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Guests receive a free night if they find a qualifying lower price on any other website through IHG’s Best Price Guarantee



IHG®(InterContinental Hotels Group) today announced a major initiative to better serve guests’ evolving needs in the hotel industry. Pioneering the way forward, the launch of ‘Best Price Guarantee’ and new ‘Book With Us Advantage’ offers the most powerful website guarantee to guests booking on any of the IHG brand sites ─ any guest who finds a qualifying, lower room price for an IHG hotel elsewhere online will receive their first night free, and the rest of their stay will match the price found.



The benefits of the ‘Best Price Guarantee’ are available at all eight of IHG’s hotel brands — InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Club Vacations®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.

http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?Page...d=allothernews

uk1

I'm still waiting for a membership pack for my wife for her Ambassador membership she renewed in February. We've tried everything. When i say everything I mean everything. They have checked our address (28 years) over 20 times. When they send something "priority" it means that they don't even trigger it's despatch the same week - sometimes not at all. And those really dumb irritating standard cut and paste emails.

If IC are unable to complete a simple thing like sending a membership pack to long-term members who buy membership in 7 months - then what hope is there?

IC have some really good hotels with great people in them supported by a hopeless central system.

Amyrlin

Hmmm, it is not really a best rate gurantee, as it inly covers rates that are done through a best available search, this excludes the exclusive A, 2 for 1 etc.

mnredfox

Interesting, but seems like a lot of strings...

nicolas75

A good and cheap way for IHG to make sure that properties do not try to sell rooms out of the official way

tangey

I look at every site I could to do a price match when I was doing some bookings a while back. They word their t&c really carefully, and although I found many cheaper ways of booking ich hotels than via ich website, every one of them would get killed by the t&c

1) no voucher codes. Many booking sites have widely known 10% type codes. Which when used give you a cheaper price.

2) match nightly rates not total price. Many of the sites have rates that are more expensive, but strangely the tax component is a lot cheaper than the 12% you would expect, meaning the overall price is cheaper, but ich will not price match it.

3) some sites have a good cheaper rates, but never have a non-refundable rate.

glader

I think the best course of action if this works within your plans it to wait till the Advance booking non refundable IHG rate no longer exists (is that 3 weeks in advance?)

When it is no longer considered an "advance" booking, perhaps the refundable rates come up and then there is little risk of booking something assuming you find a cheaper rate elsewhere to use the guarantee on.

NJUPINTHEAIR

I know of no guarantee from any company that permits sites using vouchers -- this is not a deal killer.


However, IHG makes clear that the base rate must be lower and the overall rate with taxes must be lower.

See:
EMPHASIS ADDED


http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/pc/...ate/lowtc.html

Again, most sites look at base rate, not total rate and those that have discrepancies are few -- this is not a deal killer, either.


However, small discrepancies will not win a free night!!!!!

See:

EMPHASIS ADDED

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/pc/...ate/lowtc.html

The above is a departure from the Marriott, SPG and Hyatt BRG.

Actually, the killer for me is that you must book a non-refundable rate if it is the lowest rate on IHG. Marriott and SPG and Hyatt will permit one booking a higher rate that is refundable and then comparing that rate to other websites.

Apparently that is not permitted for the IHG guarantee if the non-refundbale rate is the lowest rate on IHG.com:

EMPHASIS ADDED

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/pc/...ate/lowtc.html

The above is a departure from standard norms and will likely result in my not utilizing this much as I generally do not like to book non-refundable rates and then wait for a thumbs up/down from the judge because if you do not win, you are stuck with the room.

Dave Noble

This makes it useless to me too. I rarely book non-refundable rates so an offer that requires booking the lowest rate regardless of whether it is refundable or not makes it useless.

asmallworld

Do I understand it correct that the BRG is only available on the cheapest room (best available rate IHG)?

So I can't find a cheaper rate for a executive or junior suite and still get comped?

Cheers

NJUPINTHEAIR

It is unclear since you woul like to compare differnt rooms, and a regular one is certainly different from a suite. I think that you are not required to compare a suite to a standard, so you can make a search just for suites, etc.

