‘What’s the deal here?’: Man books Marriott room for Chicago trip. Then he sees a shocking price difference with AAA ‘discount’—and not in a good way
At the beginning of the year, many people made a resolution to travel more. Then, they saw the prices.
While costs for many everyday items have gone up, the rise in travel prices has been especially stark. Travelers are finding themselves paying incredibly high prices for everything from hotel stays to flights. Plus, with the increasing price of oil, it’s likely that these costs aren’t going to come down anytime soon.
Given this, many are looking for ways to save on travel. One method involves using organizations you’re a part of—such as AARP, AAA, and more—in order to get a discount on a room.
But is that really as good of a deal as it seems? One TikTok user decided to investigate—and he couldn’t believe what he found.
Why Is This Marriott Hotel So Expensive?
In his video, TikTok user Ben (@banzaiben) advises viewers to “check all price options when booking travel.”
The reason? According to Ben, he’s currently planning a trip to Chicago. Consequently, he’s looking for hotels on the Marriott website. Looking specifically at the “lowest regular rate,” he’s seeing prices between the high $200 and mid-400 range.
However, under the “special rate” menu, there’s an option to use AAA, also known as the American Automobile Association. When Ben selects it, he’s greeted with a surprise.
“If I switch to AAA and then I update my search, this does not help,” he states. “This makes things more expensive.”
Viewing the map, it appears he’s correct. Hotel prices are substantially higher, with the same hotels now averaging around $400 or more.
“That’s not a special rate they’re marking up based on my AAA membership. That’s not a benefit. So what’s up with this?” he says.
“It kinda seems like Marriott knows people are gonna be choosing their AAA option thinking they’re getting the best discount, but Marriott bumps up the pricing,” he continues. “That way, they aren’t giving even lower prices.”
Is This True?
If one goes to the Marriott website and performs the same search as Ben, they will see similar results.
However, if one actually clicks on each of these hotels, they will get a better understanding of why they’re seeing the prices that they are.
Under each hotel is a range of rates. One of those rates is the “Prepay Non-refundable Non-changeable.” This is a rate that is, as the name would imply, non-refundable and non-changeable.
In contrast, the AAA offering is comparable to the chain’s Flexible Rate. This allows customers to cancel their booking for no cost up to a few days before their reservation.
When comparing the AAA rate to the standard Flexible Rate, the AAA rate is slightly lower while receiving the same service. However, if one is solely concerned with getting the lowest price, the Prepay Non-refundable Non-changeable option will likely be the cheapest option.
Commenters Agree
In the comments section, several users affirmed that the discount was valid—the main difference was the type of booking being offered.
“Hotel sales manager here. The lowest regular rate is their lowest brand offered rate with no other affiliations,” said a commenter. “They were most likely lower bc they require full prepayment with no changes or cancellations. Even though these are restrictions they are still a ‘regular rate’ because they’re brand direct. Affiliate discounts are off of the lowest flexible rate meaning the lowest brand direct rate with no restrictions like prepayment or minimum stay requirements.”
“Lowest regular rate was likely non-refundable. AAA rate was probably refundable up to 24 hours ahead of check in. People pay for flexibility,” suggested another.
@banzaiben What’s the deal here? @Marriott Hotels @Marriott Bonvoy #travel #hotels #marriott #psa #fyp ♬ original sound – Ben
The Mary Sue reached out to Marriott and Ben via email.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
