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[ARCHIVE to 2018] Hilton Best Rate Guarantee or BRG

[ARCHIVE to 2018] Hilton Best Rate Guarantee or BRG

Old Dec 14, 2014, 11:14 am
  #1276  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 58
I just received confirmation that my BRG submission was accepted and how the new rate will be.
When I checked my booking online it still shows the old higher rate.
Will the rate change in my booking or will the hotel just charge the lower amount when I stay there?
Thanks
Tommy13 is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2014, 1:11 pm
  #1277  
Company Representative - Honors by Hilton
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: Hilton Honors
Posts: 1,516
Hilton Best Rate Guarantee, or BRG: The Definitive Thread

Originally Posted by banffflyr
Hey all. I submitted a BRG claim yesterday based on a rate I found on aa.com who often has discounts on Hilton properties. I always save screenshots of my alternate booking sites to ensure I don't get burned on the BRG claim.

Any-hoo, this morning I received a denial from the BRG desk, stating that they could not find the rate in question. Sure enough, the aa.com site had amended their rates for this hotel, removing the rate for the room type I had booked.

My question, is this an example of Hilton using the BRG submissions to eliminate good deals on other sites? For my own case, I've submitted my screenshots and am hopeful the rate will be honored, however I'm hoping the HH Representative can shed some light on the practice of removing rates from competing sites like aa.com, and especially if their removal is intended to deep-six a legitimate BRG claim such as mine.
Hi banffflyr,

I can assure you that Hilton does not remove rates from competing sites, as this compromises the integrity of the program.

Third-party websites pull their data from our Global Distribution System, and sometimes those sites pull inventory from a wholesale partner and then improperly sell unbundled wholesale rates.

We ask sites to remove these rates as soon as we become aware of them, which is why we allow for members to submit screenshots with a date and time stamp to verify their BRG claims in case the rates are taken down before the claim is considered.

Thanks,
Erin

edited by moderator

Posts older than 2016 for this OPEN THREAD can be found in the ARCHIVE THREAD

Last edited by Kiwi Flyer; Dec 24, 2017 at 3:48 am
Hilton Honors Ambassador is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2014, 1:28 pm
  #1278  
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: YBA / YYC
Programs: AS; Aeroplan; Hilton (Diamond); Marriott (Platinum);
Posts: 346
Thanks for the clarification Erin. This is good to have on hand.

FWIW, Erin was incredibly helpful in getting me in touch with a rep regarding my own BRG claim which was great. However, I do think it points to a systemic problem with the BRG process if we have to use this back-door method to get a timely response. At the end of the day, I'm ok with a negative judgement on a BRG claim, as long as its timely, and consistent with past decisions. My two cents.
banffflyr is offline  
Old Dec 19, 2014, 9:16 am
  #1279  
Company Representative - Honors by Hilton
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: Hilton Honors
Posts: 1,516
Originally Posted by TinDrum
Erin,

Thank you for posting the above list - much appreciated.

However, my understanding of any Best Rate Guarantee program is that the hotel makes good when another site offers a lower rate for the same room, that can be booked by the general public.

How does it (or should it) matter that the competing site is "authorized" or not to offer the lower rate? So long as a lower rate can be booked elsewhere for the same room, the guarantee should be honored - don't you think so? Otherwise, this guarantee claim is a total farce.

Hilton guests have no means of knowing, in real time, which sites are authorized and which not. So in my opinion, imposing such roadblocks is just another way of evading a genuine claim.

Other comparable chains (e.g SPG, IHG etc) do not fall back on such an "authorized site" excuse to deny claims.

So why can Hilton not be more honest? Of course, there are many guests who do not care about this because someone else (e.g. their employers) are picking up the tab. But I for one, when faced with this kind of deception, have always managed to find some other hotel which does not engage in this chicanery. Ergo, entirely Hilton's loss.

TD
Originally Posted by TinDrum
Appreciate your continuing to look into this - it would be great if you could help turn the needle a little towards 'Fair'

But as the incident narrated by skywalkerLAX above (see post #1270) shows, it appears that the basic modus operandi of Hilton's BRG is to scam clients with dubious excuses. Erin, how would you feel, if YOU had to make a BRG claim at another hotel and this is the kind of response you always received?
Hi there,

Thank you for sharing your experiences when running into issues during the BRG filing process. We value your feedback which has helped us to implement our BRG policy more consistently.

Moving forward, we will approve claims from these sites as long as the offered rates meet the other BRG requirements we have in place, as we recognize that this is in the best interest of our members.

The Best Rate Guarantee exists so that our guests feel confident going to Hilton Worldwide channels to find the best rates that we offer. We strive for pricing accuracy in all our channels, and the BRG helps identify when that is not the case.

