HOTELS
I have a TON of 1/2 off hotel and rental car coupons from United. Give me an email or wazzup on AOLIM (eatemupksu) and we'll figure something out!
The last couple years I've been a platinum member with Holiday Inn. That means you spend 60+ nights in a calendar year with them. You get a free paper and 30% point bonus. Whoop dee doo. Sometimes you can talk your way into a suite upgrade. At one time they automatically offered upgraded accomodations. Not any more. The benefits are cheap and you only get the status based on paid nights. AND they increased points required for free nights and retail rewards from 15 to 20% in April.
One issue with Holiday Inn: their phone networks typically do not allow for modem connections above 19,600bps. Their rates are not too competitive as of late. I am finding the Marriott courtyards near the hi and expresses offer similar rates. Doesn't mean I'll defect to the morons.
With Hilton HHonors I made Gold VIP. I did that by staying at 16 locations in a calendar you. You can also stay 35 nights or such. They give you 50 frequent flyer miles each day plus a 25% point bonus. They also have a program with Avis where you can get 100 points for each day you rent from Avis. And another program where you can get 500 points by showing them your National Car Rental keychain. If you pay for your room with their credit card, you get 3 points per dollar charged. I cashed in on their United Nights program. I grabbed 120,000 points without spending but 3 nights in HHonors program properties.
The Hampton Inn chain in the Hilton HHonors is rated higher than any other in its category (Holiday Inn Express, Sleep Inn, etc.) by JD Powers. I find the Hamptons to be a growing chain with convenient locations.
HINTS ON GETTING THE BEST RATES AND AMENITIES
When booking a hotel, always ask for the lowest rate. And going through a travel agent isn't normally the best way to do this. They might just book the first thing that pops up. I usually call separately and get a better rate. Check out my list of travel web pages for some more help.
I highly recommend AAA membership. Their rates are 5 or 10 bucks less than the corporate rate most of the time so if you travel it pays for itself in a couple of weeks. Plus 100 miles of free towing, $1000 in travel expenses if you break down and they'll be there within 45 minutes of your call. And they give you free maps and travel guides to just about anywhere in the US. And a free road atlas if they quote a rate for your insurance.
Walk in on Sunday without a reservation. Most hotel revenue managers don’t work on Sunday so you can finagle about any rate you want plus it is typically the day with least demand by asking for the manager on duty.
During the week, walk in after 7 or 8pm. If there’s room, the later you arrive the more you can negotiate the rate of this perishable commodity.
When you are booking a hotel, get the direct number from the internet or 800 reservations line. Negotiate the price with the hotel directly. Especially if you are booking a meeting or will be onsite for an extended amount of time.
If you are not a slave to any hotel brand try booking on priceline.com. I have booked hotels for $40 per night that are $179 a night with a AAA rate. Start the bidding at about 25% of priceline’s suggested price. If they don’t return anything, adjust slightly until they do. The downside: you specify the level of quality you want and pay for the reservation before you even know the name of the hotel.
If you are onsite for sometime ask the hotel to empty the minibar. Then go out and buy your own snacks and sodas and put them in the empty fridge!