Jan 1, 2015, 7:35 am
Last edit by: TravelinSperry
Signed-in FT members with 90 days / 90 posts can edit this Wikipost.
What is the Best Rate Guarantee (BRG ?)
If a lower rate at a Starwood Hotel is made available on a non-Starwood website or non-Starwood mobile application, upon its receipt of a claim that satisfies these Best Rate Guarantee terms and conditions, Starwood will honor that Competing Rate and provide the individual that submitted the valid claim one of the following rewards: (1) an additional 20% discount off the Competing Rate per room per night (up to a maximum of three rooms); or (2) 2,000 Starwood Preferred Guest® Starpoints® per room per stay (up to a maximum of three rooms).
BRG Wiki on Flyertalk
• You cannot BRG against a rate on a Starwood Website/App (hot escapes, promos, Gov. Rate etc.). It has to be a 3rd party website/App.
• Cancellation policy has no bearing on a BRG claim with one exception if the rate difference is within 1%.
"Starwood may deny claims where the difference between the Competing Rate and the rate on the Starwood Website is less than one percent; provided that Starwood will not use the fact that the difference between the Competing Rate and the rate on the Starwood Website is less than one percent to deny such claims if the cancellation policy for the Competing Rate is more favorable to the guest than the cancellation policy for the rate on the Starwood Website."
• A valid Starwood website reservation is required to submit a BRG (only exception is when there is no availability on the Starwood website)
• Only one claim may be submitted per reservation number (If your first claim is denied, you may submit a new claim for that reservation if you find another lower rate after you receive the denial email)
• Make sure to book a flexible rate on SPG.com. This will allow you to then cancel this booking if you find a lower Starwood rate later (like the hot escapes etc.) or if your travel plans change.
• You can BRG with a flexible rate against a prepaid rate. In other words, if expedia is offering a room for $100 prepaid, and spg.com shows a prepaid room for $150 or a flexible room for $200, you can book the FLEXIBLE spg.com rate and BRG it against the PREPAID $100 expedia rate. And you will receive the flexible cancel terms if the BRG is approved.
• If your comparable rate includes extras like breakfast or parking, make sure there is a room available on spg.com that includes the exact amenities. If there is the same room type with the same amenities on SPG.com, they will compare and if lower on third party, the claim may be approved for the room type and with the amenities. If there is the same room type available but no/different amenities offered, the claim may still be approved, but the rate will be room only.
• Room types must be the same for a BRG.
• If you have an approved and finalized claim and you find an even cheaper rate later, then you may submit a new BRG claim that is not connected to any existing reservation. If this BRG claim is approved, you will need to make a new flexible reservation on SPG.com. Once the process is completed, you will then email the BRG desk to cancel your first reservation, if it is within the cancellation deadline.
• If you find availability for the room type you want on a third party website/app but there is no availability for that room type or no availability for any room type on the Starwood Website, then this may be an approved claim if it meets all other terms and conditions. You will need to make sure that you specify the room type you actually want on the Starwood Website section and enter 0 in the rate and currency. This will ensure that the processing associates know that the room type you want is not available on the Starwood Website. You may also add additional comments near the end of the claim form indicating that there is no availability on the Starwood Website to help clarify.
Differing currencies
• "The Best Rate Guarantee department will approve a claim if there is a difference of 2.5% or greater where the currencies are different or a difference of 1% or greater if the currencies are the same."
Link to T&C
https://www.starwoodhotels.com/bestrate/terms.html
Practicalities During/After Stay
• Reconfirm your rate at check-in; normally the hotel will have the correct BRG rate in your reservation, but sometimes you will need to remind them.
• If you choose points, they will be credited after the stay; check in one week to see if they have posted. If not contact the BRG office to arrange to have them posted.
How to add a SNA to a BRG reservation
• Log into your SPG account
• Click on your stays to view our your current reservation
• Look for your BRG reservation and click on "send confirmation" link for the BRG reservation
• reload the page and you should be able to now select "apply SNA to this stay" link
What is the Best Rate Guarantee (BRG ?)
If a lower rate at a Starwood Hotel is made available on a non-Starwood website or non-Starwood mobile application, upon its receipt of a claim that satisfies these Best Rate Guarantee terms and conditions, Starwood will honor that Competing Rate and provide the individual that submitted the valid claim one of the following rewards: (1) an additional 20% discount off the Competing Rate per room per night (up to a maximum of three rooms); or (2) 2,000 Starwood Preferred Guest® Starpoints® per room per stay (up to a maximum of three rooms).
