mrcheaps

I just found out you can view postings for a longer period of time. My setting was for two weeks, but it can be changed. I feel very strongly about this information, so I am changing the heading and re-posting.


Triprewards changed their guarantee (If curious-see below) (I do not know when). What happened for me: I would research rate to find a lower rate for a stay and then book it on TripRewards. File a claim and then receive a free night. A result 20 nights free so far. Various locations, I have booked between now and the end of September, three nights a week - All FREE. Also locations other than where I work.

Besides sharing my good news, it lets me share the idea: Even if you are already booked, keep checking. Check out Guarantees, and prices for dates you already have booked.

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TripRewards guarantees that the triprewards.com web site and the TripRewards toll free number (1-800-FOR-TRIP/1-800-367-8747) will have the same low room rates available through our participating hotel chains' websites and toll-free numbers, which will be the lowest rates publicly available to consumers on the Internet. If you find a rate lower than the best available rate on our website or toll-free number that is viewable and bookable on an unrelated web site for the same hotel, same room type, same number of guests, same currency and for the same dates, and advise our Customer Service within 24 hours after booking your room on triprewards.com or through the TripRewards toll-free number, we will provide you with the first night of your stay for free. If there is a rate available on triprewards.com or through the TripRewards toll-free number that is the same or lower than the rate on the other web site, this rate will be offered to you instead

yevlesh2

I have re-read your post several times, and I am not sure I understand what changed in the guarantee. Isn't it the same as it was before?

And I agree, TripRewards guarantee is the best!

mrcheaps

[QUOTE=yevlesh2]I have re-read your post several times, and I am not sure I understand what changed in the guarantee. Isn't it the same as it was before?
QUOTE]

Yes. I just did a cut and past from the original post. My intent was to keep the information current.

Canada1

Yes, there are still Free Nights to be had!
It depends on your dates and location, but it is worthwhile to keep checking, as I have recently found more free nights for dates in the fall.

Canada1

mrcheaps

Two days ago, I found a lower rate on Orbitz for the area I stay in. The rates were 1-2 cents cheaper. I booked 15 more nights for October and November and got the free nights. Tried to extend the streak from mid-November to December yesterday and the rates at Orbitz were ajusted so I did not get the nights free. I wonder if there is an issue of conversion to USD from some other currency that caused the problem.

I received a call from the Management of one motel stating that they would cancel any further reservations after 11:15 AM. Sure enough, even though I received confirming emails for free nights, they cancelled three. Called CS and they were going to get them re-instated and they were talking to the motel. CS also said that Orbitz was going to pay for the free nights.

I am still trying to figure out who pays for these free nights. Sometimes, it seems that the motel does not care about free(IE-they get paid) and other times they do(IE-They have to pay).

Since the nights in question are in October and November and from past experience, I am not too worried about them honoring the three nights in question.

Canada1

Found two more available dates, yesterday, using orbitz.com.
I too am confused about who pays for these...one hotel manager called me in the middle of the night, (my time) when he received notification of the free nights awarded...saying he does not give away free nights!
I was a little bit nervous about showing up at his hotel, and yesterday found a free night available at another location...so might go there instead. Not really fair that he can scare away free night awards, like that, but planning to show up with my kids, I would prefer to sign of a hassle.

Keep looking!

Canada1

yevlesh2

I think the hotel pays. I recently booked a free night for late July (would be my first use of the guarantee) and received a signed letter from the hotel manager welcoming me and congratulating me on the deal.

CalItalian

Very late on Thursday night 6/30 I submitted a claim for a friend for a Jackson, MS area Ramada for a Saturday 7/2 stay. Within 15 minutes of Cendant customer service opening the next morning, it was approved. In this case, Ramada.com did not have their "super saver" specials listed but a number of websites such as Expedia.com and HotelDealsHere.com did.

