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
Oct 3, 2015, 6:24 pm
#1366
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: KSA
Programs: Marriott AMB, Skywards Gold
Posts: 3,736
Example 1
Hotel locate in same city and book consecutive day
Hotel A 90 Vs 100 BRG approved (20% discount)
Hotel B 101 Vs 102 BRG reject (<1% different)
Hotel C 200 Vs 201 BRG reject (<1% different)
If i have 3 consecutive BRG at 3 different hotel in same city base on t&c if i only approved for 1 BRG the remaining 2 BRG are automaticly approve ?
Example 2
Hotel locate in same city and book consecutive day
Hotel A 90 Vs 100 BRG approved (20% discount)
Hotel B 100 Vs 110 BRG approved (20% discount)
Hotel C 200 Vs 220 BRG approved (20% discount)
Is it eligible ?
Hotel locate in same city and book consecutive day
Hotel A 90 Vs 100 BRG approved (20% discount)
Hotel B 101 Vs 102 BRG reject (<1% different)
Hotel C 200 Vs 201 BRG reject (<1% different)
If i have 3 consecutive BRG at 3 different hotel in same city base on t&c if i only approved for 1 BRG the remaining 2 BRG are automaticly approve ?
Example 2
Hotel locate in same city and book consecutive day
Hotel A 90 Vs 100 BRG approved (20% discount)
Hotel B 100 Vs 110 BRG approved (20% discount)
Hotel C 200 Vs 220 BRG approved (20% discount)
Is it eligible ?
Oct 3, 2015, 8:39 pm
#1367
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: perth
Programs: SPG(LTG), QANTAS gold, Korean, Accor Plat
Posts: 1,500
If i have 3 BRG claim in same city and same week like this is it eligible ?
Day 1-2 (2 nights,Hotel A) 20% Discount
Day 3-4 (2 nights,Hotel B) 20% Discount
Day 5 (1 night,Hotel C) 2000 points
By the way when i browse to BRG claim form they have 3 option
1.Your Confirmation Number
2.Credit Card Number on Reservation
3.I don't have either of these
but Wiki said
"A valid Starwood website reservation is required to submit a BRG "
Is it really required valid reservaton to submit BRG ?
Day 1-2 (2 nights,Hotel A) 20% Discount
Day 3-4 (2 nights,Hotel B) 20% Discount
Day 5 (1 night,Hotel C) 2000 points
By the way when i browse to BRG claim form they have 3 option
1.Your Confirmation Number
2.Credit Card Number on Reservation
3.I don't have either of these
but Wiki said
"A valid Starwood website reservation is required to submit a BRG "
Is it really required valid reservaton to submit BRG ?
Last edited by geminidreams; Oct 3, 2015 at 8:54 pm
^^^
Oct 3, 2015, 10:50 pm
#1369
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,819
Oct 3, 2015, 10:53 pm
#1370
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: perth
Programs: SPG(LTG), QANTAS gold, Korean, Accor Plat
Posts: 1,500
Oct 4, 2015, 12:15 am
#1372
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium/LTG, IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,921
Would the hotel have my approved best guarantee rate in their computer system before I arrive at the hotel?
I have an upcoming stay at the Royal Orchid Sheraton with the BGR. I email this morningt to have them confirm my free Club lounge access due to the SPG Biz card and also to confirm the Total cost of the 4 nights including tax and service charge.
I have an upcoming stay at the Royal Orchid Sheraton with the BGR. I email this morningt to have them confirm my free Club lounge access due to the SPG Biz card and also to confirm the Total cost of the 4 nights including tax and service charge.
That said, Bangkok properties are always on the ball when it comes to BRG rates and I have never had an issue with BRG at any of the Bangkok properties (except the W as I have not yet stayed there).
Oct 4, 2015, 6:16 am
#1373
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,819
I had three recent issues where they could not find my BRG rate at the Four Points LAX, Sheraton New Orleans and Le Meridien Seyahi Beach Resort Dubai - the BRG rates were confirmed once I presented my confirmation email. It was a strange series of faults because I have probably stayed at over 150+ nights using BRG and never had an issue previously (except in Cairo and Frankfurt).
That said, Bangkok properties are always on the ball when it comes to BRG rates and I have never had an issue with BRG at any of the Bangkok properties (except the W as I have not yet stayed there).
That said, Bangkok properties are always on the ball when it comes to BRG rates and I have never had an issue with BRG at any of the Bangkok properties (except the W as I have not yet stayed there).
I called the Platinum hotline and they managed to get it fixed and the hotel front desk managed to see it afterwards.
Oct 4, 2015, 7:45 pm
#1374
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP, AMEX PLAT, Priority Pass, Admirals Club, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 222
alpharoooms.com, no BRG allowed?
