Old Jul 8, 2013, 11:43 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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
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New IHG Best Rate Guarantee - Discussion & Feedback

Old Nov 6, 2011, 1:21 am
  #736  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Arrecife
Programs: BA Silver, TK Silver, HH Diamond, IHG Plat AMB
Posts: 2,441
Originally Posted by Gnopps
I know I can't book a flexible rate and compare it to an advance purchase rate on a competing website. But what if ihg does not offer an ap-rate? If the flexible rate on the ihg-website IS the cheapest, can I then compare it to a 3rd party ap-rate?

I think I know the answer, just wanted to check. Thanks for your help!
When comparing a IHG Flexible rate, the third party rate must have some degree of flexibility.

As long as it's not Adv.P then it should be okay.
Boddingtons is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2011, 4:30 am
  #737  
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 3,951
Originally Posted by Boddingtons
When comparing a IHG Flexible rate, the third party rate must have some degree of flexibility.

As long as it's not Adv.P then it should be okay.
How much flexibility? I have found third parties in the past with with T-72 hour cancellation terms at xx% and T-24 at a greater xx% although that is not enough. For the BRG on a flex i get the impression it has to be identical terms, full cancelleable.
pazza2000 is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2011, 5:52 am
  #738  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
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Originally Posted by Gnopps
I know I can't book a flexible rate and compare it to an advance purchase rate on a competing website. But what if ihg does not offer an ap-rate? If the flexible rate on the ihg-website IS the cheapest, can I then compare it to a 3rd party ap-rate?

I think I know the answer, just wanted to check. Thanks for your help!
Thanks for your replies. My claim was denied, saying that the conditions weren't the same.
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Old Nov 6, 2011, 6:29 am
  #739  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Either at the shooting range or anywhere good beer can be found...
Posts: 50,972
Originally Posted by Gnopps
I know I can't book a flexible rate and compare it to an advance purchase rate on a competing website. But what if ihg does not offer an ap-rate? If the flexible rate on the ihg-website IS the cheapest, can I then compare it to a 3rd party ap-rate?

I think I know the answer, just wanted to check. Thanks for your help!
No. It must have the same cancellation as IHG.
Originally Posted by Boddingtons
When comparing a IHG Flexible rate, the third party rate must have some degree of flexibility.

As long as it's not Adv.P then it should be okay.
Not true in my experiences. The cancellation policy must match.
Originally Posted by pazza2000
How much flexibility? I have found third parties in the past with with T-72 hour cancellation terms at xx% and T-24 at a greater xx% although that is not enough. For the BRG on a flex i get the impression it has to be identical terms, full cancelleable.
This is correct. That's what's so silly. You must book the lowest rate on IHG, whic may be the advance purchase, no cancellation, but you can compare it to one on a third-party site that allows cancellations.

However, you cannot compare a fully-cancellable rate on IHG to an advance purchase rate on a third-party site.
kipper is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2011, 8:17 am
  #740  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Arrecife
Programs: BA Silver, TK Silver, HH Diamond, IHG Plat AMB
Posts: 2,441
Prior to the latest T&C updates, I have had semi-flexible third party rates approved compared with the IHG Best Flexible rates.

I agree that in accordance with the terms, this should not have been the case, and I personally would have declined the claim were I the handling agent, however, I believe there was discussion even on here which suggests my experiences weren't totally out of the ordinary.

Advance Purchase rates are really the only rates that can be assured of getting approved.
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Old Nov 6, 2011, 9:20 am
  #741  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,145
Isn't the desk supposed to be open 24 hours a day? I'm trying to call in now and I'm just getting a recording that they are open from 9 am to 9 pm Monday through Sunday (Eastern), although I've called them outside of these hours before and right now it's within these hours anyway.

I'm also trying to just call the regular Holiday Inn line and it's just dropping my call.
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Old Nov 6, 2011, 11:24 am
  #742  
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Celebrity Cruises Elite Plus
Posts: 1,259
Spent close to an hour on the phone this morning on a BRG claim that was ultimately successful, despite earlier denials at several steps along the winding, twisted road. This is for a stay next week, where advance purchase rate no longer displayed, so I booked best flex rate.

1. First denial came because 3rd party website, although refundable, required immediate purchase. Luckily, I had as backup another 3rd party site with no immediate purchase required and same cancel policy.