Again, thank you for bringing this to our attention, and please send me a PM if you have any further questions on this!

Thanks,
Erin
Hilton Honors Ambassador is offline  
Old Dec 19, 2014, 2:14 pm
  #1280  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Programs: Amex Plat, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold, Carlson Gold, CM Presidential / *A Gold, Hertz 5*
Posts: 1,641
Originally Posted by HHonorsRepresentative
Moving forward, we will approve claims from these sites as long as the offered rates meet the other BRG requirements we have in place, as we recognize that this is in the best interest of our members.
^^
pmarrsouth is offline  
Old Dec 26, 2014, 10:42 am
  #1281  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Marriott & SPG Plat, HH Diamond, Accor Plat, ex-Fairmont Plat, ex-Swissotel Eleva
Posts: 710
Originally Posted by HHonorsRepresentative
Hi IsleOfMan,

I provided this feedback to my team and received some clarification. We have relaxed elements of the BRG Terms & Conditions to allow more claims to be approved. In particular:
  • The cancellation policy has a 72 hour grace period instead of being exact
  • Membership rates are approved depending on the offered amenities
  • Room type requirements are lax as long as the room rates are the same


As of 9/18/14, these sites are no longer authorized to distribute our hotels static rates:
  • Alpharooms.com
  • Amoma.com
  • ASDA-Travel
  • Cleartrip.com
  • Despegar
  • Elvoline
  • Galahotels
  • Hotelpronto.com
  • Jumbotours
  • LMT.com
  • Secretescapes
  • Simplytravel.de
  • TravelRepublic
  • Wego
  • Worldwideholidays.com.au
This list might be subject to changes in the future, as our process is constantly evolving.

Other websites are considered noncompliant per our Terms & Conditions because they do not immediately confirm the booking or may require a voucher at check-in.

Thanks,
Erin
Being so familiar with SPG's board, I am very pleasantly surprised that we have a very good presence of Hilton HHonor's rep here, who even assisted with BRG queries. Thank you Erin!

I am very new to Hilton, and is on a Diamond challenge which I will start my first stays in Jan 2015.

I also just filed my first BRGs and had a success rate of 1 out of 5.
I had re-sent supporting documents for 2 of them, as the competitor's better rate is still around, while I am letting the other 2 go as the rate has ran.

I also took a look at the list given by Erin and avoided using their rates as a competing rate to file BRG.

However, I was surprised when one of my BRGs was rejected. This is because it is www.hotelclub.com, which I find it extremely competitive and I rarely found better rates with them vis-a-vis Starwood's BRG, and the reason for rejection is because:

" Discount or negotiated rates not available to the general public, including but not limited to the following rates: membership (e.g., AAA, AARP or Saga), corporate, government, promotional, unpublished, Senior HHonors, employee, offline wholesale/FIT, pre-paid rates which may include a voucher (including electronic vouchers), group or other specially negotiated rates.

I regret to inform you that we are unable to honor your request due to the website requiring a voucher at check-in and not confirming the rate and booking immediately."

I am quite bemused by this; are travel agents not issuing some form of voucher for hotel guest to check in at hotels??? Before my days where I am loyal to programs, I always get some sort of voucher with reference number from the Online Travel Agent. Hotelclub's email from my past experience was instant. So I am surprised by this clause, which I thought is extremely puzzling.

I do also note that SPG accepts Hotelclub's competitive rate, as long as it is not an opaque rate, requiring some particular credit card. (and I did not use a rate that requires some particular credit card)

Perhaps Erin can assist with a review on this point, or else advise that www.hotelclub.com should be added to the lengthy list given.

Lastly, I thought I would want to add that sometimes between choosing SPG and Hilton for my stays, I would want to see if i get the better rate (which sometimes is the BRG rate). I think SPG has an edge with the ability to check with the BRG team to see if you could get the BRG rate (as offered by SPG's competitors for Starwood Hotels), and this advantage may swing some stays to SPG vis-a-vis Hilton's BRG in the current form of BRGs. (SPG's BRG allows u to file first, and if your application is successful, you can then follow-up with a booking with will be amended to the BRG rate)

I see reports of improvement in Hilton's BRG, and while 1 out of 5 BRGs filed is not a good success rate, at least I have some evidence of possibility that BRG within Hilton. I hope Hilton's BRG will continue to evolve to make Hilton HHonors a stronger and more competitive program.

I hope my 2 of my BRGs which I seek further review, will be successful, as the cheaper competitor's rate is still around.

