Work related travel?

[disneysteve]

Something else to consider for Marriott properties. If his stays are typically at least 2 nites, you can purchase Marriott Bonus Bucks coupons on ebay. There have $50 coupons good towards 2-nite stays at any Marriott property (Marriott, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn, etc.) and $100 coupons good at Marriott, JW Marriott and Renaissance. They generally sell for 25% of face value, so you can spend $13 to save $50 or spend $25 to save $100. That can really help stretch those travel dollars. We use them frequently when we travel.

 

[sameyeyam]

I am an accountant for a hotel chain. Here are a few insider tips:

1. Always ask for the CORPORATE rate. It will always be lower than the Rack rate (what tourists are charged).

2. Be nice to the front desk clerk, say I'm really on a budget, is there anything with a lower price. Ask for cheaper rooms that are not quite as desirable (at end of hallway, view of alleyway or brick wall, next to elevator, etc...). Note: most rooms near the elevator are well insulated so you will usually never hear the elevator, however most people panic when they see a room near an elevator, so they usually rent cheaper! If you aren't getting anywhere on a good rate, call back later that evening or the next day. However, try not to call during check-in or check-out times (6am-9am) or (3pm-7pm). Call during off hours, they will have more time to talk to you and work out a deal. Call at 2am if you can, the night auditor has nothing better to do than talk to you!

3. Look on the internet and see what their competitors are charging. Tell the front desk clerk or reservationist, I can get a room at XYZ Hotel down the street for $79, can you beat their rate??

4. Always call the hotel directly. When you call the toll-free reservation center, they are only allowed to bring the rate down so far. For instance Best Western call center is now located in India, as well as most other hotel chains call centers! Good luck trying to get a great rate that way!

5. If you are not having any luck getting a good rate from the front desk staff, ask for the General Manager (GM) at the hotel, they have almost complete discretion to lower the price. Talk to the GM, tell him you and your co-workers might travel to that city quite a bit, you want to try out their hotel, can they offer you a lower rate this one time so you can see what they have to offer? It never hurts to ask.

6. At a minimum ask for a 10% discount for booking directly. If you call hotel directly, they don't have to pay a travel agent commission, internet booking fees (Apollo, Sabre, etc...) which normally cost about 10%.

7. If you have a AAA card, you can ask for a 10% discount.

8. If someone in your family works for a hotel chain, ask about discounts. For instance all of our employees can get discounts for our families (at participating hotels) at a couple of different hotel chains that we belong to.

9. If booking only a few days out, look on hotels.com and see what hotels are offering cheap prices. Call them directly and say, I seen you have rooms for $50 on hotels.com. Can I book directly and offer you $45 for a room?

The biggest factor in getting a discount is to call the hotel directly during non-busy hours, avoid their call center, be pleasant and always ask for discounts.
GOOD LUCK

 

[Stein]

I use Holiday Inn Express quite a bit. They are priced very well, are mostly new, have a pool and include breakfast. Plus, when you go to use the points, they are everywhere you want to go.

We are staying at one the night before the flight to our cruise, two nights in Cocoa Beach, and a week for Disneyworld. All, "free" from work travel. (anyone who does this can understand why the quotes are there).

I used to use Sheraton quite a bit, but found they don't give away as many free nights and they just don't have many hotels where we want to vacation.

I am not on per diem, so I can stay wherever within reason. If I was on per diem, I would find the cheapest place and pocket the difference. It will likely add up faster than points.

 

[jrnunzio3]

DH used to travel 70% of the time and he had a generous per diem to eat and hotel/ plain tickets were paid for. Now he is starting a new job where per diem is a fixed amount, not as generous and has to cover hotel and food. He can arrange his own hotel and any extra left over is his to keep. I would like to hear how others who has this arrangement make the most of it and possibly save money. Which hotels have the best reward programs for free stays or other rewards? How about ideas to save on food? He can't bring perishable foods from home, and I am not sure if all rooms have a microwave. Thanks for any ideas you may have.

If he will be traveling to the same city multiple times, I would look into getting an Entertainment book for that location (when it is on sale of course), this could potentially save money on hotel, rental cars and even some local restaurants or fast food places. Not all coupons will be of use (buy one entree get second free), but if he has access to a microwave, maybe he could eat one meal and take the second back to the hotel to heat/eat later.

Just a thought.

JR

 

[powellrj]

I have a lousy per diem, so most of the nicer chains are not in my budget unless I want to pay out of pocket. I have found some of the lower end places like days inns now offer managers receptions that have loaded potato bars and pizza bars for dinner and a small breakfast buffet for breakfast. That really helps me keep my costs down.

The days of nice per diem are over at my company, so no more free marriott nights that we would use to help off-set our family trips.

 

[lila]

I travel weekly for my job. My current company gives us a flat per diem each day. Hotel is seperate, and generally I stay at a full service Marriott. I very much like their rewards program and have stayed all over the world on my points. I'd say I spend anywhere from $79 - $349 depending on the city, with $99 - 149 as the most frequent rates.

After 50 nights a year, you gain access to their concierge lounge which offers beverages, breakfast and heavy snacks at dinner time (e.g. lots of veggies, fruits, cheese and crackers, and warm appetizers). A lot of times, I will get my breakfast there, have a decent lunch out, and then just get a snack in the lounge for dinner. That really helps me save $$$. But often I eat dinner out as well - I save the most money by going to a supermarket or bringing takeout back to the hotel. Even better if you can find a supermarket with lots of prepared foods. Overall, I have found Residence Inns in general to be the best in terms of saving me money and being healthy as I can buy my food and prepare it for the week.

In general, I would say that this is an area where someone can save some money with 2 caveats. (1) I feel pretty strongly that it's important to make sure that one isn't too frugal and is eating healthy, square meals thoughout the day. E.g. don't eat McDonald's every night. Not good. (2) It can be really tiring to travel so much on top of your job, and sometimes you just need to suck it up and spring for room service if you have an early meeting or are scrambling to get work done. I think it's easy to live by those rules and still come out ahead

 

[dsanner106]

I have operated on that system for years, and with a lower per diem have looked for nicer, less expensive options. I generally stay at nicer Laquinta inns or comfort suites. Either have refrigerators and microwaves, wireless, business facilities and free hot breakfasts in nearly all locations. I end up saving a large amount.

Drew

 

[my3kids]

Priceline really is going to be cheaper than booking lower cost chains. 2.5 star places generally offer breakfast also. I've gotten full service Marriotts and Hyatts for $25. You can't book a Budgetel for that!