Several months ago I blogged about the Club Carlson properties which are located near good birding areas or in gateway cities.  Like all the other hotel chains, they have adjusted their rates but unlike most chains who had major devaluations, there are some great bargains for eco-travelers.

Even though I had already booked our stay at Radisson Summit Hotel & Golf, Panama which is very close to Soberania National Park, I called customer service and got them to rebook it at the lower rate.  Here’s the complete list of hotels changing categories in 2013 and some key hotels to note below.  Almost all the properties in India went down a category (too many to copy), and there are new bargains in the gateway cities of Sao Paulo, San Jose CR, Johannesburg, Cape Town & Tahiti.  You can’t win ’em all and there were increases in Belem, Brazil, Guatemala City and Bangkok.  Remember, if you have any of the superb Club Carlson credit cards, your last night will be free so if you book 2 nights, you will pay for 1 and get the last one free!

While hotel chains don’t offer many options for eco-travelers other than airport gateway stopovers, it doesn’t hurt to maximize the few they do have!