Regarding hotels/motels you can almost always get some sort of a discount. Almost no one evers pays "rack rate" (the official listed price).
Military or Government discounts would usually apply for any Govt employee with ID or in some cases even a business card. So for those reservists who either don‘t have an ID card yet or for whatever reason would prefer not to identify themselves as military but, like our friendly customs agent, work for some other Government department, this works.
You can also try "corporate discounts", "student discounts", even "seniors" depending on circumstances. It‘s probably a good idea to call first and see which applies or even if there‘s a difference in the discount.
The reason for this, it costs the hotel money for that room each day (portion of the total mortgage, taxes, utilities, maid etc) whether it‘s rented or not. A good hotel would rather make some profit or at least break even.
Discounts usually apply on weekends, more so that mid week, and other circumstances must be taken into effect, such as how busy the hotel is. Chances of getting a good deal in Toronto now with SARS are excellent (hotels are at 30% occupany instead of the normal 70%). Try getting a room deal during a major holliday, or event are slimmer.
When in doubt always ask, it may save youa few bucks.
