It happened again. A client was attending a conference at a hotel Atlanta, and his travel arranger told me she had to book through the conference arrangers to receive their special rate. No problem, but I asked her, by chance, what was the rate?
She told me it was a “special discount” of $161 a night. Which wasn’t bad, except that the hotel’s corporate rate was $159, and their AAA rate was $144. And both of those rates were commissionable at 10 percent to travel agents.
Often, conferences and meetings do negotiate rates lower than travelers or agents can get on their own, but not always. Sometimes the market has changed since the rates were negotiated, sometimes the negotiated rates include extras for the conference organizers, sometimes the rates are higher because the hotel guaranteed space would be available…. And the list goes on.
This situation can even arise with small groups like wedding parties. One of my clients has a son getting married in Portland, and asked me to set up a group rate at his favorite hotel. The hotel offered me a group rate, again, noncommissionable, for $179. But our consortium rates are in $135 to $168 range, depending on the room type. I declined the offer, and have been able to book all the guests individually at lower rates.
In addition, a nearby hotel, even one across the street, may offer a lower rate. This also means the convenience of not trying to check in and out at the same time as other conference attendees. Not to mention lessening your chances of running into the one colleague you really don’t want to see.
Other factors may also have contributed to hotels being on or off the conference list. For example, when the Democratic Party has meetings in Sacramento, Calif., the Sheraton, which is a union hotel, is always chosen over the Hyatt, which is non-union. Although the Hyatt is the same walking distance from the convention center and often has lower rates.
There can be similar situations with preferred airlines. Routinely clients will send me information on a “booking discount” with one airline or another for a meeting. But the discount is usually off of full fare, with perhaps a five percent discount on lower fares.
This may well mean the “discounted” fare might be higher than a lower sale fare on a different carrier. Besides the fact that five percent probably won’t offset the lost frequent flier miles if you fly regularly with someone else.
In short, if you are attending a meeting or conference, or even a wedding where there are group rates, double check the rates and options for “regular” people first. It shouldn’t waste that much of your time, and it could save a chunk of your money.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
