azmojo

More than once I have booked more nights than I needed and then I email customer service to reduce my reservation with LNF rate. IIRC, when they did it though they averaged the price of each night for the whole reservation and reduced it by that amount proportionately because I don't think they had records of the per-night LNF rates. Seems like this could be gamed...

morphogencc

Is there any way to get a LNF rate if Marriott's official website says there are no rooms available, but expedia / priceline / booking.com all show a room?

azmojo

No. in my experience this situation is temporary.

avatexrs

Been going back and forth all day with Marriott on a BRG claim for the AC Hotel Venezia. Best advance purchase rate on Marriott.com is 204 Euros. Best rate on Hotels.com is 175 Euros. Marriott says the rates are the same. I send a screen shot showing the lower rate. Marriott still says the rates are the same. I send it again. At a loss as to what to do.

Twickenham

Does the lower rate include tax? That might be your problem.

avatexrs

You are correct. Marriott just explained that in an email.

sandyph

LNF denied with the comment : "Marriott has determined that a valid Marriot reservation cannot be completed using the comparison source provided"

But I can actually click through the competing website all the way till payment. Very strange

htb

If the rate is refundable, you could book it and provide the booking confirmation for confirmation. They will then check whether the reservation makes it through to the Marriott reservation system.

HTB.

htb

I just had a claim denied for the same "reason" by "Seth". When I verified the site, the lower rate was gone.

I wrote back that I was very upset at the reply as it basically gives no reason and lacks respect by just pointing to several pages of T&Cs. I'm really upset at this kind of response and think more people should bitterly complain.

HTB.

margarita girl

Quick question. I may have found a LNF for a hotel in BKK. The Marriott website rates are refundable. The only prepaid rate includes breakfast. On the OTA, I found a prepaid rate that does not include breakfast. Which will they use to compare? The refundable rate without breakfast, or the prepaid rate with breakfast. (BRGs are so much easier with SPG.)

Marriott rate
flexible, no breakfast: $173 (tax incl)
prepaid, with breakfast: $195 (tax incl)

OTA rate
prepaid, no breakfast: $152

(I am not booking a prepaid room.)

sdsearch

If they are paying attention, they will deny you because you didn't book a room with the same terms (cancellable vs not) as what your giving the LNF for. That's what they compare, to see whether you booked a room under the same terms as the OTA rate you're now giving.

Check if the prepaid rate has a 24 hour cancel. Some Marriott prepaid rates do, some don't. Since LNF is supposed to get back to you within 24 hours, you can use such prepaid rates with 24 hours cancel pretty safely, since if you're denied or have no answer at 23h NNm, you can cancel and start again.

But unless they make a mistake, if you LNF against a prepaid rate and get approved, you LNF rate will also be prepaid. So if you don't want prepaid at all, give up on submitting LNFs for totally prepaid rates.

margarita girl

I don't want a prepaid rate at all so guess I'm sunk. That's the beauty of SPG BRGs. Cancellation policy is irrelevant, so my 100+ BRGs/yr are all cancellable. Wonder which way they will go when they merge the programs.

Thanks for the info.

X-ON

You could try, if you havent already done so, put the booking code REG as a special rates more often than not it will reveal a flexible rate

margarita girl

BostonFlyer1624

Can I just keep submitting claims and collecting 5000 points? Is there a limit? I can find BRG claims all over the world easily.