Oct 5, 2018, 3:54 pm
Last edit by: margarita girl
Marriott's Best Rate Guarantee Discussion Thread
This thread is about Marriott's BRG. If you don't know what BRG is - here's the Marriott BRG and here's the claim form.
If you're not satisfied with the outcome of your claim and wish for a second review you may reply back by email or call Marriott's BRG hotline 1-800-771-5665. A human is available at this number beginning at 9 am EST.
If you are new to this, and would like to ask fellow FTers questions regarding BRGs, then this thread is the place to start.
Hotel Name:
Date of stay:
Number of Guests:
Room Type:
Marriott Brand Website Rate:
Competing Rate:
Actual Approved Rate:
This thread is about Marriott's BRG. If you don't know what BRG is - here's the Marriott BRG and here's the claim form.
If you're not satisfied with the outcome of your claim and wish for a second review you may reply back by email or call Marriott's BRG hotline 1-800-771-5665. A human is available at this number beginning at 9 am EST.
If you are new to this, and would like to ask fellow FTers questions regarding BRGs, then this thread is the place to start.
Hotel Name:
Date of stay:
Number of Guests:
Room Type:
Marriott Brand Website Rate:
Competing Rate:
Actual Approved Rate:
Marriott BRG Best Rate Guarantee (formerly LNF) Success, failure & discussion thread
Jun 9, 2019, 5:29 am
#856
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 902
(duplicate)
Last edited by MePlatPremier; Jun 9, 2019 at 5:41 am
Jun 9, 2019, 6:47 am
#857
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: EDUU
Programs: Marriott Titanium Elite, HH Diamond, PC Plat Amb, BA EC Gold, Asiana Diamond, TK Elite
Posts: 193
And how do you think OTAs get ahold of hotel room nights to sell? Do you think they just spontaneously show up on OTAs’ websites out of thin air? Or maybe you suppose the OTAs’ fairy godmother comes about every now and then and just drops a few hotel room nights under the OTA’s pillow? The only Marriott-authorized way for an OTA to sell rooms-only to an end consumer is through commissionable rates. These rates are at BAR and paid directly to the property (prepaid or postpaid), which then pays the OTA a commission on that sale. However, because commissionable rates aren’t very competitive OTAs use wholesale rates to sell directly to end consumer against Marriott’s policy. That’s where most, if not all, BRGable rates come from. They were never “packaged” to begin with. That’s why, as you naively put it, you never stripped down a package. Of course you haven’t! It would be extremely asinine to actually believe that that contractual provision is aimed at preventing end consumers from unbundling the tour packages they bought from very policy-compliant OTAs. What happens is this: the OTA buys from Marriott (or from a Marriott-approved wholesaler) a heavily discounted rate (some say up to 60%) on the condition that it must bundle that room stay into a packaged tour and to never sell it as room-only directly to end consumers. And what does the OTA do? It sells that rate directly to the end consumer as room-only. Why does the OTA do that? Mainly for three reasons: better margins than selling on a commission; ability to have a competitive advantage in the online market and, mainly, because in order to have access to those discounted wholesale rates, wholesalers have to meet minimum sales quotas or Marriott claws back part of the discount. So OTAs will try to meet that quota by not packaging the rates and selling them directly to the end consumer. Marriott is fully aware of that and usually will not enforce its policies. More often than not properties will just take the hit and eat up a BRG rate (they’re not so frequent anyway) as collection of compensation can be time consuming and may create ill-will with an otherwise amicable OTA. But you can bet that if the revenue lost on a BRG rate is significant the OTA is going to pay up. I once had BRG claim approved for a multiple room 15-night stay at a LC resort for less than half the published rates for those same nights. On that stay alone the hotel had a $7k loss of revenue (they calculate that by deducting the BRG approved rate from the rate you booked to file the BRG; that’s why you always have to book the lowest available rate to submit a claim). I know for a fact that the resort collected this rate difference from the OTA and that the OTA never again carried that resort in its inventory.
First, try segmenting your text a little bit more readable. Most people will stop reading your text, after the second row, if you do not structure your text.
Second, your text has a little aggresive vibe and it looks like you take every remark as if it is a direct attack on your opinion. We are here in a public forum and people have different opinions, which might not always be your opinion, no matter how offen you argue your opinion.
Jun 9, 2019, 6:56 am
#858
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: SVG
Posts: 1,172
Portland, ME
Had a few back and forth interactions with the BRG team about the Residence Inn Downtown/Waterfront in Portland, ME.
In the end I gave up as it turned out the agents could not see the rate I was seeing even though it remained available for several days - when I tried to reproduce the rate with my VPN set to the US I could not find it either...
