Not Sure What it is About Hotel Rooms and Coke…

by Gary Leff

I’m not sure if this is new but I hadn’t seen it.

Every Thursday through Saturday check-in at a Sheraton will receive a $25 MasterCard prepaid card – for stays booked between May 13 and August 31, and completed by September 1. In addition you get a Coke travel cooler and two cans of Coke. The prepaid card can be earned up to three times.

You have to book the Coke rate plan SISUMR and stay no more than 4 nights to be eligible.

The offer is available in the US, Canada, and the Bahamas. And may not always be even close to the best rate you can get. I really hate promotions that promise extras and then simply charge for them.

A search of the Sheraton Premier Tysons Corner next week shows me rates:

  • $81 prepaid
  • $84 AAA
  • $99 Flexible
  • $100 Coke promotion
  • $109 AAA Breakfast
  • $110 AAA Club

The Coke promotion comes with that $25 gift card, making it $6 less than the prepaid rate (it is also an advance purchase rate).

One for the bag of tricks worth checking, but hardly a Coke and a smile.

(HT: Murtuza)

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About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  4. I particularly enjoy Hilton’s “Double HHonors Points” deal. For $20 extra per night over the flexible rate, you can get about $5 worth of HHonors points. Or another great Hilton offer: $20 extra per night for a 6 pack of Pepsi, a movie, and some popcorn. What a deal!!

  5. In addition to the Coke rate being cheaper, you will also earn more Starpoints by using it.

  6. yes, but keep in mind how many travellers are business travellers and they don’t care. So they do buy the higher rate because the boss will sign off on those but not on a six pack of coke and popcorn

  8. Tom – I suspect one reason the hotels have these special rates is for business travelers. It is quite easy for a business traveler to expense a hotel room that includes special perks than it is for them to expense the perks separately.

  9. I believe its what Jon said. Its fairly common to see rates at business hotels that include credits towards a spa or something similar. And people I am familiar with, book these rates pretty often since they can get away with expensing around $50 extra and get a “free” massage while traveling.

  10. I should clarify that I am referring to hotels in Asia in my previous comment where costs for providing such services is low.

  12. I’ll make a donation to charity if you manage to get Minerva’s lunch box and a travel spork out of this promotion.

    -David

  13. Wow. I checked out Sheraton Great Valley Hotel (in Frazer PA). Regular rate $139. Coke rate : $558! I even double check that I’m not selecting some Presidential Suite or something. Plus penalty to cancel. You have got to be kidding me. This place is a dump. And this promo is a joke.

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