It is not necessary to travel with a major company to receive discounts and corporate rates in hotels.
Have you wondered how to access a corporate hotel rate for your small business?
The best way to get a good deal on your next trip is to know what to say, to whom and when. Here are some tips for getting great hotel discounts when you travel.
1. Use an enterprise travel management platform
These platforms are like a travel agency specialized in companies, with the added technology that allows them to offer a search interface that allows access to a multitude of suppliers to get better rates.
Platforms such as Vyootrip will allow you to save time and money when booking, getting you the best corporate rates at hotels around the world.
2. Negotiate in frequented hotels
Do your travelers often visit the same cities, and do customers and employees visit your corporate headquarters? If so, consider negotiating hotel nights in the locations where your employees stay most frequently.
Here's how it works: You sign a contract for a specific number of nights in a given year (or for a different term), and the hotel offers a discounted rate (usually a 10-15% discount) for those preset nights. Even if you don't use all of the negotiated nights, getting close to them can result in considerable savings.
This does not work for all companies. If you don't often have visitors and employees at your headquarters, there is no need to negotiate a local contract. And if your travelers constantly visit new cities with an unpredictable pattern, you may not have the volume in a single market to make a contract worthwhile.
3. Check last minute rates
Your travelers will want to book a hotel room well in advance of departure. But you can often find last-minute rates that are much more attractive than those booked months in advance. Hotels don't want to waste nights with empty beds, so they often manipulate rates as the date approaches to make sure they get something instead of nothing.
This approach is best suited for booking hotel stays. In the case of flights, there is often a hefty exchange fee to be paid to change reservations. This is not always the case for hotel stays (although some discounted rates must be purchased in advance). Hotels usually allow cancellation 24-48 hours in advance, which gives plenty of time to shop around for better deals before departure.
4. Do not make your reservation using the 80x/90x number.
Call the actual hotel (not the middle number on travel portals) to speak to an employee who actually works there. Ask them if they can help you with a better rate, understanding that you are traveling there on business.
Sometimes, hotels will offer you better rates because on the one hand they save the commission of the intermediary portal, and on the other hand, they may be interested in attracting a business traveler, or your company, so that they take them as an option in their next trips.
5. Discounts for extended stays
If your stay is for 5 or more nights, you may inquire about an extended stay rate.
Sometimes these discounts are not advertised, but they are very commonly given to business travelers.
6. Do not approach a busy counter
If you are trying to apply for a discount, do not apply during busy hours. If there is a line and you have time, wait until the line is over. It is more complicated to negotiate these discounts if there are people waiting. Also, hotels may not be interested in another customer hearing how you receive a negotiated or exclusive discount.
Please also keep this in mind when calling the hotel. Do not call during rush hours, either in the morning or in the evening.
7. Contract a non-refundable rate
If you are confident at 99% that your plans will not change, book your hotel room at a non-refundable rate, which is usually 10-25% less than the refundable rate. Although this is not a corporate discount per se, you still receive a discount on the room rate.
How Vyootrip can help you get the best corporate rates in hotels
Vyootrip is a business travel platform, which allows you to manage all travel for your company from one place.
Employees or travel managers can access a search portal where they can book their hotels. These will be automatically displayed according to the company's travel policy applied for each employee. So there is already a cost and time optimization that will provide you with savings.
In addition to that, Vyootrip has connection with multiple hotel suppliers from all over the world. And our system will show you the cheapest negotiated rate for you for each hotel that matches your search criteria.
Discover the advantages of our platform at vyootrip.com
