choiam

Hm...

I got a mail from brg that they'll verify my reservation 1 night in le grand Paris.

But yet I didn't get any email from le grand.

Is it hard to achieve 1 night free there?

iahphx

Well, I've now gotten myself two BRGs. Well, at least I think I have; they still have to contact hotel management to get it honored, I guess.

But what a complete PITA. They've been fighting me tooth and nail.

The only way it seems worth the trouble is if you can find a rate that's lower than their advance purchase rate (almost always the lowest on the ICH website). Otherwise, it's probably not worth the hassle.

EDIT: At least for non-USA properties, I have found getaroom.com and booking.com to be very effective in finding lower priced rooms, even if Kayak does not return them in a search.

Happy

I feel they should modify their program to a more standard industry approach.

Comparing apple to apple.

Instead of giving a free night, give a 50% off the rate or something in that nature.

This way, both the hotel and the customer are happy with the solution.

I dont believe any other hotel chains require the hotel to "honor" the BRG when the corporation verified it and approved it. Having to have the individual hotels to honor the corporate's policy, else the corporate's "promise" does not work is totally ridiculous.

Happy

PCR does not use qualify nights for qualifying for elite status. It qualifies on points earned. Since you dont earn anything (other than incidentals) when the night is free, your question is a moot point.

Happy

It is not going to work - if the hotels dont list on 3rd party sites at all, the hotels would lose out to their competitors who do. Besides, many 3rd party companies basically commit X number of inventory rooms upfront and manage their inventories by pricing. Hotels on the other hand while lose the commission but gain the advantage of unload large number of rooms upfront instead of hoping individuals would book through IHG site.

If I am a franchisee, I would want my properties listed on 3rd party sites, unless IHG guaranteed my occupancy rate... Of course IHG cannot guarantee my occupancy rate, then in what ground IHG can limit the franchisees to list their properties on 3rd party sites?

iahphx

Right, this guarantee is an absolute train wreck. There are just too many rates out there. Unless ICH is given absolute control over pricing at every hotel in the chain, it isn't going to work.

Half-off sounds like the right solution to me -- at least if they made the BRG qualification reasonable. Right now, it feels like a battle everytime I ask for one.

And I haven't checked in to a hotel yet. Has anyone had problems with that?

Redeemed

Last evening I was using Travelocity's search by address feature to locate a hotel near a venue I needed to be at. After finding that there was a CP close by I then went to the Priority Club website to book said property. The rate on the PC website was $71 greater per night for the Best Available rate (refundable) versus Travelocity. Completely apples to apples comparison as far as room/rate type. As it was late and I did not want to spend a lot of time on the phone I submitted my claim online. I also had not yet read this thread and was unaware of the problems people have had with their claims being honored so I did not think to make a screen shot of the Travelocity website - not sure how it would have been time stamped in any event. So of course when I rechecked Travelocity this afternoon before hearing back from Priority Club the rate is now higher than what the Priority Club website shows. I then hear back with a denial of my claim accompanied by screenshots that show the higher Travelocity rate. How do we know that these 3rd party rates aren't being "fixed" when alerted by a claim and then denied when they can prove the rate they find on the 3rd party website is not lower? The result of this will likely be a cancellation of this reservation, rebooking at a non-IHG brand, and ill will toward the Priority Club brands.

soitgoes

PCR has two ways of getting status: points or nights. Indeed, for those earning miles and not points, nights is their only option. It is of course much easier to earn by points.
ICs earn a flat set of points per qualifying stay, and many promos are based on qualifying stays or nights.

Estratos

I have a valid claim approved a week ago. The stay is for today. Of course, the rate hasn't been adjusted. Over 2 hours on the phone with BRG consultants and all they can say is that they "are in the contact with the hotel". I guess this is just the ihg way of doing things. They just lost another customer.

asmallworld

Why don't you just deal with that upfront at the hotel

Maybe the hotel already has a note in the system. If they don't just show them the printed email from the BRG team and get the rate adjusted at check-out

choiam

I was so worried about what if Le grand Paris Intercontinental hotel does`nt gimme 1 FN.

But i got email, rate is changed from AP to HOUSE USE COMP:-)

i`m so happy with 300 eur save.

i`m still waiting for the other day(just next day of my reservation), reserved under my GF`s name.

THKS.

BTW, my creditcard charged for AP rate, so i contact to BRG and they`ll notify to the hotel for cancel my charge.

will it work well??

IAN-UK

Which is exactly what you get at the moment, but those rates on the mainstream Expedia-type sites are (generally) fed directly by PC. These third party sites are simply hosting PC rates. The hotels benefit from much wider market penetration, the punters believe they are getting a bargain, and so I'd guess the commission's split in a way satisfactory to PC. Everyone's happy.

The unhappiness starts when hotels distribute through channels with direct access to room inventory, offering rates below the ones on PC.

Other third party selling - through agencies and tour operators is, of course, always going to happen, as is off-loading through opaque channels.

tangey

One wonders how people will be treated when they arrive at check-in and staff type in the computer and fine they are on a free night, especially at some of the top end properties.

One assumes as you have paid zero for the room, they may conclude that you are not entitled to ANY benefits whatsoever. Also they may consider you a free-loader when they see "house comp" or whatever, as its probably a rather rare event for anything other that people getting it BRG matched.

A situation where the customer has done nothing wrong except avail of the guarantee, ICH has no hit, but the hotel MUST put you up for free, is not exactly the best scenario to be treated as a valued customer.

choiam

one of my friend who stayed Grand Seoul Intercontinental got all ambassador benefit, even he stayed house comp.

so i think when u get house comp, u can send email to hotel ask about benefit.

Estratos

Ok, I just called the hotel and asked if they honor the complimentary stay. They said yes. So I am currently in a hotel (Crowne Plaza Sun Palace Beijing), got upgraded to a deluxe room and given free breakfast (the original rate did not include breakfast).

However, it does not wipe off the bad impression of BRG team not responding to any of my emails in the past 6 days.