Thread: Who Knew? Discounts at Hotels! :)

Thank you too!

I've been both on my company and it's mainline parent's websites... only a few listings on one, nothing on the other .... I'm liking your company more and more!

I'm about 50/50 for getting a better price directly from the hotel ...many are independently owned, although in chains, and gouge the phone price over the online price.

My biggest hotel pet peeve right now is looking at that/any chain's internet price, then calling the central reservation number only to be told they can't compete w/their own internet pricing and I'd have to book it online (Shear STUPIDITY)

As a chain, we are really liking Choice Hotels 1.877.4choice for several reasons

1) Cancellation policy is often very ameniable...4-7 PM day of arrival

2) We often fly at night and are able to make reservations right at the point of being cleared off standby and handed seats ...easy to remember number, multiple properties at most locations. esp airports

Quick story, we were handed seats (see vent post), made reservations as we were on a night flight to SEA a few weeks ago....plane developed a "hydraulic problem" right at boarding ...we called, canceled the res...they called the hotel and we were refunded our first night.... when most hotels would have kept it!

3) Courteous informative agents, often able to answer questions about amentities, and when not able, call the hotel directly for you!

4) Website is very user friendly, and offeres/mentions/guarantees that those are the lowest prices available (remember to say "Sam's Club" )

5) ...and as mentioned above ...free nights!

Still looking for more info/suggestions on hotel discounts please

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MRSDS1DONNA:
I didn't realize that all airlines didn't publish a list. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am quite surprised by that too. On day 3 of my training for my airline we were told of all the privileges, the discounts on various places, crew hotels, where to find them, etc. We have a entire website devoted to our travel privileges, and information on all discounts we are eligible for. As I always say, "it is a tough job, but someone has to do it"

We were trained on: "work hard, play hard".

Disagree (although I do understand the concept) ...it's STPIDITY to piss the more intellegent customer off. That hotel has nothing that I won't find elsewhere ..ie, a nice bed and a clean bathroom at a decent location.

However, there is one thing that the pissant hotel will NEVER have....and that is my $$$.

I also have some commentary on airline pricing, but it will have to wait....got to go search a plane, move some equipment around and ticket some pax.

(and yes, I am very aware of "free market pricing" and the microeconomics of our industry)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DNA:
Disagree (although I do understand the concept) ...it's STPIDITY to piss the more intellegent customer off. That hotel has nothing that I won't find elsewhere ..ie, a nice bed and a clean bathroom at a decent location.
However, there is one thing that the pissant hotel will NEVER have....and that is my $$$. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The airline industry does the same thing now. The best fares are on the internet. Those great fares encourage people to use the internet. If you called the airline res, you cannot get the same deals that are on the internet. I am sure that every airline is the same with the best fares on the internet.

I am not saying it is fair. it is just the way it is now

To say in your words that it is a "pissant hotel", do you work for a "pissant airline" that has the best fares online that you cannot get on the phone?!!

Yes ...in a way...I do work for 'pissant' airline (althought is has many many good qualities, pricing is not one of them. )

Two examples: ...a pax has her mom in the hospital (suddenly) and must go to STL ...my work computer says the best immediate fare is $1049 .... so we tell her to check online where it is $310. This lady is over a barrel so to speak...she does not have time to check OAL's.. or even change terminals...she has to get there!

However...after seeing other's fare, and our wide pricing model, $740 difference, will she ever fly us again?

A price should be a price...if the Airlines want to supply/demand price...then they should set 'x' number of seats aside at a price, then 'y' number seats aside ..and it should/could be first come first serve... a huge discrepency like that should not be available from a single company. Sure, run out of a class, or the majority of a class of seats, raise the price...no problem ....but if you offer it on Expedia at one price, the company's website at another...and yet a third price at the ticket counter or on a phone reservation...THIS CREATES NEGATIVE GOOD WILL with the discerning customer, it is just plain bad business ...imho


Also, my company offers a fare between two cities ...call them X and Y for $239. However, if the same pax wants to go from X to Z, w/a connect in Y, it's $129 (like this for 3 cities) ... this is not only bizzare pricing...but BS to the pax that feels he/she is getting ripped off, again, negative goodwill ... translating to less revenue and less repeat business.


I know we are in a business that has evolved to the way things work now are considered "the Natural Order of things!" .... if it works, why mess w/it? I am not naive ...and while I do have the experience and education to run a 25-50 million dollar company, I wouldn't pretend for a second to be able to positively affect our industry, or such sizeable companies, (nor want to try)

I know at my station (and this would apply to about 50-60 more like mine just w/my company) I could increase wealth maximization through dozens of both quantitative and qualitative means ...resulting in millions of dollars of net profit.

The point here is one of those means would be customer satisfation and retention...instead of the increasing occurance of seeing my company book/ticket just one connect from my station (because it is the only way out) and then seeing the pax book two additional connects to get to their destination on OAL's, even though we fly there

(often that is the case because of lower prices on OAL's, as well as customer dissatifaction, both avoidable and undesirable!)

I'd be curious...If you had to pay for it, how many here would travel w/their company?

No reflection on the quality of my company, but I simply would not based on price (I know for a fact I could find lower fares, both through reservations and online w/OAL's, finding the pricing intregrety I am asking for is another story!)