4 Nights in a Tuscan Castle Retreat for Only $899, Plus Gourmet Perks
4 Nights in a Tuscan Castle Retreat for Only $899, Plus Gourmet Perks
Courtesy Borgo di Colleoli
https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/italy/tuscany/experiences/news/tuscany-castle-deal-899-for-4-nights-perks
Secure a four-night stay at a historic Tuscan estate for just $899, complete with daily breakfast, a nine-course dinner, and an immersive cooking class.
Slow mornings, countryside views, and long meals with local wine are all quintessential elements of the Italian dream, and this massive markdown makes that dream incredibly accessible. Through an exclusive Travelzoo package, travelers can secure a four-night escape to a Tuscan castle for just $899 per room—not per person. Representing a significant discount off the standard $1,376 rate, this package bundles your lodging with an impressive $685 in premium culinary and experiential perks.
A Historic Castle Basecamp
Midway down the Italian peninsula, Tuscany is distinguished by its rolling hills, dramatic cypress trees, and miles of coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is a place where gorgeous views greet you at practically every turn, providing a stunning backdrop for the region’s abundance of superlative art, architecture, and world-class wine. The Borgo di Colleoli Resort fits perfectly into this sweeping landscape. Originally a castle dating back to the early Middle Ages, the property was beautifully restored in 2003 into an apartment-style estate that reflects centuries of history.
The resort’s location makes it an ideal launchpad for exploration, and renting a car is highly recommended to see the region at your own pace. Drive roughly 30 minutes to Pisa, a city with history stretching back to the Bronze Age, to discover the magnificent Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles). Alternatively, take an hour’s drive to Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. Wander the highly pedestrianized streets between world-class museums, then cross the Arno River into the Oltrarno neighborhood to discover artisan studios, vintage shops, and a more laid-back slice of the city. While exploring, dive into authentic Tuscan cuisine—swap standard fare for local specialties like wild boar ragù, comforting ribollita, or sweet cantucci dipped in vin santo.
Courtesy Borgo di Colleoli
Gourmet Perks and Upgraded Digs
As part of this deal, guests receive a guaranteed upgrade to a Classic One-Bedroom Apartment, offering a fully equipped kitchen and enough space to sleep up to four people. The included perks elevate the stay from a standard hotel booking to a true culinary retreat. During your stay, you will:
– Wake up to daily breakfast for two.
– Savor a 45-minute wine tasting featuring two red and three white Falzari wines.
– Sit down to an unforgettable nine-course gourmet dinner complete with paired wines.
– Roll up your sleeves for a four-hour cooking class, learning to craft traditional Italian pasta, sauce, and tiramisu before enjoying your creations over a light lunch.
Courtesy Borgo di Colleoli
Flexible Dates and Pricing Tiers
Travel dates stretch from late 2026 into the summer of 2027, offering superb flexibility.
$899 Tier: Applies to stays from November 1 through December 23, 2026, and January through March 2027.
$1,199 Tier (regularly up to $1,676): Covers warmer weather visits in September and October 2026, as well as April through June 2027 (latest departure on June 24, 2027).
If four nights simply isn’t enough, additional nights can be added for $159 each. All base prices include taxes. While this flexible voucher allows you to buy now and choose your dates later, please note that an exact promotional expiration date to purchase this deal is missing from the provided terms. Because of this, it is highly recommended to purchase your voucher as soon as possible before the offer is abruptly pulled.
The Fine Print
This deal is available exclusively to Travelzoo members via their booking portal; if you are not yet a member, you can easily sign up for a 30-day trial for just $1 (or $50 annually). Please note that flights are not included.
Certain blackout dates apply throughout the travel window: Sept. 3-6, 11-19, 27-30; May 7-9, 13-16, 21-23, 28-31; and June 1-7, 11-13, 17-19. Maximum occupancy is four people, with cots and children’s beds available for an additional fee. As with all travel promotions, this offer is subject to availability, and prices or terms are subject to change. If you lock in dates, cancellations must be made at least 14 days prior to arrival to avoid hotel change fees.
