It's not often I can tell you about a deal this good at Disney World. The new Holiday Inn Hotel in the Walt Disney World® Resort, next to the Downtown Disney Marketplace, is offering a $57-a-night deal for the first lucky families to book it. The special rate is good from the hotel's opening date of November 15 to December 21, with no minimum stay required.

Once the special rates are gone, even the regular rates of $110 are a deal considering the freebies: parking, wireless internet and kids' meals (with Kids Eat Free™) are all included. For families, there is a refrigerator in each room, rooms with two queen-sized beds (not doubles) or a king with a pull-out sofa, an arcade and a brand-new zero-entry swimming pool.

The resort is walking distance to Downtown Disney, which has free admission and plenty to see and do, including a 24-screen movie theater, a hot-air balloon attraction which gives a panoramic view, an interactive fountain and tons of family-friendly restaurants. A free shuttle from the hotel connects you with the rest of Disney's theme parks.

Examiner.com's Jeff Titelius reports that the hotel originally "opened as a Howard Johnson's in 1972 and was one of the four original hotels comprising Hotel Plaza at Lake Buena Vista...Through the ages, Howard Johnson's later became a Courtyard By Marriott and it was during that time when the hotel suffered significant damage from the hurricanes in 2004 resulting in shuttering the hotel. It's been closed ever since."

Well, no more. I spoke to Doug Smith, director of sales and marketing at the only Holiday Inn within the Walt Disney World property, who told me, "It's more than a renovation. Everything's been stripped to the bone, to the concrete. Power, electrical, everything is brand new. It's basically a new hotel, with a totally different look. This hotel will symbolize Holiday Inn's new brand look."

Why $57? Holiday Inn is celebrating 57 years, and it seemed like a fitting tribute by the newest addition to the chain. Book online at Holiday Inn Downtown Disney Resort Area or call (800) 467-1538.

^{Image courtesy IHG}

Feel like dreaming big? Peek into a few of the most upscale, luxurious hotels in Los Angeles:

• How's this for an amenity: At the new Montage Beverly Hills, a quarter of the guest rooms are suites. Book one and you drive one of their fleet of Mercedes-Benz automobiles.
• The Hotel Bel-Air is a lush, romantic retreat; celebrities enjoy the privacy of individually decorated guest rooms with private garden entrances and wood-burning fireplaces.
• The Beverly Hills Hotel's red carpet entrance and gauzy canopy bed effuse the romance of Old Hollywood. American Spa raved recently about their in-room treatments and Art of Bath kits.
• The Langham Huntington in leafy Pasadena was, not long ago, a Ritz-Carlton. Luxury still resides, and Sunday brunch at its Michelin Star'd Dining Room is a hot ticket.
• More Los Angeles hotel pictures and reviews

^{Image of a cabana on the roof garden at the Peninsula Beverly Hills, courtesy Kayak}

Kathy Hagood checks in to the Peabody Little Rock in Little Rock: "Set in the heart of the Little Rock's River Market District on the banks of the Arkansas River, the Peabody Little Rock hotel offers high-rise views river and city views. The hotel features tasteful accommodations, generous amenities, Southern hospitality and those darling marching ducks. Guests who stay on the concierge level (17th and 18th floors) have private access to their floors and the Peabody Club."

Review: Peabody Little Rock
Photo Tour: Peabody Little Rock
More: Little Rock Hotel Reviews

^{Image courtesy Peabody Hotel}

How far can you trust 25 million (and counting) user-generated hotel reviews on TripAdvisor? This issue has plagued the popular travel site for some time. In June the controversy heated up along with the temperature.

The problem is this: the way TripAdvisor's system is set up, reviewers can be anonymous. This means that any innkeeper can ask friends, relatives - even every guest - to go online and give their hotel a rave review, boosting their visibility and popularity. In fact, the way the system stands, they'd be foolish not to. Arthur Frommer weighed in on the logic of the system:

Why wouldn't a hotel submit a flurry of positive comments penned by employees or friends? If you were a hotel owner, wouldn't you take steps to make sure that TripAdvisor contained numerous favorable write-ups of your property? Who would fail to do this? And because of such inescapable logic, doesn't TripAdvisor contain within itself the germs of its own undoing?

Christopher Elliott has some good common-sense advice for those relying on TripAdvisor reviews:

I ignore the best and worst reviews (those are typically the fake ones) and whenever I read phrases like "best hotel ever" or "incomparable service" I roll my eyes...

Good advice. I'll add my own: beware of properties - especially smaller inns and B&Bs - which have a flurry of positive comments from reviewers who have only one review to their name. That smacks of guests being encouraged, even pressured, into venturing onto TripAdvisor for the first time, solely to boost the inn's numbers. Put more stock in reviewers who have given balanced comments on a larger number of properties.

I'd also caution you to read negative reviews critically. Why did the reviewer give such a low rating to the hotel? They are often complaining about something that wasn't even the fault of the hotel (like a reservation mix-up from a third party booking site), or something that wouldn't bother you at all (like the quality of the restaurant if you aren't going to dine there).

