Jan 1, 2018, 7:21 am
Last edit by: Starwood Lurker
Signed-in FT members with 90 days / 90 posts can edit this Wikipost.
POSTING FORMAT
Hotel Name:
Arrival Date:
Departure Date:
Number of Rooms:
Number of Guests:
Room Type:
Starwood Brand Web Site Room Rate:
Competing Rate:
Competing Web Site:
Comments:
FAQ
What is the Best Rate Guarantee (BRG)?
If a lower rate at an SPG Hotel is made available on a non-SPG website or non-SPG mobile application, upon its receipt of a claim that satisfies these Best Rate Guarantee terms and conditions, SPG will honor that Competing Rate and provide the individual that submitted the valid claim one of the following rewards: (1) an additional 25% discount off the Competing Rate (20% for Design Hotels) per room per night (up to a maximum of three rooms); or (2) 2,000 Starwood Preferred Guest® Starpoints® per room per stay (up to a maximum of three rooms).
What should I do if my claim is successful?
Yes. You should receive the same SPG elite member benefits and stay/night credit as for a normal paid stay.
How do I view my reservation after my BRG has been approved?
• You cannot BRG against a rate on a Starwood Website/App (hot escapes, promos, Gov. Rate etc.). It has to be a 3rd party website/App.
• The rate you submit the BRG against must be a rate that is available to the general public
• Cancellation/Deposit Policies and amenities must match on both websites to be valid
• A valid Starwood website reservation is required to submit a BRG
• If a room category is available on an external website but not on Starwood, you may still make a claim. You still need to make a booking with Starwood using the next lowest category of room and must include the cancel/deposit polices and amenities you are wanting- if your claim is approved the room type in the booking will remain what is booked.
• Only one claim may be submitted per reservation number (If your first claim is denied, you may submit a new claim for that reservation if you find another lower rate after you receive the denial email)
• You must book and submit a claim for the room type, cancel policy, deposit policy and amenities you are comparing. If you a flexible rate on SPG.com, they will look for a flexible rate when processing your claim, even if a lower rate for non-cancellable is available.
• You cannot BRG with a flexible rate against a prepaid rate. All information must be the same on both websites and the claim will be denied.
• If your comparable rate includes extras like breakfast or parking, make sure there is a room available on spg.com that includes the exact amenities. If there is no room available with the same amenities, it will be denied.
• Room types must be the same for a BRG.
• If you are booking and comparing rates for a non-refundable booking, note that you are responsible for any and all charges including cancellation charges, even if the claim is not approved
• If you have an approved and finalized claim and you find an even cheaper rate later, then you may submit a new BRG claim that is not connected to any existing reservation. If this BRG claim is approved, you will need to make a new reservation on SPG.com. Once the process is completed, you will then email the BRG desk to cancel your first reservation, if it is within the cancellation deadline.
• The cancel policy of an approved claim will be the same as what was booked and approved. It will no longer default to flexible.
• If you find availability for the room type you want on a third party website/app but there is no availability for that room type on the Starwood Website, then this may be an approved claim if it meets all other terms and conditions. You will need to make sure that you specify the room type you actually want on the Starwood Website section and enter 0 in the rate and currency. This will ensure that the processing associates know that the room type you want is not available on the Starwood Website. You may also add additional comments near the end of the claim form indicating that there is no availability on the Starwood Website for that room type to help clarify.
• If you find availability on a third party website/app but there is no availability on the Starwood Website, then this claim cannot be submitted as you must have a valid reservation to submit a claim. If it is submitted somehow without a reservation, the claim will not be processed as a valid Starwood reservation is required.
• Per the FAQ, "Any questions regarding claims should be directed to [email protected] or call 1-866-500-0368." A human is available at this number beginning at 9am EST.
OTAs not eligible because they do not confirm instantly:
Special Conditions for BRG & Design Hotels
Differing currencies
Marriott may deny claims where the difference between the comparison rate and the Marriott rate is less than $1. Rate disparities primarily attributable to fluctuations and/or differences in currency exchange rates are excluded from the guarantee.
