I am looking at booking the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront using rate code JHP.

Below are the rate rules/information:

Johns Hopkins Hospital corporate rate, Marriott quality room with 1 king or 2 double beds, high speed Internet available

Rate Rules
Holding Your Reservation
We will need a credit card number to reserve your room.
Modifying Your Reservation
Please note that a change in the length or dates of your reservation may result in a rate change.
Tax Information
CURRENCY RATES QUOTED IN USD - US DOLLAR AND EXCLUDE TAXES
TAX 12.500 PCT/ROOM PER NIGHT


Note that there is no mention of any corporate ID being required. I have business with Johns Hopkins University, but not directly with Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Is there any reason why I should not be able to get this rate?

Why not ask the hotel?

I would estimate you have a 99.9% probability of complete success.

Technically, Marriott could certainly ask you for corp ID to use the rate. In practice, they typically don't.

It's been discussed a lot here. If you work for Company A but are traveling to do business with Company B, are you entitled to use Company B's hotel rates? I think the general take is that you are unless Company B or the hotel itself specifically prohibit it. Of course, with any client I've had in the past the opposite has happened - they've been eager for me to use their codes and preferred hotels. (Some of my clients have gone so far as to require it.) Obviously it's good for the company's budget, and it's good for the hotel's overall relationship with the company.

I figure if a Baltimore-based company is negotiating rates with Baltimore hotels, it's so people coming to visit them on business can use the rates. "Doing business with" is kind of loose, but if you're a vendor, partner, supplier, consultant, etc. it seems like you should be good.

Government rates sometimes have wierd rules. That's another topic altogether. Showing up in DC to do a pitch for a government contract probably doesn't entitle you to use government rates.

Nope, and the rules really aren't that weird. If you work for the federal government (active duty military or civil service), you can use them. These are typically tied to the GSA's world-wide per diem list. Some locations have state or local government rates as well. And some properties offer explicit government contractor rates that are usually higher than federal per diem but much lower than standard corporate rates.

Did it once, would do it again in a heart beat
No questions asked