iflyjetz

I understand and don't disagree with your statement in the current economic environment. I would anticipate the next economic downturn to be like the last economic downturn - companies look to cut costs wherever they can. If they can save $10 per hotel night, it would add up quickly. If senior execs are given a choice between losing the perks and some staff layoffs, I suspect most would opt for losing the perks. Senior tend to be older, and in economic downturns, it's usually tougher for an older laid off worker to find a new job.

Often1

Egencia, Concur or any of the lesser known compliance programs are also subject to policy determinations made by the customer, e.g. employer.

Many employers require that the corporate portal, which is monitored by Concur or its cousins, be used. While one might be able to call a property and book directly, doing so may be a policy violation.

In addition to the reasons above, Concur can also feed data directly into most major accounting software, making accounting for travel a lot cheaper and easier for the employer.

If your employer doesn't care, so be it. But, don't be surprised if that becomes a requirement.

As to rates which are stripped of benefits, that is of course a touchy area. But, a large enough customer might have the market power to force it.

mysterym

When I used to travel regularly and worked for one of the largest companies in the world, most rates allowed for points to be earned and benefits worked but there were some pre-negotiated properties and events where that was all stripped and no one could earn points individually nor take advantage of their status. Someone had said that the person arranging the booking can collect all the points and some times the company will take the points, save them, and use them towards bookings elsewhere (I never confirmed that though) but I think the main reason is to get the lowest rate possible and not having to give out points saves some $$$.

dayone

That also popped into my head as I was reading the post.

iflyjetz

Airline crew rates are stripped of points/stay credits and most of the same hotels allow crews to book rooms at those rates, but they are also stripped of all benefits.

When I travel on my dime, I book through the hotel's website to ensure points/stay credits/elite benefits. Based on pricing, I'll either pay cash or use points.
I've been paying cash $85/night at SFO airport Hyatt Regency and $96 at SFO airport Westin over the holidays. There will be more than a few nights I'll need to book on points. That's why I always save points with Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG. There are times when one chain will have points availability when the others do not and rates are prohibitively high..

Thysk

Happoened to me as well. Booked through Concur, did not get my stays. Contacted the Sheraton, and apparently in Concur it was booked through booking.com (which showed up as the cheapest rate and thus preferred). Very annoying, as I did not know that at that moment.

Lewis42

iflyjetz

I imagine it's just a matter of time before most companies program their Concur systems to check booking.com and other discount websites where points do not accrue. And then the company will blame Concur for point/stay credit stripping.

ehallison

Are you pretty sure to get points as long as the booking shows up in your Marriott account before your stay? My husband has to use Concur, and this adds another detail he'll need to check when booking hotels. . He didn't have any problems in 2018, but he just booked some 2019 travel and all the upcoming stays are showing up in his Hilton account so I think he's good. (I realize this is a Marriott thread...)

RogerD408

IF the rez shows in your account then it's a pretty good bet credit will post but until it happens there is no guarantee. From the posts I've seen the rate discloses if an OTA is being booked so that is the best way to find out. Given the employer gets to configure the company policy used in Concur, I'm not sure if asking if allowing the OTA was an error. I can't see a company blocking the use of lower rates when available and I may want to be careful of always selecting a higher rate just to get credit. It is very reasonable to keep costs low when possible.

domingogo

uppereastsider

I've been a long time user of Egencia for corporate travel. I've only ever received stay/night credits when it was an "Egencia Preferred Rate" or if my company had a negotiated rate with that hotel. Any other type of rate doesn't earn points. I'd estimate for me, only about 20-30% of all SPG hotels are eligible to earn points on my version of Egencia, as the rest come up as "Expedia" (who owns Egencia) when checking in to a hotel. No Marriott hotels have ever earned points for me in Egencia. My biggest concern about the merger was all of the SPG hotels in Egencia stop earning points.. and so far, many of my "go to hotels" (the ones I knew that earned points in cities I travel to often) are no longer displaying points eligible rates. I hope this a policy that doesn't extend to other corporate engines as well.

FWIW, about 70-80% of Hyatts in my version of Egencia are eligible to earn points, which has made the switch to Hyatt easier

TBD

A thousand times this. You may not care about getting support if there's a riot/volcano/ebola/coup/whatever while you travel, but your CEO likely has a different view. Companies are morally (and sometimes legally) obligated to care for you while you travel. It isn't your money and dodging this policy is not in your best interest.

Perfect illustration of my point. These loyalty programs exist to influence travelers. The minute Marriott feels a loss of that influence, they will be forced to adjust course. How they do it is anyone's guess, but it's absolutely in their interest because points "makes the switch to ___ easier". At best, this is a programming error from your travel team. At worst, this is a temporary problem.

I don't believe for a second that a hotel ever said "we'd prefer to give you (the company) $5 off rather than the opportunity to get your travelers back through a loyalty program". Loyalty programs are data goldmines for hotels (and airlines). They're also a source of profit.

CO-PLAT

I just went to login to my Concur portal to make another booking and this popped up:

CPRich

The "Great News" sounds like the typical frequent * program's "Enhancements"