In the last week, the PR machine has been going into overdrive, hitting my inbox with news innumerable promotions, designed to get people into hotels. A common theme: Freebies.

But be careful, and read the fine print: In many cases, your reservations may not count toward the threshold for elite status. If you travel enough to earn (or come close to) frequent guest status at one of these chains, these promos may not be your cup of tea. But if you’re not looking to get a gold or platinum membership card, and just looking for a good deal, then book away!

A few standouts:

1) Radisson Free Friday Nights
Book a Thursday or a Saturday night, and Radisson will throw the Friday in for free at many of their locations. And the free nights earn points! (Maybe enough to earn you the elite parking space…) From the release:

From May 15 through Sept. 15, 2009, guests will receive a free Friday night stay when staying two or more consecutive nights (Thursday or Saturday night required). Friday is Freeday is available for booking starting May 8 at participating Radisson hotels and resorts properties in North, Central and South America; Asia Pacific; and at Radisson Edwardian Hotels in the United Kingdom. [...] In addition, members of the goldpoints plusSM guest loyalty program will qualify for the 1,000 Bonus Points Every Night goldpoints plus promotion, effective June 1 through August 31, 2009, including the free Friday.

Full offer details are here.

2) InterContinental Buy Two, Get One Free
The InterContinental group — which includes Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, and of course InterContinental — is offering a buy-two-get-one-free offer. You’re not tied to weekends, which is good, but you don’t get the free stay “inline.” Rather, you get a voucher for later use. You can stay any 2 nights — and not even 2 in a row — between now and July 3, 2009, and then get a voucher for 1 free night to use from July 3 to December 26, 2009. Repeat four times, earn up to four vouchers. Big downside for Priority Club members: You don’t earn ANY points… neither for the stays that earn the free nights, nor the vouchered free nights.

3) Expedia Free Nights
Not nearly as generous as the Radisson offer, but a broader range of hotel options. 1334 hotels are included in the Expedia offer at last check. Timeframe is fairly short, only through mid-June:

For a limited time, book a stay of at least 3, 4, or 5 consecutive nights on Expedia at select Expedia® Special Rate hotels and your last night is free. Terms of offer vary by hotel. Offer is valid only for new standalone and vacation package Expedia® Special Rate hotel bookings made on or before 5/31/2009, with travel completed by 6/15/2009. Participating hotels are subject to availability at the time of booking and all applicable terms and conditions.