Saving on gas: More hotels in Northwest offering deals

With fuel costs near record highs, more Pacific Northwest cities and individual hotels are offering gas promotions to lure visitors for summer stays. Their promotions come as fuel-dependent airlines keep boosting their surcharges for long-haul flights, with Delta Airlines today raising its surcharge to $75 each way for transatlantic flights.

If the high cost — and summertime crowds — of air travel put you off, here are some gas promotions that can help cut the cost of a close-to-home road trip (as with most promotions, rooms may be limited so book ahead).

• Bellingham now offers a gas deal: Stay at one of the participating hotels or inns on Sunday through Thursday and the Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism office will mail you a $25 Shell gas car plus a money-saving coupon book for local attractions.

Information

More on gas savings: Go to www.seattletimes.com/gasgauge for money-saving tips, a "one-tank" vacation to San Juan Island and more.

To book, go to www.bellingham.org or call 888-261-7795 between 8:30 and 5:30 daily. The gas card is good at Shell gasoline stations in Whatcom County or wherever Shell cards are accepted.

• On the Columbia Gorge, the Skamania resort hotel near Stevenson, Wash., is offering a $25 gas card to guests who are AAA members. Rates begin at $199 and guests must show their AAA membership card when checking in to get the Shell gas card. For details, go to www.skamania.com or phone 800-221-7117. The promotional code is AAAGAS.

• Some Washington state B&Bs are among dozens of members of Bed and Breakfast.com that are offering gas promotions. Boreas Bed and Breakfast in Long Beach and the Green Cat Bed and Breakfast in Poulsbo both are offering a $10 gas promotion. Go to www.bedandbreakfast.com and click on "Specials/Free Gas Promotion" for a state-by-state listing of B&Bs with gas deals.

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