Most websites do not allow you to check for 50% off rack rate deals. Priority Club Rewards website has a reservations page allowing the user to check for Entertainment Card rates online. This is a valued feature since most hotels do not offer an Entertainment Card rate and the user is able to browse quickly through the IHG hotels offering an Entertainment Card rate and quickly compare to the AAA rate.

In general, my experience has been that 50% off rack rate deals do not provide a lower cost room rate than available through hotel website group rates like AAA or special offer rates. The terms usually require a phone reservation and a discount on the rack rate (the highest room rate for that category room).

An exception is the Entertainment Card discount rates available through online reservations at the Priority Club website. These hotel rates may be a good strategy for bringing the cost of a hotel room during weeknight stays back down to a reasonable level. In all cases where an Entertainment Card rate was found, the rate matched or was lower than the AAA rate. In the case of the InterContinental Buckhead hotel in Atlanta, the Entertinment Card rate came in at a whopping $224 per night savings over the AAA rate for the date checked.

The cost of an Entertainment Card membership is only $15 and your membership makes you eligible for the IHG Entertainment Card discount at any participating location in the USA.
Here are some examples of savings:

Hotel Reservation Date Checked: Wednesday, April 30 for 1 night stay.

New York, New York area
Crowne Plaza Secaucus Meadowlands, Secaucus, NJ
$135 Entertainment Card rate
$160 AAA rate
Entertainment Card rate saves $35 on AAA rate

Boston, MA area
Holiday Inn, Boston Logan Airport
$134 Entertainment Card rate
$162 AAA rate
Entertainment Card rate saves $28 on AAA rate

Atlanta, GA
InterContinental Buckhead
$195 King Deluxe (Entertainment Card rate)
$419 King Deluxe (AAA rate)
$275 Club Level (Entertainment Card rate)
$469 Club Level (AAA)
Entertainment Card rate saves $224 on AAA rate

Minneapolis, MN
Crowne Plaza Minneapolis North
$89 (Entertainment Card rate)
$119 (AAA rate)
Entertainment Card rate saves $30 on AAA rate

Dallas, TX
Crowne Plaza Market Center
$98 (Entertainment Card rate) Entertainment Card rate saves $28 on AAA rate
$126 (AAA rate)
Entertainment Card rate saves $28 on AAA rate

Swiftwater Cafe, Hyatt Regency SFO
San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, CA

The Entertainment.com discount books are available at significant discounts these days. The membership year started November 1, 2008 and the Entertainment’08 edition has less than six months validity left. I picked up books for the San Francisco, San Jose, and Monterey/Santa Cruz regions for $15 each with free shipping last week.

San Francisco/San Mateo Counties Entertainment ’08 edition has at least 10 hotel restaurant dining opportunities and several other dining options in close proximity to major hotel locations in the San Francisco Bay area. These discounts are almost always valid for 2-for-1 on a lunch or dinner entree.

Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Starwood hotel brands all have restaurants represented, however, there are no hotel restaurant offers from InterContinental Hotels Group in the editions I looked over. Dining earns hotel loyalty points in some programs (Starwood) even without an associated hotel stay.

So invite your spouse, business colleague, or date and do some hotel dining on the cheap (relative to normally overpriced hotel dining), courtesy of Entertainment.com 2-for-1 dining partners.
Different editions have different offers. The Monterey fine dining section has been significantly reduced over the past few years to less than one-third of the offers five years ago. Many of the dining restaurants in the Monterey/Santa Cruz edition are not even in the counties.

Entertainment.com ’08 San Francisco/San Mateo area Membership Book
Coupons for restaurants in or adjacent to hotels:

Downtown San Francisco
1a. Hilton San Francisco, Kiku of Tokyo $18
1b. Marrakech Moroccan Restaurant (next to Hilton SF hotel), $20

2. Grand Hyatt, San Francisco, Grandviews Restaurant, $32
Grandviews Restaurant – 36th floor dining with one of city’s best views of San Francisco
$32 value for a free lunch or dinner entrée with purchase of lunch or dinner entrée.

3. Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, (these restaurants are located in the Embarcadero shopping area adjacent to Hyatt regency hotel and are not affiliated with hotel).
3a. Gaylord Indian Restaurant (outside Hyatt) $18
3b. Tony Roma’s in Embarcadero Promenade level, $5 off $15, or $10 off $40 purchase, or up to $8.00 free appetizer/dessert with purchase of two entrees.

4. Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, The Compass Grill, $22

San Francisco Airport, SFO (Burlingame addresses, about 14 miles from downtown)

5. Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Swiftwater Café $26

6. Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Knuckles Sports Bar $16

7. Doubletree Hotel, SFO, San Francisco Airport, Burlingame $19

8. Sheraton Gateway SFO, San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, Windows on the Bay $18

San Mateo (8 miles south of SFO, San Francisco Airport, directly adjacent west of Highway 101)

9. Marriott San Mateo, California Grill, $19

Palo Alto (Stanford University) (19 miles south of San Francisco Airport)
Two Starwood Hotels are located across the street from Stanford University campus, adjacent to each other, and within walking distance of upscale Stanford Shopping Mall (less than 1 mile).

10. Westin Hotel Palo Alto, Soleil Restaurant, $27
2-for-1 lunch or dinner entrée

11. Sheraton Palo Alto, Poolside Grill $18

San Jose/Santa Clara Entertainment book
1. Westin Hotel Palo Alto, Soleil Restaurant, $27
2. Sheraton Palo Alto, Poolside Grill $18
3. Stanford Park Hotel, The Duck Club, Menlo Park $25
4. Biltmore Hotel Santa Clara, Montague’s Café, $14 (or $7 off single entrée)
5. Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Swiftwater Café $26
6. Sheraton Gateway SFO, San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, Windows on the Bay $18

Monterey / Santa Cruz Entertainment Book

1. Monterey Marriott, Characters Sports Bar, $11
2. Portola Plaza Hotel, Monterey, Peter B’s Brewpub, $10
3. Hilton Scotts Valley, Café Max, $19
4. Biltmore Hotel Santa Clara, Montague’s Café, $14 (or $7 off single entrée)
5. Hilton San Francisco, Kiku of Tokyo $18
6. Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, The Compass Grill, $22
7. Doubletree Berkeley Marina, Berkeley, California The Bar Grille, $25
8. Harrah’s Reno, Café Napa, Reno, NV $19