Cheers.
ZenWorld is offline  
Old Dec 26, 2014, 2:55 pm
  #1282  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Programs: Amex Plat, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold, Carlson Gold, CM Presidential / *A Gold, Hertz 5*
Posts: 1,641
Originally Posted by ZenWorld
...should be added to the lengthy list given.
check post 1279 in this thread
pmarrsouth is offline  
Old Dec 29, 2014, 7:18 pm
  #1283  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Marriott & SPG Plat, HH Diamond, Accor Plat, ex-Fairmont Plat, ex-Swissotel Eleva
Posts: 710
I had sent supporting evidences to the BRG team on 2 out of my 4 rejected applications, as the rate was still around when I received the rejected replies.
The screenshots I took was within 1 hour of the rejected replies, and I replied within an hour or 2 after I got the rejected email.

It has been more than 3 days (more than 72 hrs) and I have yet to hear a response.

Is this typical (BRG Teams - Do they work on weekends?)

I think by now, I am sure the rates would have changed. So I am not sure how fair it will be to respond to my queries if the BRG team checks the website and the rates have increased. But it will still be good if I can hear from them.
ZenWorld is offline  
Old Dec 30, 2014, 3:37 am
  #1284  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: HH D
Posts: 77
Originally Posted by ZenWorld
I think by now, I am sure the rates would have changed. So I am not sure how fair it will be to respond to my queries if the BRG team checks the website and the rates have increased. But it will still be good if I can hear from them.
You need to take a screen shot with these rates.
I received next e-mail on my last BRG request
Thank you for taking the time to submit an Our Best Rates Guarantee claim for your upcoming stay at our Hilton ... I was unable to find the discounted rate carried by the 3rd party for that date. Did you take a screen shot of the rate, room type and cancellation policy in the final booking screen with the time and date stamp ? Would you be able to forward that to us directly for us to recheck? I regret to inform that we are unable to honor your Best Rate claim without being able to validate the rate on the site. We thank you for making Hilton portfolio of hotels your choice. We look forward to the opportunity to serve your future travel needs.
Garina is offline  
Old Dec 30, 2014, 9:06 am
  #1285  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Marriott & SPG Plat, HH Diamond, Accor Plat, ex-Fairmont Plat, ex-Swissotel Eleva
Posts: 710
Originally Posted by Garina
You need to take a screen shot with these rates.
I received next e-mail on my last BRG request
I certainly did for each of my 2 follow-ups.

But no reply and it should have been around 4 days by now.
ZenWorld is offline  
Old Dec 31, 2014, 5:56 am
  #1286  
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP (3MM), DL PM, BONVOY TITANIUM, HYATT GLOBALIST, HILTON DIAMOND, IHG DIAMOND AMB, et al
Posts: 5,906
Originally Posted by ZenWorld
It has been more than 3 days (more than 72 hrs) and I have yet to hear a response.
My last request took 5 days to receive a response. Unfortunately, this was 2 days after check-in would have occured. After waiting over 48hrs from submitting my BRG request, I called HHonors and they said nothing could be done to expedite the process. I waited until the very last minute (literally) to cancel my reservation (avoiding cancellation penalty should the BRG not be honored) - only to receive a response yesterday (two days after I would have checked out) saying they couldn't honor the BRG because the reservation had been cancelled. Not impressed.

-FlyerBeek
FlyerBeek is offline  
Old Dec 31, 2014, 7:39 am
  #1287  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Marriott & SPG Plat, HH Diamond, Accor Plat, ex-Fairmont Plat, ex-Swissotel Eleva
Posts: 710
Originally Posted by ZenWorld
I certainly did for each of my 2 follow-ups.

But no reply and it should have been around 4 days by now.
It was over the 4 days mark when I received it, but my 2 BRG follow-ups were approved.

So 3 out of 5 BRGs approved, I would think it is still a credible BRG, and from the positive remarks by Hilton HHonors Rep here, I think Hilton BRG program will continue to make progress, if constructive feedback is continuously taken onboard for review.
ZenWorld is offline  
Old Dec 31, 2014, 2:48 pm
  #1288  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Programs: Delta Silver, HH Gold, Accor Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 5,338
What happens if the rate is lower on Hiltons own site within 24h?
KLflyerRalph is offline  
Old Dec 31, 2014, 3:24 pm
  #1289  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: HH D
Posts: 77
Originally Posted by KLflyerRalph
What happens if the rate is lower on Hiltons own site within 24h?
You can try BRG, but rate will be reduced to lower one without 50$ voucher/reduce.
It's a good idea to try find new rate on anothers sites.
Garina is offline  
Old Jan 1, 2015, 1:25 pm
  #1290  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Programs: Delta Silver, HH Gold, Accor Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 5,338
I found the rates on another site and submitted my BRG. More than 24h has passed since submitting my claim. I am afraid the rate will be gone from the 3rd party site soon. What's a normal response time? Of course I understand it was NYE yesterday but I had expected a response within 24h.
KLflyerRalph is offline  

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