"Military discount" and "veteran discount" are not the same promise. Chains genuinely split on whether someone who has left the service qualifies — this page shows each chain's own published position, and the ID that proves veteran status at a front desk.
Of the 14 chains we track, 12 clearly include veterans in a published rate; the rest limit eligibility to serving members, leave it unstated, or publish no program at all. "Not published" is worth taking seriously: it means the decision happens at the desk, so bring ID and ask — but don't build a trip around it.
| Chain | Veterans eligible? | Under which program | What the chain says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Western | Yes | Best Western Government & Military Discount | Explicitly named: '…including veterans' — unusual for a combined government rate. |
| Choice Hotels | Yes | Military/Veterans (Leisure) rate | Veterans are explicitly eligible for the leisure plan. |
| Drury Hotels | Yes | Military & First Responder Rate | Veterans are explicitly named. |
| Extended Stay America | Yes | Built for Service: Government & Military rate | Veterans are named on the main rate — unusual for a government program. |
| Hilton | Yes | Military Family Rate | Veterans are explicitly named — one of the clearest veteran inclusions among the big chains. |
| Hyatt | Yes | MILVET military discount | Veterans are the program's headline group. |
| IHG | Yes | Military Appreciation rate | Veterans are explicitly named. |
| Motel 6 / Studio 6 | Yes | Motel 6 Military Discount | Veterans are explicitly named. |
| Omni | Yes | Omni Government and Military Rates | A valid Veteran ID card is accepted — rare for a per-diem government rate. |
| Red Roof | Yes | WeSalute member discount | Veterans are covered. |
| Sonesta | Yes | Military and Veterans Appreciation Rate | 'To be utilized by military and veterans when traveling for leisure.' |
| Wyndham | Yes | Wyndham military rate | Veteran status is explicitly named. |
| Loews Hotels | Not published | No published program | No government or military rate published. |
| Marriott | Not published | Government Per Diem Rates | Not confirmed on any family-level marriott.com page. |
Serving members and retirees have a CAC or DoD ID; veterans often don't, and a DD214 in the glovebox is nobody's idea of check-in paperwork. Two credentials solve it, both from official sources:
Chains that honor veterans generally accept either; where a chain's terms don't name the accepted proof, either of these is the strongest thing you can hand a desk agent.
Three honest reads from the table above:
↥ Check your own eligibility → Browse all chain rate pages →
Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Wyndham, Choice Hotels, Best Western, Sonesta, Omni, Motel 6 / Studio 6, Red Roof, Drury Hotels, Extended Stay America clearly include veterans in a published rate as of 2026-09-04. Other chains either limit eligibility to serving members or don't publish a position — the full table on this page shows every chain's own wording.
Some desks will, but the practical credentials are the VA's Veteran ID Card (VIC) — issued exactly so veterans don't have to carry discharge papers — or a veteran designation on your driver's license, added by your state DMV after showing your DD214 once.
Generally no — government per-diem rates target current government employees and military on official travel, and veteran status alone doesn't qualify at most chains. The veteran-friendly rates are the military/leisure programs in the table above.
Yes — that's their point. Military and veteran hotel rates are built for personal stays, unlike per-diem government rates which can be official-travel-only at some chains.
Chains rarely publish a fixed percentage, and where they do it varies by property and dates — these are capacity-controlled rates. Where a chain publishes a figure, our chain page records it; where it doesn't, we don't invent one.