NH hotels luring out of state shoppers this holiday season

The Boston Globe
N.H. hotels try to lure shoppers
Gifts, discounts, shuttles offered for Black Friday
By Kathy McCormack
Associated Press / November 21, 2010

CONCORD, N.H. — Hotels and inns in sales-tax-free New Hampshire are trying to lure Black Friday shoppers with stay-and-shop packages that come with tempting free gifts or services.

Among the lures are a purse stuffed with energy bars and coupons to stores, gift wrapping accompanied by hors d’oeuvres, and shuttle service to the mall.

There have been few takers so far. But that’s not so unusual.

“The same thing happened last year; it was last-minute, it was all the day before,’’ said Donnie Sullivan, manager of the Country Inn & Suites in Bedford. The hotel is offering a two-night stay starting at $145 for two, with a $50 gift card to a local restaurant and a shuttle service to the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester. Last year, “we had to find a bigger shuttle,’’ he said.

Hotel and inn managers said such last-minute bookings in New Hampshire, one of five states without a sales tax, have become common as travelers remain cautious about their budgets and watch for good weather.

“As the economy gets better and people become more comfortable, they will book out a little further,’’ said Joseph McInerney, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based American Hotel and Lodging Association.

New Hampshire does require hotels to collect a 9 percent lodging tax.

New Hampshire aggressively markets itself as a shopping destination, especially targeting neighboring states and Canada. In Vermont, a new study by business groups concludes the state’s 6 percent sales tax continues to stunt commercial growth along its eastern border because shoppers flock to New Hampshire to avoid paying it. Massachusetts has a 6.25 percent sales tax. Maine’s is 5 percent.

The Highlander Inn, near the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, is offering its second Black Friday “shopping frenzy’’ package for the night of Nov. 26 for $109.99 for two. Guests receive a coupon booklet for the mall with shuttle service that leaves as early as 4 a.m. No one booked the package last year, but that hasn’t deterred hotel management.

“I think the economy still plays a little bit of a role in it, especially now with the holiday season,’’ said Rebecca Gesking, the front-office manager.

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.