Peter's note reminded me of something... In the past, booking hotel rooms independent of ARMA's process has been discouraged primarily because ARMA wouldn't get credit for the hotel room uptake -- this can be costly for ARMA when the rooms booked are less than expected. In certain venues, the hotels have committed to not offer rooms priced less expensively on Priceline and so forth. This year is different (and this may be true only for Vegas, so don't assume this to be the case every year). 
   
  When booking my trip, I was using my employer's travel booking system to book my flight. Part of the booking process is to show the traveler the available hotel rooms at the negotiated rates for our company. In the case of my employer (a large electronics company), we have negotiated rates that are less than what ARMA has negotiated (we attend quite a number of events in Las Vegas and the Hilton is the preferred property due to the proximity of the convention center).
   
  My company's policy is to use negotiated rates whenever possible, so I called ARMA HQ to ensure that my booking independently at the Hilton would not be an issue. I was told not to be concerned and go ahead with booking the company's preferred rate. ARMA will still get "credit" for my booking. The ARMA rate is still substantially better than the rack rate for the Hilton and is on par with other venues in the past.
   
  So, if your employer has negotiated rates around the US, check and see what the rate is for the Hilton. If it is better than the ARMA rate, feel free to book it without guilt.
   
  As I noted, this may be a one-time situation and is likely due to the unique nature of Las Vegas. There may also be limited availability of rooms at the lower rates -- your company's rates may not be available during Conference. 
   
  Now if you are a Vegas "regular" and accustomed to free suites while you gamble, I'm not sure how that will work. I'll let you all have that conversation with ARMA and the Hilton.
   
  Patrick Cunningham, CRM

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
To unsubscribe from this list, click the below link. If not already present, place UNSUBSCRIBE RECMGMT-L or UNSUB RECMGMT-L in the body of the message.
mailto:[log in to unmask]