AAA and its Canadian counterpart CAA negotiate member rates with four hotel groups. The table above is those four with AAA's own wording for each, taken from AAA's preferred hotels page.
The short version: AAA is the discount that works at the chains most business and leisure travellers actually book, and it is the direct complement to the AARP benefit rather than a competitor to it.
AAA Covers Exactly What AARP Does Not
This is the single most useful thing to know if you are weighing which membership to hold.
| Chain | AAA / CAA | AARP |
|---|---|---|
| Marriott | 5% or more | Not covered |
| Hilton | Up to 10% | Not covered |
| Hyatt | Up to 10% | Not covered |
| IHG | Not a preferred partner | Not covered |
| Choice Hotels | 10% or more | 10% |
| Wyndham | Not a preferred partner | 10% or more |
| Best Western | Not a preferred partner | 5% or more |
| Radisson | Not a preferred partner | 10% |
| Motel 6 / Red Roof | Not a preferred partner | 10–12% |
The two programmes barely overlap. Choice Hotels is the only chain on both lists.
If your travel is upscale and brand-loyal, AAA is the one that matters: Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt are all on it and none of them is on AARP's list. If your travel is midscale and economy, AARP is deeper by a wide margin, covering 62 brands across Wyndham, Best Western, Radisson, Red Roof and Motel 6. Our AARP hotel discount page has that full list.
Neither covers IHG. Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and the rest of that group sit outside both programmes, and the route there is a corporate rate, IHG's own member pricing, or — on official travel — FedRooms, where IHG is the second largest chain in the programme.
There Is No AAA Code
AAA's page is explicit that a valid AAA or CAA membership is what is required, not a code. The rate is a published rate you select during booking.
You will nonetheless find lists online offering an "AAA hotel code", and on Marriott's side a three-character code circulates widely for this purpose. Treat those with suspicion. The programme as AAA documents it does not work that way, and a code that is not the member rate can be repriced at the desk when you cannot produce the membership it belongs to.
What you actually need: the membership card, at check-in. That is the verification step, and it is the reason this discount is worth more than an employer code you are not entitled to. A membership you hold cannot be taken away at the front desk.
How to Book It
In AAA's wording, book "directly at AAA.com" or the chain's own AAA landing page, then have the card ready at check-in.
Points Still Earn
Each of the four partners states that loyalty points accrue on the member rate: Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy and Choice Privileges are all named on AAA's page. That matters because some discounted rate classes do not earn, and a rate that saves 5% but forfeits points and elite-night credit can be the worse deal for a frequent guest.
What This Costs
AAA does not publish a single membership price, because AAA is a federation of regional clubs and each sets its own dues. CAA works the same way across Canada. Check your local club for the current figure before doing the arithmetic.
That is a genuine difference from AARP, which quotes one national price of $15 for a first year on automatic renewal. If you are choosing between them purely on cost, AARP's number is knowable in advance and AAA's is not.
Where AAA Sits Against the Other Public Rates
The order to check, for a flexible booking: the advance purchase rate, then your membership rate, then any corporate rate you are genuinely entitled to. On fixed dates the first often wins outright.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a AAA discount code for hotels?
No. AAA's own page requires a valid AAA or CAA membership and describes the discount as a member rate selected at booking. Codes circulating online as "the AAA code" are not what AAA documents, and using one without the membership it belongs to risks being repriced at check-in.
Does AAA work at Marriott and Hilton?
Yes, both are AAA preferred partners, along with Hyatt and Choice Hotels. This is the main practical difference from AARP, which covers none of the three largest chains.
Which AAA partner gives the biggest discount?
By AAA's wording, Choice Hotels at 10% or more, with Hilton and Hyatt at up to 10% and Marriott at 5% or more. Note that "10% or more" and "up to 10%" are different promises.
Do I still earn hotel points on a AAA rate?
Yes at all four partners. AAA names Honors, World of Hyatt, Bonvoy and Choice Privileges points as earning on member rates.
Can I use AAA and a corporate code together?
No. They are alternative rate plans on one booking, so compare them and take the lower. They do not stack.
Does CAA get the same rates as AAA?
The programme is presented jointly as AAA/CAA on AAA's page, with the same discount language for each partner.
Sourcing
The four partners and their discount wording come from AAA's preferred hotels page, linked in the table above. The wording is AAA's own, because "up to 10%" and "10% or more" describe different things and flattening both to "10%" loses the distinction.
Individual chain landing pages sometimes advertise higher promotional figures than the partner page. Those are undated promotions rather than the standing member rate, so the figures here follow the partner page, which is comparable across all four.
Chains not listed here are not AAA preferred partners. Terms change without notice, so confirm the rate and its cancellation policy at booking.