Still looking for that perfect gift? We’ve got even more hotel shopping packages to help you get away and find the perfect gift for everyone on your list.

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bloomington, MN
Spend the weekend taking on America’s largest mall, the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. With more than 400 stores to explore, you should have no problem finding that perfect gift. The Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bloomington’s “Shop ’Til You Drop” package includes a Mall of America coupon book, shopping bag (to fill up with all your great purchases) and two bottles of water to quench your thirst while power shopping.

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bothell, WA
For shoppers on the hunt for deals in the Pacific Northwest, look no further than the Country Inn & Suites, Bothell, near Seattle. This package includes a $10 dining voucher for room service, discount coupons to Country Village Shops and Seattle Premium Outlets and a pedicure at Blooming Nails & Spa (because your feet are going to be super tired). And don’t forget, after you’ve had your fill at the mall and the spa, make sure to relax your mind and body in your room (or upgrade to a suite)—where else are you going to store all your shopping bags?

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Deer Valley, AZ
Shopping isn’t a treat for everyone. Which is why Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Deer Valley (outside of Phoenix) wants to help you make it an enjoyable experience. Their shopping package comes with an Arrowhead Towne Center goody bag that includes a $40 gift certificate to spend anywhere in the mall! And when you’re all shopped out, the hotel’s complimentary shuttle service will pick you up and bring you back to your room where you can relax and take a dip in the heated pool and whirlpool.

Ready to shop ’til you drop? The holidays are here, along with the best sales of the year! Several Country Inns & Suites By Carlson hotels offer shopping packages to help you save even more at some of the best destinations in the country. Make Country Inns & Suites By Carlson your home away from home as you breeze through your holiday shopping list and enjoy some great perks along the way (such as a complimentary hot breakfast to start your day out right) and to help you unwind after your shopping is finished.

Westfield Mall in San Diego
Marathon shoppers will be in heaven at Westfield Mall in San Diego. With 114 stores, including Macy’s, Nordstrom and the Apple Store, you’ll have no problem finding something for everyone on your list.

The shopping package from Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, San Diego North, makes your day even sweeter with a $100 gift card to the mall and a welcome bag with an energy bar, bottled water and more! A complimentary shuttle with take you from the hotel to the mall and back.

Legends Outlets in Kansas City
See the savings stack up at Legends Outlets in Kansas City. The stores and restaurants stretch over 1.2 million square feet! Your shopping package from Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Kansas City at Village West includes a $50 gift card you can use at any of the stores or restaurants. After a day of exploring Legends, rest your tired feel at the hotel’s heated indoor pool and hot tub.

Shop Your Style in Covington, LA
Browse through the antique shops in search of a one-of-a-kind gift, or hit the new shopping districts for the latest designer fashions. Your shopping package from the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Covington, LA, includes a $50 Visa Gift Card you can spend wherever you’d like. The hotel is convenient to fantastic shopping, and you’ll get coupons and shopping guides to help you navigate the deals. Warm chocolate chip cookies will be waiting upon your return. And you’ll have plenty of room for all of those shopping bags in your upgraded suite.

There’s nothing like seeing a new place through the eyes of a local. Although you might not have a pal in a city to show you around, taking a walking tour led by a local expert is the next best thing.

Consider that with a walking tour, the legwork is done for you. Instead of spending your time navigating an unfamiliar landscape, you can follow along and soak up the experience.

Another benefit is the opportunity to meet interesting people. Some tours, such as New York’s Big Apple Greeter, actually pair travelers with resident New Yorkers based on language, neighborhoods requested and interests. All that, and it’s free of charge.

Your Walking Guide:

