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Finding hotel discounts for military members isn’t as easy as it would seem. While every major hotel chain claims to offer some type of military discount, there’s often no published discount rate, and offers vary by location. Many times, the discount isn’t any better than a rate made available to AAA, AARP, or even the public at large.
Yet, there are some true bright spots and benefits that go beyond saving a few bucks off your hotel room. We’ve cut through the crap and have some recommendations for the best hotel discounts for military members that you can actually use.
- Best Hotel Chain: Wyndham
- Best Hotel Discount: Extended Stay America
- Best for Veterans: IHG Hotels and Resorts
- Best Budget: Red Roof Inn
- Best Booking Engine for Hotels: American Forces Travel
- Best for Families: Armed Forces Vacation Club
- Best in Las Vegas: Caesars Properties
Best Hotel Chain
Wyndham
Pros
- Large number of properties to choose from
- Earn additional perks with Wyndham Rewards program
Cons
- Fewer upscale and luxury properties than other hotel chains
Key Features
- Up to 20 percent discount off the best available rate for active and retired military and their spouses
- 1,000 bonus points for military members completing a qualifying stay
- Automatic upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Gold level membership
Why It Made The Cut
- Wyndham offers a consistent 12 percent off the best available rate at participating hotels and up to 20 percent off through other programs. These discounts extend to spouses, as well.
Best Hotel Discount
Extended Stay America
Pros
- TDY and PCS rates offered at hundreds of locations
- Honors DoD flat-rate policy
- Suites come with kitchens and home-like amenities
- Guest laundry facilities
Cons
- Fewer locations than other brands with just 650 options
Key Features
- Offers up to 45 percent off for military
- On-site guest laundry facilities
- Pet-friendly accommodations
- Free breakfast and Wi-Fi
Why It Made The Cut
- Extended Stay America offers up to 45 percent off hotel rooms for servicemen. Plus, the home-like amenities make sense when staying for relocation or vacation.
Best for Veterans
IHG Hotels and Resorts
Pros
- On-base hotels are a great value and cater to servicemen and women
- One of the best customer satisfaction rates in the industry
- Over 6,000 properties worldwide
- Basic and luxury properties available to book
- Quality, budget-friendly properties
- Can earn free nights with rewards program
Cons
- Discount rate determined by individual hotels
Key Features
- 40 on-base hotels
- Leisure travel discounts
- Amenities often include free breakfast, free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly rooms, and guest laundry
- Includes brands such as Six Senses, Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites
- Rewards program can help you earn more perks, such as free night stays
Why It Made The Cut
- IHG Hotels and Resorts offers a bit of everything in terms of discounts and amenities, including 40 on-base hotels active and veteran service members can access at very favorable rates.
Best Budget
Red Roof Inn
Pros
- 10 to 20 percent discount available
- Affordable economy and midscale rooms
- No additional charge for pets
Cons
- Fewer choices and locations with just 670 properties
Key Features
- 10 percent discount for service members, veterans, family, and government contractors
- 20 percent discount for service members with a VetRewards card
- Pets stay free
- Free Wi-Fi
- Stay at 670 properties worldwide
Why It Made The Cut
- Red Roof Inn offers a straightforward and comprehensive 10 percent discount at all of its hotels nationwide. For those who have VetRewards, the discount is 20 percent.
Best for Families
Armed Forces Vacation Club
Pros
- More than 4,000 worldwide resorts may have a week available
- Condo living (namely, the kitchen) can help you save money
- Free membership
Cons
- Some properties appear older and outdated
- Dates and property availability may not fit your schedule
Key Features
- Weeks of condo use sold at discounted rates, most at $379
- 1-, 2-, or 3-bedroom condos available
- Free membership for all veterans, active, and retired members of the U.S. military, civilian employees of the DoD, and their immediate families
Why It Made The Cut
- For a family, $379 for a week at a resort is a killer deal. The properties available here are also typically condo-style with a kitchen and living space. This is great for traveling families.