I've found many more deals lately based on SuperSaver or Manager's Special rates and similar not listed on a Cendant site.

mrcheaps

I was giving up hope of finding any more in my area. Just booked and received confirmation for 5 more free nights in late November and Early December. This time I found the rate on Travelnow.com. Called a Manager's Special for the location. Appeared to be 10% off posted rate.

Keep checking.

I have lost track of the # of free nights I have received and used.

bryang73

Question for those of you who have been successful in getting the free nights: do you know if guarantee is honored on consecutive single night reservations at the same hotel? I found several nights in a row at the same hotel that should qualify for the guarantee. My thought is to book each of them as single night reservations. But I'm not sure if this would be considered as one continuous stay and only the first night would be free. Please let me know if any of you have had success in a similar situation. Thanks!

yevlesh2

I tried that, and only the first reservation was free.

CalItalian

All one has to do is look at the terms and conditions of Best Rate Guarantee policy which are listed on each Cendant website. It's one FREE night per STAY. A "stay" is considered to be any number of consecutive nights. That would include paid nights. So one could not do a free night, a paid night then expect another free night in a 3-night consecutive stay either, for example.

CalItalian

My friend stayed on 7/2 at the Ramada Limited in Pearl, MS (Jackson, MS airport) on a Best Rate guaranteed approved claim. Upon check-in, the clerk, though surprised, told my friend his room was free (she also asked how he had a $0 rate). Upon check-out, the same clerk told my friend there was no bill (not even tax). Well, a few days later he was billed for the full cost of the room and tax to his credit card (he checks charges to his credit card online). He then called the hotel to resolve the matter. Talked with the same clerk on many occasions this past week. She was nice but told him she could not reverse the charge, only the manager/owner Raj Patel could. He is always unavailable and does not return the messages. So on Sunday he e-mailed Cendant customer service (actully just replied to the e-mail approving the free night). Within 2 hours, and remember this is a Sunday afternoon, the same person who approved the free night had investigated the situation and e-mailed back that Ramada will be sending him a check within two weeks for the full cost (less tax which he should have paid anyway based on the terms and conditions of the guarantee) of the charge ($65). Now THAT is customer service (especially since I told my friend he would not get an answer until Monday). I can't say enough good about how Cendant customer service is. I wish all companies in America would take a lesson from them - especially travel related companies. Good job, Cendant!

Btw, I expect the hotel will be fined by Cendant for doing this.

bryang73

Thanks for the replies, CalItalian and Yevlesh2. I submitted claims about 4 hours ago and just received confirmation for 4 free nights at a Wingate.

These are 1-night stays at various times in the coming months and not consecutive reservations. My first stay is this weekend so I'll report back how the front desk/management handles it at check-in. So far the lower rate is wide open on the other site for any date I try through the end of the year, but I wonder if that will change after they see my claim?

mrcheaps

I have geen getting free nights since last November. I have seen multiple responses to claims. Triprewards motel gets the rate changed to lower than the other. The Triprewards location becomes temporarily unavailable. The other site no longer lists the property-mostly short term. The other site gets a higher price. (I know that TripRewards/Orbitz/CheapTickets are all owned by Cendant Corp.

I helped them find a bug in their system by booking the same motel for different nights over several days. They (motel w/Other Web Site) changed their rates as they were supposed to, but the next day the rates reverted back to the old ones.

I have this mental image of them saying "Oh no. Not HIM again. What did we miss this time."

It seems that every time I think I will not find any more in my area, I find a few more. Keep trying.

At first, I was not greedy the first day and I reveived the free days. Then tried for more the second day,(even though the rates were viewable), they disappeared by the time the Claims department looked for them.

Usually, I try to now grab the largest chunk of reservations at a time that I can and then file. If denied, then I just cancel the dates. I probably have almost as many cancelled reservations as free. Sometime two cancelled for the final one confirmed as free.

It used to be that each location had tier pricing and each web site had to be changed separately. They are trying to change their software, so they have like one-stop-shopping. Change it once and forget it.