However, I managed to get the AC approved instead for 3 nights for 3 adults:
MARRIOTT RESERVATION INFORMATION
Marriott hotel name: AC Hotel Portland Downtown/Waterfront
Room: Guest room, 1 King, Sofa bed, City view
Check-in date: 2019-10
Check-out date: 2019-10
Marriott rate reserved: 1100
Currency: US DOLLAR (USD)
COMPARISON RATE INFORMATION
Lower rate found or reserved: 7563
Currency: NO KRONE (NOK)
Rate:
October, 2019 – $197.85 USD plus taxes and inclusive of extra adult fee
October, 2019 – $163.65 USD plus taxes and inclusive of extra adult fee
October, 2019 – $163.65 USD plus taxes and inclusive of extra adult fee
In the end I gave up as it turned out the agents could not see the rate I was seeing even though it remained available for several days - when I tried to reproduce the rate with my VPN set to the US I could not find it either...
However, I managed to get the AC approved instead for 3 nights for 3 adults:
MARRIOTT RESERVATION INFORMATION
Marriott hotel name: AC Hotel Portland Downtown/Waterfront
Room: Guest room, 1 King, Sofa bed, City view
Check-in date: 2019-10
Check-out date: 2019-10
Marriott rate reserved: 1100
Currency: US DOLLAR (USD)
COMPARISON RATE INFORMATION
Lower rate found or reserved: 7563
Currency: NO KRONE (NOK)
Rate:
October, 2019 – $197.85 USD plus taxes and inclusive of extra adult fee
October, 2019 – $163.65 USD plus taxes and inclusive of extra adult fee
October, 2019 – $163.65 USD plus taxes and inclusive of extra adult fee
Jun 9, 2019, 7:07 am
#859
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,937
If the BRG agents wait days to get to the claims and screenshots or existing OTA rez don’t count per se, the whole system seems primed to fail for the customer. With dynamic pricing, the rate within the 24 hour requirement can change quickly. They should have a 24 hour response deadline. I filed a claim yesterday for a $150 difference in a nightly rate. It’s still available now but the rooms may sell out or price change by the time the agents deal with the claim. Harumph.
Jun 9, 2019, 7:08 am
#860
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,937
Duplicate. Deleted
Jun 9, 2019, 7:31 am
#861
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 902
Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, I can’t do paragraph breaks when posting on FT via my phone.
Sorry, but in case you’ve missed it upthread that’s the kind of language I got from other posters. I posted a reply to a previous question in a collaborative spirit to this online community, sharing some knowledge I have about the hospitality industry. What I got in reply was some kook saying I wasn’t a reliable source (why? she couldn’t even grasp the ability to articulate a thought on that...just to show you how nescient she is) and a couple others claiming what I had posted was simply unbelievable. So, yeah, I’m bummed. People can disagree on opinions (btw, not on facts — unless you also believe in “alternative facts”), but they can’t impugn my character.
Second, your text has a little aggresive vibe and it looks like you take every remark as if it is a direct attack on your opinion. We are here in a public forum and people have different opinions, which might not always be your opinion, no matter how offen you argue your opinion.
Jun 9, 2019, 7:52 am
#862
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: EDUU
Programs: Marriott Titanium Elite, HH Diamond, PC Plat Amb, BA EC Gold, Asiana Diamond, TK Elite
Posts: 193
Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, I can’t do paragraph breaks when posting on FT via my phone.Sorry, but in case you’ve missed it upthread that’s the kind of language I got from other posters. I posted a reply to a previous question in a collaborative spirit to this online community, sharing some knowledge I have about the hospitality industry. What I got in reply was some kook saying I wasn’t a reliable source (why? she couldn’t even grasp the ability to articulate a thought on that...just to show you how nescient she is) and a couple others claiming what I had posted was simply unbelievable. So, yeah, I’m bummed. People can disagree on opinions (btw, not on facts — unless you also believe in “alternative facts”), but they can’t impugn my character.
And I never said that, I do not believe in your remark about OTA having to pay for wholesale rates that get approved for a BRG claim. I just do not believe that all claims are against wholesale rates, as I know that some hotels sell their rooms to OTAs via different channels.
Jun 9, 2019, 8:04 am
#863
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 902
And I never said that, I do not believe in your remark about OTA having to pay for wholesale rates that get approved for a BRG claim. I just do not believe that all claims are against wholesale rates, as I know that some hotels sell their rooms to OTAs via different channels.
Correct. Hotels sell directly to OTAs through other means. Mostly through wholesale direct (“static FIT rates”) and conference/events bloc bookings. The BRG indemnification clause is a typical standard clause in the industry. Although I can’t state that as a fact, I’m pretty sure most contracts made at hotel-level also include a provision of the sort. I know Marriott franchise contracts have a BRG clause requiring hotels to include that language in all bulk sales they do directly. With Marriott most hotels only deal with OTAs through Bonvoy, and it’s understandable — industry observers say Marriott negotiated a 10-12% systemwide booking fee with priceline, whereas it charges individual hotels 20%+
Last edited by MePlatPremier; Jun 9, 2019 at 8:43 am
Jun 9, 2019, 12:39 pm
#864
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 902
If the BRG agents wait days to get to the claims and screenshots or existing OTA rez don’t count per se, the whole system seems primed to fail for the customer. With dynamic pricing, the rate within the 24 hour requirement can change quickly. They should have a 24 hour response deadline. I filed a claim yesterday for a $150 difference in a nightly rate. It’s still available now but the rooms may sell out or price change by the time the agents deal with the claim. Harumph.
