stvr

I wanted to get a conversation going on which hotel chains should be praised for their best rate guarantee policies and which ones should be shamed for advertising a benefit and not following through.

Here's my initial read — I do have a fair bit of experience processing these over the years. I list this, of course, in order of magnitude of money saved.

1. IHG: A- (first night free)
Kudos for incredible generosity. The terms are really strict, but if you play by the rules, you generally win. Response times have been inconsistent, but I've never had them lie to me. Definitely the most dollars saved by far. The times I've had to be reimbursed by check, I've EARNED IHG points, which is absurdly generous.

2. Choice: A- (first night free)
Have only done a couple. Generally had no issue. Incredibly generous, of course. They lose a grade for quality of properties, though there are surprises in there. Also, sometimes it feels as if you have flat out stolen money from a striving immigrant family when you check into some of these properties on a BRG.

3. Marriott: B+ (25% off)
25% can really, really add up, and approvals are pretty easy. I've saved hundreds of dollars with this one. UPDATE — This includes Ritz-Carlton! Amazing!

4. Club Carlson: B (25% off)
Have limited experience, but approvals are generally easy. 25% is very generous (when redeeming points isn't even more generous). Lose points for property inconsistency and low-quality properties.

NEW — Starwood: B (20% off)
Relatively loose with approvals (from what I hear). And 20% can really add up. A solid effort from SPG until proven otherwise.

NEW — Best Western: B ($100 Gift Card)
The gift card is resellable for $75 via GC resale channels. So that's a significant benefit depending on how much the original stay costs. I've never tried this one. Too much hassle and follow-up.

>>> Those are the winners... Now we get to the dogs who should be shamed... <<<

5. Hilton: B- ($50 off)
$50 can mean a lot on a 1-night stay, but very little on a long or expensive stay. Also, this Houston-based department often drops the ball, ignores correspondence, misreads websites when you've played by the rules, adjusts rates improperly, you name it. Just a terribly run shop for a not-very-large benefit. I've had a few big money-savers, but sometimes that's from their mistake in my benefit sadly...

6. Hyatt: B- (20% off)
Hyatt took a great BRG program and gutted it. Now they deny claims for 'any membership site,' which includes sites that ask for an email when you make a booking! There are still talented people in their Illinois/Nebraska offices who can make things happen, but they are really hobbled by onerous, non-sensical rules. Shame on Hyatt, which in many other ways is the thought leader in the space.

7. Wyndham/Accor/NH: C (all 10% off)
Sorry to rant, but time is money. Working on a BRG to save 10% is just NOT worth it. Often, AAA/corporate/Hotwire rates beat the pants off of a 10% match. [I know people like their SPG points, but 2,000 points is what? $40? Compared to the above programs, that's really a pittance. UPDATE: SPG has improved their BRG to 20%!]

8. Kimpton: D ($25 food credit)
Again, I'm not going to waste PRECIOUS TIME on a BRG to win $25 in free food. I didn't travel all this way to eat in a hotel anyway.

9. La Quinta/Four Seasons/Fairmont/Ritz-Carlton: F (0% off)
No meaningful BRG program. No reason to book with them on their own website if a competitor has it cheaper. (Hint: this means a competitor will have it cheaper.)

Feel free to quibble and disagree. Just my thoughts...

BigJC

I'd give Hilton an F+ for the same reasons you have listed. I stopping playing their BRG nonsense years ago.

llbad

All you need to do is take a look at the IHG BRG thread to know that they are bsing liars and not worth your time, 99% of the time

sdsearch

IHG A- really? Do a bit too many BRGs there, and you're toast!
To me, they're the ones that are tops, because they allow me to use their BRG (which they call LNF) on every night of every stay of the whole year if I want.

(And some hotels don't mind me doing a LNF at them every single time I stay there, even if I'm staying every week for a while. This fall, I'm spending a total of 20+ nights at 3 night/stay at the same Marriott Suites for a $75ish cancellable LNF rate when cancellable rates there start at $140ish and even advance purchase rates there start at $110ish. What other program can I possibly do that kind of BRG for every single night in?)

The ones you ranked higher only allow one per stay or even a month. So if you've got a lot stays (or longer stays) that you want to lower the rate of, Marriott has no restrictions (because it's "just" 25% off of the third-party rate), while all the BRG programs that give the "first night free" put big restrictions on that.

MightyTravels

Marriott and Starwood actually work. All the others are just marketing I do not recommended spending much time learning about them.

nomii

OP can you please put a quick summary next to each about what the BRG deal is (free night, $50 cert, 10% off etc).

Also, if possible, add the major OTA also (e.g. Expedia $50 coupon, Orbitz etc).

In general I've had success with Expedia quite a bit.

stvr

Added the BRG offers in parentheses.

