Jan 16, 2014, 2:16 pm
Last edit by: coleslaw
Update in Hyatt BRG policy (April 2019): If your BRG claim is approved, you can choose either 5,000 World of Hyatt points or an additional 20% off the matched rate for your stay (defined as consecutive nights at the same location). Rates available on websites that require membership which is free of charge, or where membership is automatically created as part of the booking, are eligible for BRG claims.
.................................................. ..........
Recent Experiences Using the BRG (2018 and later)
YES
MAYBE
Update in Hyatt BRG policy (July 2017): if your BRG claim is approved, Hyatt will match the comparable lower rate, but will no longer offer a further 20% discount on the matched lower rate. Instead, after your stay on the BRG approved rate, you will receive a US$50 credit (or equivalent amount in the currency of your country of residence) to use on a future stay (completed within 12 months) booked on a Standard Rate, Advance Purchase Rate or Member Rate on Hyatt.com.
Q. How do I receive the $50 credit?
A. About 3-4 days after your BRG stay, Hyatt will email you a unique rate code to apply for your new reservation. You can either click on the link in the mail to book the reservation or manually enter it into the booking at Hyatt.com.
Q. Can I use the code more than once?
A. No. The code is invalid when it has already been attached to a reservation.
Q. Can I use the code to lower a rate like AAA or Double Points?
A. No. The BRG code books into its own unique rate class and can't be used with any other promotional rates.
Q. What happens if I cancel my reservation with the BRG code applied?
A. The code will can be re-used for another reservation. For this reason, DO NOT DELETE THE EMAIL FROM HYATT UNTIL AFTER YOUR STAY.
Q. What happens if a lower base rate appears available after I book the BRG rate?
A. You can cancel the first reservation (assuming there's no penalty) and then rebook using the code for the lower rate.
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If you are dissatisfied with the response to your BRG claim, and it was processed by the Hyatt Service Desk in Omaha (9805 Q Street), you can consider filing a consumer complaint (link to online form) with the Nebraska Attorney General's Office (Consumer Protection Division). Note that the online complaint form requires you to fill in a correspondence address in the US (though you can state a preference to receive correspondence by e-mail rather than by post). As reported in Post # 2691, if the AG's Office decides to investigate, it is possible that Hyatt will review your BRG claim again and, in addition, offer points for the inconvenience.
If your BRG claim was processed by the Hyatt Service Desk in Marion (1120 North Carbon Street Suite 70), you can consider filing a consumer complaint (link to online form) with the Illinois Attorney General's Office.
From Post # 12:
.................................................. ..........
Recent Experiences Using the BRG (2018 and later)
YES
- Hotels.com - April 2019
- Booking.com - May 2019
MAYBE
- Skoosh - April 2019 (initially rejected as "membership site" but approved on appeal)
- SnapTravel
Update in Hyatt BRG policy (July 2017): if your BRG claim is approved, Hyatt will match the comparable lower rate, but will no longer offer a further 20% discount on the matched lower rate. Instead, after your stay on the BRG approved rate, you will receive a US$50 credit (or equivalent amount in the currency of your country of residence) to use on a future stay (completed within 12 months) booked on a Standard Rate, Advance Purchase Rate or Member Rate on Hyatt.com.
Q. How do I receive the $50 credit?
A. About 3-4 days after your BRG stay, Hyatt will email you a unique rate code to apply for your new reservation. You can either click on the link in the mail to book the reservation or manually enter it into the booking at Hyatt.com.
Q. Can I use the code more than once?
A. No. The code is invalid when it has already been attached to a reservation.
Q. Can I use the code to lower a rate like AAA or Double Points?
A. No. The BRG code books into its own unique rate class and can't be used with any other promotional rates.
Q. What happens if I cancel my reservation with the BRG code applied?
A. The code will can be re-used for another reservation. For this reason, DO NOT DELETE THE EMAIL FROM HYATT UNTIL AFTER YOUR STAY.
Q. What happens if a lower base rate appears available after I book the BRG rate?
A. You can cancel the first reservation (assuming there's no penalty) and then rebook using the code for the lower rate.
.................................................. ..........
