THE MTA Advantage

By: MTA

Published: March 2022

Save on Summer Travel with MTA Benefits’ Enhanced Platform

Millions of Americans are getting antsy to get out and see the world again.

According to a New York Times article, early season travel bookings are up as much as 130 percent over last year. For anyone who was forced to delay or cancel their travel plans in the last two years, 2022 promises to be the year of going big.¹

Before COVID-19, the average American vacationer spent $1,145 — or $4,580 for a family of four.² With inflation now a factor, there’s no doubt that travelers will be spending as much or more but getting less value. That means savvy travelers will be looking for ways to save on big-ticket travel purchases such as hotels, car rentals and airfare.

That’s where the MTA Benefits enhanced travel platform comes in.

Recent upgrades not only make it easier to browse and book trips, but MTA Benefits also can offer better rates so you can keep more of your hard-earned cash in your pocket, where it belongs.

Deeper hotel discounts at popular destinations

Working with Access, our national discount benefits partner, MTA members can choose from more than 850,000 hotels, condos and resort destinations worldwide. You’ll find not only popular brands you know and love but also extremely competitive prices. In many cases, members are saving considerably more on hotels than what’s typically available at online travel agents — OTAs — such as Expedia, Kayak, and Hotels.com.

Sound a little too good to be true?

Maybe you’ve noticed lately that hotel rates are pretty much the same at most online travel sites. It’s because of something in the hotel industry called rate parity. At least 95 percent of all online travel bookings are funneled through the two biggest online travel agencies: Expedia and Booking Holdings, formerly Priceline.³ Because of their dominance, they force all hotels on their platform to sign a rate-parity agreement. It not only means hotels pay upward of 30 percent in commissions to the online travel agencies for each booking, but also that hotels must promise not to offer lower prices on their public websites or other public channels. Doing so means they risk being removed from the online travel agency platforms. For many hotels, losing that source of revenue would kill their business.

Access is different. It’s part of a huge private hotel network that qualifies for rates often lower than wholesale. It also means Access doesn’t have to rely on the big websites for hotel inventory. The result is that Access can offer significantly lower rates because it doesn’t have to keep rates artificially high due to parity contracts.

So whenever MTA members browse and select a hotel, they’ll find savings as much as 50 percent greater than they’d see in a typical online search. That is true for everything from five-star resorts to economy hotels.

As always, many factors influence hotel rates, so occasionally you may find a lower rate elsewhere. But overall, MTA members will consistently find lower rates and a bigger selection than is available to the public.

MTA travelers can book with peace of mind knowing most hotels offer free cancellation right up to a few days before arrival. That way, you don’t have to worry if the travel plans change — or if you just change your mind.

Access also offers a free hotel booking confirmation service. Access representatives call each hotel booking a few days before your arrival and confirm the details of your reservation. If the confirmation service discovers any discrepancies, it can fix the problem well before you arrive at the registration desk.

Your benefits also include savings on car rentals, theme parks, entertainment, activities, flights, cruises and more. In addition, you’ll find local deals with savings at more than 50,000 popular restaurants and more than 175,000 shopping locations. There are also more than 50,000 recreational and entertainment opportunities.

To book your next getaway and get the most from your vacation dollars, visit mtabenefits.accessdevelopment.com. If you have questions or need assistance in booking your vacation, call 800.336.0990.