I recently attempted a BRG against a rate I found on alpharooms.com. This is part of the response that I received.
"The competing rate that you have submitted is an "on request" rate which means that you are not able to get an instant confirmation of your reservation. With these rates you will submit a request for an advertised rate. Once your request is received, the Competing Website will contact the hotel to see if the rate will be available for the dates of your stay. You will receive correspondence back regarding your request usually within 24 to 72 hours."
Looking at alpharooms.com I can't tell that I am not going to get instant confirmation. So is this website really not usable for BRGs or is the agent incorrect?
"The competing rate that you have submitted is an "on request" rate which means that you are not able to get an instant confirmation of your reservation. With these rates you will submit a request for an advertised rate. Once your request is received, the Competing Website will contact the hotel to see if the rate will be available for the dates of your stay. You will receive correspondence back regarding your request usually within 24 to 72 hours."
Looking at alpharooms.com I can't tell that I am not going to get instant confirmation. So is this website really not usable for BRGs or is the agent incorrect?
Oct 5, 2015, 6:16 pm
#1375
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: KSA
Programs: Marriott AMB, Skywards Gold
Posts: 3,736
Had a claim rejected earlier today because I did not send the conformation number along with the claim. The only problem is that there were no availability on spg.com. I even stated this in the comment section. Replied back saying the same thing in the comment section and the claim was approved.
Had the first agent read through the comment section first before rejecting the claim, everything would've been resolved.
Had the first agent read through the comment section first before rejecting the claim, everything would've been resolved.
Oct 5, 2015, 8:19 pm
#1376
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 235
Hotel Name: Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers
Dates : 1 night in December
Number of Adults :2
Room Type On Reservation: Standard Ocean view Room with 2 adults
Competing Website : Happyrooms
SPG rate: JPY 17900.0 (USD$136)
BRG Reward : twentyPercent
Actual confirmed rate: 12,335.02JPY (15,418.78JPY ($128USD) less 20%) including taxes
Submitted the claim and got approved within 50mins. That's a record breaking!
Dates : 1 night in December
Number of Adults :2
Room Type On Reservation: Standard Ocean view Room with 2 adults
Competing Website : Happyrooms
SPG rate: JPY 17900.0 (USD$136)
BRG Reward : twentyPercent
Actual confirmed rate: 12,335.02JPY (15,418.78JPY ($128USD) less 20%) including taxes
Submitted the claim and got approved within 50mins. That's a record breaking!
Oct 5, 2015, 10:16 pm
#1377
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: SPG Gold, HH Diamond, Accor Plat. IHG Plat, SL Jade
Posts: 50
Oh wow, I'm actually looking to book W Retreat Seminyak during the same time period. I saw Tiket had same prices that you got, a week ago, but not it's surged up to $981 or something per night. Outrageous! Might be an error I hope.
Oct 6, 2015, 10:02 am
#1378
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 73
They might have updated the price already, haha
Oct 6, 2015, 8:42 pm
#1379
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: KSA
Programs: Marriott AMB, Skywards Gold
Posts: 3,736
We have found your reservation. It is not possible to display this particular reservation online. This is usually due to an unusual or complex rate or set of rates associated with the reservation in question. For questions regarding this reservation, please contact the Customer Contact Center nearest you.
What to do is you send the conformation to your email. On the email, there is a (Tell Us Your Stay Preferences) link right below the hotel's picture. Click on the link which will direct you to the preferences page. Save the page (you don't have to change anything). Once you do that, you now can look in your reservation under my stays or by looking it up via find my stay.
It doesn't work with hotels that has the keyless option because the link on the email will be (Learn how to go Keyless) which will direct you to the SPG's Keyless page.
Oct 7, 2015, 4:11 am
#1380
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,819
For those who have the above message for their reservations and can't look into the reservation even if they click on send conformation and refresh the page, I've find a workaround for this. But it doesn't work with hotels that have the keyless option.
What to do is you send the conformation to your email. On the email, there is a (Tell Us Your Stay Preferences) link right below the hotel's picture. Click on the link which will direct you to the preferences page. Save the page (you don't have to change anything). Once you do that, you now can look in your reservation under my stays or by looking it up via find my stay.
It doesn't work with hotels that has the keyless option because the link on the email will be (Learn how to go Keyless) which will direct you to the SPG's Keyless page.
What to do is you send the conformation to your email. On the email, there is a (Tell Us Your Stay Preferences) link right below the hotel's picture. Click on the link which will direct you to the preferences page. Save the page (you don't have to change anything). Once you do that, you now can look in your reservation under my stays or by looking it up via find my stay.
It doesn't work with hotels that has the keyless option because the link on the email will be (Learn how to go Keyless) which will direct you to the SPG's Keyless page.