Jul 8, 2013, 11:43 am
Last edit by: FLYGVA
Recent discussion (After January 01, 2016) could be found in this thread.
Most important points to consider for a valid BRG:
1. The comparison website MUST bill in the same currency as the hotel .
2. The cancellation terms must be equal or better, than the terms by the hotels.
3. The Website needs to provide INSTANT confirmation.
4. The room names should match, but if you can demonstrate, that the room is comparable, it will also work with discrepancies in the name.
5. The price difference has to be more than either USD 1 or 1% (whichever is higher).
5.b In regards to hotels located in australia and New Zealand the price difference must be greater than 3% .
Hotels for which you will get reimbursed:
(Note: There have been significant problems with getting full reimbursements from IHG, especially for reimbursements in other currencies than USD)
IC Istanbul ( BRG claim from the 17.05.2013/ "Technical Difficulties")
IC Frankfurt ( BRG claim from the 20.08.2013/ "Technical Difficulties")
Link to the Terms and Conditions : https://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/cus...rms-conditions
Most important points to consider for a valid BRG:
1. The comparison website MUST bill in the same currency as the hotel .
2. The cancellation terms must be equal or better, than the terms by the hotels.
3. The Website needs to provide INSTANT confirmation.
4. The room names should match, but if you can demonstrate, that the room is comparable, it will also work with discrepancies in the name.
5. The price difference has to be more than either USD 1 or 1% (whichever is higher).
5.b In regards to hotels located in australia and New Zealand the price difference must be greater than 3% .
Hotels for which you will get reimbursed:
(Note: There have been significant problems with getting full reimbursements from IHG, especially for reimbursements in other currencies than USD)
IC Istanbul ( BRG claim from the 17.05.2013/ "Technical Difficulties")
IC Frankfurt ( BRG claim from the 20.08.2013/ "Technical Difficulties")
Link to the Terms and Conditions : https://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/cus...rms-conditions
New IHG Best Rate Guarantee - Discussion & Feedback
Feb 3, 2015, 1:35 pm
#6541
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: N/A
Programs: 100m swimming certificate level 5
Posts: 1,456
So anyone have experience when they email this to you?
"
Dear xxxxxxxxx,
Thank you for contacting our office regarding our Best Price Guarantee in reference to rates at the "hotel". We appreciate the opportunity to assist you with this matter.
We are still researching the room accommodation you found on www.hotels.com. Once this has been verified and all Terms and Conditions have been met, you will receive confirmation from our office.
We appreciate your patience and will contact you via email when this has been confirmed.
Should you have further questions regarding the specific Terms and Conditions of the program you may visit www.ihg.com/bestprice.
Best Regards,
"
That was 3 days ago, should I follow up or what have you guys done?
Thanks
"
Dear xxxxxxxxx,
Thank you for contacting our office regarding our Best Price Guarantee in reference to rates at the "hotel". We appreciate the opportunity to assist you with this matter.
We are still researching the room accommodation you found on www.hotels.com. Once this has been verified and all Terms and Conditions have been met, you will receive confirmation from our office.
We appreciate your patience and will contact you via email when this has been confirmed.
Should you have further questions regarding the specific Terms and Conditions of the program you may visit www.ihg.com/bestprice.
Best Regards,
"
That was 3 days ago, should I follow up or what have you guys done?
Thanks
Feb 4, 2015, 12:44 am
#6543
Ambassador: LATAM
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: PNA
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 4,648
I keep coming unstuck on this term
6b. Matching Prices - Currency Requirements. The currency of the hotel controls the comparison with the room price and the total room cost on the non-IHG website, and the room price and the total room cost on the non-IHG website must be available, viewable, quoted, booked, and paid for in the currency of the hotel.
I am trying to BPG a hotel in Colombia. The OTA shows the price in Colombian Pesos with a reference price in US Dollars. IHG.com shows the price in USD, however, given that the hotel is in Colombia, USD cannot be the currency of the hotel as it is not legal to transact in currencies that are not Colombian Pesos. i.e. you cannot get a "pay at hotel" rate and settle your bill in anything other than COP
I am trying to explain this to them, on my third attempt but not getting particularly far. Based on this denial, the BPG does not apply to any hotel in Colombia as the price on IHG.com is in USD which the BPG team mistakenly thinks is the hotel's currency.
6b. Matching Prices - Currency Requirements. The currency of the hotel controls the comparison with the room price and the total room cost on the non-IHG website, and the room price and the total room cost on the non-IHG website must be available, viewable, quoted, booked, and paid for in the currency of the hotel.
I am trying to BPG a hotel in Colombia. The OTA shows the price in Colombian Pesos with a reference price in US Dollars. IHG.com shows the price in USD, however, given that the hotel is in Colombia, USD cannot be the currency of the hotel as it is not legal to transact in currencies that are not Colombian Pesos. i.e. you cannot get a "pay at hotel" rate and settle your bill in anything other than COP
I am trying to explain this to them, on my third attempt but not getting particularly far. Based on this denial, the BPG does not apply to any hotel in Colombia as the price on IHG.com is in USD which the BPG team mistakenly thinks is the hotel's currency.
Feb 4, 2015, 1:09 am
#6544
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: CPH
Programs: UAMP S, TK M&S E (*G), Marriott LTP, IHG P, SK EBG
Posts: 11,095
Wouldn't be easy that you can just use any US site to do the BRG? A lot of OTA has USD as billing currency, so I would imagine that is going to be easier for you.
