Booking Marriott associate rate
If you are a Marriott associate or immediate family, you can book Marriott stays with the code supplied through your employer or the Marriott intranet. During the late fall to early winter, you can often book with another code with an increased discount (dates and availability vary). I am not posting the codes for obvious reasons but your employer or the Marriott extra-net will have the codes. Anybody reading this that does meet the requirements, do not try using associate codes as it requires a form that is validated by the hotel's front desk. You can book the stay but you will most likely get nailed upon check in. As a Marriott associate or authorized family member, it is good practice to print out a hard copy of your authorization form from the Marriott extra-net portal to present to the hotel staff. Below is my technique for finding the best price availability.
- Try to be flexible. If you are flying and the flight is costly, book around your flight. If the flight is inexpensive, then focus on the hotel cost.
- Search on www.marriott.com using the associate code (use the "lowest rate" drop down and enter the code in the "Corp/Promo Code" area). Search a one night stay for different days of the week until you find the most likely hotel to have the most attractive rates.
- Select the property you want. We will use the Courtyard by Marriott Maui Kahului Airport listing as an example.
- Select the "Stay Dates" in the upper left and change the dates to "I'm flexible".
- Hit the update button to the right and you will see the cost per night for the entire selected month.
- Repeat for different properties until you get a result that is acceptable. Remember, you can often re-book up until 24-72 hours before your stay (check the individual policy for each property). In other words, as long as you can live with what is available, you can book and then continue to shop the rate as the travel window approaches.
- If you have Marriott points, you can often book an expensive night with points and use your discount for the other nights.
Pro Tip: When you initially look at a room listing, check the "Show with taxes and fees" box. The example below was $99 per night, but with taxes and fees, it is $120 per night.
Pro Tip #2: Click the "Room Details" button and view other pertinent details about the room and hotel. Scroll to the bottom of the page. You will see the pet fees and parking costs.
