Feel like placing a few bets this New Year’s? Book your hotel room and stay the night at southern California’s Pechanga, the largest casino and hotel in the Western United States. These New Year’s Eve hotel packages include everything from deluxe accommodations to black tie events.

David Cook Packages at the Pechanga: Includes Overnight Deluxe accommodations, 2 golden tickets to David Cook performance on NYE at 10:30pm (Includes Countdown announcement at Midnight) and a NYE amenity. $559

Gala Packages: Includes Overnight Deluxe accommodations, 2 tickets to Black tie Gala (includes lavish buffet dinner, live music & entertainment, drink specials and midnight countdown) and a NYE amenity. $579

10 Silk Packages: Includes Overnight Deluxe accommodations, 2 tickets to Silk (includes express line privileges) and a NYE amenity. $499.

Picking the right gift for the person who has everything is not an easy task, but the creative minds at Hotelicopter.com have a solution: hotel gift cards. The Four Seasons recently announced their gift card promotion, where a portion of all proceeds goes to charity. Now, Hyatt Hotels is getting into the giving game with their Hyatt Wish List website.

The Hyatt Wish List is an interactive website that allows travelers to customize and plan their ideal travel experience, and then share it with their friends and family. The result: The most difficult person on your shopping list just became the easiest person to shop for. Purchases toward the Hyatt Wish List are provided in the form of a Hyatt Gift Card or Gift Check.

Visit www.HyattWishList.com and build your ideal getaway. Choose from hotels around the world, restaurants, hotel amenities, spas and more.

Baby, it’s cold outside, so instead of gallivanting around town ruining your party shoes in the snow, spend the night inside for New Year’s Eve at a luxury hotel in Boston.

The Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel and it’s 606 Congress restaurant are hosting a New Year’s Eve package for $299 to ring in the 2010. The “New Year’s Eve Beantown Bonus” package includes:

• Deluxe overnight accommodations for two on New Year’s Eve
• Dinner for two at adjacent 606 Congress on New Year’s Eve
• Breakfast for two at adjacent 606 Congress on New Year’s Day
• Late check-out of 4 p.m. on New Year’s Day
• One $20.10 gift card to Starbucks
• Complimentary use of the health club and lap pool

The package rate is $299 and is based on double occupancy.

View from the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel

Make reservations online at www.RenaissanceBoston.com and enter the promotional code EVE. Hint: You must make reservations at 606 Congress for dinner in advance of your stay to secure a table.

What’s better than a shopping spree at Barney’s? A massage to soothe your tired muscles from carrying all your shopping bags after a shopping spree at Barney’s. Thanks to the Mandarin Oriental, New York hotel, this little slice of holiday heaven could be yours.

The Mandarin Oriental New York and Barney’s New York have teamed up to offer guests two shop-‘til-you-drop nights in a fashionable New York suite, complete with breakfast each morning, one dinner for two at the exclusive Fred’s at Barney’s New York restaurant, and a $250 Barneys New York gift certificate.

Mandarin Oriental Suite

As you might imagine, this chic little package comes at a cost. The ultimate shopping suite hotel package starts at $3,500 and is available through Dec. 31, 2009.

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is a holiday shopping spree at Barney’s.

Forget Congress and late-night debates - one hotel is taking the health care debate into its own hands. The Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast in Brattleboro, VT, is offering a ‘healthy getaway’ for uninsured guests.

The Vermont B&B is giving away one free weekend every month – complete with an apple a day - to an uninsured couple in need of some stress relief. If you’ve been struggling with your health care options, or lack thereof, Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast wants to hear from you. The Vermont hotel will give away a two-night getaway every month until a National Health Care Reform Bill is passed.

Tim and Amy Brady, the owners of the Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast, know firsthand the challenges of being without health insurance. In 2007, when they left their corporate jobs to start the Vermont B&B, they couldn’t find a health care coverage option that was both affordable and would cover existing health conditions. Now that many Americans are facing the same problems, the Brady’s are making an effort to give back.

While a vacation can’t replace the current loss of health care, the Brady’s hope a weekend away will alleviate the stress caused by illness and lack of coverage. The B&B Public Option Getaway will include:

• Two nights lodging (Sunday – Thursday, non-holiday) for two people in one room on a space available basis.
• Gourmet two course breakfast prepared with local and fresh ingredients each morning
• Afternoon tea and healthy snacks daily
• An outdoor adventure (hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking, etc.) with our friends at Brattleboro Outdoors.
• All gratuities, service charges and taxes • A fresh Vermont apple each day, to help keep the doctor away

Visit the Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast website www.fortyputneyroad.com and click on the “Public Health Care Option” logo to enter online and for all of the details. Online entries are encouraged; however you may also mail your entry to:

Forty Putney Road B&B Giveaway
192 Putney Road
Brattleboro, VT 05301

B&B Public Option getaways will be scheduled no later than December 24, 2010, are subject to availability, and blackout dates may apply.

It’s no secret women rule the world, but one Miami hotel is making sure the girls know where to go when they need a night off from all the governing. Single ladies rejoice: The Loews Miami Beach hotel is hosting the “World’s Largest Girlfriend Getaway” this April.

In celebration of its recent $50 million renovation, which includes a completely redesigned lobby, guestrooms, porte cochere, new ice cream shop and retail space, the Loews Miami Beach Hotel is offering a special weekend for the ladies to check out the place for upcoming bachelorette parties, bridal showers, college reunions, or simple solo getaways (necessary for all women who rule).