Link to T&C
https://www.starwoodhotels.com/bestrate/terms.html
POSTING FORMAT
Hotel Name:
Arrival Date:
Departure Date:
Number of Rooms:
Number of Guests:
Room Type:
Starwood Brand Web Site Room Rate:
Competing Rate:
Competing Web Site:
Comments:
FAQ
What is the Best Rate Guarantee (BRG)?
If a lower rate at an SPG Hotel is made available on a non-SPG website or non-SPG mobile application, upon its receipt of a claim that satisfies these Best Rate Guarantee terms and conditions, SPG will honor that Competing Rate and provide the individual that submitted the valid claim one of the following rewards: (1) an additional 25% discount off the Competing Rate (20% for Design Hotels) per room per night (up to a maximum of three rooms); or (2) 2,000 Starwood Preferred Guest® Starpoints® per room per stay (up to a maximum of three rooms).
What should I do if my claim is successful?
- Re-confirm your rate at check-in; normally the hotel will have the correct BRG rate in your reservation, but sometimes you will need to remind them.
- If you choose points, they will be credited after the stay; check in one week to see if they have posted. If they have not posted, then contacted the BRG team to get it posted.
Yes. You should receive the same SPG elite member benefits and stay/night credit as for a normal paid stay.
How do I view my reservation after my BRG has been approved?
- Log into your SPG account.
- Click on your stays to view your current reservation.
- Click on "Set Stay Preferences" link for the BRG reservation, then SAVE.
- Refresh your stays page and the reservation should be visible again. You may need to repeat this step if the hotel touches your reservation. If you apply for Your24, you will not be able to view the reservation details.
- Follow the steps as outlined under: How do I view my reservation after my BRG has been approved?
- At the end of this process, you should be able to select "Apply SNA to this Stay" from within your stays page.
• You cannot BRG against a rate on a Starwood Website/App (hot escapes, promos, Gov. Rate etc.). It has to be a 3rd party website/App.
• The rate you submit the BRG against must be a rate that is available to the general public
• Cancellation/Deposit Policies and amenities must match on both websites to be valid
• A valid Starwood website reservation is required to submit a BRG
• If a room category is available on an external website but not on Starwood, you may still make a claim. You still need to make a booking with Starwood using the next lowest category of room and must include the cancel/deposit polices and amenities you are wanting- if your claim is approved the room type in the booking will remain what is booked.
• Only one claim may be submitted per reservation number (If your first claim is denied, you may submit a new claim for that reservation if you find another lower rate after you receive the denial email)
• You must book and submit a claim for the room type, cancel policy, deposit policy and amenities you are comparing. If you a flexible rate on SPG.com, they will look for a flexible rate when processing your claim, even if a lower rate for non-cancellable is available.
• You cannot BRG with a flexible rate against a prepaid rate. All information must be the same on both websites and the claim will be denied.
• If your comparable rate includes extras like breakfast or parking, make sure there is a room available on spg.com that includes the exact amenities. If there is no room available with the same amenities, it will be denied.
• Room types must be the same for a BRG.
• If you are booking and comparing rates for a non-refundable booking, note that you are responsible for any and all charges including cancellation charges, even if the claim is not approved
• If you have an approved and finalized claim and you find an even cheaper rate later, then you may submit a new BRG claim that is not connected to any existing reservation. If this BRG claim is approved, you will need to make a new reservation on SPG.com. Once the process is completed, you will then email the BRG desk to cancel your first reservation, if it is within the cancellation deadline.
• The cancel policy of an approved claim will be the same as what was booked and approved. It will no longer default to flexible.
• If you find availability for the room type you want on a third party website/app but there is no availability for that room type on the Starwood Website, then this may be an approved claim if it meets all other terms and conditions. You will need to make sure that you specify the room type you actually want on the Starwood Website section and enter 0 in the rate and currency. This will ensure that the processing associates know that the room type you want is not available on the Starwood Website. You may also add additional comments near the end of the claim form indicating that there is no availability on the Starwood Website for that room type to help clarify.
