DELee

Just did two searches on marriott.com.

For the Westin San Diego over different dates, two rates show up for government and military: Government State rate ($125) and Govt/military rate ($173).

Clicking on the Rate Details for Government State rate, one gets the following language:

Rate Details
Government State rate, state government ID required
Additional Information
Non-Commissionable Rate
State Government Per Diem rate
- Available to State Government (govt) employees only.
- Limit of two rooms per night.
- Must show valid state government identification (ID) at check-in.
- Valid ID consists of:
- State issued ID (picture or no picture)
- Travel Orders on original State letterhead
- If no valid ID, rate will be increased to the best available rate.
- Govt Contractors, including Contractors working on state govt Cost Reimbursable Contract, are not eligible for the state govt rate.

So there is no specific state that this rate is constrained to - at least posted on marriott.com.

In comparison, I did a search on St. George UT and selected the CY. It showed 3 different rates: Government State rate ($85), Govt/military rate ($96) and state government ID required ($109),

For the CY SGU, the Government State rate is specifically for Utah State Government employees:

Rate Details
Government State rate, state government ID required
Additional Information
Non-Commissionable Rate
State Government Per Diem rate
- Available to Utah State Government (govt) employees only.
- Limit of two rooms per night.
- Must show valid state government identification (ID) at check-in.
- Valid ID consists of:
- State issued ID (picture or no picture)
- Travel Orders on original State letterhead
- If no valid ID, rate will be increased to the best available rate.
- Govt Contractors, including Contractors working on state govt Cost Reimbursable Contract, are not eligible for the state govt rate.

For the state government rate, it applies to all states:

Rate Details
state government ID required
Additional Information
Non-Commissionable Rate
GOVERNMENT STATE Discount
State Government Non Per Diem rate
- Available to State Government (govt) employees only.
- Limit of two rooms per night.
- Must show valid state government identification (ID) at check-in.
- Valid ID consists of:
- State issued ID (picture or no picture)
- Travel Orders on original State letterhead
- If no valid ID, rate will be increased to the best available

So, if DFWFairy is a TX state employee, then the Westin San Diego should have provided the State Government rate.

David

DJ_Iceman

As with so many things Bonvoy these days, it's not quite so cut-and-dried. From what you posted above:

- Valid ID consists of:
- State issued ID (picture or no picture)
- Travel Orders on original State letterhead
- If no valid ID, rate will be increased to the best available rate.

So does that mean a valid ID consists of a state issued ID *and* travel orders on original state letterhead, or just one or the other?

DELee

Good question. As you've pointed out there is no explicit "and" or "or".

Wonder if there are any Marriott front desk staff browsing FlyerTalk's Marriott Forum this evening and in this thread who could answer this very question...

David

SPN Lifer

In my experience it has been one or the other. I was also a state (territorial) employee for 8˝ years.

writerguyfl

Whatever answer you get would only apply to the hotel where the person works.

I worked for over a decade in hotels. As far as I know, there are no chains that require hotels to offer government rates. That effectively means that individual hotels get to decide if they offer government rates. It also means they get to decide who is eligible for those rates.

As noted in this thread, there are both state and federal government rates. And the verification process used by Front Desk employees is going to differ vastly across hotels.

Yes, this is actually quite common.

Generally speaking, hotels in high-demand locations will have far more restrictive policies when it comes to government rates.

3544quebec

And by the wording of the Ts+Cs and the argument advanced an employee of the state of New South Wales, Rio Grande do Sul or Uttar Pradesh would also qualify for the State Government rate yes?

Often1

Also important to remember that there is no such thing as a "Marriott state rate" or "Marriott federal rate" other than for certain large event and special programs.

Properties offer a discounted rate which typically fits within the per diem or other allowance for the type of employee in question. This then attracts the category of employee in question. If a room costs $200/night and the per diem is $150, the individual either stays somewhere else or eats the $50.

This is also why properties capacity control these special rates and sometimes relax enforcement when there is capacity, but are tough when properties are full.

Worth remembering that those who fraudulently claim a discount in this scenario are ultimately harming the legitimate employee, not the property. It still sells a room.

Ztras

I don't know if this is common knowledge here or not, but don't forget about GSA's FedRooms rate/program. It is a bit of a pain to book, through their archaic website, but there will often be per diem availability even when the "government rate" is sold out - different fare bucket. For official travel only, though I've never been asked for orders, just ID.

MSPeconomist

If a government rate is applicable for my trip, I try to print a copy of the property's rate rules when making the reservation. I notice the specific state versus any state differences as well as sometimes specific language about whether the travel must be for government business, sometimes including a requirement for travel orders in addition to a government ID. A few foreign properties offer government rates that are tied to the State Department per diem, which I would assume can be used by USA government employees and sometimes contractors.

Don't forget that your rate can change if the per diem changes, at least according to some of the rate rules.

LAX

Maybe the onus is on the travelers to verify prior to arrival? Or perhaps the properties should be more specific? It doesn't help that corporate Marriott has made it more difficult to communicate with properties (especially overseas) by not providing email addresses.

LAX

Often1

The onus is most definitely on the individual traveler to assure that he qualifies. Indeed if one checks into a property in Utah as an employee of Uttar Pradesh, it seems reasonable to have confirmed that "state rate" includes the latter.

PHLGovFlyer

IME within the list of eligible documentation for federal govt rates it has always been "or" when determining qualification. For example, the language used for federal govt rates on Marriott's website is typically stated as:

I doubt there's a person on the planet that legitimately carries a Federal govt issued picture ID, and a Military picture ID, and a FFRDC ID, and a Canadian govt ID, and a Native American Tribal Government ID at the same time. I would assume that the "or" would similarly apply to the list of eligible documentation for state rates.

DJ_Iceman

Makes sense, PHLGovFlyer.