AAA card - Do hotels check ?
 

I never really paid attention to these rates as they are usually even more than my chainwide discount is, but I found a place in Las Vegas that has a reasonable offer. It is a nice hotel though.

Do hotels check these AAA cards on check-in ? I have never seen it at other guests even though I witnessed many times that hotel staff asked for a government ID.

Thanks,

I stay in 1 to 3 different hotels a week and have been asked by about 10-15% of hotels when I check in. This has been across many brands, none of which seem to enforce it more regularly than others. YMMV.

Some do

Pay the $40 ;)

The Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas asked to see my AAA card. It was the first time anyone has asked in several years.

Just a little problem:

The card wont arrive until the weekend

Also the price for AAA membership seems to differ from state to state.

I use AAA booking code for hotels and rental cars. I have NEVER been asked to present the membership card.

You can get a temporary card at any AAA office. During the holidays I had a gap between receiving my renewed card and leaving for vacation. I never know which hotel will ask to see the card, so I got a temporary one. The hotel never asked, but I wanted to be prepared just in case.

Sign up at your local AAA office & make your case ~ they should be able to give you a temporary card .. or at least a verifying receipt.

I think I've been 'carded' once ;)
/.

40$ ???

They want 67$ for joining !

I think I just pass and book...

Hilton's require the AAA number if you're making the reservation online - most don't check at all (in my experience) though some hotels do check. If a hotel checks & you don't have it - just expect to pay the regular rate (though at a hotel like an SPG product - the AAA rate & the rack rate are often VERY different - at most other chains, it's a 5-15% discount usually).

See if you can do a joint account with a friend, coworker, neighbor or FT'ers - my account has me (in DC) and my sister (NY - just haver her listed at my address) on it.

Also, keep in mind that AAA cards get printed for 2-years validity (for example a card issued in April 2007, is valid through April 2009 according to the card - even though you're only paid up through April 2008 - and, though I'm not 100% sure, I think if you were to lose your card in say, February 2008 and ask them to send you a new one, it'd show a validity date of February 2010 - of course, I'm not 100% sure of that) - based on this, you can get away with paying for it only once every 2 years if you think that you're only going to use for hotels - if you're going to use it for other things (like maps, travel agency services, etc), you would have to pay the annual fee...

I can only recall being asked for the card twice in the last 70-80 stays. As mentioned previously, Hilton makes you provide the number at booking time to get the rate, so maybe that's why they don't ask for the card. But fewer than half of those stays have been Hilton or related.

Ditto.

I've never been asked to show the card through many stays at Hilton and Marriott properties. Nearly every one was booked with the AAA discount, which at some places can be a reasonable savings.

I solved the little problem with some support and look forward to a comfortable stay ;)

Cheers,

I have had some places ask me for proof of AAA membership. I generally just carry the key fob with me and it doesn't have a number on it, just a barcode.

Some places have accepted this, some have not. Depends on who's responsible for checkin.

You should try calling them to sign up. I called the 800 number to sign up and they waived the new member fee so I saved $15.

or you can use the AARP rate. My husband is a member, and i have a spouse's card. i've never been asked for that card, either. Hey wait, maybe that's not such a good thing? I'm not actually that old, but maybe I look it! :eek:

About 10%-20% of the time I am asked for a AAA card and its usually at the lower priced hotels (ie Days Inn, Hampton Inn etc and not Hilton or Marriott). Once they noticed I had a AAA map and considered that sufficient proof I was a AAA member (and I am). AAA membership varies by your location. When I joined HI was $15 cheaper than PA.

MisterNice

"I left it at home."*

*Note I actually am a member and infer nothing immoral by the above statement.

I've been asked more lately. The agent at the Kahala in Honolulu just asked for it and was rather careful in checking name and expiry. A bit surprising, but AAA rate was about $100 a night savings, so I suppose it's definitely worthwhile for the hotel to have the agents check.

Never been asked.

I don't get asked all the time, but moreso lately than ever before. I am a AAA member, so it doesn't matter to me. If you want to use the discount a lot, the basic AAA membership really isn't much to pay.

I've been asked about 20% of the time. Usually it's in hotels that include breakfast in the AAA rate.

IMHO, my membership fee has more than paid for itself in hotel discounts.

i just set up my online account with AAA and printed my account page. that should work.

What hotel are you staying in? Where? When?

Yes they check, they didn't use to check at all but now they are checking pretty often. I have a card so it hasn't been a problem, but for years I was never asked. Membership vaires by state and apparently how long the cards are good for as well, since my card is valid for one year at a time only.

Hilton does not ask very often, but they have my number online and it is verified directly with aaa at booking for validity. Try entering a digit wrong and see what happens. YMMV

That is a one time fee, but you can use for multiple stays throughout the year. Do the math!!!

I always have gotten a better hotel deal some other way.

But once, I was phoning a hotel trying to get a good rate, and the clerk offered to give me the AAA rate even though I did not have membership.

So, if you phone up the hotel and say you'd really like to stay there, but you don't have AAA membership, but could you please have the discount, it may work.

Just another data point. Two different four points the last two nights on AAA rate. Neither asked for the card.

Yes, but enter a valid number that is expired and it WILL work.

That may or may not work. I could not find my AAA card once when it was requested, and the hotel changed my rate to the standard rate. Fortunately, the difference was only about $10-15.

I use the AAA discount all the time and I've ONLY been asked for it once! I use my dad's account. I called AAA and they faxed the info to the hotel - no problem.

Very interesting discussion !

Thanks for all these comments, I will actually have a member travelling with me so it's not a problem anymore. Also I needed to modify the dates because of a MR.

It will be the Planet Hollywood so well worth it.

I hope the title is good enough to work in he search engine, otherwise mods might want to change it for this purpose :)

Cheers,

I was only asked once at a Marriott Courtyard in Rochester, MN.

Not to stray too much off topic, but AAA offers huge discounts and promotions with Hertz. I recoup the membership fee rather quickly that way. They also offer decent travel books and maps for free to members.

Of the several times I've booked the AAA rate (and am a current member), I've only had one Hyatt Place in Scottsdale ever ask for the card (but not several other times I've checked in).

I almost forgot where in my wallet I had put the card, haha! :p

I've also only once ever had a car rental company ask for it, and that was when I had to go to the counter to add an additional driver.

Interesting thread - prior to this year, I've only had two hotels (Embassy and Sheraton). This year, I've had three Hyatt Place hotels (DC, Orlando and Boston) ask - perhaps it's their rate card they're trying to protect from abuse?

I dunno..

Use the AAA hotel discount all the time, and only been asked to show the card once -- at a Marriott outside Milwaukee. Ironically, that was one of the few times I didn't have it with me, and the hotel honored the rate anyway.^

Stayed at Planet Hollywood last October. A member in our party had a AAA card, but they did not check.

Just to add my two cent...it just depends...some places ask and some don't. But, w/ my most recent use of the AAA discount at the Marriott in Cancun, I was asked...but only to have it in my wallet back home!! So, I had to get someone to FAX me/the hotel a copy of the card before they would honor the discount! Man, it was a hassle. So, I now always carry it with me just in case.