Hotel Chain Best Rate Guarantee DEATH MATCH
Apr 1, 2015, 6:06 pm
#46
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: SJC/BUR
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Club Carlson Gold, Starwood Gold
Posts: 1,089
Just wanted to chime in and note that RAMPANT incompetence at the Choice Hotels Best Rate Guarantee desk has taken it down a few notches. Those people are CLUEless. Got it approved but had to call in. At least they had someone knowledgeable to speak to!
Also had bad experiences recently with Melia and NH.
And as usual Hyatt's insistence on excluding "membership" sites still makes absolutely NO sense.
Bottom line — Marriott and IHG are the strongest in this field right now.
Also had bad experiences recently with Melia and NH.
And as usual Hyatt's insistence on excluding "membership" sites still makes absolutely NO sense.
Bottom line — Marriott and IHG are the strongest in this field right now.
Last edited by stvr; Apr 1, 2015 at 6:36 pm
Apr 1, 2015, 6:09 pm
#47
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: SJC/BUR
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Club Carlson Gold, Starwood Gold
Posts: 1,089
I also failed to mention that Best Western and Ritz Carlton have strong guarantees now that are unmentioned in the OP. Haven't tried them yet but am curious.
Apr 2, 2015, 3:57 am
#48
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Amsterdam
Programs: SkyTeam Gold, Hilton Gold, Club Carlson Gold
Posts: 1,421
Choicehotel BRG is horrible; they had the hotel change their rates on Booking.com, then emailed me that the price on their site was the same as on Booking.com. Well, not when I submitted it...
Apr 2, 2015, 5:54 am
#49
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: New York, NY
Programs: IHG Spire Ambassador, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 456
Swissotel (not sure about Fairmont) gives the first night at 50% off lower rate. I've used this in Beijing and Sydney. Claims seem to get forwarded to the hotel directly. While this may cause a delay, it also means you have the chance to 'discuss' your claim directly with the hotel, which is much more likely to bend than a central desk that deals with claims.
Apr 3, 2015, 11:48 pm
#50
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4
I was a fan of the Hyatt BRG (that and their Status Challenges saved me hundreds of dollars)... but now it's just a joke...
Apr 7, 2015, 12:45 pm
#51
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: Marriott Tit, Hyatt Diamond, AA EXP, UA Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 427
Could OP update SPG to reflect they now offer 20% off instead of 10%?
Also, to those who BRG at Ritzs, do you submit your claim through the normal Marriott channel or is there a separate one?
Also, to those who BRG at Ritzs, do you submit your claim through the normal Marriott channel or is there a separate one?
Apr 7, 2015, 12:55 pm
#52
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4
I clicked on the claim form on the RC website, and it opened the classic Marriott BRG claim form. Applied there. They answered in a few hours.
Jul 6, 2015, 11:21 am
#55
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: MSP
Programs: Delta SkyMiles, AmEx, NorthWest WorldPerks, Jelly of the Month. S&H Green Stamps, Subway sub club
Posts: 1,754
I9. La Quinta/Four Seasons/Fairmont/Ritz-Carlton: F (0% off)
No meaningful BRG program. No reason to book with them on their own website if a competitor has it cheaper. (Hint: this means a competitor will have it cheaper.)
Feel free to quibble and disagree. Just my thoughts...
No meaningful BRG program. No reason to book with them on their own website if a competitor has it cheaper. (Hint: this means a competitor will have it cheaper.)
Feel free to quibble and disagree. Just my thoughts...
Jul 17, 2015, 9:45 am
#56
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Merritt Island, FL USA
Programs: AA, BA, DL, SPG and Marriott
Posts: 139
Thank you for submitting a claim for Marriott's Look No Further(SM) Best Rate Guarantee. We received a claim from you for the following reservation:
Hotel: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Arrival Date: August 28, 2015
Reservation Confirmation Number:
We have reviewed your claim and have made the following modification to your reservation:
Rate: $155.69
Marriott website shows $209.
room77 then easy to book was $208.98.
https://www.room77.com/?ian=47718383...honolulu,HI,US
Hotel: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Arrival Date: August 28, 2015
Reservation Confirmation Number:
We have reviewed your claim and have made the following modification to your reservation:
Rate: $155.69
Marriott website shows $209.
room77 then easy to book was $208.98.
https://www.room77.com/?ian=47718383...honolulu,HI,US
Jul 18, 2015, 2:50 am
#57
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: SJC/BUR
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Club Carlson Gold, Starwood Gold
Posts: 1,089
Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honor.
-Hemingway
Getting a BRG on a 2 cent difference is a bit like stabbing the bull in the first minute. But kudos.
-Hemingway
Getting a BRG on a 2 cent difference is a bit like stabbing the bull in the first minute. But kudos.
Jul 18, 2015, 9:03 am
#58
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 227
Thank you for submitting a claim for Marriott's Look No Further(SM) Best Rate Guarantee. We received a claim from you for the following reservation:
Hotel: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Arrival Date: August 28, 2015
Reservation Confirmation Number:
We have reviewed your claim and have made the following modification to your reservation:
Rate: $155.69
Marriott website shows $209.
room77 then easy to book was $208.98.
https://www.room77.com/?ian=47718383...honolulu,HI,US
Hotel: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Arrival Date: August 28, 2015
Reservation Confirmation Number:
We have reviewed your claim and have made the following modification to your reservation:
Rate: $155.69
Marriott website shows $209.
room77 then easy to book was $208.98.
https://www.room77.com/?ian=47718383...honolulu,HI,US
Jul 28, 2015, 9:02 am
#59
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: SJC/BUR
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Club Carlson Gold, Starwood Gold
Posts: 1,089
Interesting post about SPG response times going up:
http://loyaltylobby.com/2015/07/28/w...ut-of-control/
http://loyaltylobby.com/2015/07/28/w...ut-of-control/
Aug 10, 2015, 3:07 pm
#60
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2
Just thought I'd chip in with my recent experiences:
Good - Best Western
Got a price matched and $100 gift card fairly easily when matching a rate for a hotel in North of England
Bad - HostelBookers
Offer to match a price + double the difference. Denied a claim by saying the rate on the competitor website was different (hotels.com) I pointed out it was cheaper so still valid, then they said their booking is refundable and hotels.com wasn't. I pointed out their booking wasn't refundable, so was given a 3rd excuse. Useless!
Good - Best Western
Got a price matched and $100 gift card fairly easily when matching a rate for a hotel in North of England
Bad - HostelBookers
Offer to match a price + double the difference. Denied a claim by saying the rate on the competitor website was different (hotels.com) I pointed out it was cheaper so still valid, then they said their booking is refundable and hotels.com wasn't. I pointed out their booking wasn't refundable, so was given a 3rd excuse. Useless!