Thanks to everyone for the input on how I should manage the giveaway of a Hilton “Be My Guest” free night certificate (valid “for one night of complimentary lodging [room and tax only] at any participating Hilton Hotel in the United States.”

Most folks didn’t like “enter as many times as you want.” I enjoyed watching my comment count go up when I gave away the travel power strips and allowed unlimited entries. But this time we’re going to try something new.

Some commenters suggested that entering require some kind of value-added on readers’ part, leaving a tip for the community of readers.

Others suggested that entry require some statement about how the winner would use the certificate, at some level getting at how much a winner deserves the certificate.

Either of those would require subjectivity on my part (in judging) and (perceived) unfairness. Not really what I’m after.

There were also suggestions that would have required technological implementation that’s no doubt easy for people familiar with how to do it, but that would have entailed an investment (even if only of time) on my part exceeding the value of the certificate to be given away.

Finally, I did like the suggestions about entry requiring some sort of donation to Haitian relief! But the easiest methods for this held the potential to run afoul of various statutes and at a minimum wasn’t worth the potential exposure on my end. Whatever the winner wishes to do with the night, and however charitable my readers wish to be, I leave that to y’all.

So I’m going to simply take the suggestion that everyone is welcome to enter the contest once. If you would like to win the free night, leave a comment in the official entry thread that I will post in a moment. You need to register to leave comments, and in order to win need to use a valid email address so that I can contact you if you win.

While no doubt there are ways to circumvent the one entry per person rule, and some of those approaches might slip by my watchful eye, I’m going to ask eveyrone to simply honor my request. One entry per person, just leave a comment in the official entry thread post that you’d like the night.

Then after the conclusion of the contest — which will be noon Eastern time on Friday, February 19 — I will use a random number generator to come up with the winning comment in the official entry post. And as long as that entry appears to be a unique entry (not duplicated by an additional entry), I’ll contact the person and let them know they’ve won and that they can give me their address so I can send them the certificate.

This is a giveaway, and the spirit is a generous one, I don’t want a lot of rules here. I ‘reserve the right’ to interpret the rules however makes the most sense to me, to determine if and when a winner is indeed eligible, and at what point a winner has abandoned their prize by not replying to my email that they’ve won. Those and all other interpretations are at my sole discreiton, I don’t want complaints or to be sued because I want to give away a free hotel night. Thank you for understanding!

And thanks in this, of course, go to Hilton Hotels and to BoardingArea.com which made the giveaway to y’all possible!