@notahappycamper — Eek! Time for me to redeem my IHG points.

DealAddict

Marriott's BRG saves a lot more money than the others such as IHG if it's for more than one night. You have to remember that 25 % off is not off the Marriott rate, but the third party rate which itself is usually quite a bit lower. I have had so many claims approved... Fast response times. OK, sometimes the agents are really dim and you have to write back and explain how to find the rate, but if it's there, it's always approved.

The only issue is that outside of North America it's not really good, since sites providing you with a voucher as confirmation of your stay are excluded from the guarantee (so, in essence a lot of sites).

CalItalian

I give high marks to Choice, also. They respond back quick and, like Marriott, are not as picky that every little detail matches as IHG expects.

BenSenise

here's a winner for sure: Accor Hotels! If the competing and better rate description doesn't have the EXACT SAME description word for word, they deny it. I tried to file a claim for a rate that was better than theirs in that it included breakfast and the accor rate didn't and it was denied. They find the slightest technical difference to justify denying your claim when they should do it in the spirit of the program; to ensure that you book through them directly rather than an OTA/third party.

I have had luck with starwood and like their SPG program as well as their hotels.

craigthemif

Starwood and Marriott are by far the best. By that I mean it's actually possible to get a successful claim at hotels you might actually want to stay at.

Most of the others are basically marketing garbage that are impossible to claim and/or take so much effort that they are hardly worth it...

(even at free there are many Choice hotels I wouldn't stay in...)

polemi

I agree with BenSenise. Accor are very bad. They bring a whole new meaning to the term Customer Service. C S just keep sending extracts from their terms with no attempt to answer/address your specific arguments. They refuse to escalate even when they are clearly in the wrong. After a few responses they just stop answering your email. Then I start contacting them by post. I doubt they have ever honoured a BRG. It almost seems like the staff are rewarded for rejecting claims. I once made a claim that would have cost them about 5 GBP if they had paid but the effort they put in to reject it must have cost them hundreds of pounds.

whimike

I have no knowledge of the Marriott program, but love the SPG BRG program. I love it because it is easy to get approved and there is enough benefit to make me happy but not be overly punitive to the hotel. With a BRG I am not looking to rape the hotel, but get the rate matched and get a bit of a perk in additional savings or points, thus the SPG program works well for both me customer and the hotel.

With other programs that give free rooms, it is incredibly punitive to the hotel and it is no wonder that IHG would try to squirm out of approvals by making the requirements for a successful BRG very difficult.

FlyingOutTLV

I have experience with seven of the listed programs and one that's not listed and I think should be - Swissotel.

The main two aspects of any program are:
(A) The incentive of a successful claim.
(B) The approval rate (including the T&C of the program).

The secondary two aspects should be:
(A) The response time and communication.
(B) Whether one needs to actually book a reservation before or not.

Given the different incentives offered by these programs I think there's also a different overall rankings for cheap stays (1-night near an airport) and expensive stays (weekend in a major city).

My choice for cheap stays:

1. Starwood - because 2000 points are worth close to 50$ and the BRG process is great.
2. Hilton - because my personal experience with the BRG program is excellent and 50$ discount is very generous. Though I don't like to use it in North America as the Amex GC are not so useful for a non-US traveler.
3. IHG - the incentive is ultimate for a 1-night stay, but it's not easy to get an approval. One would usually have to use a non-refundable rate so the claim would not be denied based on difference in cancellation policies - and thus this program is good mostly if one's travel plans are solid and he is ready to pay the full price if the claim is denied (which is often the case).
4. Swissotel - pretty good approval rate and 50% discount (for the first night) is excellent.

My choice for expensive stays:

1. Marriott - 25% discount is more than fair and the approval rate is the best I've experienced. Excellent program.
2. Hyatt - I love Hyatt's CS, and I feel that claims are never been denied on BS reasons. 20% discount is enough.
3. Starwood - the incentive is not great for an expensive stay, but I love the fact that you do not need to actually book a reservations before claiming a BRG. I feel that the process is pretty straight forward with no BS.
4. Carlson - I have limited experience but it's good. 25% discount is great, but given other travelers reports I feel my current approval rate is way above normal. Their process is not as easy and straight forward like the the above programs.
5. IHG - the incentive loses it's value on a long stay, but the main problem is the low approval rate (not always with a fair reason).

I hope that Fairmont would come up with a nice BRG program. Maybe adopt the Swissotel one - that would be great.

Also, on a side note, Expedia's BRG program has gone off the rail. My last few claims were all denied with completely 100% wrong reasons. I get that the voucher is given after the stay (why 4-6 weeks though?) but at their current state their program is a waste of time.

friendly45

I agree: This year both allowed me to find good bargains at hotels where I wanted to stay 2 to 6 nights.