Rack Rates and Discounts

When it comes to rack rates at a hotel you will want to be as informed as you can.  But before you can start diving into the finer details of rack rates, you will first need to become familiar with what they are.  Generally speaking, rack rates are the published full price at which a hotel room is offered to the public.  At this point you may be wondering why you need to know the rack rate of the hotel or motel that you are interested in staying at.  For the most part, the reason that you will want to know the rack rate is so that you can determine how much of a discount you are really getting.  After all, if you do not know the rack rate you will never even know if you are saving any money.  And wouldn’t you like to know if what you are getting is really a deal?

Finding Rack Rates

If you are searching for rack rates there are two places that you will want to start. First off, you may be able to get the rack rate for the hotel you are interested in by going to their website.  In most cases this will work out for you, and you can get all of the information that you could ever need.  But remember, not every hotel website is the same.  For this reason you may have to dig a bit deeper if you are searching for the rack rate. Your next best option is to call the hotel directory and see if you can get the information that way.  If you get a member of the hotel staff on the phone, chances are that you will be able to get the rack rates within a minute or so.

Rack Rate Discounts

When you know the rack rate of a certain hotel you will then be able to determine what type of discount you are really getting. For instance if the rack rate of a hotel is $100 and you are offered a “great deal” of $95 you will know how much you are really saving.  And you know that $5 is not the best deal that is available.  So before you believe somebody when they tell you that you are getting a great discount, you will first want to check out the rack rate.  Then, you will be able to make up your own mind as far as how good the deal really is.

As you can see, rack rates and discounts go hand in hand when it comes to the lodging industry.