The Scrooge McDuck of Travelers!
So there is one rule I go by when traveling and I vow to never break it. Don't be greedy when enjoying a deal on travel. I find it highly distasteful to break the rules of deals or abuse a deal for your own personal gain just because you don't want ot follow the rules of a sale, deal, or other offer. Case in point...
The Public Hotel Chicago(former Ambassador East Hotel), was fully renovated last year and reopened several months ago. It is a beautiful hotel run by Schrager Hotels of the infamous Studio 54 fame. Ian Schrager is also the guy who came up with the whole boutique hotel experience. Look at it now!
Well, part of the excitement around the opening of the Public is a $1 sale that they will be having monthly to promote the hotel. One day a month unannounced e-mails will go out and you will have the chance to get a room for $1. That's right, one whole dollar. Well there is a catch. Limit one room per booking, per household. Well this last month, the sale started and I really had no interest because I knew that I would not be in Chicago in the next month, but I read a few blogs and forums about people who participated. I am astounded at how many people booked two nights in the sale by booking one under their name and one under a wife's maiden name, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc. Remember, limit one per household, right? Well apparently not so. Well the sale sold out in 10 minutes and a lot of people did not get rooms that probably really wanted them. So in essence, Public failed in their sale because the two nights that someone booked was another night they could have gotten a new face in their hotel.
Moral of the story is... play by the rules so everyone can have some fun. People wonder why stores/hotels/business stop running promotions, it is because idiots abuse the policies and ultimately ruin it for everyone.