2. Second denial was for rooms not matching. The IHG site listed 3 different types of 1-bedroom suites, each at 3 different price points. The 3rd party also listed 3 1-bedroom suites at different price points, however all were generic in terms of descriptions. I reserved the lowest price suite on IHG website, and used the corresponding lowest priced suite on the 3rd party site for comparison. The BRG rep said the room on the 3rd party site wasn't the same as I had reserved. So I asked for a room description on the 3rd party site, which he couldn't answer. How can you claim room types don't match when you don't know to begin with the description of those on the 3rd party site! At that point he placed me on hold to call the 3rd party website and get the description of the 3 different suites. To no surprise, the lowest price suite on the 3rd party site was a match with the lowest on IHG website.

3. Now that we got past the room type match issue, the next denial came because I had booked two rooms on the same reservation (one for me, the other for friends traveling with us). Because my name was on both rooms, he could comp the first room and price match the 2nd. I explained I was only staying in one room with friends in the other, however the IHG website isn't configured to allow entering two different names for each room! Lucikly, he remained on the phone while I modified my original reservation down to one room, and booked our friends separately on a new reservation.
Finally, successful BRG for both rooms, both reservations with separate emails following about 30 minutes later.

Despite three different hurdles and denials before ultimate success, the BRG rep was patient and seemed genuinely willing to investigate each issue I brought up. If you believe you've got a valid claim, you have to stand your ground. His denial for the room types not matching was completely bogus. You have to know the room types offered on the 3rd party site to begin with if you're going to claim they don't match those on the IHG site.
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Old Nov 6, 2011, 2:00 pm
  #743  
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very much the same experience as i had (regarding point #2)... and under NO circumstances did i let them hang up. used skype for the 1800 number so its free and i just let the phone run on hold (not at work so maybe that helps) for as long as possible. if they want to call the hotel, put me on hold - to change computer: put me on hold. just do NOT hang up until its resolved.

re point#3
i figured i would always seperate the booking whenever i'm looking into BRG... u'd never know what's gonna come up!(or if anything happens one cannot make the booking) with a full flex it wont matter, but if otherwise...

Originally Posted by BEAV
Spent close to an hour on the phone this morning on a BRG claim that was ultimately successful, despite earlier denials at several steps along the winding, twisted road. This is for a stay next week, where advance purchase rate no longer displayed, so I booked best flex rate.

1. First denial came because 3rd party website, although refundable, required immediate purchase. Luckily, I had as backup another 3rd party site with no immediate purchase required and same cancel policy.

2. Second denial was for rooms not matching. The IHG site listed 3 different types of 1-bedroom suites, each at 3 different price points. The 3rd party also listed 3 1-bedroom suites at different price points, however all were generic in terms of descriptions. I reserved the lowest price suite on IHG website, and used the corresponding lowest priced suite on the 3rd party site for comparison. The BRG rep said the room on the 3rd party site wasn't the same as I had reserved. So I asked for a room description on the 3rd party site, which he couldn't answer. How can you claim room types don't match when you don't know to begin with the description of those on the 3rd party site! At that point he placed me on hold to call the 3rd party website and get the description of the 3 different suites. To no surprise, the lowest price suite on the 3rd party site was a match with the lowest on IHG website.

3. Now that we got past the room type match issue, the next denial came because I had booked two rooms on the same reservation (one for me, the other for friends traveling with us). Because my name was on both rooms, he could comp the first room and price match the 2nd. I explained I was only staying in one room with friends in the other, however the IHG website isn't configured to allow entering two different names for each room! Lucikly, he remained on the phone while I modified my original reservation down to one room, and booked our friends separately on a new reservation.
Finally, successful BRG for both rooms, both reservations with separate emails following about 30 minutes later.

Despite three different hurdles and denials before ultimate success, the BRG rep was patient and seemed genuinely willing to investigate each issue I brought up. If you believe you've got a valid claim, you have to stand your ground. His denial for the room types not matching was completely bogus. You have to know the room types offered on the 3rd party site to begin with if you're going to claim they don't match those on the IHG site.
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Old Nov 6, 2011, 8:13 pm
  #744  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 307
Can someone clarify some questions on the T&C part that says that only one free night will be awarded per person for a 30 day period.

- Is this valid in general, or only for reservations at the same hotel? I remember some rule that said, you can only have one free night at a hotel in a 7 day period.

