lorkers

Just a word to the wise. London Hilton chains are now requesting corporate ID if you are using the discount codes.
it didn't impact me, as I actually had the relevant ID, but I was surprised to hear it twice from two locations, most recently Kensington. Never once in 10 years have they requested ID before.
Apparently staff have had a memo - which considering the dire shortage of rooms for the next week in London (one prime location is 1000GBP standard rate for a double next Sunday night?!) might be the reason why.

hugolover

Corp rates for leisure stays or corp rates for work stays?

lorkers

Work, but they didn't ask. It seems to apply the next few weeks to either.
Rule was show a company ID card, or pay the full walkup rate. Ouchy if not expected.

geekboy

I've experienced this at the Doubletree Airport TPA. I probably caused it as I spent 100 nights there on our company rate Our corp rate at that location is fantastic. A friend of mine was at Hertz recently and they were checking corporate identification. It may be hit or miss, but I now expect to show my company or government badge. I keep them in my backpack in the first pocket so I can quickly give them to the CSR.

I'm sure the Internet and all the sharing of corp rate codes has caused some hotel properties to have a lower ADR.

arlflyer

Good. Many of my colleagues traveling for client work have been having terrible times with citywide sellouts all over the place. If some of that is due to fraud and abuse, then all the better to crack down on it.

Stripe

Many companies don't have real IDs any more. Just a blank card that can be used for access. Or not even that. Hopefully these places will take a business card, but even those are no longer universal.

geekboy

I believe that the major companies that receive significantly discounted rates, are those that typically issue a corporate card and/or a picture ID to their employees. The US federal government and even the State government certainly do issue ID to their employees along with corporate charge cards to their travelers. I don't think that it's an issue with a 10% general discount such as you would get with AAA. it's the corporate discounts (for typically Fortune 500 companies and the government), where the rates can be 50% or more of rack rate. The negotiated rates.

I know that previously the Hertz IBM rate was always fixed in the mid $30s for a full size vehicle with last car availability. A minivan was $175/week in Orlando even during President's week when the going rate was about $1,200. This is probably why Hertz and at least Avis has been more strict. I have found Marriott to be very strict, especially at key locations, when it comes to the government rate. Marriott wants travel orders, a government ID, and/or a government credit card. I found Hilton to be less strict for those government rates.

We'll see if this becomes the trend as these brands try to squeeze out more profit... or just survive and break even.

ao40

That is really not the case in the private sector, especially the big consulting and FS firms who are big users of these rates (especially in London). It is seen as a security issue - they deliberately do not put the firm’s name on ID cards, as they are usually electronic access cards which could be lost or stolen. Similarly, corporate credit cards rarely have the firm’s name on them.

I have used heavily discounted corporate rates for many years all over London, and have not yet been asked for ID. If I was, all I could do would be to send an email from my work account which at least is clearly from the associated company.

arlflyer

Correct.


Incorrect.

geekboy

I completely understand that IDs aren't a big thing. I straddle both private and public and have ID from both sides. I have also held an ID card from two global banks and sure enough the bank name is not on the ID. I always wondered why, so thank you for explaining that.

In my personal travels, I've only been asked for ID at a handful of hotels when staying on a corporate or government rate. The TPA Airport Marriott asked me for official US government ID when I stayed there about 2 years ago.

I don't know what will happen if these hotels, car rental companies, or other providers start asking for corporate identification. It seems problematic. Hopefully it will be that only a few locations, of a few brands, are demanding identification and for a specific reason.

From what I can tell, the hotels are adding language which allows them to demand validation of the rate. Here are some examples of what I get when booking under our corporate rate or government rate:

• Marriott (CORP): Please be prepared to show proof of eligibility for your rate (such as a membership card, corporate or government identification card, or proof of your age).
• Marriott (GOV): Federal Govt issued Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Federal Govt picture ID (CAC or Common Access Card)
• Hilton (CORP): No ID requirements listed
• Hilton (GOV): Id-travel orders required at checkin

I would think that if the discount isn't significant then enforcement isn't really worth it. However, if you can get a Marriott for $99 when the rack rate is $198/night, the hotel may be more inclined to verify that the guest qualifies for that rate. I have been at the AVIS counter and a CSR is demanding corporate ID from the person next to me. I wasn't asked and I was on a really good corporate rate.

My point is only that this does happen and it can be problematic for those that work for a company that has great negotiated rates and the provider requires identification.

That's my fallback as well.

arlflyer

One thing I am curious about is whether the hotel CRM shows the booking channel. Most true corporate travel is booked through something like Concur, AMEX GBT, CWT, etc. If the agent sees the booking come through one of those channels with a person's name on it and then gets a card or photo ID (not corporate ID) from said person, it's a pretty low fraud risk. But if it is a reservation through the hotel's channels using just a typed-in code, then I'd think they would have reason to be more strict in seeking proof of affiliation.

geekboy

Very good point. We use American Express Global Business Travel (as you listed). When the government books for me it's Sato (CWT). So maybe that helps, but the government rate usually gets me carded.

treppenlaeufer

I have been asked for Employment ID for the first time in London this year too, and multiple times so. Not had that in years.
I book usually via hilton.com directly punching in our code there; sometimes via the corporate travel tool.

SKT-DK

Your last point is very incorrect. Many, if not most and my company’s too, are personally issued and carries no mention of the company name. This is true for many of the big consulting and tech firms.

arlflyer

I'm literally holding in my hand my corporate card from a company you likely were thinking of as you typed that, emblazoned with the names of both myself and my employer. I do not work for a small company either, I assure you.

Some companies do and some companies don't do this, but the blanket assertion that corporate cards do not bear the name of the employer is incorrect. Previous employers of mine have had the same configuration, so I would not call it "rare" within professional services, either.