$100 hotels, $900 ocean crossings: Black Friday travel sales begin

The travel industry wants to turn gift-giving season into wanderlust winter with its wealth of Black Friday and Travel Tuesday sales. Deals can often stretch to mid-December.

Shoppers will find a wide variety of hotel options on sale, from major brands like Hilton to the art-filled 21c Museum Hotels. Marriott Bonvoy’s sale offers its highest discounts — 25% off — to travelers who book through its app. Booking.com has accommodations up to 40% off.

Be sure to scrutinize the terms. Beware of prepaid and nonrefundable offers. Expect blackout dates galore and know that starting rates often apply to midweek or offseason travel.

For the thrifty and flexible traveler, this year’s crop of deals is value-packed, from discounted luxury vacations and expedition cruises to hotels under $100 a night.

Travel has been slow in 2025. Companies aim to jump-start 2026 with enticing Black Friday incentives, including those at the highest end.

Peninsula Hotels will hold a global sale across its 12 luxury properties. Guests booking Nov. 27 to Dec. 3 will get 20% off stays from Dec. 1 through March 31. Presale rates start around $590 at the Peninsula Hong Kong.

Luxury hotel offers include the Hermitage Nevis on the Caribbean island of Nevis. Its first Black Friday sale — Nov. 28 to Dec. 5 — features cottages at 30% off, taking nightly prices to $357 from $510 for travel from Jan. 6 to April 15.

Budget travelers have a haul of deals to sort through.

The sibling hotel brands Freehand and Generator are both offering one-third off stays of three nights or more. The Freehand deal, running through Dec. 1 for travel through March 31, brings the rates at Freehand Los Angeles to about $66 a night from $99.

You might have funds left to splurge at the in-house restaurant, Compère Lapin, when you book at the Old 77 Hotel & Chandlery in New Orleans’ Warehouse District through Dec. 5, when discounts run up to half off on rooms that normally start at $153.

The only hotel within Everglades National Park, Flamingo Lodge, will put rooms on sale at 35% off Nov. 27 to Dec. 3 for stays from May through September. Prediscount, rooms start at $159 a night.

Try out van life during a 30%-off sale from Roadsurfer in the United States, Canada and Europe. Book a camper van by Dec. 1 for travel through 2026. Prediscount, domestic rentals start at $115 a night.

The new eco-focused Populus Seattle is on sale through Dec. 7, with rooms that normally start at $359 up to 40% off. Opened in October in Atlanta, the Tess will sell rooms at up to 50% off through Dec. 2. Rates usually start at $209.

New resorts entering the Black Friday realm include Ocama in the Dominican Republic. On 35 acres, its eight villas range from one to three bedrooms and include kitchens and private pools starting at $700 a night. Through Dec. 2, rates drop 30% on stays from April 15 to June 30 and Sept. 1 to Nov. 15.

In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, resorts in Jamaica are hoping deals will lure travelers back. Officials have announced that tourism will be restored by Dec. 15.

In Ocho Rios, the 52-suite Jamaica Inn, which survived the storm relatively unscathed, is offering 30% off rooms, which normally start at $499, when booked Nov. 28 through Dec. 2.

In Montego Bay, Round Hill is offering 35% off bookings made Nov. 28 to Dec. 1. Rates usually start at $420 before the discount. Five percent of the sale proceeds will go to the resort’s charitable fund for employees. The deal includes a $100 resort credit and 20% off spa services.

Cruise deals often add perks rather than slash rates. The high-end Crystal Cruises is offering $250 a person in credits to be used for extras like spa services and excursions on bookings made through Dec. 5. Its 12-night voyage from the Philippines to South Korea in March starts at $6,800 per person.

Through Dec. 4, Virgin Voyages is offering 80% off on the second passenger sharing a cabin and up to $400 in bar credits. Through Dec. 5, Atlas Ocean Voyages is offering up to 40% off cruises and a complimentary amenity such as a $2,000 flight credit per stateroom or one night at a hotel before sailing.

Travel the slow way to Europe on a seven-night trans-Atlantic voyage with Cunard. During its sale, running through Dec. 8, cruise fares are discounted up to 40%, starting at $899 for a late May voyage from New York to Southampton, England.

AdventureSmith Explorations, which specializes in small-ship adventure cruising, lists more than 30 departures on sale Dec. 1 to 6 at $500 off with a $250 airfare credit per person on eight-day cruises that start at $4,400.

Outdoors lovers have much to choose from, starting with 10%-20% off trips offered by the small-group specialist Intrepid Travel. Through Dec. 4, tours on sale include a 19-day Maya culture trip in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala (normally from $2,980) and 15 days trekking in Nepal to the base of Mount Everest (usually about $1,700 to $2,000).