Banyan Tree offering up to 78% off prepaid stay certificates, stay by December 2021

The Covid-19 outbreak has left hotels hard up for cash, and we’re seeing more and more of them roll out discounts for prepaid stay certificates.

Banyan Tree has just launched a gift certificate sale, offering 3 day 2 night packages for up to 78% off. This sale lasts until 6 May 2020. 

Here’s the details:

• All certificates are valid for two people for a 3D 2N stay, and include all applicable taxes and service charges
• Certificates are non-refundable
• Daily breakfast for 2 is included
• Stays are redeemable until 20 December 2021

It’s the last part that gives me some reassurance- 2020 is still iffy for me in terms of travel, but if we can’t have a vacation by December 2021, well, we have bigger problems to worry about.

The following properties are on sale:

I see nothing in the T&C prohibiting back to back stays with two certificates purchased, but if you’re intending to do that I’d drop customer service an email to check first.

Now, it goes without saying that the actual savings depend on when you intend to use the certificate. For example, this 2-night package at the Banyan Tree Lang Co costs US$380 and is valued “up to” US$1,160…

…but you can find nightly rates as low as US$329++. To be fair, the dates I’m looking at in the screenshot below happen to be during the rainy season, which explains the off-peak prices. Two nights for US$380 nett is still a good deal, but obviously not as good as if you picked a peak period.

Moral of the story: check the cash rates on the dates you intend to stay to determine how much of a deal you’re getting.

What could go wrong?

The way I see it, there are two things that could potentially go wrong here:

1. Travel restrictions to your selected destination remain in place for an extended period
2. Banyan Tree becomes insolvent

I’m not so much concerned about (1), given that you have until December 2021 to use your certificate. As for (2), well, you can never rule it out given the current travel downturn, but Banyan Tree is listed on the SGX so sharper minds can do some digging into and assess the risk for themselves.

For what it’s worth, I’m going to be taking a punt on one of these.

Conclusion

It’s a buyer’s market for travel now, and you can no doubt expect to see similar deals popping up for hotels around the world.

Just know what you’re getting into, especially if the rate is non-refundable. Some (but not all) travel insurance policies cover insolvency of accommodation providers, so be sure to get proper protection.

(HT: Alex)