Discount codes ... should they be shared?
 

Surely someone here knows the answer to this ... I've been wondering about this for a while now.

Car rental and hotel discount codes/group codes ... how do they work and how are they negotiated?

My company has a code with Avis that I can usually get a pretty good rate with (20% off or so), but today this was posted in the Avis thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum77/HTML/000005.html

I just tried this code for a rental I have coming up in NYC next month, and this code got me a rate $16/day less ($57/day vs. $73.20 for a Premium car).

Is it against the rules or unethical to share these codes in this way and use them even if you aren't really affiliated with the group they come from?

I'm more interested in hotels actually ...

Don't some companies have negotiated rates with the large chains? I'm thinking if I can find someone who works for a company with a negotiated rate at Hyatt or Marriott, couldn't I just use their group code (as long as it's not direct billed of course), and wouldn't this actually be advantageous to the company since they can/do probably get better deals the more they stay at the chain?

For that matter, how do the negotiated rates work at all ... could us Flyertalker maybe form some sort of membership organization and maybe get negotiated rates with hotel and/or car rental companies? How about the FF Addicts Club?

You bring up an interesting issue. My guess would be that it is against the rules of the contract for non-members to use the discount rate.

For example, the company I work for gets a xx% discount from American Airlines and I know it is against the rules for non-employees to use the discount except if the non-employees are travelling with the employee.

There are certain discount numbers offered pubiclly by Car/Hotel companies -- I see no problem sharing them.

In terms of forming our own "discount group", the airlines would probably require a centralized booking facility in order to track the beneficiaries of the discount and measure its success. The hotels and car rental companies may be a bit more lenient.

--Jim

My experience is that over the last 5 years corporate rates with hotel and car-hire chains have become meaningless. The hotel chains themselves largely accept this.

The large chains have several corporate rates (or bands) dependent upon your business. So your company may have a negotiated rate, which in effect is a 'Band C' rate.

Thousands of other companies will have negotiated rates which are also 'Band C', so when you call reservations and quote your 'company code', their system just translates that into a 'Band C' rate.

Because everyone and there mother now belongs to some group or other which gets a corporate/group/discounted rates, the hotels will normally offer these irrespective of your right to them. You will also find that the corporate rates are VERY often not as competitive as other quoted discount rates!

The exception to this is rates negotiated with INDIVIDUAL hotels which are often very competitive.

In a nut-shell, if you call reservations and they don't quote you a rate as good as a corporate rate - hang up!

If you want to test this, look at a corporate rate on www.hilton.com, compare this to your company rate (if you have one) and compare that to the best available rate.

Airlines are slightly different, discount fares are usually subject to achieveing revenue targets. Therefore tickets are usually charges gross and at a later date a bulk rebate is made to the travel agent.
Nick

My understanding is also that most discount codes are restricted to members of the relevant groups. For example, while anyone who knows the URL for our corporate travel site could obtain the codes for our car rental packages, when using them I have always been asked to show my ID card as proof of qualification. Similarly, our airline discounts are only internally distributed, and always with a notice that outside distribution constitutes breach of contract.

Note that some codes are more openly distributed, or at least available to groups with open membership, so in many cases this issue is in fact moot. For example, SmarterLiving (http://www.smarterliving.com), which compiles bulletins with all of the last-minute fare specials by city of origin, also has negotiated rates with Alamo and a special fare deal with IcelandAir. Any subscriber to a SmarterLiving newsletter (free) has access to these. Similarly, various other loosely defined organizations have discount codes, such as for car rental--AAA, my bank, various credit cards, etc.

From discussions with the President of SmarterLiving (a friend of mine), I understand that discounts increase as one can draw on a larger customer base. For example, the SmarterLiving disount with Alamo recently increased, as SmarterLiving crossed a threshold number of subscribers. Thus, JIMBOLIGUY's suggestion of a discount group may not in fact yield the desired results, at least to start.

My advice is to post generally good tips here.

But for REALLY amazing discounts that might be pulled if the company gets wind they're out there, use E-mail.

I know I've E-mailed some tips in response to posted questions that I thought were too dangerous for the companies to see in public. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I believe (certainly no expert) that the discount codes are in response to volume guarantees made by a corporation. If the codes were for $/% off, no problem. The issue is when you get into the CDW availability--you have to be employed to get those benefits--had a situation myself where I had an accident in a Budget car soon before I left the employment of KFC Corp in Louisville. By the time Budget was working on the accident, I had changed jobs. They called HR who did not show me as working there, so sent me the bill with a note that Pepsico did not show me working. I had to send it back to my old boss.

