makin'miles

I just had my first claim against a legacy SPG hotel approved by the LNF team, so figured this was as good a time as ever to start a thread on the combined new forum. May our claims be successful in the years ahead!

Hotel Name: St. Regis Bangkok
Arrival Date: 2019-01-05
Departure Date: 2019-01-07
Number of Rooms: 1
Number of Guests: 2
Room Type: Deluxe King
Marriott Brand Website Rate: THB 8,721 (all-in)
Competing Rate: EUR 209 (all-in), equivalent to THB 7,944
Competing Web Site:
Actual Approved Rate: THB 5,036 (plus tax)
LNF Award: 25% discount
Comments: Booked and LNF'd a flex rate - quick turn-around from the LNF team.

ChocolateFactory

Sorry if this has been answered before, but what if a room is available on third-party websites like Hotels.com etc., but not through Marriott?
For example because Marriott has a minimum stay requirement which Hotels.com doesn't have?
The hotel is displayed as sold out for my dates on the Marriott website.

tonywush

I submitted one about 30 hours ago, no reply from LNF team yet.

nacho

Have you heard from them? Mine is close to 48 hours and not a word from them at all! Wrote to them again and got another 8 digit case number and got another auto reply.

Happy

My experiences with the LNF have been from Excellent to Not Worth the Hassle Anymore in short 2 years period. In the past the taxes and fees were correctly subtracted from the competitor sites even just with detailed information on the claim. It is now the inclusive rates have to be lower than Marriott's exclusive rates in order to get the LNF approved.

That.is.a.bogus.LNF.

Meanwhile, Marriott is also taking away the elite benefits from bookings made on 3rd party sites. (expected as other programs long exclude such).

It boils down to, how much the lounge access / free breakfast would worth to you, when you essentially still pay for it when the Marriott rates are higher, sometimes meaningfully higher, than the OTA's rates. If no need for the stay credit, I would say saving cold hard cash for my own pocket book is more important.

Happy

Did you get something in writing to confirm this arrangement? And which party refunds the difference, Marriott LNF or the property?

Anything that requires subsequent follow up to get it, carries potential hassle and headache. Good Luck.

jamesie_version1

Got a very strange response on my first LNF for Starwood.. Is this normal? I dont like the sound of 'if you have any issues with the rate charged at check out, please contact us ... within 15 days of departure.'

--
Hello Mr. JV1,

It is my pleasure to approve such a valuable Guest member's Best Rate Guarantee claim and reservation today.

Your confirmation number for your reservation will remain the same, as well as the cancellation policy under which you originally booked. Please present this e-mail upon arrival at the hotel. Here are the approved details our hotel colleagues will update for you prior to check in:

[Guest name, rate etc. ]

Mr. JV1, have a great stay at our Luxury Collection Resort and thank you for using our Best Rate Guarantee program to secure your lower rate. Have a good day.

If you have any questions regarding your Best Rate Guarantee claim or if you have any issues with the rate charged at check out, please contact us at [email protected] within 15 days of departure.

Best regards,

--

azmojo

So can we take the email and simply modify it for any property I wonder? Seems ripe for abuse.

margarita girl

Usually the correct rate is displayed on the Starwood website. If it wasn't, I would bring a copy of the BRG confirmation. If hotel disputed that, I would just pay the bill and let the BRG team take care of it. (Think it happened twice on well over 100 BRG stays.) Refund would be issued within a few days and I got points for the higher amount, so I was fine with that!

Who knows now with the Marriott take over.

xar

Yes, in fact i got an updated reservation email from the hotel which reflects the new, lower rate.
As the deduction via credit card has since been made from the original booking, the hotel has also informed me that they would refund me the balance upon the completion of my stay.

jamesie_version1

It's not on the website - room has changed to 'standard rate' and there is no information on summary of charges. The hotel has just joined the SPG within the past month, so I wonder if there are some communication issues with the booking systems.

Anyhow, I'm not really worried and think your approach is spot-on.. Just curious.

James

margarita girl

be_devine

Bottom line: If you're looking for the best price, you're probably better off booking at another site than relying on Marriott's "Look No Further Guarantee."

After booking a Westin property, I found the same exact room for the same exact dates on Hotels.com. I printed out a copy of the Hotels.com price and submitted a claim. It took a day, and Marriott responded that they would not match the rate because the rate they found on Hotels.com was higher. I sent them the printout, and also looked on Hotels.com, and now an even lower rate was available (lower than Marriott). They responded by telling me that "we are unable to accept customer provided evidences for validating Best Rate Guarantee claims." So: they're ignoring the rate on Hotels.com and they're ignoring the evidence I'm providing them showing the rate I'm seeing. Great "Guarantee" and great customer service - ha!

flo_147

spgplat21

It's not perfect, but "joke" goes a bit far. I agree it can be frustrating, but it's still the best "best rate" program around. You haven't been able to use screenshots for years, so that's nothing new. I've sometimes had to submit a claim several days in a row, because they can't find the competing rate at the time they check, but after years of dealing with Hilton's and Hyatt's programs, I'd take Marriott's current program all day. Plus 25% off is huge. I've had 3 claims in the last month that I'll save approximately $1400. With Hyatt I would have received $150 worth of Hyatt credit.