Head over to Travelzoo to lock in this extraordinary Tuscan retreat, and start dreaming of your next great Italian escape today.
It’s My Right to Claim Pool Loungers First Thing in the Morning and Not Use Them!
https://www.fodors.com/news/travel-tips/is-it-ok-to-claim-pool-loungers
In this month's Dear Fodor's, we answer the divisive question of whether it's morally acceptable to claim pool loungers, then leave them unattended all morning.
Dear Fodor’s, when staying at a resort, I like to wake up early, go down to the pool, put a towel and book on a lounger, and reserve my spot. I then go to breakfast and enjoy my morning, enjoying the peace of mind that I will have a place to sit when I head to the pool. Apparently, this is controversial amongst travelers, but I figure I pay enough to stay at a resort, and it’s my right to save a space by the pool. In my mind, it’s a failing on the resort’s part to not provide a pool lounger reservation system, leaving it up to the travelers to fend for themselves. I’m curious what you think. Am I in the wrong?
You’re certainly not alone. The Germans actually have a word for this: morgendlicher liegestuhl sprint—the “morning deck chair sprint” to describe the habit of guests at resorts rising early and sprinting down to the pool to save their spots.
One German tourist actually won a monetary settlement earlier this year because a resort he stayed at in Greece didn’t have enough pool loungers available. Because he had booked through a German tour operator, German law allowed for him to sue for damages (he wouldn’t have been eligible had he booked directly with the resort in Greece, where the sales terms would have been governed by Greek law).
Compensation aside, it’s still a fascinating question—what is a resort (or cruise line’s) role? Both resorts and cruise lines rent accommodations to guests for their exclusive use, but many of the other amenities included in the rate are public, and limited by how much demand exists for them. Hotels and cruise lines also don’t guarantee their facilities won’t be crowded, and there won’t be waits for guests trying to use them.
Matthew, a consultant from South Florida, has said that he’s gotten up early to reserve a pool chair, but he notes that he doesn’t typically go for prime locations, and doesn’t hold the chair all day—often just securing a spot before a quick breakfast.
Some Hotels And Cruise Lines Manage Pool Chairs
Some hotels and cruise lines actually do quite a bit to manage their inventory of pool seating. Many cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian, have staff actively monitoring whether guests are using their pool chairs or just saving them with their stuff. If personal items stay on a chair too long (usually between 30-40 minutes) without a guest returning, the cruise lines will clear the chairs and hand the belongings over to security for safekeeping.
Some resorts also do this, but it’s not typically an advertised amenity. At JOIA Aruba by Iberostar, hotel marketing and brand experience director Rudolfo Dirksz confirmed to Fodor’s that staff at the resort’s three pools enforce a 45-minute unattended chair policy. But travelers visiting the property for the first time wouldn’t know that prior to arrival—they’d have to make a phone call or send an email if they were curious. Guest reviews also tend not to mention policies that are actually working. We found some reviewers who were upset that the prime spots were reserved early, while others pointed out the staff were on top of moving belongings that had been sitting too long.
Another way they manage the situation is by setting aside the most coveted spots for fee-based reservations. The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort, Waikīkī has a smaller pool and a coveted section of beach where it rents pool cabanas ($250) and beach chair sets with umbrellas ($75) for guests who want to make sure they get a good spot. We’re also fans of this approach, because it’s a good compromise—guests who choose the hotel for its pool amenities still have access to them, but if they want to save time and hassle, there’s also a premium option available for those who really value it.
Some Hotels and Cruise Lines Don’t Manage Pool Chairs
Back to the legal case of the German tourist in Greece. The resort in question in that case did in fact maintain a policy that prohibited the reservation of pool chairs, and the resort even went so far as to clearly post signage in the pool area to that effect. Much of that guest’s legal case hinged on his claim that neither the resort nor the tour operator made any move to ensure their own policies were being enforced after he complained to them multiple times.
