While I agree with the "it is their game" statement, I actually don't think Marriott forbids anyone directly from using any rate. It is up to each hotel to decide who they want or don't want to allow for any rate that they are using.

I have used both the Travel Industry and the Gov't rates before even when the T&Cs said something like "only airline employees" or "only Fed employees" (I was technically neither though I was working as a vendor for each). But in all those cases, either I (or someone at the client I was visiting would contact the local hotel and work out our use of that particular rate.) As long as the hotel management says "we will allow it", we are good to go. Marriott doesn't really care.

http://www.marriott.com/File%20Block...eals/chart.htm

This seems pretty clear. Again I really don't like it, but I don't see what is unclear about it.

Marriott may provide some guidelines that the hotels can choose to use (or not), but it is still the hotel that really decides, not Marriott.

Now Marriott probably does enforce some minimum requirements around a hotel's use of a particular rate (i.e. Gov't rate). If they are going to offer it, then listing the Federal Rate means that have to allow Federal employees on official Gov't business with the appropriate forms of ID use that rate. Of course the hotel in question could also allow non-Federal Gov't employees to use it as well (if it wanted to.)

In a similar manner, Marriott enforces CL rules. There are minimum requirements around those, but a hotel is free to add to those and provide more. So one hotel may provide more food offerings than required. Another hotel may allow more than just a Gold/Plat+1 to have entrance, etc.

So the moral of the story, is one can always call up the hotel in question and ask if they can use a specific rate. The hotel may not have to allow it, but I've seen a few be more than willing to expand the available pool of those who can use that rate. Just be willing for the hotel to say no, if you aren't in that specific pool.

I didn't assume you, specifically, I said we as a collective group. You said I previously not we so you assumed me specifically. We as a collective sum;

we - definition
I and the rest of a group that includes me : you and I : you and I and another or others : I and another or others not including you —used as pronoun of the first person plural — compare i, our, ours, us

Listen if you want to cast the first stone go for it Honest Abe. Don't me mad because others do it and you don't. None of your business what others do. Use the code or don't use the code but don't gallop in here on a high almighty horse thinking your morals and ethics are higher because others use a code they shouldn't.

If there is $1 airfare to Hawaii of course it's wrong but thousands jump on it. I did not, should of but I didn't. That one is way to good to be true. If the code I use saves the customer $20 a night, then I use it. Like I said before, see you next week or someone else will. No sweat off my back, a million beds to chose from out there.

If there's an available code for me to use and Marriott checks me on it, I lose. I assume all the risks and I know it. Guess I'm crazy and rule breaker. So be it. See you next week.

I'm authorized to use many rates. I might have one contract rate per my employer, if I'm contracting another rate per the company I'm contracting to, a AAA rate, AARP rate, . . .

I'll use whichever of those seems best (typically, cheapest, if the other terms are the same). I've never had a company say "Our contracted rate was $225, but you only paid $175 AAA rate and we don't like that."

Absolutely. Everyone does that or thinks it is ok. What people are questioning is- I work for company X, contracting for company Y, but company Z has a great rate, so I will use that.

But apparently the questioners all cheat on their taxes so are not allowed to express their moral/ethical qualms with the above.:rolleyes:

This.

Argggggh! Stop it already. We all know that some people use -- or try to use -- corporate rate codes that they may not be entitled to use. Nobody condones that. But it happens. Will anybody go to prison for doing that? I don't think so. But let's stop sniping at each other, making accusations about other people's internal moral compasses (or lack thereof), etc. Just stop. Corporate codes aren't all that difficult to figure out. Some people will take advantage of that. Is that a terrible sin? Who knows? Make your own judgment about such things. But argue with each other someplace else.

I'm going to let the previous discussion remain, but any further comments along those lines will be deleted. There is nothing new here.

Bruce
Moderator

Here's another one, with semi-legitimate usage:

I travel on business, and decide to take my girlfriend with me. It turns out that the best rate is her company's, which she's allowed to use on leisure travel. So we use that one.

Not sure why you would consider that SEMI-legitamate???

Because I'm getting reimbursed by my company, so in one sense it isn't a leisure stay.

(Just to make things interesting, it's also using my MR# because I have more status.)

[This is all purely hypothetical, of course.]

It's "her" rate and for her it's a leisure stay. The fact that neither of you pay for it is irrelevant.