gosha83

OK, I am going to be in Sydney on July 12-14 and am looking to book a hotel. I usually would go with a Hilton, but it's pretty expensive, so I was looking on Hotels.com and saw that they are running an "early booking special" on the Swissotel there for $160+change.

The Swissotel site has the same room for $209 (all prices USD). Their BRG says that if there's another published rate on another site, they'll match it, and will also take 50% off the first night. I almost pulled the trigger on this, but decided to first check with the FT folks to see if they have any experience with Swissotel honoring their BRG policy. Their site is...on its last legs, and I am afraid that I'll book a room through them and they won't come through with their BRG.

Suggestions/thoughts?

MayorMcKnife

I can't speak for their honoring their BRG, but the rooms appear to be cancelable. You have nothing to lose if they don't honor it.

Volasia

Have you tried to access the claim form ? I have been trying today but the website says "maintenance", and since you have to claim in the next 24h, that is a problem...

747LWW

Ops, great point.

I hope the OP will post what he did, etc. so we can all learn something.

Volasia

The BRG works fine. However, you need to find a lower rate with the same conditions. So if one is cancellable and not the other, it won't work.

Swissotel Sydney is a great hotel, the restaurant, the swimming pool and the rooms are great....

jpdx

I filed a BRG claim two days ago for the Stamford/Singapore; Expedia offers a 10% "last minute" discount. I have not heard back from Swissotel, and the cancellation deadline is approaching -- how long does it usually take them to validate a BRG claim? Is there a phone number I can call?

Volasia

I would call the hotel directly. If you filled it online, call the hotline. By the way, you need to have same conditions on both fares. If expedia has a non cancellation condition and Swissotel's is flexible, then you cannot apply the BRG.

jpdx

Thanks. They have the exact same conditions, but Expedia offers this strange 10% discount.

jpdx

For future reference, I want to report on my BRG experience. I am underwhelmed.

It took the hotel three days to send me an email acknowledging the receipt of my claim. Then, it took another three days for them to investigate and get back to me. This procedure alone should kill most claims -- you have to be pretty lucky to have a lower competing rate stick around for a week.

The claim then was denied, because "Swissotel.com offers the most favorable cancellation policy. If cancellation is made prior to 6 pm on day of arrival, NO charge is levied." Sadly, this is not true; according to my reservation printout, the cancellation needs to be made the day before arrival -- the terms are exactly the same as with the Expedia reservation.

I have no way of knowing if this is Swissotel's SOP regarding BRG claims; I suspect it's actually a mix of incompetence and lacking language skills. Also, BRGs seem to work best with big chains with dedicated BRG departments; the hotel's duty manager who had my claim assigned clearly did not care.

For anyone considering a BRG claim with Swissotel, I would advise calling the hotel directly instead of using the online form. Sort it out while you're on the line with them, but forget about online claims.

Volasia

If the terms are the same you should call the hotel directly and ask again. Not sure what the hotel is but it worked fine for me in Zurich. I did everything by email and the form was provided by the hotel (PDF).

jazzhou

I have a trip to Sydney coming up and may stay at the Swissotel Sydney. Actually I have a choice of Swissotel, Radisson Plaza and Four Points by Sheraton because of company rate policy. The rates for these three are available under AUD300 in the AUD250 to 300 range. I've stayed the Four Points before and am just wondering how is the Swissotel. I'd appreciate it if anyone can shed more light on this property. I'll check the Radisson Plaza Sydney on the Radisson goldpoints plus forum. Thanks.

Volasia

The Swissotel is quite nice. The rooms are large and bright with nice view over the city. Bathrooms are big with separate bathtub and shower. Also the lobby is quite big with a nice restaurant, bar and a business center. There is also a very nice outdoor pool. You may find more details on tripadvisor, but I really liked it when I was there. Also the nice thing is that the lobby is not on the street. there are two lifts on the ground floor which bring you to an upper floor where the lobby is. In all, It is a true 4 stars hotel with very good service.

jazzhou

Thank you Fly-Swiss. It sounds very good. I've stayed at the Four Points a few times before, mainly for the SPG points. I just wanted to see if there's anything else worth a try. Now it has come down to a toss between Swissotel and Radisson if I can have a some feedback from that forum.

wumpus

Swissotel's web site says that they offer a rate guarantee that they will match any lower public rate on any other web site - there are more T&Cs than that, obviously, but it seems pretty straightforward.

Does anyone have experience of trying to claim on this guarantee?

I booked in for a stay at the Swissotel Sydney on Tuesday, and later that day found a much lower rate at Orbitz (US$167 vs. the AU$ 216 I paid) - not me being opportunistic, just perhaps should have searched more)... I have read the Ts & Cs and it would seem to qualify.

So, I filed the claim form on Tuesday, and heard nothing back since.

Anyone had a claim before - how long should I expect to wait for a response? Anyone had diffculties with a claim?

Good rate on Orbitz, by the way!

soitgoes

I haven't seen a single hotel BRG that was, in reality, "straightforward".
If they deny you, you should appeal.