By Christopher Reynolds
Los Angeles Times

The next time you see a hotel manager striding across the lobby with furrowed brow, look again. He may not be worrying about the guy in room 415, the group in the banquet room, or even the recession that has driven room rates to their lowest levels in years.

Instead, he might be thinking about the likes of Carlos A. Hernandez of Los Angeles, who has decided he likes vacation rental houses and condos better than hotels. Or Robert Bell, a retired airline pilot in Long Beach, Calif., who has been won over by cruises.

“I guess I’ve had my fill of hotel rooms,” said Bell, 73, who’s planning another cruise this fall.

Amid all the distress wrought by the recession, this is also a moment of rare opportunity for consumers confident enough to take vacations. They can take advantage of depressed hotel rates, which are still lower than last year even in the midst of the spring vacation season. Or, like Hernandez and Bell, they can look beyond hotels.

And if they do, will they ever look back? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: apartment rental, condo rental, cruise, cruises, cruising, home rental, hotel alternatives, vacation rental, villa rental