If you are dissatisfied with the response to your BRG claim, and it was processed by the Hyatt Service Desk in Omaha (9805 Q Street), you can consider filing a consumer complaint (link to online form) with the Nebraska Attorney General's Office (Consumer Protection Division). Note that the online complaint form requires you to fill in a correspondence address in the US (though you can state a preference to receive correspondence by e-mail rather than by post). As reported in Post # 2691, if the AG's Office decides to investigate, it is possible that Hyatt will review your BRG claim again and, in addition, offer points for the inconvenience.
If your BRG claim was processed by the Hyatt Service Desk in Marion (1120 North Carbon Street Suite 70), you can consider filing a consumer complaint (link to online form) with the Illinois Attorney General's Office.
From Post # 12:
If you can’t solve your issue (please mind Hyatt's Consumer Affairs Department assists us at 1-800-323-7249) here are some other resources:
Sound Off
Conde Nast's Traveler's "Ombudsman" column features a traveler's complaint column. Send in your complaint to Ombudsman, Conde Nast Traveler, 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036.
Legal Options
Sound Off
- Contact Consumer Traveler (my pick: Christopher Elliott)
- Consumer Tools (My3cents.com is a leading source of consumer advice)
- Post a complaint for public view
- Consumer Comment Form (please mind: If you file a complaint it becomes property of “Consumer Affairs” and they are not obliged to remove it if you solve the issue)
Conde Nast's Traveler's "Ombudsman" column features a traveler's complaint column. Send in your complaint to Ombudsman, Conde Nast Traveler, 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036.
Legal Options
- File a complaint at you state's attorney general's office
- Small Claims Court (link provides also a helping hand on how to resolve problem without going to small claims court)
- Federal Trade Commission (The FTC does not resolve individual consumer complaints.)
Hyatt - Best Rate Guarantee - Experiences - MASTER THREAD - WIKI
Apr 19, 2019, 5:16 am
#2852
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: SNA and BNA depending on work and time of year
Programs: UA Silver/ AA EXP/Hyatt Globalist/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,189
Mods could we please archive this thread and open a new one to discuss the updated program? There's almost 200 pages in this one and much of it is out of date.
Apr 19, 2019, 7:11 am
#2853
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,043
Not a good idea IMO. There is absolutely nothing to suggest that anything has changed with the new programme other than the incentive.
Apr 19, 2019, 7:18 am
#2854
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Homeless
Programs: Hyatt Glob; Hilton Dia; Marriott AMB; Accor Dia; IHG Dia Amb; GHA Tit
Posts: 4,837
Apr 19, 2019, 1:09 pm
#2855
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 5
I checked all my future reservations and found one was cheaper on Agoda. I rebooked it so it was new, cancelled the old one, and then submitted a claim. It was accepted and they lowered the rate by 20% from Agoda’s site. I did this yesterday; when I checked agoda today the price has risen in line w the other OTA sites. Anyone know if Hyatt has any ability to make the OTA sites price at a certain level? Could they have had something to do w Agoda changing the price today?
Apr 22, 2019, 3:21 am
#2856
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,043
Therefore imagine that, behind the scenes, a hotel revenue manager is getting a good kicking from Hyatt corporate. That revenue manager then makes sure that he/she isn't offering a better rate via an OTA and the lower rate disappears.
If Hyatt and OTAs were proven to be actively conspiring to fix prices, that's a juicy class action lawsuit right there...
Apr 23, 2019, 6:35 am
#2857
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Homeless
Programs: Hyatt Glob; Hilton Dia; Marriott AMB; Accor Dia; IHG Dia Amb; GHA Tit
Posts: 4,837
My first attempt since the improvement to BRG terms.
I found a website which shows the price including taxes. Obviously on hyatt.com you have the price before tax and the price including taxes. So in the comments section of the BRG claim I made a like-for-like comparison, including and excluding taxes, by backing out taxes from the third party website.