It stands to reason that when hotels and cruise lines leave it to guests to work out pool loungers on their own, they’re going to get burned—simply because different travelers have different ideas of what’s acceptable. And those of us who don’t benefit from Germany’s consumer protection laws have much bigger battles to fight when we’re not able to find somewhere comfortable to sit on the pool deck.
It’s also worth noting that the reason why some hotels and cruise lines don’t actively manage their pool deck chairs is that they don’t have to. Luxury cruise line Crystal maintains a huge ratio of space per passenger on their ships, and it seems there’s virtually never competition for a pool lounger. Massive expanses of seating at resorts on Tahiti (the InterContinental and Hilton both have large pools) also never seem to have a shortage.
The Etiquette of It All
Property policies aside, what should be considered acceptable behavior for reserving pool lounge chairs? First, we recommend following the instructions of hotel staff. If reserving lounge chairs isn’t permitted, don’t do it, and complain to staff if you observe other guests doing it. It’s perfectly reasonable to request hotel workers to enforce their own policies to give you a fair shot when you’re playing by their rules.
In situations where it’s more ambiguous, we’re inclined to agree with the resorts and cruise lines that are clearing belongings after about a half hour. If you’re saving a chair while you make a quick run through the breakfast buffet in the early morning, that doesn’t sound unreasonable. But if you’re wiling away several hours at a late brunch while your book and towel are working on their tan, we’d probably raise our eyebrows too.
Hotel Design Questions
It’s also worth noting that the habit of dashing down to the pool to secure a lounge chair is a learned behavior—its utility is largely driven by scarcity. Absent that scarcity, the practice becomes less common (although there are certainly those guests who have their preferences).
When it comes to scarcity, hotels are squarely in charge. Most hotels are aware of how their guests are behaving when it comes to pool chairs, and they’re also aware of when there’s a scarcity of pool chairs. But it’s also worth noting that guest interest in pools as amenities tends to ebb and flow. One of the reasons why hotel pools in Waikīkī are on the smaller side is that many of the historic hotels in the area simply didn’t include pools when the hotels were first built—they simply expected their guests would prefer to swim in the ocean. Now, in the age of social media, the “infinity pool shot” (which naturally requires a pool chair “up front”) reigns supreme, although we’ve begun to hear whispers that the trend is starting to itself age.
Avoiding the Problem Through Savvy Booking
It’s perhaps better still to avoid the scarce pool chair question up front by booking the right resort. But how does one go about that? Hotel and resort websites tend to mention whether or not they have pools (or, more commonly in the case of larger resorts, how many pools they have, and whether there are designated adults-only pools), but they rarely go into the gory details about how they manage the chairs.
As a general rule, five-star brands like St. Regis, Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, and Waldorf Astoria have staff allocating pool loungers throughout the day—even for the free, non-premium seating options. We’ve also found that several of these brands also offer premium seating for free, like The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, where the standard pool cabanas are free (some premium ones have a charge), or the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique, where shaded loungers and cabanas are set up for guests by staff—and there always seems to be numerous available options.
Another trick is to seek out intimate resorts with more than one pool, and other amenities that might draw guests away from the pools themselves. On Sint Maarten, the all-inclusive Sonesta Ocean Point Resort on Maho Beach has just 130 suites and two oceanfront pools—but there are other attractions keeping the pool decks blissfully uncrowded. 24 of those suites are swim-outs, which keep pool-interested travelers within the confines of their own suites. The resort is also located close to Maho Beach and a retail and entertainment district, which competes with the pools for attention.
Another easy way to find out if pool chair availability is going to be a problem is by reading online reviews. If a property consistently has difficulty managing their pool chair situation, it’s likely to show up in guest reviews.
At the end of the (pool) day, however, everybody we chatted with seemed to agree that the onus is on the hotel’s management to, well, manage their amenities to ensure guests can use them, and guests who are having trouble using an amenity what was part of what drew them to book the hotel in the first place should absolutely make their concerns known to the hotel staff.
“I do hate when resorts turn a blind eye to it,” Matthew says, “That I am absolutely adamant about.”
