The last time we went on a trip that involved a hotel space, I was standing outside of the bathroom doing a little “gotta go, gotta go” dance while Mrs. Lampsen finished washing her hair (which looks like spun gold, in case you’re curious)  behind a locked door.  I was in need of a distraction and I found one.  The little sign on the hotel door.  It was amazing!

Right above all of the details about how no one is gonna help you if a cat burglar steals your rare blue diamond because you didn’t use the safety deposit box, the hotel listed the daily room rates.  Let me just say that I was happy we paid far, far less than the $200 “regular” rate!

We actually got a whale of a deal on this particular room and we didn’t do it by using my usual tactic.  I generally use the bid sites like Priceline, but it didn’t work out for this particular sojourn.  I had to find another way to cut the rate.  

Mrs. Lampsen just so happens to be a schoolteacher at a public school when she isn’t taking care of her hair.  The way I saw it, that made her a government employee.  The person with whom I made the reservation agreed and we were able to get the room at a deeply discounted “government rate”.

That got me thinking about all of the various hotel discounts out there that people may not even think about when they book their room.  We paid less than $100 for that $200 room.  I can’t tell you if that’s representative of what these rate cutters will do for you, but their sure to help you save on hotels enough to be worthwhile.

GOVERNMENT.  That was our ace in the hole for our last trip.  It is worth noting, however, that different hotel chains have different notions about what constitute a government employee.  Sometimes, it’s defined as a “federal government employee”.  On the bright side, some places are so liberal that they’ll let former and retired government employees get the rate.  No, really.  If you ever had a government gig in your life, you’d be theoretically eligible.

BUSINESS.  Most places have a special rate for business travelers.  If you’re doing something related to your business or your employer’s business while on your trip, ask about it.  According to at least one anonymous insider, hotels are willing to hand out this rate like a Gideon hands out bibles to put in the nightstand.  They’ll let you be creative in your interpretations of business trips and don’t mind doing so one  little bit.

STARTS WITH TWO A’S.  And it’s not “aardvark”.  You can usually trim a little off the price of an overnight stay if you happen to be a member of the AARP or AAA.  Some people aren’t too impressed with the AARP discounts these days, but 10%-15% is still better than getting chewed up by bedbugs at some no-tell motel.

MILITARY.  Sometimes a chain will lump this with the government discount (Best Western does).  In other cases it may be a standalone deal.  Although you’d assume that being on active duty would be a requirement, I’ve heard from fairly reliable sources that even those who’ve long been discharged from service are often able to capture a little rate cut.

SAVE GREEN BY BEING GREEN.  There are a few hotels who are willing to give you a break if you pull up to the lobby in a hybrid.  They want to reward you for being environmentally friendly.  Either that or they figure anyone who just drove from Sandusky to Boston in a Prius deserves pity.

LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL.  Sometimes, you can get a cut rate for being a union member.  Depends on the union and the hotel chain, but the discount does exist in some circumstances.

TRADING BACK SCRATCHING.  You can get a good rate on hotels if you’re a travel agent.  After all, the hotel wants to kiss your backside enough that you’ll start booking your customers there.

SPECIAL VISITOR.  Occasionally, you’ll run into a nice discount based on the reason you happen to be in town.  Here’s a perfect example.  If you’re considering enrolling at the University of Wyoming and need a place to stay while you’re checking out the campus, you can get up two a 20% discount at some of Laramie’s finer hotels.  The last time I was in Laramie, I slept in a girls’ dormitory after getting sick at a taco joint, but that was over fifteen years ago and Mrs. Lampsen didn’t attend UW, so I’ll appreciate your discretion.

If there’s a moral to this story, it’s probably the fact that there’s something about you that qualifies you for a discount.  If you can’t come up with that special something on your own, talk with the hotel staff.  Have them run through the whole list until you find something that sticks.  Oh, and ask what you need to show them to verify your eligibility.  More often than not they’ll let it go without proof but it would be frustrating to show up and lose your deal simply because you didn’t bring your union card or something.