nacho

If you read the T&C, it states very clearly that if the comparison rate is with breakfast, then you can compare with the rate with breakfast at IHG.com.

United_Flyer3

Here's a new one, one that I'd like IHGCare to look into if possible as I think this stinks and is clearly in breach of the T&C's:

Rate for Hotel X on IHG is 4560 THB (taxes/service fees are added after).
Rate for Hotel X on 3rd party site in 4528 THB.

The rate on the 3rd party site initially says a rate that is inclusive of tax/service fees, but a breakdown of the fees, and most important of all - the BASE room rate are clearly visible, and in this case, the BASE room rate is 32 THB CHEAPER!

BRG line refuse to honour it as they state that the 3rd party site show the rate inclusive of tax/service fee on the initial booking page.
Because of this they are deducting the taxes/fees that the hotel would impose from the inclusive rate and coming to a rate that is the same, and therefore denying the claim.


Best bit yet - I've actually had a claim approved that is identical to the scenario above (albeit it at a different hotel and obviously a different price), but everything else was identical.

IHGCare - I'd appreciate it if you could look into this for me.
I'm willing to provide reservation details via PM and the case number for the one that was approved so it can be seen that this nonsense about inclusive rate at initial booking screen is just an excuse to deny it.

nacho

I had a similar issue as well, filed 2 claims and 1 got through and 1 got denied - same conditions. This happens as the claims are not processed by robots. I got a reply 24 hours later after contacting them to review my case, and I was told to file a new claim.

SunshineMouse

I have a further question and possibility:

I want to book a stay at the IHG website (advance purchase rate without breakfast) for 200 GBP. Now I find the same room type at a the third party site for under 200 GBP (f.e. 180 GBP) but as a advance purchase rate with breakfast.

Will there be a problem due to the difference with- / without breakfast as the additional breakfast would be an extra at the third party site (I do not need the breakfast!!!)?

Thanks

samwkchan

I am afraid not as the nominal values are equal.

nacho

If you found a rate with breakfast, then you can compare the cheapest rate with breakfast at IHG.com.

tangey

So, my story thus far with BRG is.

I phoned 04-10-11 with my price match, a reasonably expensive IC room, around $750 US. I was put on hold while he verified. after 35 mins, with crappy hold music and no sign of the CS guy coming back I hung up.

I got a voicemail about 40 mins later on my phone, apologising for the hold, confirming i had a valid claim, and he would get the 1st night made complimentary, he gave me a claim number.

Time goes by....today after 6 days, and no rate change I phoned, quoting my case number. i'm put back to the original case guy, who says he'll phone the hotel now and phone me back within the hour.

4 hours later, no phone call. i phone again. By chance i get the same guy right way (I don't think there are many that work in this dept). i asked, well is the rate adjusted, and why didn't you phone me back. He says he got another call and had to do that price match and so did not get to phone the hotel (this is 4 hours after the original call).

I ask can he give me a timeframe when this will be dealt with, nope, he can't say when the rate will be adjusted, but he'll call the hotel before the end of the day. Given that its 20:00 hrs with me, and the hotel in question is a couple of hrs ahead of me, the chance of getting someone who is prepared to deal with this at 22:00 is i feel slim.

So....we wait.

nacho

Same here - filed 3 claims on the 4 Oct, 2 claims from the same property adjusted the rate. 1 still somewhere - I wrote to the BRG dept and they said that they will get back to me once the rate is adjusted.

I saw some FTer waited 7 business days to get it adjusted. Since the stay won't start until Dec I have plenty of time.

lfc84

I have a valid claim which has been waiting since 1 October for the rate to be updated by the hotel.

I've got better things to do than chase BRG team, who keep telling me the hotel must update the rate!

tangey

update...got a call back from BRG centre (that's a good sign that they called me back again) to say they had contacted the hotel but the person dealing with the case at the hotel had gone for the evening (as i suspected in my earlier post0 so he'll try to make contact tomorrow again.

blindman

+1

Waiting for the hotels at three location to update the rate since 4th\5th October

Previous BRG's were all done and dusted within 5 working days

nacho

I think the most stupid thing is that BRG has to get the hotel to adjust the rate. Marriott's LNF dept has the power to override the rate - some hotels are not happy about it (I was one told by a FD that the rate was 'magically' changed). BRG can definitely learn something from it.

I guess the claims that is not verify is because - If I'm a hotel owner with IHG and not happy giving out comp nights, I might try to delay or just simply ignore the request.

bsb21

Exactly, what hotel manager or owner would be happy to comp me a 2,200 EUR suite?

But at the end of the day, IHG has to write checks and makes itself look stupid (cant enforce its own rules on its own hotels).

I remember when Wyndham gave free nights on BRG, the BRG agent would comp the night. If the hotel played dumb and billed you, there was a rather hefty fine (I believe $250 or $500, which for an average Days Inn is quite a bit).

tangey

I'm really angry with BRG, in my opinion I feel I've been a victim of awful underhanded practice.

Whilst I wait for the comfirmation of a rate adjustment at my first hotel, I decided to look for a hotel mid next year.

I found a rate for an IC classic room, on IHG it was €425 BFR with breakfast, or €325 adv with breakfast.

My competing website has a rate of €283 with breakfast. Both websites quote in Euro. Cancellation is slightly less flexible in that you have to cancel 4 days beforehand (this is a booking for July). So I decide to initially put in a claim against the BFR, and if that failed I could still claim against the advance rate. This website only carries either classic rooms or triple rooms, and only the classic rooms are at a cheaper rate, and only the classic rooms have breakfast.

Note that the above price was on the competing website for the last 2 days.

At 1am this morning, I booked on the IHG and make a claim via their online form. I awake this morning to find an email from IHG at 5:35 am my time.

"blah blah blah...we have checked hoteltravel and did not find any comparable room type"

What ?, so I check the competing website and not only is the rate gone, but the entire room type has vanished. Believe it or not, the only room type this hotel booking company wants to sell at this IC hotel is a triple room ? And not just for the date I was claiming, classic double is no longer available across a range of dates I had previously tried, so there is no argument that the room was sold in the meantime.

I'm fuming. In good faith, I've put in a claim for a room that is significantly cheaper on the web than IHG. This is at 1am my time. I dont know where the BRG email team are, but regardless, if what in my opinion took place, it takes quite a degree of committment to get a 3rd party website to remove an entire room type at 5am GMT, just so that you do not honor a guarantee. This was not a major 3rd party site (or at least I hadn't heard of it previously)

in my opinion its a low down squirming way of welching on a guarantee, could a few hundred euros means that much to them ? Note if I had claimed against the adv rate, I'd now be stuck with the booking that was singificantly more expensive than what I could have got elsewhere, which would almost be like "guarantee" working in reverse.

Gloves are off, in future I'll phone thru, like I did for my first claim, imagine having to phone at 1am !

Amyrlin

I am tempted to try this, but i am fairly certian that it will be declined as it is not matching.

IHG site - BFR (whih is the only rate showing) £82 no breakfast £92 with breakfast

3rd party site £65 inc breakfast, but a pre pay rate. HOwever, there is no prepay rate on the IHG site so there is no comparison.