Hotel owners have felt like a card player on tilt. Is it time to walk away or double down?
https://hotelsmag.com/news/hotel-owners-have-felt-like-a-card-player-on-tilt-is-it-time-to-walk-away-from-the-table-or-double-down/
by David Eisen
Playing blackjack is fun until the cards turn against you. The smart ones walk away or risk losing it all.
Hotel owners I have spoken to in recent days have expressed feeling like a card player on tilt—frustrated by a perceived imbalance in the franchise relationship. Ironically, it was a brand CEO who shined a light on the association and, by doing so, inadvertently or not, caused many in the hotel industry and media to pause and consider that the relationship may be out of balance.
“If we are going to be asset light, someone is going to be asset heavy,” exclaimed the CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts at an industry conference earlier this year. Despite the obviousness of the statement, it stirred debate: “Was the traditional franchise agreement out of whack?” “Why are lodging company stock prices at all-time highs as REIT stock prices stagnate?”
As Skift pointed out in a recent series underscoring some franchisee discontent, a new and younger breed of hotel owners is scrutinizing franchise agreements at a much higher frequency than their parents and, as many of these agreements come up for recertification, are deciding to not reup and walk away. Why?
Some say the “math ain’t mathing” and with a full spectrum of off-the-shelf technology readily available, those owners are saying the heck with brands; I’ll go do this on my own as an independent property.
When you own the real estate, it’s your prerogative to do what you want with it.
But this is not a column bashing brands. Rather, the reverse. Hotel brands are a victim of their own success. Years ago, when the modern hotel business was in its infancy, companies from Hilton to Marriott oftentimes owned the hotel, ran it, branded it. Then they decoupled: someone else owned the risk, managed the risk—the brand became the label. It’s the label, however, that matters; it’s a mark of trust and consistency that many travelers want when they are on the road. Not to mention their loyalty points. Independent luxury hotels often succeed because they have a story. Can a select-service hotel that ditches its flag in Sheboygan do the same?
America is celebrating its semiquincentennial. Two hundred fifty years built on a foundation of freedom to choose. Hotel owners have agency and, unbound by any legal contract, can decide their fate. It hasn’t been easy: bloated expenses eating at margins atop the myriad fees paid out for the right to use a name and connect to a distribution system. Is the decision to go independent the equivalent of walking away from the blackjack table? Or should they double down?
Time: It tells a cautionary or prescriptive tale.
World Cup created some unforeseen benefits for hoteliers across the US
'Tell Me More' podcast hosts say displaced travel contributes to strong hotel performance in June
Jan Freitag is CoStar's national director of hospitality analytics, and Isaac Collazo is STR's senior director of analytics.
https://www.costar.com/article/1531342552/world-cup-created-some-unforeseen-benefits-for-hoteliers-across-the-us?
It's been a summer of surprises — most good, some not-so-good — surrounding U.S. hotel performance amid the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Topping the list of good surprises, according to the hosts of "Tell Me More: A Hospitality Data Podcast," was June hotel revenue per available room in the U.S. It grew 8.4% on a 6.7% average daily rate bump compared to June 2025.
And while the first half of the 2026 FIFA World Cup definitely was the catalyst, STR's Isaac Collazo pointed out that non-World Cup markets in the U.S. saw a 6.8% RevPAR jump.
Hotel demand displacement projections proved true, Collazo said. Analysts early on predicted traditional group business and even leisure travelers would avoid higher-priced World Cup cities this summer and instead choose other locations for their events and travel.
That's underlined by the fact that excluding World Cup markets in the U.S., June RevPAR would have come in at 6.8% growth on a 4.4% ADR gain.
Also in this episode: Co-host Jan Freitag, CoStar's national director of hospitality analytics, shared U.S. hotel transaction activity for the first half of 2026, noting that transaction volume in the second quarter was particularly strong.
Collazo reported that year-to-date through June, U.S. RevPAR is up 4.8%, led by 3.5% ADR gains.
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