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Old Jan 29, 2018, 6:05 am
  #1  
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No AARP rate any more?

(Sorry if that has been already mentioned somewhere else - the search has not yield anything)

I tried to book a number of stays (US, Canada, Europe) using "AARP" rate. There is no such option any more - just "senior rate". The AARP rate used to be offered to those who are "over 60 years old or AARP members". The senior rate is offered for only to those who are over 62, the AARP membership discount seems to vanish.

Is that an enchantment?

Last edited by AVSA; Jan 29, 2018 at 6:12 am
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Old Jan 29, 2018, 6:42 am
  #2  
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I have yet to find a property where the AARP rate was less than the rate I could obtain otherwise on SPG.com.
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Old Jan 29, 2018, 7:35 am
  #3  
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I don't recall AARP ever being less than senior, so it's no great loss. Aditionally, I have never found the senior rate to be less than AAA, so that's almost always the best option (unless you have a special SET code).

Originally Posted by AVSA
Is that an enchantment?
No, I don't think anybody's casting any spells.
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Old Jan 29, 2018, 7:56 am
  #4  
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
I don't recall AARP ever being less than senior, so it's no great loss. Aditionally, I have never found the senior rate to be less than AAA, so that's almost always the best option (unless you have a special SET code).
IMO the OP’s concern is not the possible difference in rates between Senior or AARP but the difference in age requirements for utilizing the Senior Rate and AARP Rate due to lower age requirements for AARP membership.
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Old Jan 29, 2018, 8:05 am
  #5  
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
I don't recall AARP ever being less than senior, so it's no great loss. Aditionally, I have never found the senior rate to be less than AAA, so that's almost always the best option (unless you have a special SET code).
For folks between 50 and 62, it may be meaningful.

The room I'm booking for Wednesday night has a Senior rate of 139 vs. AAA rate of 148 (my SET rate is 164), lowest of the 20 rates offered other than Government/Military/Not Valid For Contracted Vendors rate at 121.

I doubt anyone feels great pleasure from this (potential) change.
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Last edited by CPRich; Jan 29, 2018 at 8:13 am
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Old Jan 29, 2018, 9:43 am
  #6  
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[QUOTE=controller1;29352706]

IMO the OP’s concern is not the possible difference in rates between Senior or AARP but the difference in age requirements for utilizing the Senior Rate and AARP Rate due to lower age requirements for AARP membership.
[/]

That's exactly what my concern is. Thanks for expressing it so well.
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Old Jan 29, 2018, 2:57 pm
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Originally Posted by CPRich
For folks between 50 and 62, it may be meaningful.

The room I'm booking for Wednesday night has a Senior rate of 139 vs. AAA rate of 148 (my SET rate is 164), lowest of the 20 rates offered other than Government/Military/Not Valid For Contracted Vendors rate at 121.

I doubt anyone feels great pleasure from this (potential) change.
It is possible to be an AARP member without being 50. You could be 18, or even younger, and join. It's basically just a marketing scheme, so they are more than happy to accept new members and their dues.
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Old Jan 29, 2018, 7:40 pm
  #8  
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Okay.....

Makes no difference to the point being made.
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Old Jan 29, 2018, 10:23 pm
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I think this is a merger standardization — if I remember right, Marriott has always had a senior rate but not an AARP rate that wasn’t based on age. So now Starwood is the same. Too bad, since I got some good use from the AARP rate in the past. It didn’t always have the lowest price, but often it would not require a deposit when other rates did, which was helpful when my plans weren’t firm.
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Old Jan 30, 2018, 3:55 am
  #10  
 
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Originally Posted by Dr. HFH
I have yet to find a property where the AARP rate was less than the rate I could obtain otherwise on SPG.com.
Agree, never seen until today when I noticed Westin Melbourne AUD 15 cheaper. While that’s no great saving, it’s still worth having and particularly given the flexibility in the rate.
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Old Jan 30, 2018, 8:32 am
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I noticed this also some weeks ago. Even on the aarp homepage there is no more partner starwood / spg...

In the past I had some nice stays at lower costs thanks to the aarp membership and the aarp rate was in this cases always even lower than the prepaid rate...
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Old Jan 30, 2018, 3:40 pm
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Well I for one am glad the AARP rate is replaced by the Senior rate.It had been nearly impossible to get a decent senior rate when AARP was around.Now seeing a Senior rate that is cancellable but around the lowest prepaid rate on many occasions.
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Old Jan 31, 2018, 4:51 am
  #13  
 
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They had to pay AARP or at least that’s usually the case, same with AAA. I assume this was a cost saving measure and I wouldn’t expect the “senior” rate to actually be any different. I used the AARP all of once and it saved me less than $5/night. I assume AARP drives less traffic to SPG than most medium size companies now of that because the rate always sucked, maybe. Side rate but seemingly relevant how in the heck does SPH not have a hotel in Palm Beach? They also didn’t have one in Sarasota until a few years ago.
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Old Jan 31, 2018, 5:47 am
  #14  
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Gone, but not entirely gone .....

Just some datapoints :

The spg.com search/display option is now labelled "Senior", and finds a "Senior Rate" : "The Senior Rate is offered to guests who are 62 years of age or older"

The SPG iPad and SPG iPhone apps both have a search/display option "Senior & AARP", but both only finds the "The Senior Rate is offered to guests who are 62 years of age or older" rate.
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Old Jan 31, 2018, 3:00 pm
  #15  
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I've noticed this as well...bummer, as I'm not over 62, but enjoy AARP status and the accompanying discount.

I'm pretty sure I booked--at an SPG property--the 'senior' rate a week or two ago as it was the cheapest available and wasn't challenged on it, FYI.
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