There are literally thousands of choices when it comes to booking accommodations for your guests these days. Chain hotels are competing against boutiques, historic hotels, B&Bs and now, even AirBNB. To stay competitive and earn your business, they’ve had to step up their game. And that adds up to a great deal for you. Just ponder these ten perks when you’re picking:
1. Pick Your Perk. From California to Maine, participating Destination Hotels offer meeting planners the opportunity to pick a perk for their meeting or event. For example, if you book 100+ rooms, you can choose three perks ranging from complimentary suites to room upgrades to discounts and rebates on rooms and services.
2. Hotel/Airline Partnerships. Earn frequent flyer miles on your hotel bookings. Hilton Honors Event Planner Bonus Program offers members who hold qualifying events at participating Hilton hotels, bonus points and/or airline miles per US dollars spent, up to 100,000 bonus points and 100,000 miles.
3. Charitable Rewards. Many company cultures today embrace giving back to the community. Responding to this uptick in charitable giving, Omni Hotels & Resorts offer Book a Group/Help Feed America, a program through which the hotel chain donates one meal per room per night to the charity, Feeding America.
4. Free nights. Many hotels offer rewards programs with the incentive of earning free nights. For example, if you’re a Marriott Rewards member, you can redeem rewards points at five new properties in Portland, Singapore, Barcelona, Denver, and New York City. The easiest and most rapid way to rack up points is to obtain their company-branded credit card.
5. Smartphone Apps. Making everything easier, hotels offer free apps downloadable to your device. They can be used to check in, choose a room, and select an arrival time. They are also often programmed to allow guests to access the hotel’s fitness center, pool, business center, and other areas.
6. Free in-room WiFi. Used to be you had to belong to the reward program to get free in-room WiFi, but the tide seems to be turning on that one. In 2015, Hyatt hotels and resorts worldwide began providing free Wi-Fi to guests regardless of booking method or loyalty program participation. Since that time, many other chains have followed suit.
7. Pet friendly. For a lot of people, this is a huge draw. If you’re hoping to boost attendance at your meeting or conference, this perk might be one thing that will make your guests come and stay. For example, 826 La Quinta locations allow up to two dogs or cats per room at no extra charge.
8. Kids stay free. Not only do some hotels let you bring your pet, but your rug rats too? Sheraton Hotels & Resorts around the world let kids stay free as long as they are staying with an adult and using existing bedding. What’s more, many Sheratons offer babysitting services, either through hotel staff or a bonded service, so mom and dad can enjoy a little “me” time.
9. Free breakfast/free cocktail hour. Maybe that free waffle is nothing new, but it sure is popular. Best of all, it makes for huge savings in your budget if your guests can enjoy a free cup of coffee in the morning or a cheese plate and cocktail in the evening.
10. Free parking and shuttle service. This is another one of those budget bonuses that alleviates your need to provide group transport for down time, off-site meetings, or airport transport.