Claim denied because the third party website does not show a price excluding tax. Who cares since we can see anyway that the third party is cheaper including taxes? Never got a rejection from Hilton or Marriott based on this reason.
Not a good reintroduction to Hyatt BRG
I found a website which shows the price including taxes. Obviously on hyatt.com you have the price before tax and the price including taxes. So in the comments section of the BRG claim I made a like-for-like comparison, including and excluding taxes, by backing out taxes from the third party website.
Claim denied because the third party website does not show a price excluding tax. Who cares since we can see anyway that the third party is cheaper including taxes? Never got a rejection from Hilton or Marriott based on this reason.
Not a good reintroduction to Hyatt BRG
Apr 23, 2019, 6:53 am
#2858
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,043
Tax-included OTAs such as Amoma haven't been accepted by Hyatt for a long time, for multiple reasons. Not expecting that to change...
Apr 23, 2019, 7:10 am
#2859
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,333
Requested a BRG on Hyatt Place Waikiki on Friday afternoon, since the Hyatt rate is 20% higher than all of the OTA's. Received a response on Sunday morning confirming that the BRG was accepted. I was given the option of 5k point or "20% off your next stay" (not clear if I could use it on this booking?). I had to make the choice when submitting the BRG, and I went with the points since I am running low on points and the room rate was not that high. I still got 20% of the Hyatt rate, so no complaints here.
Last edited by downinit; Apr 27, 2019 at 9:49 am
Apr 23, 2019, 7:22 am
#2860
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Homeless
Programs: Hyatt Glob; Hilton Dia; Marriott AMB; Accor Dia; IHG Dia Amb; GHA Tit
Posts: 4,837
Rates available on websites that require membership which is free of charge, or where membership is automatically created as part of the booking, are eligible for BRG claims.
Apr 25, 2019, 9:20 am
#2861
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,043
I've done some clean-up of the wiki, with apologies to those who wanted to track the history of changes in T&Cs... 
It's probably time to start tracking of successful / unsuccessful competing websites under the new, notionally more liberal, qualifying website rules...
But since I only bother with hotels.com -
- I can only add the one successful data point.
It's probably time to start tracking of successful / unsuccessful competing websites under the new, notionally more liberal, qualifying website rules...
But since I only bother with hotels.com -
- I can only add the one successful data point.
Apr 25, 2019, 3:13 pm
#2862
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,043
I was hopeful that this month's "improvement" of including more third party websites eligible for BRG would be favorable, but in practice maybe it won't make much of a difference...
Rates available on websites that require membership which is free of charge, or where membership is automatically created as part of the booking, are eligible for BRG claims.
Rates available on websites that require membership which is free of charge, or where membership is automatically created as part of the booking, are eligible for BRG claims.
After researching,I was unable to validate your submission based on the third party website requiring membership to complete the booking process.
Apr 25, 2019, 4:01 pm
#2863
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Homeless
Programs: Hyatt Glob; Hilton Dia; Marriott AMB; Accor Dia; IHG Dia Amb; GHA Tit
Posts: 4,837
Apr 25, 2019, 8:16 pm
#2864
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: So Cal
Programs: UA Gold/0.744MM, WN AL, Hyatt Diamond, MR Scum, Hertz PC, National Exec, Avis PC
Posts: 5,561
Requested a BRG on Hyatt Place Waikiki on Friday afternoon, since the Hyatt rate is 20% higher than all of the OTA's. Received a response on Sunday morning confirming that the BRG was accepted. I was given the option of 5k point or 20% off of a future booking (not clear if I could use it on this booking?). I had to make the choice when submitting the BRG, and I went with the points since I am running low on points and the room rate was not that high. I still got 20% of the Hyatt rate, so no complaints here.
Apr 26, 2019, 1:36 am
#2865
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,043
I did indeed reply with a cut and paste of their own T&Cs and this morning I received the approval. I'll put Skoosh in the "maybe" column, since I think the second agent, to his credit, recognised that coming up with a second excuse could lead to a strong case with a consumer ombudsman type... (as well as annoy the guest)