Update to previous post.
So I replied with additional information and even a pdf showing how it was done and how to enter any random email address (I used "
[email protected]") and they still claim that no new information was provided and to keep things fair, they can't reconsider it. (So arbitrary.) It's lucky I didn't do this prepaid via Hilton. I booked the Japanican room (since it's 100% changeable until 6/13/2017), and will probably cancel out this room on hilton.com and wait to see if they have a 50% off sale.
Here's the Email I received.
Thank you for submitting a ‘Best Price Guarantee’ claim for your upcoming reservation at the Hilton International Tokyo, Japan under confirmation #3311786285. I have taken the liberty to review your reservation, as well as, the rate available on Japanican.com.
After a review on your claim, I see that the website Japanican.com requires a membership in order to make the reservation. This means that the rate is not publicly available. According to our Terms & Conditions, the rate must be available to the general public:
You must find a lower publicly available rate (“Lower Rate”) on a non-Hilton Worldwide booking channel (except for "opaque" websites) for the Same Accommodations. "Same Accommodations" means the same room type, at the same hotel, with the same dates and length of stay, same number of guests, same designation as either cancellable or non-cancellable, same advance purchase policies, and the same terms and conditions governing the room rate.
We are sorry for any disappointment this may cause. However, we are pleased to confirm that you have booked the best publically available price for your upcoming stay with Hilton Worldwide.
Yours sincerely,
Dawnene S.
Corporate Guest Relations Specialist
Hilton Reservations and Customer Care
So I replied with:
I ask that you please reconsider. I assure you it does not require membership to make a reservation. You can check out as a guest by entering your email. It is true on the Hilton website and every other website you go to. I have enclosed screenshots and information about this as a walk though of how it would be done without making an account. It was done purely through entering an email address.
I was able to get the rate matched on my reservation and this is my mother's reservation I am attempting to match as well since we are traveling together it required me to book separately since we are both Hilton Gold members, and they advised me to book separately for our 2 rooms.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this.
and I attached this
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7596223/Match.pdf
And here's the response
Thank you for your email response. Please be assured that we do understand your disappointment; however, in order to maintain the integrity of the Best Price Guarantee program and offer a fair and consistent opportunity to all, only claims that meet the stipulated criteria will be considered. Please be advised that after due consideration, this particular claim has been declined for the previous mentioned reasons and we are not able to take any further action regarding this matter. Needless to say, if you can offer additional information that has not previously been made available to us, please do not hesitate to forward for review. We realize that every guest has a choice when traveling and we hope you grant us the opportunity to serve your future travel needs.
Sincerely,
Marquita M.
Corporate Guest Relations Specialist
Hilton Reservations and Customer Care
What really gets me is that I don't even think they remotely looked at the material I sent in response. Also it's ridiculous that they would consider Japanican a non public site. Entering an email to checkout as a guest is basically a part of all websites. This I think is a disingenuous denial of the match. If they won't match because the terms are different, that's one thing. But to say it's because it's not a public site is ridiculous.