How to get better corporate rates on hotels

You don't need to travel with a large company to receive discounts and corporate rates in hotels.

Have you ever 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 a business 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 obtain better rates.

Platforms such as Vyootrip will allow you to save time and money when booking, getting you the best corporate rates in hotels around the world.

2. Negotiate in frequented hotels

Do your travelers often visit the same cities? Do customers and employees visit your corporate headquarters? If so, consider negotiating hotel nights in the places where your employees stay most often.

Here's how it works: You sign a contract for a specific number of nights in a given year (or for a different period), and the hotel offers a discounted rate (usually 10-15% off) for those pre-set nights. Even if you don't use all the negotiated nights, getting close to them can mean significant savings.

This doesn't work for all companies. If you don't often receive visitors and employees at your headquarters, there's no need to negotiate a local contract. And if your travelers are constantly visiting 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 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 the most suitable for booking hotel stays. In the case of flights, you often have to pay a hefty exchange rate to change bookings. This doesn't always happen with hotel stays (although some discounted rates must be purchased in advance). Hotels usually allow cancellation 24-48 hours in advance, giving you plenty of time to search for better deals before you leave.

4. Do not make your reservation using the 80x/90x number

Call the real hotel (not the middle number of travel portals) to talk to an employee who actually works there. Ask them if they can help you with a better rate, understanding that you are traveling there for 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 and retaining a business traveler, or your company, so that they can take them as an option on their next trips.

5. Discounts on extended stays

If your stay is 5 nights or more, you can ask about whether they can offer you an extended stay rate.

Sometimes these discounts aren't announced, but they're very common for business travelers.

6. Don't go near a busy counter

If you're trying to apply for a discount, don't do so during busy times. If there is a queue and you have time, wait for the queue to run out. Since it is more difficult to negotiate these discounts if there are people waiting. Also, hotels may not be interested in having another customer hear how you receive a negotiated or exclusive discount.

Please also keep this in mind when calling the hotel. Do not call during busy times, whether in the morning or at night.

7. Book a non-refundable rate

If you're 99% sure that your plans won't change, book your hotel room at a non-refundable rate, which is usually 10-25% lower than the refundable rate. Although this isn't a corporate discount per se, you still receive a discount on your room rate.

How Vyootrip can help you get the best corporate hotel rates

Vyootrip is a business travel platform, which allows you to manage all trips 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 following the company's travel policy applied to each employee. Therefore, there is already an optimization of costs and time that will provide you with savings.

In addition, Vyootrip is connected to multiple hotel providers around the world. And our system will show you the cheapest negotiated rate for you for each hotel that matches your search criteria.

Discover the benefits of our platform at Vyootrip.com

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