As the economy improves, steep discounts on airline tickets, hotels and tours are likely to disappear. "I think we may have hit bottom," said Jan Freitag, vice president at Smith Travel Research. "There will still be deals permeating the general environment" next year, he said, "but they are not here to stay." Mexico is currently offering some of the best deals as concerns about the H1N1 influenza outbreak are still hindering demand.

Travelers looking for bargains on winter and spring vacations may want to act now: Those recession-era travel deals we have gotten used to are likely as good as they'll get.

For the past year or so, many travelers have become accustomed to seeing hotel and resort rates progressively plummet. Savvy consumers waited until the last minute to snatch the deepest discounts. But, now, industry watchers say hotels and resorts have unloaded their sweetest offers early and hotel prices are likely to stay relatively stable during the next few months. By the middle of next year, they may even start to inch up.

"I think we may have hit bottom," says Jan Freitag, vice president at Smith Travel Research. "There will still be deals permeating the general environment" in 2010, he says. "But they are not here to stay" throughout next year.

But now there is a plethora of discounts for peak holiday and spring travel. Some of the best offers are in Mexico, where fears of the H1N1 flu are still damping demand; in cities such as New York and San Diego that have been hurt by a slump in business travel; and at western ski resorts

In San Diego, for example, over the week of Christmas and New Year's, travelers can stay at The Omni San Diego for $99 a night and come back for one night in 2010 at the same rate. With the "Stuff Your Stocking" package, there are no blackout dates, but limited availability. The rack rate at the property is $359 per night. Because the city isn't a big Christmas destination, the package is designed to attract locals bringing family to town, says Susan David Williger, a press relations officer for the hotel.

Some hotels are unloading deals earlier than usual, in an attempt to train travelers not to procrastinate. Through November, Marriott is offering 40% off at several hotels in the Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica for travel from Jan. 1 to April 30. The deal is designed to "generate advance bookings," says Chris Holter, regional vice president of revenue strategy for Marriott International.

In the past year, hotels and resorts have been hit hard by a downturn in travel. And they have scrambled to cut prices to boost demand, but that appears to be leveling off. Between July 1 and Sept. 30, average daily hotel rates in the U.S. fell about 10% compared with the same period last year, to about $97, according to Smith Travel Research. Rates are expected to drop slightly to $96 by the end of the year and level out at about $93 in early 2010. Rates are expected to begin rebounding in mid-2010.

The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun is offering a package deal over Christmas and New Year's, while by this time last year they offered nothing for those dates, says Verona Carter, director of public relations for The Ritz-Carlton's Caribbean and Mexican areas. Their "Ho, Ho Holiday Moments" package starts at $619 per night for stays of five nights or more. It includes a $75 per day resort credit, free food for children under five and a family photo at the property's Christmas tree. The deal is available until Jan. 1.

Many high-end hotel companies are still loath to discount too heavily: They don't want travelers to expect those lower prices when times get better. So they are offering packages with free nights and other goodies instead.

n Mexico, for example, the Banyan Tree Mayakoba, a high-end property on the Caribbean coast that features private waterfront suites with their own swimming pools, recently launched a free-night promotion for the weeks of Christmas and New Year's. From Dec. 19 to Jan. 21, guests can pay for five or six nights and get two nights free, or pay for seven nights or more and receive three nights free. The deal is available only for their one-bedroom garden pool and courtyard pool villas, because the property's two- and three-bedroom residences are almost sold out, says Miguel Mondejar, area director of Mexico sales and marketing for Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts.

The Four Seasons New York recently dropped rates over the week of Christmas and New Year's. The cheapest room those weeks is $795 this year, instead of $855 last year. And the hotel will for the first time ever allow guests to combine two packages—one that offers free nights and another that gives a hotel credit—over peak winter holiday weeks. From Dec. 18 to Jan. 18, guests can get a third night free with stays of two nights or more, as well as up to $400 in a hotel credit per night.

In the past travelers could take advantage of only one deal or the other. (The deal isn't available for the hotel's cheapest rooms, however.) The new package will also be available during three-day weekends such as Easter and Martin Luther King weekend next year, says Leslie Lefkowitz, public-relations director for the hotel.