However, as I read the guarantee -- and I certainly could be mistaken -- for a certain room type, you must go with the lowest rate available on IHG.com, and if that is a non-refundable rate, that is the rate that you must book and use for comparison.

If they did not mean to lock one into such a rate, then they are not really all that clear.

It will have to take either a response from PC Insider or someone who tried to make a match and was rejected.

For your situation, I think you are on firmer ground and you can compare rates for suite. Let us know what the result is.

3544quebec

I made 5 BRG claims over the weekend.This is my experience:

Claim 1 IC Sao Paulo: they couldn't find the competing rate I found and rejected my claim on that basis. I could still find the rate but in the meantime had found a more advantageous SPG BRG at the Sheraton Sao Paulo so didn't take it further especially since claim 2 below was within the 7 day limit so they would only have matched the rate and not comped the 1st night

Claim 2 2 night stay at IC Sao Paulo- found much lower Flexible rate with Breakfast on competing website. On IC I booked Best Flexible Rate with B/F which was the lowest breakfast included rate but not the absolute lowest rate and claim was accepted

Claims 3,4 and 5 All 2 night stays within the same 7 day period and processed by 2 different agents found much lower Flexible rate with Breakfast on competing website. On IC I booked Best Flexible Rate with B/F which was the lowest breakfast included rate but not the absolute lowest rate and claim was accepted.

Some toing and froing with each claim eg processed claim and then added taxes to competing website price when that website clearly quoted tax-inclusive pricing - corrected with one email, and competing price found by IHG agent higher than price I found, agent sent a screenshot which showed he had searched a 2 person rate rather than a single rate - corrected with 2 emails.

Overall I am happy with the application of the Ts&Cs but feel that there is still insufficient clarity with the condition that one must book the lowest rate on ihg.com and how the inclusion of breakfast alters this.I think that there will be a lot of inconsistency and differing experiences reported.

holtju2

BTW the phone number (800) 248-5007 that is on the IHG page for this "guarantee" goes to some company in LA. That number was under the Best Rate Guarantee if you entered the page under Holiday Inn. The number that is linked on the first post does go to the correct department, however.

blindman

1.I found a cheaper refundable rate on a UK site for a Standard room with breakfast.

2. It took a screen shot

3 I booked the refundable rate on IHG (not the lowest rate) as a comparison.

4. This was rejected as they claim they could not find a cheaper rate and I had not booked the lowest rate (the non refundable rate) with breakfast.

5 I sent the screenshot to prove the rate and also pointed out it was also cheaper than the IHG non refundable Breakfast rate.

6 They replied saying they confirmed the cheaper rate (funny that ) and in order to get the BRG I had to alter my exisitng nonrefundable rate online to the cheapest (non refndable )rate with Bkfst within 24 hrs.

7. I did so and they replied saying
All the above was over the weekend and I got very quick (within 2hr) responses.

However that reply was over 3 days ago and I have not had the confirmation from the hotel.
The actual stay is not until next month so I am not too worried. Just wonder what's taking so long after the initial quick response.

I liked the fact that in point 6 even though I had not chosen the correct rate they confirmed I had a cheaper comparison and advised me to change my booking in order to qualify for the BRG.

Maybe that's one way to get a confirmation before booking the non refundable rate.

Or as has been said, wait unil there is no non refundable rate on IHG , then book.


I'll get back when I get confirmation.

3544quebec
How long before you got the confirmations?

holtju2

Just made a booking for IC Sao Paulo using the "guarantee". The lowest rate excluding all the taxes was $530 on the IHG's site.

Third party site was selling the same room for $504 including all the taxes besides some city tax. The price was lower anyway, but the best rate guarantee lady calculated the competing rate down to $480 when excluding the tax.

The phone call took about 20 minutes. Got a case number. She told me that they are contacting the hotel for them to adjust the price down.

I just have a feeling that this guarantee for a completely free nights is going to be short lived.