"Best Available Rate" is jargon used by ALL hotels (not just Starwood) for the best unrestricted rate that is available to the general public. I.e., it's not limited to just members of a certain group (such as AAA, seniors, government employees, etc.); and it doesn't have restrictions such as prepaid, nonrefundable, etc. (Exact definition of BAR may vary somewhat among different hotel chains.) This means that quite often, BAR is NOT the best rate if you happen to be able to qualify for a lower one, or are willing to live with restrictions. @:-) (The Lurkers may be able to provide a more precise definition of BAR than this, as well as an explanation of why there are variously-numbered BAR rates.)

As for your claiming that it is not "available" nor a "rate" -- well, HAW HAW HAW.