Nope. I just stated a fact.

I wasn't aware it was fraud to pay a hotel for a night's stay in a room that would otherwise go empty. Remember, you don't always get the corporate rate. I don't know what the cutoff is but I frequently find AAA and other discount rates when the corporate rate is not available.

Folks, the topic of whether it's fraud or not, have ethics or not, has been rehashed enough times over the years every time someone asks about a corporate code. Do we really need to go through it again?

The OP's question has been answered already - ie, probably won't get asked (at least in US) but if so then there's the potential for rack rate & up to the OP on the amount of risk he's willing to take.

Cheers.

Well said Sharon. One additional thing would be that while a property is almost never going to ask for an AAA card or proof of eligibility for a corporate rate, if you try and use a government/military rate, you probably will be asked for an ID. Those rates are usually very cheap, far better than any corporate or other discount rate.

Generally, most don't care and those that do are likely to go overboard. There have even been posts those the present a company credit card were disallowed credit as they weren't paying for the room. Bottom line, YMMV.

Personally, I use a former employer's SET and when asked at check-in, just say I retired from them and that's the end of the discussion. Fortunately our code was good for both business and personal use and not always the cheapest.

Another personal incident....

A couple years ago, I called into the Marriott reservation line to make some vacation and work reservations at the same time. When we got to a vacation reservation for an international beach location, the reservationist pointed out our company rate was very good, and she did not see any restriction that would prohibit its use. We booked the rate.

Long story short: the hotel regularly lets the large facility my company has nearby know who is staying at the hotel so the company can coordinate travel, meals, etc. The facility, which is a manufacturing arm of the very, very large company I work for, and has nothing to do with the division I'm in, was confused why I was there. I said it was okay if they did not want me to use the rate, but they still let me use the rate. When I got back home, the travel office called me and explained I should not use that rate again. Most of the time, we can use the negotiated rate for vacation, but I do send an email now asking before using our rate at international properties.

It's not. Deception for personal gain while doing so is. Walking into a bank that's open to the public and withdrawing money isn't a crime. At gunpoint,without an account, is.

Many corporate rates (particularly locally negotiated ones) have last room availability. Without context, you can't state with any certainty that this room would otherwise go vacant.

Considering that the OP is brand new to FT, yes we need to mention it.

I get that not everyone will agree with me regarding this topic. But, I worked in hotels and saw this on a weekly basis. We considered it fraud. We certainly never reported it to the police...but, that doesn't mean there weren't consequences, if caught.

Presumably the 'consequence' was rack rate.

I would imagine the police would laugh if called in to arrest someone for 'fraud' because they used a rate they weren't entitled to & which someone could explain away as a mistake. Methinks the police have a few more important things to attend to (duh). And it's not like hotels always call the police when there are thefts from guests rooms ;)

I'm not saying someone should use or not use a corporate rate. I responded (as others have) to the OP's original question.

Cheers.

No, they may not call the police, but they may call the employer and refuse to renew the negotiated rate when the contract comes up for review. Personally, I'd rather deal with the cops.

Are you under the impression that companies beg Marriott to take their business? If Marriott won't give them a deal a Hyatt or Hilton or IHG property will be glad to take away some Marriott business.

Calling the cops over a corporate rate is funny stuff. Did you by chance ever rat out your spouse to the cops when she removed a mattress tag? Ever try a citizens arrest on someone for jaywalking or spitting on a sidewalk?

There are some companies that are able to negotiate a very good deal and do not allow use for anything but business travel. Some of these relationships have been in place for many years and having them abused/misused is not in the cards as far as they are concerned. Choosing a chain has a lot of components, from a personal relationship between the person signing the contract to property saturation at destinations used by the client.

I do not expect any LEO involvement when it comes to corporate rates. But my statement about preferring LEO over my company stands. I can defend my case with LEOs, but nothing can repair the damage done if my company takes exception to my actions.

The "government rate" is almost always pegged to the local or national federal traveler per diem. In many/most major metropolitan areas, the weekend rates at many properties drop to the extent that they are significantly lower than the government rate, which doesn't drop at all. So, on the weekends, the government rate is generally no bargain and frequently higher than the property's normal weekend rate.

Exactly this. Many people assume that fraudulent use of corporate codes can only help the company by increasing volume. That's a false assumption.

For example: At one hotel I worked, one company had a corporate rate of roughly $70. Our rack rate was $269. They earned that discount because they only used it on weekends (when our rates were usually in the $79-89 range). If that corporate code had gotten out and was used during the week, it would have become an unnecessary annoyance for both the hotel and the company to fix.

Although not as drastic, we had other accounts that got discounts based on average stay patterns. Anyone who avoided the nights we almost always sold out (Tuesdays or Wednesdays) got a better discount. So, without knowledge of the contract, anyone stealing a corporate code can't assume they are actually helping out the company.