Moral is, I guess, be careful

Wow, quite a few responses ...

NJDavid ~ You're probably right, posting the codes publicly might not be a good idea in some cases.

What I'd really like to find is some way to get discounted hotel rooms at Hyatt or Marriott or another chain. I work with one company that has negotiated rates with Hyatt, and they always seem to be able to get a pretty good deal at Hyatt. It seems to me that if I could get one of these discount numbers, even though it might technically be against the rules, it would benefit the company whose number it is in the end anyway since they would get credit for my stays. If I was ever asked for an ID at the hotel, I could always play dumb and say I left it in my car at home or something.

For car rental I probably wouldn't want to mess around with, because of the whole CDW thing as you mentioned.

For the hotels, I honestly find one of two ways works the best.

1) after you get a rate, tell them to do better. You'll be suprised how most of the time, they will. Unless they're packed, in which case...

2) call their business service or convention desk and tell them you're considering a meeting at their hotel for that day...about 35 rooms, meeting hall catering....ask if there are any other meetings / conferences in the space at the time. tell them you'll get back to them. Then call the reservations number to try to get a reservation as a member of the group that's there.

Usually, they release the rooms they're holding at a later date, so this is just a sneaky way of not having to wait.


[This message has been edited by NJDavid (edited 04-08-99).]

I am full of joy: (my) guerilla-book get's a new chapter: GO ON.

My personal "behaviour" code:

* I will not "steal" such a code!
* I will use any code, as long as I didn't agree/sign/etc. personally to any exclusivity-use!

* I will share any code as long as I didn't agree (when getting the code/membership/etc.) not to do so!
* I don't care about any internal rules (of the hotel etc.) forbidding/restricting the use of the code, as long as I didn't agree to "obey" the rules - but I will not ly to use it. It is their rules - not mine.

My personal experience so far (mostly with hotels): they never checked any real membership at check-in/check-out - so far, touch wood.

Rudi ~ What about your "friends" you always seem to be talking about who always seem to have some questionable tactics? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by Beckles (edited 04-08-99).]

It does pay to ask if the supplier can do better and to be all eyes and ears when checking in and out. Often times I have uncovered money-saving programs that I have a right to use immediately or in the future.

After all, there is a reason why most hotels don't say out loud what the room rate is.

Some credit cards, like AMEX Platinum & Citibank Gold (that I use) have discount programs with car rentals and hotel chains. The one I use most successfully across the board is my AAA membership.

Here's an experience I had in New Orleans quite a few years ago. The names of the parties will not be mentioned to protect those involved. My wife & I were checking out of a major high-end hotel and we're standing next to two guys from a large insurance company who attended their company's convention at the hotel. One man was complaining to the clerk that his room rate was (don't remember the exact numbers so I'll fudge) $190.00, while his co-worker, attending the same convention, had a group rate of $140.00. The irate over-charged man told the clerk "What would my insurance company think if they knew you were charging me more than others who are from the same company?"

I leaned over to my wife and whispered quietly what would they think if they knew we had a AAA rate of $80?

I have checked on line to find out what large trade shows are in whatever city I am visiting (you can find that through city.net) and then called the hotel and asked for the special rate attached to the show. When there is a major show at McCormick or Javitz, they will have made discount hotel deals with most major hotels.

Of course you can always play dumb and say, "My boss asked me to check for the AAEIS (or whatever) rate, but I don't know what those letters mean." Then they will start going through the list and ask you if you mean American Association of Elongated Insect Society, to which you say, "Oh yes that's it!"

Hold on...read my comments above carefully.

A "special convention rate" usually means you're so special we charge you $2 less than rack. You can almost ALWAYS do better at a hotel than the "special convention rate".

My convention tip was to get into a hotel that you otherwise could not, not to save money.

Example: The "special" NAB rate at the Las Vegas Hilton is $199 per night. 8 people from my office are paying that in two weeks. My rate there will be $99 per night.

I addition to getting rooms not otherwise available, I actually have been able to get substantial discounts at convention rates. Often as much as a 50% discount. However, this is more likely to happen for smaller shows that are actually held within the hotel. You can find them in the Tradeshow Week Data Book or online.

Obviously for big shows that place a heavy demand on the entire city, there will be very little convention discount. For some, like COMDEX, getting a room at any price is a good deal.