Before you book any place do a Google search, for example “New York City Conferences” or “New York Marriott Conference 2008”. Then, contact the hotel over the phone and tell them that you’ll be attending the conference and would like to know if there are any discounted rates. Usually there are – and they won’t check any further to verify that you’re actually a conference or meeting member.
To test my theory, I called several hotels in major cities hosting events and was able to book at all but one. It took some “truth exaggeration” in some cases, although the average 15-25% discount may be well worth it for downtown overpriced hotels. A search for conferences should be a part of your next hotel search using Google, or if you prefer a more honest approach, try Kayak.
What “white lies”, if any, do you tell to get discounts when traveling?
[photo by: The Green Party]