Travel Weekly's Mexico E-Letter: Sept. 12, 2007

FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS sold three of its resorts, including two in Acapulco, to Seattle-based Goodman Hospitality Investments for an undisclosed sum. The three properties that were sold are the Fairmont Acapulco Princess and Fairmont Pierre Marques, both in Acapulco, and the Fairmont Hamilton Princess in Bermuda. Fairmont will continue to manage the resorts, which will undergo multimillion-dollar renovations. In the case of the two Acapulco properties, Goodman Hospitality will invest approximately $50 million to renovate them and build a conference center at the Fairmont Acapulco. An initial $30 million investment will be made to renovate the rooms and remodel the properties by December. An additional $20 million will be spent to renovate two golf courses and build a new golf clubhouse.

LOS CABOS' resorts and tourism partners are hoping to bring back tourists who might have been scared away by last weeks relatively weak Hurricane Henriette by offering value-added packages and discounted rates. Alaska Airlines Vacations, for example, reduced air-hotel packages to Los Cabos, La Paz and Loreto by a minimum of $100 per person when customers book by Oct. 2 for travel through Dec. 15. Applicable departure cities are Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Call (800) 468-2248 or visit www.vacations.alaskaair.com. US Airways Vacations is offering several deals, including one free night with a four- to seven-night booking at the Hotel Finisterra Los Cabos. This offer is available for stays through Sept. 30. Call (800) 455-0123 or visit www.usairwaysvacations.com.

MEANWHILE, the Westin Resort & Spa Los Cabos, in conjunction with US Airways Vacations, is offering a fourth night free and a $50 food-and-beverage credit for bookings made by Sept. 15 for travel by Dec. 19. And Cheapcaribbean.com is offering $100 off any minimum four-night booking to Los Cabos made by Sept. 30. Call (800) 915-2322. For details on these and other Hurricane Henriette-related deals in Los Cabos, visit www.visitloscabos.org and click on Hurricane Henriette: Not enough to stop us!! or call (866) LOS-CABOS.

EXCELLENCE RESORTS plans to open its second resort in Mexico, the 450-room Excellence Playa Mujeres, on Nov. 1. The upscale, all-inclusive property will sit on a secluded peninsula and feature a two-mile-long beach near the Playa Mujeres Golf Club. The property will feature a 170-slip marina, a spa, eight restaurants, seven swimming pools, 17,000 square feet of meetings space and the companys signature Excellence Club offering upgraded amenities. Rooms will include two-story suites with rooftop pools and junior, swim-up suites with private gardens and hammocks. The companys other property in Mexico is the Excellence Riviera Cancun. Visit www.excellence-resorts.com.

DELTA will add nonstop flights to Cancun from Orlando; Raleigh, N.C.; and Hartford, Conn., starting next year. All three routes will operate on Saturdays: the Orlando and Raleigh flights are scheduled to start on Feb. 2, and Hartford service is slated to kick off on April 12.

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