Travelodge Club Increases Discount

Travelodge has boosted its discount for mature travelers from 15% to 20% for members of its new Classic Travel Club who are 50 and older.

A recent survey commissioned by Travelodge showed that the average mature traveler spends almost three weeks a year at hotels and motels.

Present club benefits include: the 20% unrestricted discount at any Travelodge location; 10% discount on any low advertised rate for Alamo rental cars; more than $40 in coupons for Denny’s restaurants plus other benefits and tie-ins to be announced later in the year.

The program provides members with significant discounts on every room at all Travelodge, Travelodge Hotel and Travelodge Sites in North America.

A membership charge covers either a choice of one, two or three years. Fees are $15 for one year, $25 for two and $35 for three years. There’s an additional saving for mature travelers who are members of the American Assn. of Retired Persons. AARP members pay $12, instead of $15, for a year’s membership.

The membership includes similar discounts for a spouse or traveling companion of any age.

Another member benefit Travelodge hopes to add by fall is a tie-in with a major airline.

Travelodge is a division of Trusthouse Forte Hotels and has more than 500 hotels and 40,000 rooms in North America.

For mature travelers who do not become members of the new Classic Travel Club, the chain’s present 15% discount remains in effect.

For more information, write to Travelodge Classic Travel Club, P.O. Box 93020, Long Beach 90089-3020. Or phone toll-free (800) 255-3050.

-- -- --

Northwest Airlines has augmented its WorldHorizons senior travel club (62 years or older) with a Save and Fly coupon book.

In addition to air-travel discounts from 10% off on even SuperSaver tickets to 25% off on some flights, WorldHorizons club members can buy four- or eight-coupon books, with each coupon good for one-way flights anywhere in the contiguous United States and Canada. Travel to Alaska and Hawaii is available by coupon, too, but requires two coupons one way.

The four-coupon book is $384 (or $96 per flight); the eight-coupon book is $640 (or $80 per flight). Flights must be taken mid-week (Tuesday-Saturday) and there are some black-out periods for specific destinations.

Delta and USAir have similar coupon offers for mature travelers, as does Eastern.

Northwest goes a step further than the competition with its coupon offer. Each book holder is offered a certificate for a ticket ($96 one way, $192 round trip) that allows the WorldHorizons member to take someone else on any trip, excluding Hawaii or Alaska.

Northwest’s WorldHorizons is operated as a membership club that costs $50 for a lifetime membership, including two $25 discount flight coupons or $125 for a membership and “companion option,” which allows the member to take anyone of any age at the same discount. The $125 is returned in the form of five $25 discount flight coupons.

In addition to the regular discounts of 10% off any fare from super saver to first-class (except limited special promotional fares), including Mexico, Jamaica and some destinations in Europe and Asia, there are also discounts on hotels and resorts, car rentals, cruises and restaurants, plus specially priced trips and tours.

There’s also a monthly newsletter offering tours and other special flight discounts up to 25% for specific destinations, though often limited to a specific time period.

For more information on WorldHorizons senior travel club, call Northwest toll-free at (800) 666-2299, Ext. 190.

Better deals may be available through your travel agent. Many agents, particularly those who deal heavily with mature travelers, received a limited supply of Northwest certificates offering free WorldHorizons memberships for those immediately buying the new Save and Fly four- or eight-coupon books.