ffj

When the BRG program in 2004, Hilton was reasonable. Had several approved. Then in 2005, hilton began to get unreasonably "picky". It is a scam, by any measure. I moved most of my business to Marriott in 2008, and am pleased with the decision.

alwayssummer

Spoke with a representative today. Of course they cannot compare with getaroom.com because the getaroom rates are paid in advance even though they offer similar cancellation terms.

I told them I'm canceling all of my pending reservations and switching to another chain. I'm sure they don't care, but it made me feel better.

libuser

just for kicks I tried to submit lnf for 5 reservations today and guess what all of them denied for very very dumb reasons. I have switched to Marriott 2 years ago just because of their pathetic policies. Wanted to see if they had become more reasonable. But no the same thing, so business as usual. Marriott here I come. : )

Supersonic Flyer

I booked a stay at an european Hilton for the next month. The "Great Getaway" rate breakfast included was $140 plus taxes. On the same day I found an expedia rate that was $10 cheaper. I submitted the Best Rate Guaranteed claim form but my request was denied. The following day I phoned Hilton Guest Assistance and while on the line with the representative I sent via email the printouts of the expedia and hilton webpages with the rates. Today I received their email accepting my request, with the new reservation reporting a note to the hotel in order to match the expedia rate discounting my bill of $10 plus $50.

msk6261

So I had given up on receiving a response and given up on Hilton entirely.

3 months after sending emails and letters, I received an email from one of the snail mail letters to Corporation Executive Offices:

"We have received your comments regarding our hotel at our Hilton Hotels Corporation Executive Offices. We would like to thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. It is our vision to be the first choice of the world’s travelers.

We sincerely apologize for the service quality that you experienced. For your inconvenience, I have added 20k points to your account. You can view them online immediately.

As business professionals, we understand the value that customers bring to an industry that “breathes” service and choice. As an organization, we recognize the concerns of our customers and diligently strive to enhance our level of service and consistencies through various training channels with a primary focus on meeting the needs, wants, and expectations of those who make us the best in the industry today, “YOU”! With this said, you do have a choice as to where you take your business and personal travels and it is our hope that you consider the Hilton Family Brands as your hotel of choice.

Again, thank you for your time and loyalty."

Hmmmmm..........so they are "breathing" "ME" now.

Zurich Flyer

congratulations, newby! well done ^

sportychick

Maybe I am lucky but I filled out a guarantee request for the Hampton Inn Virginia Beach Oceanfront South this past weekend and although I didn't get a response from anyone, I checked the reservation under my account the other day and it was adjusted from $1524 down to $733 which is the rate I submitted to them from hotels.com. Plus, upon check out I am supposed to get a $50 amex gift card. Well worth the few minutes to fill out the form as hotels.com wanted my money up front and now I don't have to pay until I go next July.

whynotfly

After having read so many posts about Hilton's negative attitude to the BRG program I decided to take a different approach to getting the "best rate" without involving the BRG obfuscators.

We were trying to get a two night stay at a particular European Hilton. The rate on the Hilton website was $285.00 and the rate at Hotels.com was $215.00. The stay was about a week into the future. We emailed the hotel the following:

"Good morning

I'd like to make a reservation at your hotel for two nights, September 4 and September 5 for two guests in one room.

I understand that Hilton has a "best rate gaurantee". I see a rates quoted in US Dollars of $215 per night, taxes included for two people with breakfast at Hotels.com. The rate that I see on the Hilton website is considerably higher. I am a Diamond member with Hilton and would prefer to book with you directly and avoid having to deal with the "Best Rates Guaranteed" desk.

The rate i have mentioned can be seen at www.hotels.com

Please advise,"

The response from the hotel was timely and they gave us a rate of $163.00 per night. We were upgraded and all points, base, Q3 bonus, 50% bonus, my way etc posted to my HH acct.

There isn't one among us who does not want the most luxury and comfort at the lowest price and the lure of BRG tempts us into expecting an honest and uncomplicated result. Instead we get free points added to our blood pressure rather than the best rate.

I'm posting this to demonstrate that there may be more than just a few ways to save without having to deal with the BRG demons.

libuser

that is actually true for international properties where they give a damn about customers since they do not have so many corporate contracts. However try to do that in the US and you will see how quickly you will be ignored and forgotten...

good job btw.

cfischer

On my approved claim (after a BBB complaint etc.) I never actually got the $50. It's a scam and if anyone at Hilton is reading this ... it's the major reason for staying a LOT more at Marriott. I have never seen a program which is so poorly designed and drives customers away to stay with the competition.

anabolism

Congratulations!

I've called a hotel directly on a few occasions and asked them to match another rate at a nearby hotel (different situation than same hotel but different web site), and have usually been successful, but it varies a lot from property to property.

In my case and my situation (asking for a price match with another hotel), I've had both success and failure with U.S. hotels, but only failure with overseas ones. However, I'm sure it depends on the individual hotel.

Personally, I don't care about the $50, I'd be happy if they just matched the rate.

reiner

My experience is, Hiltons BRG is a fake

Our Best Rates Guaranteed OFFER DOES NOT APPLY to the following:
· Hotels outside the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. See below for the Our Best Rates. Guaranteed. offer for Hilton Family hotels outside of the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico along with full terms and conditions for those locations.

· Reservations booked through a non-Hilton Family booking channel or a non-designated GDS, third party websites or any other channels.

· Rates available on "opaque" websites where the hotel brand and specific hotel are not known until the booking is made (e.g., Priceline.com, Hotwire.com).

· Hotel packages (e.g., Romance, Easy Escapes®, BounceBack®, Dream Deal®) or travel packages which may include hotel, airfare, car rental, food and beverage offers or other similar packages or amenities.

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

· Reservations made within 72 hours of day of arrival.

The best is, I've booked a deluxe plus room at the Hilton Phuket and got a confirmed junior suite upgrade so it's not the same room for my BRG request

ba bob

Just on the phone to them now and got a classic answer to my question 'how long does it take to hear back from a submitted claim'.

Agents answer was, and I quote, 'oh, it only takes 24 hours to hear its been refused'. No mention of it possibly being authorised!

lachster

Baaahahahaha love it

mario

I booked a pre-paid stay in the Hilton Sydney and found a pre-paid rate, for the same room type and dates on hotels.com.

I submitted a claim that was rejected. The reason was

"The reservation booked requiresa one night deposit; the booking located requires that the pay your full stayin advance, therefore your claim is not valid."

This is completely untrue. The reservation booked was fully pre-paid. The total cost was 630 AUD and my credit card has already been charged in full for 630 AUD.

I wrote an email to the agent that declined my claim and also [email protected]. That was nine days ago. I then sent another email yesterday. I haven't had a response from anyone.

What would be your next step? Talk to AMEX to have the charge reverse? Small claims court?