• If you find availability on a third party website/app but there is no availability on the Starwood Website, then this claim cannot be submitted as you must have a valid reservation to submit a claim. If it is submitted somehow without a reservation, the claim will not be processed as a valid Starwood reservation is required.
• Per the FAQ, "Any questions regarding claims should be directed to [email protected] or call 1-866-500-0368." A human is available at this number beginning at 9am EST.
OTAs not eligible because they do not confirm instantly:
- AsiaWeb
- BestDay
- Cancelon
- Ctrip (Known as MyTrip from Dec 2017)
- Elvoline
- HappyRooms
- Hoteling
- Hotelreservierung.de (according to BRG team 5 Sept 2017)
- HotelsClick (Some rates on request, some instant)
- Ostrovok
- Roomertravel
- Laterooms (according to BRG team 24 Oct 2016)
- Hotelius (according to BRG team 21 Sept 2017)
- Zenhotels (according to BRG team 10 Nov 2017)
- Travelbag (according to BRG team 22 Dec 2017)
Special Conditions for BRG & Design Hotels
- You may only claim against the absolute lowest rate on SPG.com, for the date(s) in question.
- The rate must be the lowest on sale on SPG.com, and is regardless of the type of room you actually want, the number of occupants, cancellation policy and the amenities provided. In all likelihood this will mean you have to use a rate for a standard room, for 1 person, non-refundable and without any amenities.
- It is not necessary for the rate on the external website to match the SPG.com rate in any way including room type and number of occupants. The only requirement for a successful BRG claim is that the rate be lower than the lowest rate on SPG.com for the date(s) in question.
- As with normal BRG claims, you need to make a booking before submitting a claim but it must be the lowest rate for the hotel and dates. Since this will likely be a non-refundable booking, note that you are responsible for any and all charges including cancellation charges, even if the claim is not approved.
- Amenities are not included in the comparasin
- You will retain the category of room booked on SPG.com, even if the external website rate submitted for the claim refers to a different category of room. This is especially pertinent in situations where the hotel continues to sell lower categories of rooms on other websites, while not making them available on SPG.com. You will then be able to book a higher category of room on SPG.com, BRG the lower rate, and retain the higher category of room while paying the lower rate.
- If you need to BRG Design Hotels for Double or higher occupancy.
- The BRG will be processed for a single occupant, even if the rate does not change for more than one occupant. You must book the actual number of occupants intended. Effectively, you can only BRG for single occupant unless double rate happens to be the same as single. It is not possible to BRG if double rate is higher than single. No modification to occupancy is allowed if BRG is approved. If you submit with single rate, you will be stuck with single room; if you submit with double rate and single rate is lower, it will be automatically denied irrespective of competing rates.
Differing currencies
Marriott may deny claims where the difference between the comparison rate and the Marriott rate is less than $1. Rate disparities primarily attributable to fluctuations and/or differences in currency exchange rates are excluded from the guarantee.
Link to T&C
https://www.starwoodhotels.com/bestrate/terms.html
SPG Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) 2018: Success, failure & discussion thread
Sep 5, 2018, 5:47 am
#1126
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: UK
Programs: Bonvoy Gold, AA Plat, Volare Premier, VS Silver, National Emerald Elite, Hertz President Circle
Posts: 2,526
Further point of reference: 20hours since I submitted a BRG on a prepaid reservation. No response yet and of course the competitor's rate is now gone. Processing times promptly is even more important with prepaid reservations; but I guess this is just one of the many things not working at present. I probably won't bother with BRGs going forward, which perhaps is the management objective in the first place? It is curious the queue is most often at 24hrs or so. If the office is understaffed or overstaffed the queue would materially change; this seems to be pretty constant. It's as if this is actually a target.
Edited: just got the email. Denied as rate is no longer there. 20hours from submission.
Edited: just got the email. Denied as rate is no longer there. 20hours from submission.
Sep 5, 2018, 6:38 am
#1127
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,655
Hotel Name: four points by sheraton new york downtown....
Stay Dates: 3 nights in november....
Number of Rooms: 1....
Number of Guests: 1....
Room Type: traditional....
