All-You-Can-Stay Deal For Cheap Hotel Rooms In Europe
I came across an interesting deal for cheap hotel rooms in Europe: an unlimited / all-you-can-stay pass. While it sounds intriguing and definitely has some strengths, there are drawbacks. Here are the terms of the deal and the positives & negatives.
The ACHAT Hotels Summer Pass
ACHAT Hotels is a chain mostly in Germany with a few hotels in Austria and Hungary. They’re offering an unlimited pass, basically all-you-can-stay, valid for 2 months. Here are the details of the deal:
- Cost: 399 € ($448 US)
- Overnight in a double room
- Maximum occupancy per room: 2 adults and up to 2 children (up to 6 years)
- Validity period: 2 months
- The ACHAT passport is personalized and non-transferable
- Maximum length of stay per ACHAT hotel: 7 nights
- Cancellation of hotel bookings: Bookings can be canceled free of charge until 6 p.m. on the day of arrival. If the cancellation is not made in time, the overnight stay will be registered as redeemed
- Multiple hotels cannot be booked for the same travel period
- Depending on request and availability, the number of rooms may be limited
- The offer is only valid for overnight stays. Breakfast and other meals can be booked in the hotel
The sale ends August 31, 2020. A limited number of passes will be sold, but there’s no note on how many. They note in the information that the pass will be mailed to you, so it becomes valid 48 hours after your order. This allows for time to receive it.
Positives
The positives are that this is a great deal if you’re going to stay a lot of nights in hotels. You aren’t required to change hotels every night and get 2 months of hotel stays at a flat rate. It also allows for families, not just 1 person. Cancelations to change to a different hotel also are flexible. You can book by phone or email, and you can buy the pass online. I also like that it doesn’t become instantly valid, so you can plan.
Negatives
There are multiple negatives. First, this has limited viability for international travelers. In fact, the deal page isn’t even available in English (install the Google translate widget for your browser, if you don’t have it!). It doesn’t include breakfast, but I find that understandable for the price. You also cannot stay more than 7 nights in a row at a hotel. It’s not a huge drawback, but it does limit what you can do. The mailing of a physical card is odd, since we are in 2020 and everything can be done digitally. This is also a big problem for those far away from their headquarters in western Germany.
Final Thoughts
This is an interesting deal for those planning a lot of travel around Europe. Given that U.S. citizens may not be able to enter the E.U any time soon, this could be of limited appeal. The silver lining I see is that you can buy the pass up to August 31. It would become valid 2 days later (September 2), and it’s valid for 2 months from that date (November 2). Things may change significantly by that date. If the E.U. announces that more international visitors will be able to enter, and if you see yourself visiting Germany, Austria, or Hungary, then this could be a great deal for you. $448 seems like a great price for multiple nights at a hotel, especially 2 months’ worth of stays.
Hotels and airlines are hurting for cash right now. This seems like an interesting offer to drum up cash and stimulate business. ACHAT also offers a voucher sale right now, where you get a 20% bonus. If the E.U. opens to more people and you’re able to visit Europe, would you buy this pass? I’ve never seen something like this before, so I’m interested in what others think about it.
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ACHAT Hotels are more like youth hostels… Unless you just need a cheap bed and shower somewhere in Europe I would not recommend this chain as the hotels are dingy and dated and service is non-existent.
Of course this promotion helps them keep occupancy up and earn money on breakfast etc.
Hmm I’ve stayed at an ACHAT and I’ve stayed at tons of youth hostels. I find them nothing alike. Can you elaborate?