- Do you have to wait 30 days until you submit a new claim? Or do there only have to be 30 days between the stays?

Thank you!
Hosserunda is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2011, 9:02 pm
  #745  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Arrecife
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Posts: 2,441
Originally Posted by Hosserunda
Can someone clarify some questions on the T&C part that says that only one free night will be awarded per person for a 30 day period.

- Is this valid in general, or only for reservations at the same hotel? I remember some rule that said, you can only have one free night at a hotel in a 7 day period.

- Do you have to wait 30 days until you submit a new claim? Or do there only have to be 30 days between the stays?

Thank you!
1. One free night per 30 days, irrespective of hotel.

2. You can book 12 claims in one phone call in theory to cover you for the year, as long as the stays are 30 days apart.
Boddingtons is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2011, 3:06 pm
  #746  
Company Representative - InterContinental Hotels
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Programs: IHG Rewards Club
Posts: 166
Hi All!

Sorry I haven't been on this thread for a few days, but I'm glad to see the experiences are becoming more positive (in addition to some of the great travel plans coming up). Also, it looks like the initial hurdles about Claims Processes are being improved.

Just a couple of clarifications, I've been seeing as a common theme:

Question: Why does it take so long to get a response from the BPG Team with confirmation that the hotel has adjusted the rate.
Answer: You should receive emailed confirmation approving or denying your claim or giving a status update within 24 hours of submitting the claim. If you have not received an email notification of your initial claim, you can contact the BPG Team at 800-447-2981 to inquire on the status of your claim.

Question: Can you offer any solid insight with regard to the growing problem of people with successful BRG claims who are not receiving timely confirmations that the hotels have adjusted their rates?
Answer: This can sometimes take a little while to get the hotel to update the rate. We are trying to pin down the SLA on this, otherwise the guest will be reimbursed by IHG and notified of such. We are sorry for the inconvenience for the guest, but recognize this should be much more the exception for process and not the norm.

Question: There are 3 claims that are used for a stay in March/April 2012, what if the property leaves IHG? Would the complimentary night still valid?
Answer: This should be a very rare situation. If this occurs, please contact the Best Price Guarantee Team. Please refer to your case number or we can find the claim by your name or Priority Club Rewards Number.

Regarding the 30 Day Rule, the terms state "the award of a free night is limited to one free night per the name on the reservation for any thirty day period between reservation check-in dates."

There have been a number of questions about Rooms, Terms and Prices.
These are 3 separate issues outlined in Terms 4, 5 and 6.

*Room Types - The Room Type must be the exact same room type

*Matching Terms - All price must be equal to ore more restrictive than the terms found on an IHG website to be used for comparison. (The example listed in Term #5 is pretty clear).

*Matching Prices - The guarantee does not include extra fees such as extra person charges except in Japan and on the ANA website where the room price does include extra person fees.

Hope these updates help with some of the more common questions.

Kevin
IHGCare
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Old Nov 7, 2011, 3:34 pm
  #747  
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Celebrity Cruises Elite Plus
Posts: 1,259
Attn IHG Care,

Thanks for your continued feedback and support.

Can you comment why IHG chose to have rate adjustments made at the local hotel level? Every other major hotel chain that I know of adjusts rates at the BRG processing level, thus eliminating and extra and time-consuming step.

I made a successful claim about 36 hours ago, but of course have yet to have the rate adjusted. Had I made a successful claim with Hyatt, Marriott, SPG, etc, 36 hours ago, we would have been finished 35 hours 59 minutes ago!
BEAV is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2011, 3:43 pm
  #748  
Company Representative - InterContinental Hotels
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Programs: IHG Rewards Club
Posts: 166
Originally Posted by BEAV
Attn IHG Care,

Thanks for your continued feedback and support.

Can you comment why IHG chose to have rate adjustments made at the local hotel level? Every other major hotel chain that I know of adjusts rates at the BRG processing level, thus eliminating and extra and time-consuming step.

I made a successful claim about 36 hours ago, but of course have yet to have the rate adjusted. Had I made a successful claim with Hyatt, Marriott, SPG, etc, 36 hours ago, we would have been finished 35 hours 59 minutes ago!
Hello Beav:

The rate adjustments must be made at the hotel level because the hotel level is responsible for inventory and rate loading. Generally, IHG doesn't have direct access into the hotel's Property Management Systems.

