Orbitz’s $50 gambit

Raising the ante in the battle for business, online travel seller Orbitz says it will offer $50 coupons, good for travel purchases from that site, to customers who find a published online airfare at least $5 lower than the one posted on www.orbitz.com.

The “Low Fare Promise” comes with a long list of conditions.

Among them: To claim the $50, you must complete an online claim form by midnight Central Time on the day you buy the ticket on Orbitz. Spokeswoman Kendra Thornton said “a handful” of customers filed valid claims the first two weeks of the offer.

Expedia (www .expedia.com) doesn’t have a similar offer because there are too many airfare categories and fares change too frequently, said Jason Reindorp, a spokesman for Expedia. But agreements with airline partners require them to offer the lowest fare to Expedia, he said.

Like Expedia, Travelocity (www .travelocity.com) doesn’t offer a guarantee but has low-fare agreements with its partners, said spokesman Al Comeaux.

New resort for gays and ‘open minds’

A destination spa for gay men and lesbians is to open Monday on a historic site about 25 miles northwest of downtown Tucson.

Coyote Moon Health Resort & Spa, on 30 acres in the Tucson Mountains, includes 16 guest suites, a restaurant, a swimming pool, a full-service spa, a weight room and a three-acre horse ranch.

The resort, most recently La Tierra Linda Guest Ranch, was bought in July by Joe Studer, a hospital administrator, and two partners, who put in $2 million worth of renovations.

“Although we market to the gay and lesbian community,” Studer said, “we welcome all open-minded individuals.”

The complex includes a former stagecoach stop, now the clubhouse’s juice bar, built in the 1850s.

The rest of the resort was developed in the 1930s as a dude ranch that drew Hollywood luminaries such as Rock Hudson and Katharine Hepburn, Studer said.

Rates start at $1,659 for four nights and $2,904 a week, per person, double occupancy, including meals, classes and some spa treatments; horseback riding and private sessions are extra.

Rates are discounted 20% through Dec. 31; they’re also lower in summer. (877) 784-7430, www.coyotemoonresort.com.

Hawaii

earns stars

from Mobil

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea was awarded five stars, the highest rating, by Mobil Travel Guide in Mobil’s first foray into rating lodgings and restaurants in Hawaii.

The list for 2005, released last week, awarded four stars to four Hawaiian hotels: Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Kona, Big Island; Halekulani and Kahala Mandarin Oriental in Honolulu; and the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua on Maui.

Four Hawaiian restaurants rated four stars: Gerard’s in Lahaina, Maui; Spago, at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea; and La Mer (at the Halekulani) and Chef Mavro in Honolulu.

Nationally, there were few changes in five-star ratings since last year.

One notable addition was Masa restaurant in New York City, headed by former Los Angeles-area sushi chef Masa Takayama.

California continues to have seven five-star hotels and three five-star restaurants.

For a complete list, see www.mobiltravelguide.com.

-- Compiled by

Jane Engle