Anyone ever tried to use a conference rate to get a room?

[wahoowa]

I was browsing the internet yesterday and noticed there was a conference going on at my resort during the time I wanted to go. You could book rooms through the conference's website at half the normal price for a room. My experience with blocks of rooms held for conferences is that they never verify that you are legitimately with a conference, especially if it's for a convention that has many businesses attending (instead of one company's block of rooms).

I would still probably feel guilty and go over and attend the show at least a for a short time but anyone else ever do this?

 

[beth_cam]

I would bet it's like aaa rate or military rate or ap rate...have to show proof you are with that group at check-in. I know when we got rooms and tickets at special rates for a convention my parents were attending and taking us along, it all had to be done under my parents ID number and they had to be with us at check in.

 

[IndyJammer]

I went to the Emergency Cardiac Care Conference last June at CSR. I booked with a different number that was specific for the conference (or conferences in general I believe) and I never had to show proof that I was there with the conference. The group discount was probably only 10% (or less) for that conference though.

ps - I actually did GO to the Conference - well for 2 hours one morning! But it still counts!

 

[Selket]

Interesting - we attend a conference sometimes in the summer at a WDW resort and the conference rate is maybe a 10% discount like someone else mentioned. I wonder why this conference has such highly discounted rooms?

Other than calling the special # to reserve the rooms we weren't asked to identify ourselves further.

 

[cdrn1]

I spent a few nights with my DD who was attending a conference at CSR, and the conference rate she was paying was more than I would have paid with AAA discount. But her company paid so that was okay!

 

[taxman]

bumping - anyone else had any experience checking in on a conference room rate?

 

[tripplanner2]

I used to work as a convention planner. I would monitor the block of rooms that were reserved with the hotel. We had a definate list of who was in our block of discounted rooms. Here is the thing, if the conference is not as attended as expected and there are extra rooms in that block you are actually doing the planners a favor. But, if they are in need of rooms because they have guests that want to attend their conference and there are no rooms available in their block they will check the list and bump people out if they don't belong there. I hope that makes sense. You can take a chance and see how it goes but like others have said I don't believe it is THAT much of a discount. You can check on DIS for some better rates unless it is an off site property.

 

[CarolA]

Just an FYI I was once "raised" up on a room rate because while you "think" the don't check, it appears the hotel did compare lists...... I had booked at the AAA rate and got charged the "conference rate" because I was there for the conference. Made me mad, but....

 

[Tigger73]

There's a conference this fall (October) I'm considering attending at the Contemporary. The room rate is $195. I called group reservations and inquired which type of room, they said the rate is for a Tower room. This discount is right around 50%; it's going to be hard to stay away from this type of deal.

 

[lpandorf]

I was at CSR for a conference in June. Noone ever asked me to show proof I was at the conference when I checked in.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Dh has a conference coming up at CSR. The AP rate was far better than the conference rate. I'm not certain about this, but I believe someone said that the AAA rate was even slightly better than the conference rate.

 

[tripplanner2]

The conference rate depends on what the group having the conference negotiates with the hotel. Usually, the more money the group is going to spend in other ways, food and beverage, etc, the better the group rate. They also look at how many rooms the group is looking to hold in their block. Disney does not give as much of a discount as other hotels, they don't need to.

As for people saying that they did not need to show anything at checkin, well, when reservations are made you are asked for a discount code or what group you are with. That information in put into your reservation and the hotel prints out lists of everyone staying under the conference rate. Even though you may not be aware of it, the hotel and conference planners know you are staying in their room block because you asked for it when you made a reservation.