ever, considering both the rates and the promo earning potential. I stayed at a string of Choice hotels last month that were all ~ $20 below what the new directories stacked in their offices said they would be -- all in the $30s when they were listed to be $50-$60+ for the season. I mean, if one saves $10-$20 per stay, that works out to "stay three, stay free," or better. And I'm not talking about Econolodge, Rodeway etc. I was going to point this out sooner, but then my travel really picked up -- and that was even before the 8,000-for-two came along. Of course, the hole in all this joy is that this good news is for those who are still traveling. In all cases, the parking lots were almost empty.