Red Roof offers hotel rooms for a penny

— -- How low can hotel rates go?

Try 1 cent at select Red Roof inns.

The chain's new weekly promotion gives members of its RediCard loyalty program (sign-up is free at redroof.com) first word on the specials. Two days later, they're announced on redroof.com.

This week's Red Roof, red-cent offer at the Orlando Convention Center location for Aug. 30 sold out fast. Those who already booked that date can get the 1-cent deal, too, Red Roof says.

Meanwhile, this month a hotel outside Venice mistakenly offered rooms for one Euro penny on its website, and 228 people reserved before the error was discovered. The Crowne Plaza Quarto D'Altino will honor the reservations, Crowne Plaza says, even though it will lose big bucks.