Best Western Rewards - Best Rate Guarantee? ...Bad Joke!~

I am researching hotel rates for several upcoming trips.

A couple of months ago, was able to find a number of free nights through the Trip Rewards Best Rate Guarantee.

Decided to check out the Best Western Best Rate Guarantee.

The room I booked on their web site was $209. (The hotel was not really well rated, either on Tripadvisor.com, esp at that price.)
I fpound a lower rate quoted on another web site, of $109, tax included. Seeing as their Best rate Guarantee states:
"With the Bestwestern.com Low Rate GUARANTEED! program, you can be sure you'll find our best published rates right here on our site. There's no need to spend time searching for a better deal on a Best Western hotel anywhere else on the Web. We're confident you won't find one. So sure in fact, we'll honor the lower rate and discount it and an additional 10% if we're wrong. "

I booked and submitted the claim.

Here is a partial copy of my response:
Unfortunately, the claim has been denied. It has been denied for the
following reasons:

1. Through the floridagoldcoast.com website, you cannot guarantee a
smoking or non smoking room as you have through Bestwestern.com.
2. The floridagoldcoast.com website requires full payment at the time
of booking. The reservation through Bestwestern.com is only guaranteed
with a credit card, no prepayment is required.
3. Floridagoldcoast.com advises any changes or cancellation of your
reservation may result in fees from $25.00 up to the full cost of your
stay. The reservation booked on Bestwestern.com may be changed or
cancelled up 48 hours with no penalties.

So, in laymans terms....find a lower rate, and we can find a reason to not match the price! Why would anyone book through the Best Western web site??

They should take a look at how its done on Trip Rewards....I know that program may also have problems, but this is one thing they have done right!

Frustrated Canada1.

Was the $209 room rate a regular room rate or a Best Rates room rate? Same room but Best Rates some I've seen sometimes half of the regular room rate.

i wont bother any longer as few if any site will have 100% matching requirements as BW does so they always simply deny it.

I hope you could get a refund of the higher rate.

It was a bona fide better rate through the other booking site...but as the other person notes, they can always find some reason to deny.
I am sure that turns away more customers than it gains....especially when we KNOW that we had a good case to apply the rate.

Anyway, I was able to cancel the on line reservation...no problems there.

I will take my business elsewhere.

Any Best Western personnel reading this??

Maybe it's a bit off-topic, but my reservation through venere.com (confirmed confirmation with status OK) was simply cancelled by the hotel. They re-booked me at my request but could not give the rate that I have a confirmed booking for...

They told me that I should contact venere.com if I wanted to claim the difference in price, because I had a reservation and booking through venere.com

Does anyone know what to do now?? It's a difference of only 20 GBP but that's not the point... Can anyone help??

Have you contacted venere.com about this?

I don't do business with Best Western cause of their poor customer service regarding the Best Rate Guarantee. I had a situation where both Orbitz and Expedia offered a lower rate and they couldn't match either claiming that the reservation at a third party site could not be cancelled. I don't know of any of these third party sites that allow you to cancel a reservation. I've never had a problem with Marriott, Starwood, Hilton, or Hyatt in the same situation. They reply quickly and Marriott even gives an additional percent off the lower room rate. It isn't worth the hassle or headache of even trying with Best Western, so I now choose to do my business with other hotel chains. Has anybody ever had success attempting Best Western's Rate Guarantee? I'd be surprised to hear a positive response!

Worst "Best Rate Guarantee" policy I have encountered. Do not think I will book at Best Western anymore.

I understand BW is very strict about their best rate guarantee. Sounds to me like Hilton where is near impossible to get a match.

Here is a question. If I book the lowest rate on BW.com, which is the Advance Purchase rate (with full pre-pay and non refundable), then I should be able to match it to any other non-refundable rate?

BW.com is $90 and I have a Easy Click Travel rate @ $76. I don't see any language in bw.com where it would preclude voucher-based vendors. Does anyone have any experience with such a situation?

I understand BW is very strict about their best rate guarantee. Sounds to me like Hilton where is near impossible to get a match.

Here is a question. If I book the lowest rate on BW.com, which is the Advance Purchase rate (with full pre-pay and non refundable), then I should be able to match it to any other non-refundable rate?

BW.com is $90 and I have a Easy Click Travel rate @ $76. I don't see any language in bw.com where it would preclude voucher-based vendors. Does anyone have any experience with such a situation?

BUMP ... nobody?

Hello,

BW.com is $90 and I have a Easy Click Travel rate @ $76. I don't see any language in bw.com where it would preclude voucher-based vendors. Does anyone have any experience with such a situation?

Ths best price guarantee worked well for me a few weeks ago in such a case (in France - was mailed back by somebody from their Italian customer service center). My reservation was repriced (the difference and 10% less) and they dealt with it extremely quickly (3 hours).

Hello,



Ths best price guarantee worked well for me a few weeks ago in such a case (in France - was mailed back by somebody from their Italian customer service center). My reservation was repriced (the difference and 10% less) and they dealt with it extremely quickly (3 hours).

Thanks for the info! I'll buy it in January @ BW.com and then we'll see. Easyclick is now only a few dollars cheaper, hence no big loss but with a few dollars and 10% I'd save $10 per night.

I am absolutely not a shill or apologist for Best Western, but I consider best rate guarantees to be greased pigs with every travel organization that pretends to one. For all the above reasons. Threads such as these pop up time after time, and in virtually all cases, people have spent awful amounts of time on claims, and only ended up saying that they'll never do that again. This is also not intended to be a flame of the OPs, but rather to counsel that it's not worth it in the vast majority of cases. And to note that they all - hotel chains, airlines - do it. So marching over to the other side of the fence is likely a fool's errand. I think there are threads about cases over on the Accor, Hyatt and United boards right now. Reminds me of the last words in The Thornbirds. "...and still they do it. And still they do it." :(