BRG Wiki on Flyertalk
• You cannot BRG against a rate on a Starwood Website/App (hot escapes, promos, Gov. Rate etc.). It has to be a 3rd party website/App.
• Cancellation policy has no bearing on a BRG claim with one exception if the rate difference is within 1%.
"Starwood may deny claims where the difference between the Competing Rate and the rate on the Starwood Website is less than one percent; provided that Starwood will not use the fact that the difference between the Competing Rate and the rate on the Starwood Website is less than one percent to deny such claims if the cancellation policy for the Competing Rate is more favorable to the guest than the cancellation policy for the rate on the Starwood Website."
• A valid Starwood website reservation is required to submit a BRG (only exception is when there is no availability on the Starwood website)
• Only one claim may be submitted per reservation number (If your first claim is denied, you may submit a new claim for that reservation if you find another lower rate after you receive the denial email)
• Make sure to book a flexible rate on SPG.com. This will allow you to then cancel this booking if you find a lower Starwood rate later (like the hot escapes etc.) or if your travel plans change.
• You can BRG with a flexible rate against a prepaid rate. In other words, if expedia is offering a room for $100 prepaid, and spg.com shows a prepaid room for $150 or a flexible room for $200, you can book the FLEXIBLE spg.com rate and BRG it against the PREPAID $100 expedia rate. And you will receive the flexible cancel terms if the BRG is approved.
• If your comparable rate includes extras like breakfast or parking, make sure there is a room available on spg.com that includes the exact amenities. If there is the same room type with the same amenities on SPG.com, they will compare and if lower on third party, the claim may be approved for the room type and with the amenities. If there is the same room type available but no/different amenities offered, the claim may still be approved, but the rate will be room only.
• Room types must be the same for a BRG.
• If you have an approved and finalized claim and you find an even cheaper rate later, then you may submit a new BRG claim that is not connected to any existing reservation. If this BRG claim is approved, you will need to make a new flexible reservation on SPG.com. Once the process is completed, you will then email the BRG desk to cancel your first reservation, if it is within the cancellation deadline.
• If you find availability for the room type you want on a third party website/app but there is no availability for that room type or no availability for any room type on the Starwood Website, then this may be an approved claim if it meets all other terms and conditions. You will need to make sure that you specify the room type you actually want on the Starwood Website section and enter 0 in the rate and currency. This will ensure that the processing associates know that the room type you want is not available on the Starwood Website. You may also add additional comments near the end of the claim form indicating that there is no availability on the Starwood Website to help clarify.
Differing currencies
• "The Best Rate Guarantee department will approve a claim if there is a difference of 2.5% or greater where the currencies are different or a difference of 1% or greater if the currencies are the same."
Link to T&C
https://www.starwoodhotels.com/bestrate/terms.html
Practicalities During/After Stay
• Reconfirm your rate at check-in; normally the hotel will have the correct BRG rate in your reservation, but sometimes you will need to remind them.
• If you choose points, they will be credited after the stay; check in one week to see if they have posted. If not contact the BRG office to arrange to have them posted.
How to add a SNA to a BRG reservation
• Log into your SPG account
• Click on your stays to view our your current reservation
• Look for your BRG reservation and click on "send confirmation" link for the BRG reservation
• reload the page and you should be able to now select "apply SNA to this stay" link
Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) 2015 : *now 20% off*; Success, failure & discussion thread
Dec 29, 2015, 12:53 am
#1681
Join Date: Jun 2013
Programs: SPG Plat 100, A3*G
Posts: 678
It seems that response times are completely random at the moment...
Submitted a claim on the 23. followed by another one a few hours later (I changed my mind regarding the award 2000 => 20% off). First response was after 1 day, with the claim rejected (falsely but I didn't bother...).
Two days ago, I submitted another one and still no response.
Submitted a claim on the 23. followed by another one a few hours later (I changed my mind regarding the award 2000 => 20% off). First response was after 1 day, with the claim rejected (falsely but I didn't bother...).
Two days ago, I submitted another one and still no response.
Dec 29, 2015, 1:19 am
#1682
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BKK
Programs: World of Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Bonvoy LTP; IHG Plat
Posts: 2,232
Hotel Name: Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort, Thailand
Date(s): 1st night of 2016
Number of Adults: 2
Room Type: Deluxe room
Starwood Rate: THB 0 (no availabity at all on spg.com)
Competing Website: laterooms.com
Competing rate: USD 187.04
Comments: found competing website via kayak.com
ALL TAXES AND FEES INCLUDED IN COMPETING RATE.