• There’s a tour for that. Is your passion architecture, food, history, gardens or neighborhood culture? Chances are, in most cities and towns, a walking tour awaits. Some tours, such as those offered by Philadelphia’s Mural Arts program, or the Coronado Historical Association in San Diego, are also offered on bicycle.
• Take a foodie tour and skip lunch. Sign up for a stroll through Pittsburgh’s Strip District with ‘Burgh Bits & Bites or San Francisco’s Chinatown with Wok Wiz, and you’ll eat your way through colorful storefronts selling everything from homemade sausage to Peking duck.
• Calling all preservationists. PreservationDirectory.com is a great resource for history buffs. The website is a clearinghouse for history-focused strolls, both guided and solo. Searching by state and region, you may find a route through bewitching Salem, Mass., or along the Art Deco facades of South Beach in Miami.
• Dabble in the weird. If you’re looking for the offbeat, Weird Chicago fits the bill. Follow in the steps of serial killer H.H. Holmes, relive the bloody St. Valentine’s Day mob massacre or chase elusive ghosts for a few hours. With its voodoo-laced past, New Orleans is another city that loves to make you shiver. Explore the shady and sinister side of the Vieux Carré with Haunted History Tours or trek to an above-ground cemetery for a lesson in Big Easy burial customs and a gander at Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau’s final resting place. (Or is it?).
• All by yourself. Sites like City Slicker (Charleston, S.C.), GPSmyCity (multiple, including Indianapolis and Portland, Ore.) and Trek Exchange (multiple, including Philadelphia and San Antonio) offer self-guided tours you can download to your smartphone and do on your own schedule. Check the city’s local tourism or convention and visitor’s bureau sites for more, and sometimes even free, options. Your job is just to show up with a curious mind and a good pair of walking shoes.

While the warm weather is still with us, why not squeeze in a vacation while you can? Late summer/early fall is the perfect time to spend a long weekend soaking up the sun or visiting family-friendly attractions. Here are some of our top picks for last-minute trips!

Sunny San Diego
Southern California is beautiful year-round, and San Diego has cultural attractions and sandy beaches to make everyone happy. The Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, San Diego North is 7 miles from downtown and is a great home base for your trip.

Take a picnic to Balboa Park, home to the San Diego Zoo and 15 museums. The grounds of the park are free to explore, and you can choose to visit the attractions based on your interest and budget. The park also has miles of hiking trails, a miniature railroad and a carousel.

San Diego also has beautiful beaches close to downtown. Drive or take the ferry across the bay to Coronado and enjoy one of the wide, family-friendly Coronado Beaches. And while you’re there, stroll the charming shops and restaurants of this lovely seaside town.

Action-Packed Atlanta
This southern city is brimming with attractions and events for families or couples. And there are plenty ofCountry Inn & Suites By Carlson^SM locations to choose from, all convenient to major sites.

Enjoy the warm, late-summer weather by exploring Piedmont Park, more than 180 acres in the city center with a lake and walking trails. It’s adjacent to the Atlanta Botanical Garden where you can spot native birds and walk through the treetops on a canopy bridge.

Phoenix combines the best of the outdoors with the pleasures of city life.  By Mark Caskie
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (May TK, 2010) – Carlson Hotels, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, today announced the further expansion of Country Inns & Suites By Carlson^SM in Kentucky. The opening of Country Inn & Suites, Bowling Green, Ky. marks the brand’s accelerated expansion in the region as part of its Ambition 2015 growth strategy.

“With 12 Country Inns & Suites hotels in the state and more than 221 locations in the Southern United States, the brand has established a strong footprint in the region,” said Steve Mogck, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Country Inns & Suites By Carlson. “We are focused on building momentum in North America and India as we increase our portfolio of hotels over the next five years.”

Country Inns & Suites offers caring, consistent, comfortable hospitality with a touch of home, and many distinctive product and service innovations, such as the “Friends Hosting Friends” employee training program that has generated tremendous employee engagement scores and high overall guest satisfaction. 

“We are thrilled to be joining the Country Inns & Suites family and are confident that the consistency, value and leadership of this brand and the Carlson Hotels system will result in a successful future for this hotel,” said Prakash Patel, owner of the Country Inn & Suites, Bowling Green. 

The 100 percent non-smoking hotel features an indoor pool, fitness center and meeting space for up to 75 guests. The 85-room hotel offers whirlpool suites, studio suites, one-bedroom suites, extended stay suites and guest rooms featuring complimentary wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, microwave, refrigerator and flat screen televisions. 

The Country Inn & Suites, Bowling Green, is conveniently located just two miles from Bowling Green Regional Airport. 

For reservations and information, visit www.countryinns.com or call toll-free +1-800-456-4000.

Temperatures heat things up, but it’s the desert’s natural beauty—rugged mountains, big blue sky, abundant wildflowers—that repeatedly draws people from all over the world for romantic weekends in Phoenix, Arizona. By Jackie Dishner
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The Sonoran Desert in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers the perfect backdrop for a romantic getaway. This Arizona travel destination is filled with adventurous activities and cultural hotspots to make your romantic vacation memorable. By Judy Wade.
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Introducing Midland, TX!
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