Black Adder

Ok, call me dense but I can't figure out if the Lowest Internet rate guarantee is guaranteed on a rate before or after all taxes are figured in.

Example, I want to stay at the IC Manila in an Executive Club room, the rate is $135 + 22% taxes, surcharges, fees...so the actual amount is almost $165. Asiarooms.com has the same club room for $139 net.

Opinions?

why fly

Lowest Rate is a JOKE!!!!!! Dont even bother they have so many exceptions!

GibSpmuh

I can speak from personal experience that the Asiarooms.com rates don't qualify for the lowest price guarantee. This is due to the fact that they're not instantly confirmed, which is one of the many clauses alluded to by why fly that make the guarantee little more than marketing fluff in most instances.

StevePER

I have also experienced this with Asiarooms.com - they were about $80/night cheaper! It does make a mockery of the "guarantee", especially since I earned PC points on the stay anyway.

Steve

IAN-UK

My only success with this largely worthless feature was for an Asiarooms res at the Silom HI in BKK - but I think that was a case where they offered instant confirmation.

From a recent trawl through the Asiarooms site, the instant confirmation facility for IC aroperties appears to have disappeared.

Black Adder

Interesting! Did you present your PC card when checking in to get the points? I'm tempted to try my luck with Asiarooms at the IC Manila, $25 is $25.

Black Adder

Hmmmm....went to Asiarooms.com and clicked on the IC Manila and it says $139 from Oct 5 to Mar 31 "Rates include all taxes and service charges" but when put in my desired date, Nov 5, the rate jumps to $171. So much for that idea.

sobore

I have had great success with the Entertainment rate. I have saved $20 - $40 per night using this. You are not supposed to get points for these stays, however I have been getting them over 75% of the time. I believe the trick is not to show your Entertainment card at check in unless asked. So far so good!

Morrissey

There was a similiar thread in the Hilton forum on asiarooms.com and the lowest rate guarantee. The information in that thread pretty much sums up IC Hotels policy as well:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ight=asiarooms

Aisle Seat H

Lets be honest - 'Lowest Internet rate guarantees' are not about really offering the best rates on the internet, they are marketting tools/tricks to make people think that they are the best rates on the internet so that they don't search/book anywhere else !

And the trick works, we have all fallen for it.

The key issue for me though is that they are the 'best rates on the internet that guarantee PC points', and this is the issue for me. I would rather pay $120 with PC points anyday over $100 without (for e.g.), espec. with the Plat./RA bonuses and all the bonus points, status qualification etc.

But yes the big get-out clause in the 'guarantee' is the instant booking bit - rules out almost every rate that you would ever wanna use the guarantee for !

VIP

I have mixed results with Entertainment pricing. According to the PC CSRs, if the booked rate is 30% or more below standard rate, you will not get PC points. This is something that was confirmed by hotel accountants, too. However, sometimes I still receive points.

The easiest method to find out if the stay will qualify for PC points is to call immediately after making the reservation.

StevePER

I had a couple of award nights in Singapore followed by a paid night and received points for the paid night without any hassle.

Shareholder

And why should you not have received points for the paid night unless it was an inelligible rate? With whom did you book the paid night, ICH or a third-party website?

Shareholder

I was just successful in having this honoured. Will be traveling to South Africa next week and as we've seen, many of the HIs down there have been rebranded as Southern Suns...the name of the company which operates ICH properties throughout much of this end of the continent. Unfortunately this means many properties no longer participate in the PC program.

However, one that still does is the HI Katherine Sandton. I booked two nights there on the PC site at a rate of about ZAR1050 per night. Then when booking a couple of other properties in other cities on the Southern Sun site, for some reason this same HI popped up, so I checked their rate for the same nights I had just booked on the PC site. Low and behold, the Southern Sun site quoted ZAR850 a night for the very same category room! So I decided to see what would happen if I filed a "Best Rate" request by email and within a couple of hours received a message back acknowledging the rate difference and advising that the hotel would be advised to charge me the lower rate, less 10%. A nice savings that will translate into a few Windhoeks at the hotel pub, plus breakfasts...

So it does work in some cases...but just remember to make the claim within 24-hours of having made your PC booking.

I suggest anyone planning stays in South Africa, or other countries where Southern Sun operates HIs and ICs, to book on the PC site, then check the Southern Sun site for the same property and room category. It's sure to be cheaper and then go make the claim with PC. (I think this might also work in Australia/New Zealand where there is a similar corporate umbrella that markets ICHs and its own brands -- Centra, Park Royal et al -- and thus has a separate bookings website frequented by locals.)

Camino1

Thanks for the tip. Will we get the nights credited towards requalification if they have been rebranded?