The “Girls Only Getaway” package starts at $399 per person, based on double occupancy, and is available April 16-18, 2010. The price includes a two night stay in a deluxe room, daily breakfast for two at the hotel’s Preston’s Brasserie, nightly complimentary happy hour in its Hemisphere Lounge, a group salsa lesson, beach yoga, Elemis Spa specials, and a special goody bag!

The Loews Miami Beach has “girl-only” floors, which cater to ladies of leisure and allow hard-working world-saving women the opportunity to relax, rejuvenate and spend a little time pampering themselves. Go shopping on South Beach, hit the five-star restaurants, party at the best clubs on Collins Avenue or just lounge by the pool.

To book this package visit www.loewshotels.com/sobegirlfriendsgetaway.

It’s that time of year — time to spread your holiday cheer and extend your giving tree, and Kimpton Hotel is helping to get the charity flowing.

“Cocktails for a Cure” pairs Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants with World AIDS Day, which falls on December 1, 2009. From now until Dec. 9, diners can enjoy any of four Red Ribbon-themed cocktails hand-crafted by Kimpton’s own mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout, and a portion of the cocktail proceeds will go to the Red Ribbon Campaign.  Book a hotel room at any Kimpton and enjoy some of these themed-cocktails:

o        Grapefruit Spritz: Ketel One Citroen, Campari and grapefruit juice sparked with club soda;
o        Bad Apple: Don Julio Blanco, Lillet, Angostura bitters, apple juice and ginger beer;
o        Orange Blossom Fizz: Belvedere Orange, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, pineapple juice and sparking wine;
o        Morning Daiquiri: Ten Cane Rum, Grand Marnier shaken with fresh lime juice and orange marmalade

Red Ribbon parties will be hosted at Kimpton hotels in Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania, Utah, California, Washington State, and Washington, DC.

To learn more, visit www.kimptonhotels.com/programs/red-ribbon.aspx

You say Monet, we say Manet, let’s call the whole thing off and get artsy at Miami’s EPIC Hotel.

EPIC, a downtown Miami luxury hotel, is helping art-lovers get a little closer to their craft with some sweet deals, including free nights and a look at the hotel’s in-house art collection.

Art Basel Miami Beach combines an international selection of top galleries with special exhibitions, parties and events, and brings thousands of visitors to South Florida each year. If you’re hoping for a Miami hotel during the event — Dec. 3-6, 2009 - EPIC has a deal for you:

Book a suite or club level room for three nights at this Miami hotel and EPIC guests will receive the fourth night free. Rates for EPIC’s club level rooms and suites start at $409 per night - with the fourth night free, this means a nightly charge of just under $300/night. To sweeten the deal, EPIC guests will get first-viewing rights of the multi-million-dollar art collection housed at the hotel. The collection includes works of art by James Brown, Roberto Matta, Dario Basso, Fernando DeSzyszlo, Karina Wisniewska, Alexis Gorodine, Gye Hoon Park, and Ola Kolehmainen.

Hotelicopter tip: While you’re here, don’t miss a stop at EPIC’s Area 31, the hotel’s restaurant. Located on the 16th floor, you’ll get great views of the city and maybe even be inspired to paint a scene, or two…

It’s not quite Austria, but the Trapp Family Lodge in Massachusetts is one of the closest places you’ll get to singing “The Sound of Music” stateside. The quintessential New England hotel and resort is hosting a holiday promotion for families looking to spend the holidays with a little song and dance.

From Dec. 22-26, the von Trapps will host skiing and Christmas cheer at their snowy lodge. Escape the madness of home and book a hotel with all the fixings including:

• 3 nights lodging in your room of choice
• Ski and snowshoe tours with a von Trapp family member
• Afternoon tea and cookies
• Christmas Eve party with the von Trapps’ sharing old Christmas stories and singing their favorite holiday songs
• Guided Lodge Christmas tree tour
• Complimentary WIFI
• Use of the fitness center with pool, hot tub and sauna

Want more? Julie Andrews might not be around to keep the family singing, but the von Trapps will offer:

• Meal plan that includes breakfast & dinner daily
• Baking classes
• Wine tasting
• Cooking demo with our Executive Chef
• Massage
• Trail Passes

A 3-night minimum is required for this hillside hotel hideaway.

There’s something special about New England in the winter. Snow-capped trees, snowy mountains and endless cups of hot cocoa grace the Boston-area hotels, but if you’re looking for something a little off-the-beaten-path, take a drive to Vermont and experience winter straight out of a storybook.

The Woodstock Inn and Resort is hosting special packages for Thanksgiving and Wassail Weekend.

Thanksgiving Package: Guests staying at the hotel from November 25-28 will be treated to a traditional Thanksgiving complete with accommodations for three nights, daily breakfast, Thanksgiving Dinner, and a special gift from The Inn. Rates start at $345 - $392, per night, based on double occupancy.

Wassail Weekend Package: Take a break between Thanksgiving and Christmas and visit The Inn from December 11-13, Woodstock’s Wassail Weekend. The town gets all sorts of cheery with a Yuletide celebration. Partake in the Wassail Parade - complete with horses and riders dressed in holiday costumes and period dress from the early 19th century. Take the kids on wagon and sleigh rides and go caroling around town. The Wassail Weekend package includes accommodations for two nights, breakfast for two, admission to The Vienna Boys Choir at The Town Hall, and local tours. Rate is $470 per night, based on double occupancy.

Hotelicopter tip: Book a hotel in Vermont and while you’re in Woodstock, take a trip to the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory - a truly festive treat any time of year!