fdog

...and can't perform a search adequately...

Do "contract arranged" or other sources for room nights, result in Nights/points etc?

I'm asking this because I've been in Residence Inns/ SpringHills Suites where there was obviously a HUGE block of rooms dedicated to:

• Hospital workers (Richmond, VA)
• Customs & Border security (Chula Vista)
• Trucker drivers (learning how to drive????) (C.R. England @ Salt Lake City Airport SpringHill Suites)
• etc

I'm a contractor and pay for my nights, so, I guess I'm just being nosey. Just curious about what gets you nights credited to you.

For example, I was given a voucher to a TownePLace Suites in MIA due to irrops by AA (shocking). When I checked in, the nice lady said I wouldn't get credit because it was a voucher.

I insisted that she attach my Bonvoy #, and the night showed up in my balance.

So, what's the truth here?

All the best, James

fdog

Shameless bump

Nobody knows if you accrue nights & points if you're one of these "blocks of rooms"?

Oh, I forgot, Rawlins WY was lots of oil roughnecks. Hmm.

All the best, James

myperks

Depends on the contractual terms of those rates and if it is masterbilled…

jayer

When I lived in hotels for business, often on unique arrangements, they usually said that and I always did this and it usually worked for stay credit. Although I'm sure the IT capabilities are much better now.

The caveat to her statement is incidental spending still should count. I always made sure to run some sort of food or incidental charge through the folio. Somehow I made lifetime.

writerguyfl

As myperks notes, it is negotiable. In practice, it would be unusual for someone to go out of their way to ask for frequent traveler benefits for a room block because that adds to the nightly rate.

(FYI: Only the greenest of Sales Managers would include these benefits on a room block unless requested by the planner. In my experience from working in hotels, it's standard operating procedure to remove benefits in order to present the lowest price possible to the planner.)

For room blocks that are paid by a company, including benefits only ads to the overall cost without providing any benefit for the company. I don't think I ever saw a corporate-paid group room block that provided frequent traveler benefits in the 8 years I worked in positions where I would have had to know about that aspect of the group contract.

For room blocks that are paid by the guest, most savvy planners will ask for the lowest possible rate. That rate would be one without these benefits. Planners want the lowest rate in order to convince people to book within the block (and to keep people from going rogue and booking other hotels). That's usually a smart move.

While FlyerTalkers will be obsessed with points/nights, there's a massive percentage of guests who have no clue about frequent guest programs. Depending upon the demographics of the group, purposely negotiating frequent traveler benefits (which increases the rate) might be a huge mistake for the planner if only a tiny percentage of guests will actually use those benefits.

EricH

It's nice to start the day with a good laugh.

RedSun

It is very rare to hear anyone at FT saying that he is "stupid". Those people are clearly not.

Good luck with you.

fdog

Thank you everybody for the replies! Truly enlightening, I appreciate it.

Learning about the cost structure, I had never considered that elite benefits were part of that. Dang.



All the best, James