Am I doing this right?

[userlame]

Ok, I travel for work and I've got the Frequent Flyer thing down to an art. I want to see if I can enhance my experience when I stay out of town and I'm not sure where I should start.

My office has a cap per night on accommodation of $150 a night. I can apply for an exception, but it needs to be valid ("There is a sports event/etc in town", or "There are no places for $150 a night in Port Hedland")

My work takes me usually between the major cities, with the occasional trip to the sticks.

Currently I stay at (in order of preference) Rydges, Quest and Best Western. I book through Qantas.com to ensure I get the points and flash my card again at checkout to get points for extras, room service, etc.

I will occasionally try somewhere new when I get board of where I'm staying, but I don't really like playing 'dodgy hotel roulette', as it can ruin a trip.

So, seasoned road warriors, am I doing this right? Could I be doing things better? Is it worth signing up for the hotel schemes or better to focus on my QFF earn? Are there better hotels I could be staying at, or is this the limit for my budget?

All feedback appreciated.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Have a read of this thread http://www.australianfrequentflyer....stions/new-business-travel-what-my-39520.html

For the hotels putting the hotel stays/points into the hotel program and not direct to a airline freq flyer program may be better value in the long run. Free rewards night in hotels can be very valuable. But is very much a matter of opinion

www.wotif.com.au can give a guide to hotel prices, but booking direct can be better

 

[userlame]

Thanks for the info!
My understanding when booking wotif is that you don't earn any points at all?

 

[Mwenenzi]

..My understanding when booking wotif is that you don't earn any points at all?

Yes. Thats one of the reasons I stated "booking direct can be better". Can also be cheaper direct

 

[markis10]

You should be touching base with a hotel chain that suits your travels and negotiate a corporate rate, booking through an agent such as Qantas or Wotif usually means at least 5% is lost in commission. You should also keep an eye on rebate sites such as mrrebates.com who have periodic promos that can go as high as 15%:

http://www.mrrebates.com/search_stores.asp?k=Best+Western&g_search_option=S

http://www.mrrebates.com/search_stores.asp?k=Holiday+Inn&g_search_option=S