HotelChatter

Much like Phoenix is home to a mounting number of houses in foreclosure, the area also has way too many hotel rooms in supply. This is known as "distressed inventory." Phoenix led the U.S. in room-supply increases in 2008 at 4.4 percent. However, it also scored the biggest occupancy drop among 25 major markets with an 11.5 percent drop, according to Smith Travel Research.

All of this makes Phoenix a great destination for someone who wants a quick but cheap getaway. If you can get there with a cheap flight or in your own car, you can enjoy luxury for less--our favorite type of hotel stay.

We did our own check for Phoenix for the second week of March and found the Ritz-Carlton Phoenix for $199 a night. Marriott's newly renovated Camelback Inn is also down a bit, offering rooms for $299 this season compared with the high $300 and low $400 rates of last year.

And we can't forget about the blind booking sites like Priceline and Hotwire. Sure, you take a risk in not knowing what hotel you are getting up front but we were able to "chop" a room rate in half on Priceline for a hotel in Santa Monica using their "Name Your Own Price" feature. And no, it wasn't for a Best Western.

Booked a great hotel deal lately courtesy of the recession? Put it in the HotelChatter Deal Drop

[Photo: Kevin Dooley]