I have yet to experience a significant delay with BRG processing since the merger. This is an area where Bonvoy really excells, whereas SPG before them was a complete disaster. Only one time did it take 26 hours to process my claim. Usually it takes 15 to 20 hours. The exception is when a claim is submitted against a non-English speaking website, which can take longer (i have since stopped submitting those). I suspect Marriott did not entertain such claims before the merger, so they kept SPG’s language teams, which were one’s worst possible dream—incompetent, careless and utterly alien to whatever notion of timely customer care.
Jun 9, 2019, 2:08 pm
#865
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,937
I have yet to experience a significant delay with BRG processing since the merger. This is an area where Bonvoy really excells, whereas SPG before them was a complete disaster. Only one time did it take 26 hours to process my claim. Usually it takes 15 to 20 hours. The exception is when a claim is submitted against a non-English speaking website, which can take longer (i have since stopped submitting those). I suspect Marriott did not entertain such claims before the merger, so they kept SPG’s language teams, which were one’s worst possible dream—incompetent, careless and utterly alien to whatever notion of timely customer care.
Jun 9, 2019, 4:18 pm
#866
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,133
I'm guessing you were with Marriott pre-merger and had no real experience with SPG. Both programs have had their ups and downs. Overall, I had better luck (and response time) with SPG, but I've still been mostly satisfied with Marriott's and now Bonvoy's implementation. The one significant letdown with Bonvoy's program is the requirement to book a non-refundable rate if the comparison rate is non-refundable. SPG had no such restriction.
Jun 9, 2019, 4:49 pm
#867
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: EDUU
Programs: Marriott Titanium Elite, HH Diamond, PC Plat Amb, BA EC Gold, Asiana Diamond, TK Elite
Posts: 193
I have yet to experience a significant delay with BRG processing since the merger. This is an area where Bonvoy really excells, whereas SPG before them was a complete disaster. Only one time did it take 26 hours to process my claim. Usually it takes 15 to 20 hours. The exception is when a claim is submitted against a non-English speaking website, which can take longer (i have since stopped submitting those). I suspect Marriott did not entertain such claims before the merger, so they kept SPG’s language teams, which were one’s worst possible dream—incompetent, careless and utterly alien to whatever notion of timely customer care.
Longest waiting time was like 7-8 days for 3-4 different claims made in English for pre-merger Marriott hotels.
Average time for claims against Marriott hotels is like 22-23h.
Shortest time was like 30min pre-merger with Starwood.
Average for Starwood was 3-4 hours pre-merger. After the merger it changed to 1-2 days.
But overall it is is still one of the better programs around.
Jun 9, 2019, 5:48 pm
#868
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,937
BRG success in 22 hours! Saving me $300 for two nights. I’m very pleased.
Jun 9, 2019, 6:01 pm
#869
In memoriam
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: MAN
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, IHG Spire, UA Silver, Dennis The Menace Fan Club
Posts: 1,457
I’m not going to repost your reply to my observations MePlatPremier as frankly it’s a pretty condescending rant that alas doesn’t address the absolute fact that the linked contract terms apply only to packaged rates. I am not saying you or anyone is wrong when you assert that the likes of Booking.com have to pick up the cost of LNF claims (though incidentally in the absence of evidence I truly doubt it) but was merely observing that the linked terms certainly don’t prove that OTAs are liable for BRG/LNF claims.
Find a different contract to prove your point. That one doesn’t, however much you rant!
Find a different contract to prove your point. That one doesn’t, however much you rant!
Jun 9, 2019, 6:45 pm
#870
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: ZRH
Programs: QR Gold / M&M FTL / Marriott Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 653
I have yet to experience a significant delay with BRG processing since the merger. This is an area where Bonvoy really excells, whereas SPG before them was a complete disaster. Only one time did it take 26 hours to process my claim. Usually it takes 15 to 20 hours. The exception is when a claim is submitted against a non-English speaking website, which can take longer (i have since stopped submitting those). I suspect Marriott did not entertain such claims before the merger, so they kept SPG’s language teams, which were one’s worst possible dream—incompetent, careless and utterly alien to whatever notion of timely customer care.
You assert that the SPG team is incompetent ?
at least I did not need before to call for almost 50% of my claim, like now.
My last one, 2 days ago, denied because same city booking /area AND she did not find the rate.
Double error, rate was still available, and my new booking was with the same date -1 day, so it's allowed.
Hopefully I called the good old number... everything was solved, once again.
Last edited by GalaxyChris; Jun 9, 2019 at 9:22 pm