3:01 p.m., Jan. 9, 2008--Low hotel rates and special amenities in the heart of major vacation and business cities are now available to those associated with the University of Delaware.

The University has signed an agreement with Club Quarters, business-oriented, full-service downtown hotels for the exclusive use of member organizations, offering below-market hotel room rates in prime locations.

Tory Windley, UD director of Procurement Services, says using this new service is easy. “All anyone associated with the University has to do is call the Club Quarters hotel of their choice and say they are connected to the University of Delaware. That's what's so great about this, anybody can do it.”

Club Quarters has hotels in New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston and London.

For example, a Club Quarters hotel in Manhattan offers rates ranging from $56-209 a night. In Washington, D.C., just two blocks from the White House, hotel rates for Jan. 8-10 for a standard room were $154 a night for members. Rooms include free high-speed wireless Internet access, cordless speaker phones, workstations, radio/alarm clocks, cable/satellite TV, on-demand movies, refrigerator and microwave ovens at most locations, coffee and tea makers and individually controlled heat and air conditioning.

At the 13 Club Quarters hotels, UD employees, family, friends also will have access to personal use privileges such as weddings and business meetings at low member rates, plus special rates for employees, family and friends during weekend and holiday periods starting as low as $56, "Night on the House" certificates awarded each business stay, restricted entry for better security, restaurant/bar/meeting rooms/health facilities and full services for business travelers.

For anyone with a University of Delaware username and password, reservations can be made via the Internet or by calling the hotel. For more information, UD faculty, staff and students can go to [www.udel.edu/procurement/intranet/travel/hotels.html].

Those without a UD ID should visit [www.clubquarters.com], call about the specific hotel where they are interested in staying and identify themselves as associates of the University to get the UD rates.