Beating the system - travel question

That's why I stopped using Priceline.

YankeeFan's post on Hotwire/Priceline is spot on. That was my style until I joined the Marriott mafia. If you're staying by yourself, it also works if you have two credit cards (vs. using an SO's card for the second try). At least, it used to ... don't know if they fixed that recently.

 

Another great trick, if you know the right people, is the Marriott Friends and Family discount. Still get my points and saving $100-plus/night at two different hotels in Hawaii at the end of the month. Like the VIP code, the rate isn't always available, but when it is, it's awesome. My only friend from high school I still talk to is a Marriott employee of five-plus years and most people always forget to ask her if they can use the code. I'm not most people in this case.

 

I like voting on things.

 

the VIP card i got with GWAA is great. usually it saves about 25 percent on fairfield's and Residence inns, and up to 50 percent on the high-end marriotts.
and I've never been carded, even though i do have one.

 

They almost never ask for a card. If you're ever having trouble finding a room for a reasonable rate, check the AAA rate as well. Usually, the VIP rate wins out, but occasionally you'll find a nice rate with AAA.

I have a AAA card as well, but have never been asked to show it.

 

I haven't had AAA for about five years (probably stupid, I know) but my AAA number still works for discounts when I book hotel rooms. Never been asked to show my card.

 

So the different writers associations -- baseball, football, golf -- have a negotiated rate/discount with Marriott? That's why you all stay there?

Because I never thought their loyalty program was better than Starwood's or Hilton's.

 

That's a big part of the reason, for sure. That, and there is a Marriott property literally in every corner of the universe. I think Neil Armstrong might have stayed in a Fairfield when he landed on the moon.

As for the rewards program itself, I've never made it to platinum in Starwood. But I will say the Marriott folks take very good care of their platinum guests.

 

BBWAA members (not all of them, just the beat writers and columnists, I think) get Marriott VIP cards. I actually used the VIP rate several times before I had the card, and they never checked. I heard a few places (downtown Chicago, Miami, Houston) were the places they always checked, so word got around not to try there.

As for flight tricks, I did this once. For the 01 Yankees-A's ALDS, I had to fly from OAK-NY and back for Games 1-2 and then OAK-NY again for Game 5. There was no Saturday stay-over, so what I did was book one round trip OAK-NY before Game 1, with the return NY-OAK after Game 5. Then I booked a second round trip NY-OAK after Game 3, returning before Game 5. I don't think you're technically supposed to do that either.

 

Actually that is a creative way to do it. I see nothing wrong with that.

 

A former, very wise sports editor clued me in on the Marriott VIP trick and it's worked like a charm on a few occasions. As someone above said, though, it doesn't work every time. Never been asked to show the card, either.

 

I think there is great loyalty to Marriott because they were the first program to really have a wide-sweeping group of hotels with varied locations.

You can seriously go almost anywhere and at least find a Fairfield Inn or a Courtyard. Plus in bigger cities, there isn't just one or two options. There are usually many and at a bunch of different pricepoints.