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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
Best Hotel Discount
Extended Stay America
Best for Veterans
IHG Hotels and Resorts
Best Budget
Red Roof Inn
Best for Families
Armed Forces Vacation Club
Best Booking Engine for Hotels
American Forces Travel
Best in Las Vegas
Caesars Properties
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.