Feb 4, 2015, 1:23 am
#6545
Ambassador: LATAM
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: PNA
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 4,648
I respect that it does that. It is the right thing to do, tells you it's a reference price in USD and that you will be billed in COP, the hotel's currency. It is IHG that is wrong by presuming that because the price is in USD on IHG then USD is the hotel's currency
Feb 4, 2015, 1:40 am
#6546
Ambassador: LATAM
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: PNA
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 4,648
Admittedly they are pretty quick to respond, now she has replied to say that regardless of the currency, the cheaper flexible rate that I found on booking.com is more restrictive than the costlier advance purchase non refundable rate on IHG.com
At risk of hearing an answer that will blow my mind, I just asked her "how can that be?"
At risk of hearing an answer that will blow my mind, I just asked her "how can that be?"
Feb 4, 2015, 3:50 am
#6547
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: CPH
Programs: UAMP S, TK M&S E (*G), Marriott LTP, IHG P, SK EBG
Posts: 11,095
That's BS - how can a full flex rate be more restrictive than prepaid rate?
Cancel your reservation and file another claim (if you haven't made a prepaid reservation).
If the rate is booking.com is a pay at hotel rate - tell the BRG people - if you are paying at the hotel there could only be 1 currency.
Cancel your reservation and file another claim (if you haven't made a prepaid reservation).
If the rate is booking.com is a pay at hotel rate - tell the BRG people - if you are paying at the hotel there could only be 1 currency.
Feb 4, 2015, 4:37 am
#6548
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
I am trying to BPG a hotel in Colombia. The OTA shows the price in Colombian Pesos with a reference price in US Dollars. IHG.com shows the price in USD, however, given that the hotel is in Colombia, USD cannot be the currency of the hotel as it is not legal to transact in currencies that are not Colombian Pesos. i.e. you cannot get a "pay at hotel" rate and settle your bill in anything other than COP
It's usually business hotels that adopt this approach - they claim that corporations value rates in currencies they immediately comprehend when agreeing rates: plus there's an element of revenue protection/hedging (which can work both ways
)For BRG purposes i believe the currency of interest is the one defined on the website for your target hotel.
For the OTA the currency of interest is the one you are billed in, however helpful they are in offering illustrative conversions.
The currencies of interest must match.
Feb 4, 2015, 5:01 am
#6549
Ambassador: LATAM
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: PNA
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 4,648
New IHG Best Rate Guarantee - Discussion & Feedback
Cheers IAN-UK
In which case my earlier point stands and BPG claims will not be honoured on 'pay at the hotel' rates for any IHG property in Colombia as they can only charge in COP and IHG publishes prices in USD even though the hotel will not charge you in USD.
In which case my earlier point stands and BPG claims will not be honoured on 'pay at the hotel' rates for any IHG property in Colombia as they can only charge in COP and IHG publishes prices in USD even though the hotel will not charge you in USD.
Feb 4, 2015, 1:22 pm
#6550
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Amsterdam, Asia, UK
Programs: IHG RA (Spire), HH Diamond, MR Platinum, SQ Gold, KLM Gold, BAEC Gold
Posts: 5,072
You agree a room rate at us$xxx and during checking hotel converts using the us$ to local currency exchange rate to local currency.
As such you can BRG as at reservation time (not checkin) you compare apples with apples so if IHG.COM hotel rate is in us$ then OTA needs bill in us$ , even if you pay locally at checkin/checkout in pesos/rand etc
Feb 4, 2015, 9:18 pm
#6551
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
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Posts: 17,008
But I reckon the BRG team will stick to the currency of the hotel being USD, the currency in which all room rates are designated: local currency is employed at that day's USD exchange rate simply as the payment mechanism. So OTA in USD + IHG in USD = happiness; anything else = headache
Although a measure of sophistry could be used to give an alternative interpretation, it boils down to "their game, their rules".
I got a simple BRG over a three day stay in Sao Paulo (both online travel agent and IHG in USD), and paid my bill at check-out in reais. It's not a convenient way to do things as the charge cycles through USD then BRL to GBP before hitting my bank account.
Feb 4, 2015, 11:00 pm
#6552
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 29
It's not all bad... just received an approval in 33 mins from when I made the reservation! New record for me at least! Can anyone beat that?
Feb 5, 2015, 3:09 am
#6553
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Amsterdam, Asia, UK
Programs: IHG RA (Spire), HH Diamond, MR Platinum, SQ Gold, KLM Gold, BAEC Gold
Posts: 5,072
Used to be so much easier, you knew immediately if BRG did not like OTA match etc. To be quite honest I started booking 2for1 rates as easier until those dissapeared Jan2014, and got really frustrated this last year when I returned to looking at BRG'ing odd nights
Feb 5, 2015, 5:29 am
#6554
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,214
Admittedly they are pretty quick to respond, now she has replied to say that regardless of the currency, the cheaper flexible rate that I found on booking.com is more restrictive than the costlier advance purchase non refundable rate on IHG.com
At risk of hearing an answer that will blow my mind, I just asked her "how can that be?"
At risk of hearing an answer that will blow my mind, I just asked her "how can that be?"
Feb 5, 2015, 5:45 am
#6555
Ambassador: LATAM
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: PNA
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 4,648
And you've just validated my reason for not booking that non-refundable rate in hopes that someone saw the light and recognized that Amoma's was less restrictive. This is crap. And now my Tweets are being ignored and nobody has responded to me in a week. Great job, IHG.
Was my first attempt at a IHG BPG, they are quick to respond, and all have exotic names like Rķa and Paloma. But I don't think it helps that a different person picks up your case each time without bothering to read the earlier part of the discussion. So you go over the same thing 2 or 3 times and it's all a very circular experience.
I found their tone a bit patronising and at the end of the day, I do not know definitively why my claim was denied, they just said that if I'd learn the terms and conditions then I'd have better luck.
I definitely would not risk it with a non-refundable rate.