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Old Jul 29, 2006, 7:29 am
  #16  
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Originally Posted by bordeauxboy
I have frequently used corporate rates on personal travel, especially in high cost locations, for Hiltons, Westins, Intercontinentals, etc. Never really gave it much thought until now.
Happened to me in Beijing a month ago and now in Delhi. The rates I'm getting when I can't produce the ID (as we are a vendor to the corps whose rate I am using) are double!
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Old Jul 31, 2006, 12:21 pm
  #17  
 
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Been only asked for ID once at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo in all of my travels. If you just give them your business card and say you are a client, what can they do?
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Old Aug 1, 2006, 12:40 am
  #18  
 
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Also never been asked for ID at the RC.

I am wondering - after a few stays the RC offered to make a corporate agreement (through me) with my job place. But when I asked about this at the Fullerton and later the Oriental they wouldn't do it.

If you don't have a big corporate travel department to do it for you, how do you get such an agreement?
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Old Aug 1, 2006, 2:02 am
  #19  
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Originally Posted by HKTraveler
Been only asked for ID once at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo in all of my travels. If you just give them your business card and say you are a client, what can they do?
They can do what they've done to me twice at two different chains. "We're very sorry yosithezet but this rate is only for Acme employees when showing their ID badge. We can give you a room for rate*2." What can you do about that?
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Old Aug 2, 2006, 10:11 am
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by HKTraveler
Been only asked for ID once at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo in all of my travels. If you just give them your business card and say you are a client, what can they do?
yosithezet is correct. Hotels tend to enforce corporate rate policies only when rooms are in high demand and the corporate rate is a significant discount off the prevailing rack rate. You could end up at a front desk in a sold out city, having to pay full rate for a room. If you are a gambler you might decide that the odds are in your favor though, if 9 times out of 10 you are able to slide by.

Last edited by catwings01; Aug 4, 2006 at 9:57 am Reason: sp
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Old Aug 2, 2006, 12:13 pm
  #21  
 
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Originally Posted by zeikka
I have access to few really good corp. discount codes for Ritz-Carlton Singapore, but I am not travelling really on any business related to those codes.

Would it be totally wrong to use them or even not possible without invitation letter etc.?

Many times corporate codes and rates extend to personal travel if you are directly affiliated with the company that has the relationship with the hotel. However, it doesn't sound like you are directly affiliated with the company(ies) that the codes are for.
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Old Aug 4, 2006, 8:51 am
  #22  
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I'm going to Singapore, feel free to PM me the corporate discount code so I can use it.
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Old Aug 5, 2006, 8:47 am
  #23  
 
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I will be travelling to Singapore soon, Any chance of getting the corporate code? Please PM me if you don't mind. I will try them out for you guys. Hopefully I won't get caught. Thanks heaps
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Old Aug 5, 2006, 2:17 pm
  #24  
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Originally Posted by MileHighs
I will be travelling to Singapore soon, Any chance of getting the corporate code? Please PM me if you don't mind. I will try them out for you guys. Hopefully I won't get caught. Thanks heaps
Welcome to FT, MileHighs!

Getting back to the corporate code issue, I would ask. I worked for a company where we could use the company rate for travel--it resulted in highly discounted business class travel overseas. Other industries are sticklers on this subject and if you use the code for personal travel, you would get fired. I know that some auditing firms are really strict, particularly if they are customers of the company that they are auditing.
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Old Aug 6, 2006, 4:51 pm
  #25  
 
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Originally Posted by broadwayboy
"Loss of revenue for hotels adversely affects the pay of those who work there, the level of service other guests receive at the property, and maintenance levels/the rate of property renovation."

Paying a room on Corp rate GIVES revenue, NOT the other way around. Loss of revenue is when rooms are not sold. Can't agree with you there.
It makes no difference from a revenue standpoint whether or not a guest is there for business or personal reasons. Plus, the increased use of a corporate code gives the corporation more bargaining power to get good rates in the future. If hotels are being hurt when people use corporate codes, why offer them in the first place? The hotel probably won't care unless it's during a peak season when they can sell the room to a traveler without a code and make more money (rules are rules). Only your company is likely to have a strong opinion one way or the other.
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Old Aug 6, 2006, 5:19 pm
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by Goodmorning2U
This is a great thread. It has given me much to ponder. Here are some of my thoughts on the subject. I'm looking forward to reading your responses.
Using a code which we did not contract for increases the bargaining power of the company whose code we are using and reduces the bargaining power of the hotel, resulting in a quantifiable loss of revenue for the hotel. Loss of revenue for hotels adversely affects the pay of those who work there, the level of service other guests receive at the property, and maintenance levels/the rate of property renovation.
Hotel management companies have carefully calculated the cost of having an empty room. If the hotel is not willing to give us the room at the price we want we should not lie to them to get what we want. Neither should we take advantage of their failure to ask us for the appropriate ID. Our taking a hotel towel which no one asks for at check out is still stealing.
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Old Aug 6, 2006, 6:49 pm
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by Goodmorning2U
This is a great thread. It has given me much to ponder. Here are some of my thoughts on the subject. I'm looking forward to reading your responses.
Using a code which we did not contract for increases the bargaining power of the company whose code we are using and reduces the bargaining power of the hotel, resulting in a quantifiable loss of revenue for the hotel. Loss of revenue for hotels adversely affects the pay of those who work there, the level of service other guests receive at the property, and maintenance levels/the rate of property renovation.
Hotel management companies have carefully calculated the cost of having an empty room. If the hotel is not willing to give us the room at the price we want we should not lie to them to get what we want. Neither should we take advantage of their failure to ask us for the appropriate ID. Our taking a hotel towel which no one asks for at check out is still stealing.
Agreed.

There are two issue here.

The first is that by using a hotel code that you are not entitled to, you are lying, plainly put. It is for the hotel to determine whether it will extend a certain rate or choose to have an empty room. Lying for your own self interest and greed is not a justification.

The second is the reduced revenue of the hotel. First, that's a room that might have been sold for a higher rate, the difference represents a loss of potential revenue to the hotel. Secondly, as hotel rate code discounts are tied to room nights or revenue from the corporation, the corporation will have an artificially high room count or revenue model which gives it greater, yet unwarranted negotiating power with the hotel during the renegotiation period.
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Old Aug 12, 2006, 10:24 am
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by WHBM
I use many hotels not as a company employee but as supplier to them. It is common to actually be asked to use their corporate reference when they know I will be staying in their nearby hotel so they can increase their volume of business (which is tracked by the hotel and reported periodically to the company) as it helps them reduce their room rates in negotiations.

And if any hotel asks to see any correspondence between myself and my client as some sort of "verification" I would tell them where to go. But it's never happened.
Keep in mind that if you are not an employee of the company where the corporate rate is established, you may be asked to show ID unless the company books on your behalf. The hotels these days are cracking down on abuse (or fraud) by non-company employees.
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Old Jun 9, 2012, 3:10 am
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by catwings01
yosithezet is correct. Hotels tend to enforce corporate rate policies only when rooms are in high demand and the corporate rate is a significant discount off the prevailing rack rate. You could end up at a front desk in a sold out city, having to pay full rate for a room. If you are a gambler you might decide that the odds are in your favor though, if 9 times out of 10 you are able to slide by.
Many corporate rates allow you to cancel until 6pm the day of reservation without penalty, so if they do ask for ID you can cancel and go to a cheaper hotel.

Edit: Sorry for the thread necromancy
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