Make Sure You Get All of the Loyalty Program Points You Deserve

If you are booking a hotel reservation for a special or group rate, make sure to add your loyalty program number to your reservation.  This summer, I am going to a close friend's wedding and had to book the reservation directly through the hotel to get a great group rate.  I tried to add my loyalty program number at the time of reservation, but the front desk wasn't able to do so.  They didn't explain why, but I had some idea, and I wasn't going to give up just yet.

Instead, I called the national reservations number and asked to add my number to my reservation.  They said "no" because it was a heavily discounted rate that only the local hotel was offering but to try and call them directly anyway.  Not a problem, I thought, let me try it again.  Sure enough, I spoke with a different staff member at the hotel and they added it with no problems.  The lesson here is that if you don't like the answer you hear in a customer service situation, try and call, email, or tweet back again and you might reach someone else who can make it happen.

It's just like a lot of things in life in that you will never know until you ask.  In this case, be persistent because you have nothing to lose, but points to gain.

Current Visa Credit Card Offers

I just got this offer today from Visa for 10% off Choice Hotels  Why is this good?  Well, if you were going to stay at a Choice property, why pay full price? 

And, if you haven't signed up for Visa Offers, you should. Just for registering, you will get access to great discounts that you might not have been aware of.  And, at no cost!

Hidden hotel savings tricks

After several unsuccessful attempts at bidding for a four star hotel in Baltimore at a bargain rate last weekend, I conceded defeat and opted for the "automobile association" discount at a Sheraton property.  Although I was disappointed in not paying less, I did earn points and was able to flex my elite status into an upgrade.  But, the real lesson, besides learning to bid better (or more realistically) on priceline, was not considering what might be going on before I got there that 1) might have influenced the room/rate availability and 2) presented savings opportunities to exploit. 

Over Labor Day, there happened to be a large conference/convention going on at this particular hotel.  While it was great for the hotel, it was not so great as a guest in attendance that was not a part of the group.  After learning what the conference was, I was curious and researched the group.  Sure enough, there was a "special rate" for this conference last weekend.  While it may be a little sneaky, one could have easily found this promotion code and used it for their reservation, saving a bit more than I paid.  However, if you are looking to earn points as well with these special rates, you might be out of luck.  Starwood, in particular, doesn't allows this.  In many cases, though, you are better off saving the money when and where you can than worrying about the points, if you don't travel frequently.

For future bookings, when you want a particular hotel, and are willing to do a little "extra" research, try using Google to see if there is a conference going on.  It might not only yield a discounted hotel room, but airfare as well.  Here is a suggestion: in Google, enter the date(s) for when you want to stay in the search bar, add "special conference rate" and the city.  Using this method, a sample result can be seen here.  Scroll through the listings provided and look for a direct booking link or other code to use.  This is somewhat crude and can be refined to include the actual hotel name as well.  Most major cities have conferences going on all of the time at larger, more upscale hotels.

Reader question

Thanks to reader Doug for asking a great question:

Dear Edge,

How do I get Priceline to bid on a specific hotel on a beach, and not just on a range of hotels and then I end up with one I didn't want?
Answer:

Priceline is an awesome tool for saving substantial money on all of your travel needs: hotels, rental cars, and airfare.  While there ways to improve your chances of getting a successful bid for a hotel, there is still some chance that you will get a hotel that you didn't quite want.  So first, be flexible.

Strategy 1

Generally, when I use Priceline, I start with a 4-5 star search, but using Priceline's normal booking method, meaning, you see everything before you buy, not afterwards.  I get a feel for the hotels they are offering, neighborhoods, and price.  If the hotel I want is not listed, Priceline may not have a relationship with it.  But, if you are flexible, as I am, then this what you should do.  Using the hotel rate listed on Priceline, go ahead and low ball that by 50-60%.  Priceline claims "to save you 50% or more," thus that should be your goal.  Bid away.  If unsuccessful, you have a few options: change the star quality, neighborhood, or wait 24 hours and re-do it.  During that time, do more homework to see if your bid is unreasonable.

Strategy 2

This can be done in conjunction with Strategy 1 as well.  Visit biddingfortravel.com and see others' successful bids on Priceline rooms to gauge how much you need to bid.  For example, if you want to stay in San Francisco at a 4 star hotel, you can see what others bid using that criteria within a certain time period.  That way you can also get an idea of what the hotel might be.  Bid away. 

In the end, if you really want to stay at that beach hotel for less, then using AAA, or a similar discount program, will likely be your best options.  As I discussed elsewhere, your credit card provider may offer a substantial discount as well.  If still unsatisfied, call the hotel directly and see if they have flexibility in their rate.  If you plan on staying more than a couple of days, there might be some room to negotiate, especially if you are a member of the loyalty program.

Keep the questions coming.  Email them, or leave a comment below.