BRG Reward: twentyPercent (obviously the 2000 points would be more attractive but just want to minimize the total cost.)
Actual confirmed rate: 4,560 THB per night plus taxes (5,700.00 THB less 20%)
Date(s): 1st night of 2016
Number of Adults: 2
Room Type: Deluxe room
Starwood Rate: THB 0 (no availabity at all on spg.com)
Competing Website: laterooms.com
Competing rate: USD 187.04
Comments: found competing website via kayak.com
ALL TAXES AND FEES INCLUDED IN COMPETING RATE.
BRG Reward: twentyPercent (obviously the 2000 points would be more attractive but just want to minimize the total cost.)
Actual confirmed rate: 4,560 THB per night plus taxes (5,700.00 THB less 20%)
Dec 29, 2015, 2:52 am
#1683
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Guangzhou
Programs: SPG
Posts: 1,021
Lately this was the reply for a claim using Happyrooms.com:
"While rates may be seen on the website happyrooms.com (even to the credit card window) we have been unable to confirm an actual reservation. Therefore happyrooms.com does not provide the ability to make a reservation and is not valid for BRG claim processing. In the event that you have an actual confirmed reservation booked through happyrooms.com for this property please send us the screenshots complete with confirmation number."
Does it means we need to actually make the booking on 3rd party and what will happen next?
"While rates may be seen on the website happyrooms.com (even to the credit card window) we have been unable to confirm an actual reservation. Therefore happyrooms.com does not provide the ability to make a reservation and is not valid for BRG claim processing. In the event that you have an actual confirmed reservation booked through happyrooms.com for this property please send us the screenshots complete with confirmation number."
Does it means we need to actually make the booking on 3rd party and what will happen next?
You may process as the BRG specialist advised and the team will follow up. For any question, you can reply to the email directly.
Best Regards,
Christina Zhou
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Dec 30, 2015, 10:26 pm
#1684
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 281
Just had a claim denied for being less than 1% difference.
My claim was:
SPG Rate: $205.20
Orbitz: $202.79
That's 1.17% difference
But the response cited an Orbitz rate of $203.23 (which is only 0.96% difference). Thing is, I keep checking and the rate Orbitz is showing is still $202.79, which should qualify.
I just resubmitted another claim using a different website (there are about 5 that have the same lower rate), but I'm curious how they came up with this higher rate. Part of me wonders that the rate they found was 1 penny off from the threshold of not qualifying... Any advice?
My claim was:
SPG Rate: $205.20
Orbitz: $202.79
That's 1.17% difference
But the response cited an Orbitz rate of $203.23 (which is only 0.96% difference). Thing is, I keep checking and the rate Orbitz is showing is still $202.79, which should qualify.
I just resubmitted another claim using a different website (there are about 5 that have the same lower rate), but I'm curious how they came up with this higher rate. Part of me wonders that the rate they found was 1 penny off from the threshold of not qualifying... Any advice?
Dec 31, 2015, 2:34 am
#1685
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: KSA
Programs: Marriott AMB, Skywards Gold
Posts: 3,737
Just had a claim denied for being less than 1% difference.
My claim was:
SPG Rate: $205.20
Orbitz: $202.79
That's 1.17% difference
But the response cited an Orbitz rate of $203.23 (which is only 0.96% difference). Thing is, I keep checking and the rate Orbitz is showing is still $202.79, which should qualify.
I just resubmitted another claim using a different website (there are about 5 that have the same lower rate), but I'm curious how they came up with this higher rate. Part of me wonders that the rate they found was 1 penny off from the threshold of not qualifying... Any advice?
My claim was:
SPG Rate: $205.20
Orbitz: $202.79
That's 1.17% difference
But the response cited an Orbitz rate of $203.23 (which is only 0.96% difference). Thing is, I keep checking and the rate Orbitz is showing is still $202.79, which should qualify.
I just resubmitted another claim using a different website (there are about 5 that have the same lower rate), but I'm curious how they came up with this higher rate. Part of me wonders that the rate they found was 1 penny off from the threshold of not qualifying... Any advice?
Check the rate pre-tax. If that rate is total, then take the tax out of it and check whether the rate is the same or not.
Dec 31, 2015, 12:50 pm
#1686
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 281
Edit: Submitted another website with same rates. Got back same strange denial with (what appears to me to be) the wrong competing rate cited. Oh well- I quit.
Last edited by nittany987; Dec 31, 2015 at 8:55 pm