zrudeboyz

I browsed through the forums here and settled that this is the best forum to post this.

I am going to be doing an MR to LAS with a Travelocity $100 of flight and hotel coupon (from the Japan fiasco) and was wondering what would be the consequences of me not showing up to the hotel? I don't believe it will effect my MR in any way, but am trying to see if anyone has experience with this.


Thanks

Pat89339

Not Travelocity, but I have skipped the hotel with United Vacations and it didn't make a difference.

I actually went to the hotel first and handed them the cert. I told them that I didn't want to stay as I didn't like the hotel. They didn't seem to care one bit and didn't even want the voucher for the room. I guess either way they get paid.

The second time, I didn't bother going to the hotel at all, nor on subsequent trips.

myfrogger

I've done this sort of thing quite a few times and there is never a consequence of not using something you paid for. I always dealt with Travelocity's sister companies every time I have done this.

Good luck!

bhatnasx

Personally, I wouldn't worry if you bailed on the hotel. TL's not going to come back & charge you the difference.

That said, this isn't really for the MR forum since it has to do with TL's policies. I'm going to move this to TravelBuzz.

Thanks!

bhatnasx
Mileage Run Moderator

misdirected baggage

It's been noted that business/first class flights from mainland to HI are much cheaper when bundled with a car and/or hotel via an airline-sponsored vacation package. These packages require that you pay all charges in full (air, car and/or hotel) in advance. Still, the price differences between these packages and the regular airfare rates are so large that, in theory, one can simply pay for a car -- even if it is never used -- and obtain a much better first class airfare than one would get via the sponsoring airline.

This is ideal for those who might take a 5-day vacation, but is problematic for those who might take a 3-4 week trip (the rental car charges approach $3,000 for a 4 week stay on HI!!). One way to make this work for those of us who spend several weeks at a destination might be to book an air+car (no hotel) package for the minimum number of days (say, 5 nights), but then re-schedule the return flight upon arrival. That is, book and pay for a 5 day vacation package, but re-schedule the return flight for 3 weeks later after arrival (and incurring the associated airline change fee). Even though the change fee might be a couple of hundred dollars, and you don't use the rental car for the 5 days) it can still be much cheaper than buying a business/first class ticket outright. Is this feasible? Of course, there is a risk that flights might not be available on the desired return day. But, nonetheless, there doesn't appear to be anything in the rules that prohibit flight changes providing that the sponsoring airline penalties are paid. Thoughts??

swag

Are the fares only cheaper if booking the package via the airline? Expedia offers an option "I only need a hotel for part of my trip" that lets you bundle a roundtrip of any length with a single hotel night, and still get the same airfare discount as with booking the hotel for the whole time.

Rebelyell

Is the hotel affiliated with a casino? Frequently when checking in you will get a coupon book with a gambling value of $50 to $200. So it might be worthwhile to check in and see what kind of coupons you get.

Also, if the room is free it can be very nice to have a room downtown and a room on the Strip. If you are downtown gambling you can take a break, use the bathroom and so forth. Just be sure to muss up the bed and maybe strow a newspaper around so the room will look occupied.

misdirected baggage

The trick isn't a hotel. These are airline sponsored vacations (see, for example, United Vacations) that offer either air+car, or air+hotel, or both. The trick to a cheap airfare is to take the air+car even if you don't need the car (just throw the voucher away). But these strategies only work with short-term travel. Things like expedia vacations are good, but not as good as some of the airline packages -- especially for 1st class air.

Rebelyell

Why not take the Air+Hotel. Sometimes it's just as cheap, and it comes with a hotel room that you might be able to use. As I said, you might get a coupon book with real value, plus you might get on the hotel's mailing list for future discounted trips and special offers. Plus, as I said, if you are staying on the Strip but have a free downtown room you can use it for a quick rest or to have a place to go to the bathroom. If you go to the bathroom in your rental car you will end up having to pay a big fee when you return it.