Related:

• "Does TripAdvisor hotel manipulation scandal render the site completely useless?" - Christopher Elliott
• "TripAdvisor is now warning you that numerous hotels are submitting phony recommendations for themselves" - Arthur Frommer
• "TripAdvisor tries to respond to fake hotel reviews" - Sean O'Neill at Budget Travel

^{Image courtesy Image courtesy Getty Images CR: Gregory Costanzo}

Found yourself itchy after that last hotel stay? It may not be from mosquitoes. I posted a few new pictures of bed bug bites David sent from his stay at an otherwise very nice hotel. He actually put a ruler next to the rash on his leg to show how large it is. He shares the trauma that many have told me they feel after becoming victims of the tiny bloodsuckers:

I'm having a hard time even walking and definitely not sleeping because of the itchy feelings and pain. And when I do finally fall asleep I keep waking up turning on the lights thinking I'm being bit. I haven't found a single bedbug since the hotel incident and I've spent many sleeping and waking hours freaked out that bugs could be crawling on me...it's sad that my colleagues that a few steps back when I tell my story as if I'm some contagious freak, which just makes matters worse...(read the rest of David's story)

Luckily it seems like none of the little critters hitched a ride home with him - they can be notoriously hard to exterminate. Learn to recognize bed bugs and their bites, and find out how to avoid bringing them home.

Related:

• Pictures of Bed Bug Bites
• Pictures of Bed Bugs
• What Are Bed Bugs (and How Can You Avoid Them?)
• Have You Been Bitten? Share Your Story

Kathy Hagood checks in to the Wynfrey Hotel in Alabama: "The Wynfrey Hotel at the Riverchase Galleria in the Birmingham, Alabama metropolitan area enfolds guests in an upscale, traditional Southern atmosphere with dazzling crystal chandeliers and Italian marble floors while providing direct access to excellent shopping, entertainment and dining. The hotel is less than 10 minutes from Ross Bridge, one of the top courses on Alabama's famed Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail."

Review: Wynfrey Hotel
04 Photo Tour: Wynfrey Hotel
More: Alabama Hotel Reviews

^{Image courtesy Wynfrey Hotel}

Room rates aren't the only clue to the quality of a hotel. AAA Diamond and Mobil Star ratings can also help give you an idea of what you're in for when you check in. How are Mobil Star ratings assigned? Is there really a difference between a Two Star and Three Star hotel? Is a Five Star hotel worth the money? Decoding the Mobil Star rating system can help you figure out how to get the most for your money. Decoding the Mobil Star Ratings System.

Related:

• 2009 Mobil Five Star Hotels
• Decoding AAA Diamond Hotel Ratings
• 2009 AAA Five Diamond Hotels
• Should You Book a Hotel With a Debit Card?

For some trips, you want to pay as little as possible for a safe, reasonably comfortable hotel room. But how cheap is too cheap?

A few years ago, my sister was invited by Hollywood Squares to (possibly) be a contestant on the show. She'd have to travel on her own dime, and there was no guarantee she'd even be on the show, let alone win anything. She decided to take the risk and I went along for the ride.

We found a quirky motel-style spot that fit our (really low) budget, and looked good on the web site. When we checked in, we began to wonder if we'd made the right choice. Read more...

"When I arrived in Munich it was one of those moody, rainy days that just beg for a nap," Holly Reich told me when she returned from her trip. "My room was the perfect place!" Set in the Old Botanical Gardens, the Charles Hotel in Munich features a spa with a sauna and steam bath, an indoor heated swimming pool, and some enviable views. Holly's room had a balcony overlooking the gardens and the distant Alps, silk pillows on the bed and heated bathroom floors.

Pictures: Take a Photo Tour of the Charles Hotel
Reviews: Munich Hotel Reviews

^{Image courtesy Charles Hotel}

One of the best kept secrets of Disney World resorts, in my opinion, is the restaurants that are open for lunch. There aren't many of them, since most of the crowd is jostling for burgers and chicken strips at the theme parks at midday. As much as I love Disney, during the hottest and most crowded part of the day, it's time to exit the park in favor of a civilized, air conditioned meal and perhaps a swim back at the resorts. Space Mountain can wait until early evening.

A bonus: while most popular Disney restaurants book up months in advance, you can almost always walk into a resort restaurant for lunch with no reservations, making it a spontaneous standby. Anyone can get to the resorts by monorail, Disney's free bus transportation, or by car.

Without further ado, here are my favorite lunch spots at the Disney resorts:

• I've already mentioned how much I enjoy Sanaa, the new Indian/African restaurant at Animal Kingdom's Kidani Village overlooking the savanna.

• The Wave opened at the Contemporary Resort a few months back. Everything is exceptional here, much of the food is organic, and our family actually fought over the bean soup here - we had to order three extra bowls.

• Olivia's at Disney's Old Key West, right off the boat dock from Downtown Disney, has indoor and outdoor seating. My favorite thing to order here is the onion rings appetizer, with three dipping sauces.

• The Turf Club at Saratoga Springs has a very similar menu to Olivia's, down to the onion rings, with one important addition: the seared tuna entrée, with avocado and cucumber salad and a light creamy sauce. Outdoor seating is available overlooking the golf course.

• The Grand Floridian Cafe is always a great excuse to stroll along the beach and gardens of Disney World's beautiful flagship resort, the Grand Floridian. Food and service here are always good.

• Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort has some creative flavors, although I always come away with a large bill and needing a nap because I just can't resist those drinks they serve in hollowed-out pineapples. (Speaking of decadent treats, they are famous for their Tonga Toast.)

^{Image: Herb-crusted Seared Ahi Tuna at The Wave in Disney's Contemporary Resort, copyright The Walt Disney Company}