Additionally, the hotel's sold the rooms to the 3rd Party Site, so it's also their responsibility to ensure additional Best Price Guarantee Claims are avoided by managing their inventory and rates.

If the hotel refuses to adjust the rate, then IHG will send a check (or bank wire transfer) after the guest's departure. We recognize this is inconvenient to the guest, but IHG will deal with the hotel regarding the claim on the back-end so the guest does not have to wait for resolution.

Kevin
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Old Nov 7, 2011, 3:54 pm
  #749  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: New York, NY
Programs: The Golden status boy
Posts: 854
Kevin,

Thanks again for posting an update here. While not every question I have has been answered to my satisfaction, I appreciate the effort.

On a personal note, I want to pass on how disappointed I am with the rollout of this program. The Terms and Conditions have been nothing short of ambiguous and flat out misleading. I have read through all three revisions and no where does it state that any hotel under IHGs umbrella can selectively choose to honor IHGs Most Powerful Guarantee in the Industry. There were also no restrictions on class of room, minimum number of nights per single stay or specific hotels that were not participating in the program. As a result, I took the IHG CSR for her word when she told me via phone, and later in an email, that my claim was in fact valid. This was on September 28, 2011. It is now more than a month later and my rate has yet to be adjusted. Ive since moved forward with my travel plans by booking airfare, making hotel reservations and purchasing travel passes for the rest of my itinerary. Now Im faced with the daunting prospect that I may be required to pay for my room while in Rome and hope that IHG, who is the same company that assured me that my night would be comped as a result of a valid BRG claim, will send me my funds in a timely fashion. In my case, which I acknowledge to be extreme, I will be out of pocket over $4,000.00 for a single night. (Penthouse Suite with terrace) I would have been more than happy to book a lower class of room had I been granted a valid BRG claim when I first called. I can no longer afford to part with $4,000.00 should it be needed at check-in as the monies have otherwise been allocated. So this leaves me with having to book an alternate hotel while on my trip so that I dont have to sleep in the streets. Even with an email guarantee, I wont really know that all is well until I check-in.

I dont understand why IHG isnt being more proactive with hotels that are delaying or flat out refusing to honor your BRG policy. Could we not put a timeframe on the process and offer your customers points in exchange? I dont see what the harm is in that. If you give me my first night for free, how will that cost the hotel anything different than letting me book my room with pointswhich WILL be accepted by all hotels chain-wide? Why am I, as a consumer, asked to front my funds because your hotels arent cooperating? Why doesnt IHG write a check to the hotel on my behalf instead? I would be more than willing to trade my $4,000.00 room for 2 nights in a standard room, provided that they are available to book with points on my firm dates. Im happy, youre happy and the hotel can potentially make a $3,200.00 profit in the exchange. Its win/win/win.

But instead I am left to ponder a Plan B should my original plans fall through. I dont know how much time is reasonable for me to expect IHG and my hotel to sort everything out. The only answers I get are when I personally call...which are none. It would be nice if the CSRs would drop me an email to let me know that theyre still working on my case. Appearances are everything. What I perceive is that IHG has a stake in me NOT having this sorted out beforehand which will result in canceling a reservation of a freeloader that took them up on their bold claim. By the time I leave for my trip, more than 6 months will have passed from the date my BRG claim was accepted. Am I being too lofty with my expectations? I dont think that I am.

/rant off
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Old Nov 7, 2011, 5:17 pm
  #750  
Company Representative - InterContinental Hotels
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Programs: IHG Rewards Club
Posts: 166
Originally Posted by mabramovich
Isn't the desk supposed to be open 24 hours a day? I'm trying to call in now and I'm just getting a recording that they are open from 9 am to 9 pm Monday through Sunday (Eastern), although I've called them outside of these hours before and right now it's within these hours anyway.

I'm also trying to just call the regular Holiday Inn line and it's just dropping my call.
Hello mabramovich:

I'm sorry for the problems you encountered and would like to investigate this further.

In order to research this issue further, can you please tell me which number you called so that I can ask our Telecom to check the line. We did have a problem with one of our lines our of the EMEA Region, but I have been told this has been resolved.

Also, may I ask which website you got the number from. As far as I know the BPG link from www.priorityclub.com has all the right numbers.

Thanks in advance for your assistance,
Kevin
IHGCare
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