I booked a reservation using the AAA rate (yes, I'm a AAA member!). The AAA rate was the cheapest available rate for our upcoming stay. Are there any other promo codes that I could use to get a better rate?
I didn't see a thread discussing this. If there is one already, I apologize for starting a new thread and could you please direct me to it? Thanks.
Some hotels have an internet only rate that's a bit lower than AAA. If booking far ahead, it may have poor cancellation terms (perpaid?), but I've found it still available on the day of the intended stay at least at some hotels, and at that point I didn't mind those terms!
(Obviously, this works best at hotels you "know" won't sell out, so that you can risk waiting until the last moment to book.)
Oh, and that's another thing: The rates in some places can go up and down and up and down as the date of the stay approaches, so sometimes even sticking with the AAA rate you can get a better by booking on a different day! (This isn't necessarily useful, though, unless it's a hotel you can watch over time to see the pattern.)
Thanks for the reply. I guess BW doesn't offer much in the way of discounts outside of internet only, AAA, Race Fans and AARP.
You're right about the rates fluctuating. In my case, I'm glad I booked our room already. The rate for our future stay would be about $100 more over 6 nights if I booked it now. It appears the hotel we'll be staying at offers lower rates if you book 30 days out and then as you get closer in the rates go up.
I also learned after a stay at another BW last month that I should recheck my reservation close in to the stay. Rates actually went down in that case as it got closer to the travel date and I saved $10 a night by rebooking a new reservation and canceling the original one.
I found by booking the AAA rate, at least one doesn't have to prepay for the hotel, then as a lower rate becomes available, it is easy to cancel and rebook.
Some other hotels require full payment at the time of booking, especially if they offer a lower internet rate.
I've seen other discount rates listed, including a governemnt rate. But all rates, discounted or otherwise, have appeared on the BW website. I've never seen a code that could be used to discount further, but I have seen specials on the website - never anyplace I planned to stay, though.
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From C. Thompson's updated wisdom for the modern traveler: 1 Hang up on morons 2 Don't be that guy 3 Stop feeling so entitled
You might try the 'highway books' for discounts....here're some of the online versions and the books can be found at many rest areas, gas stations & fast food restaurants on the road. Most are for walk-up rates but I've had some luck w/calling ahead. There're huge variations in quality for the hotels that participate in these programs -- I'd check w/AAA Tour book or TripAdvisor before staying! But I have found some really good prices for very nice hotels over the years.