Best Booking Engine for Hotels
American Forces Travel
Pros
- Deep discounts much like you would see on Priceline
- Variety of travel to book
- Searches and compares over 1.2 million properties worldwide
- Able to use Military Star card to book hotel rooms
Cons
- Inconsistent discounts across brands
- Some users report seeing the same deals as they would on a public-facing site
Key Features
- Discounts on hotels, car rentals, cruises, airfare, and event tickets can be as much as 40 to 60 percent
- Only official MWR travel site
- No membership fee
Why It Made The Cut
- American Forces Travel is like Priceline for military bookings. You can save quite a bit of money using this travel booking engine — up to 50 percent on hotel rooms.
Best in Las Vegas
Caesars Properties
Pros
- Available to active duty military, veterans, military spouses and dependents, retirees, reservists, and surviving spouses
- Additional discounts at casino gift shops with the Salute card
Cons
- Discount restrictions extend to Caesars Rewards loyalty member offers
- Other promotional packages where spa, dining, or show tickets are included are not eligible for the military discount
Key Features
- Discount rate up to 30 percent for members of the military
- Applies to Bally’s, Harrah’s, Paris Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, The Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, Circus Circus, and more
Why It Made The Cut
- Caesars Properties offer up to 30 percent off the lowest hotel rate for U.S. and Canadian military. Popular hotels include Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Circus Circus, and others.
Things to consider before booking a military discount
Every major hotel chain offers some type of discount for military personnel, but it’s not standard across hotels and most of them are not publicly published. Some of these are “discounts” in name only, meaning you can get the lowest available rate without selecting the military discount.
The only way to determine the government or military discount for most hotel chains is to tap in the dates of your trip directly into the hotel chain’s search engine. Discounts vary by the individual hotel and date of your trip.
FAQs about hotel discounts for military
Q: Do military members get discounts on Airbnb?
A: No, Airbnb does not offer a military discount, but Airbnb hosts can. If they do, it’ll be listed in their terms and conditions.
Q: Do military spouses get hotel discounts?
A: Hotel policies vary for extending military discounts to family members. Some require active-duty status while others offer discounts for leisure travel to household members. It’s best to check with the hotel you’re planning to stay at.
Q: Do you need to show proof or military ID to get a discount?
A: Most hotels require you to show proof of ID for your discount, though it’s possible you may not get asked for it at check-in. It’s always a good practice to bring it with you.
Q: What hotel chain offers the highest discount?
A: It’s difficult to ascertain what hotel offers the highest military discount, especially since most hotel chains let their franchise owners determine the discount for a hotel room. IHG, Wyndham, and Red Roof all advertise up to 20 percent off a hotel room through the VetRewards program, while Extended Stay America claims the discount can be as much as 45 percent.
Q: Do hotels have discounts for law enforcement or federal employees, too?
A: Yes. Many hotels offer discounts for law enforcement or federal employees. Check for a category called government discounts on the hotel’s website.
Final thoughts
Hotel discounts for members of the military can vary widely, and some truly aren’t a real discount, which is frustrating. With the sacrifices military families make, a few bucks off the hotel room shouldn’t be something you need to fight for. Hopefully, you found this list useful and can book a hotel deal for some well-deserved time off.
Methodology
Our evaluation of the best hotel discounts for military took into account the entire value of what is offered by the hotels. This includes:
- Discount amount
- Hotel perks like free parking, free breakfast, pet-friendly hotels, early check-in or late check-out, hotel or bar vouchers, free Wi-Fi, guest services, and other hotel amenities
- Customer satisfaction surveys and rankings by the American Customer Satisfaction Index and TripAdvisor
- Overall quality of the hotel chain
Recognizing that hotels have different strengths, we sought to find the best discounts in several hotel categories, from condo-style arrangements to budget-friendly hotel rooms.
All major hotel brands were evaluated. Some hotel chains simply don’t offer a discount any greater than what the public at large can book. These options were eliminated from our consideration for best hotel discounts for the military.