Starwood Brand Web Site Room Rate: 243.06 plus taxes per night....
Competing Room Provider: ....
Competing Rate: $186.72 plus taxes per night....
Actual Approved Rate: $140.04 plus taxes per night....
BRG Reward: 25% off....
Comments: approved by the team in india in under 16 hours....i'm still a little shocked that they got it right & didn't take too long....i guess it was bound to happen at some point....
Stay Dates: 3 nights in november....
Number of Rooms: 1....
Number of Guests: 1....
Room Type: traditional....
Starwood Brand Web Site Room Rate: 243.06 plus taxes per night....
Competing Room Provider: ....
Competing Rate: $186.72 plus taxes per night....
Actual Approved Rate: $140.04 plus taxes per night....
BRG Reward: 25% off....
Comments: approved by the team in india in under 16 hours....i'm still a little shocked that they got it right & didn't take too long....i guess it was bound to happen at some point....
Sep 5, 2018, 8:40 am
#1128
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 130
Was standing in a Sheraton lobby and was going to book a HotelsTonight.com rate (it was $79) when the agent at the desk told me that if I booked online ($133) and submitted a Look No Further claim that they would refund me the difference and I would still get my Platinum benefits.
I did this, submitted the claim and within 6 hours recevied a rejection because I made the claim within 24 hours of the check-in time. I asked them how I could make it earlier when I had not yet booked the hotel and they responded that it needs to be submitted a minimum of 24 hours in advance. What a load of crap.
I did this, submitted the claim and within 6 hours recevied a rejection because I made the claim within 24 hours of the check-in time. I asked them how I could make it earlier when I had not yet booked the hotel and they responded that it needs to be submitted a minimum of 24 hours in advance. What a load of crap.
Sep 5, 2018, 8:56 am
#1129
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: DL DM, SPG Plat 100/LT Gold, Marriott Plat, National Executive Elite
Posts: 2,988
Was standing in a Sheraton lobby and was going to book a HotelsTonight.com rate (it was $79) when the agent at the desk told me that if I booked online ($133) and submitted a Look No Further claim that they would refund me the difference and I would still get my Platinum benefits.
I did this, submitted the claim and within 6 hours recevied a rejection because I made the claim within 24 hours of the check-in time. I asked them how I could make it earlier when I had not yet booked the hotel and they responded that it needs to be submitted a minimum of 24 hours in advance. What a load of crap.
I did this, submitted the claim and within 6 hours recevied a rejection because I made the claim within 24 hours of the check-in time. I asked them how I could make it earlier when I had not yet booked the hotel and they responded that it needs to be submitted a minimum of 24 hours in advance. What a load of crap.
In the future in this case - ask for a Manager and show them the competing rate. If it's a reputable provider (Expedia, Priceline non-opaque, HotelTonight) I've have a >90% success rate in having the Manager match the rate. Some even further apply the LNF 25% rate (some after I mention it to them).
This is because they get your $$ and don't have to pay a commission, like they would if you booked last minute from another. This usually only works on the property last minute more than anything, and usually for 3-4 star properties.
Hotels can create a reservation on the spot - it will technically show as flexible, but you'll be within cancellation given its day of check on. And it will be an eligible rate. Back in SPG days, 1 hotel that did this for me set it up as a BRG rate somehow such that I got the 25% break on the rate they setup, and 2K SPG points.
Sep 5, 2018, 11:49 am
#1130
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 12,476
You must find a qualifying Comparison Rate and submit a completed claim form within 24 hours of booking the reservation through the Marriott reservation channel, and at least 24 hours before the standard check-in time at the applicable Marriott hotel.
Sep 5, 2018, 3:18 pm
#1131
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: MEX/YVR/YYF
Programs: AS MVP/AC75K/AM Gold/UA*S/SPG-Marriott Lifetime Titanium/Accor-FPC Gold/HHDiamond/Hyatt Exp
Posts: 5,035
And with today's craziness:
Dear Mr. PW,
Thank you for your email to the Starwood Best Rate Guarantee program. I welcome the opportunity to assist our loyalty member.
I have determined that your claim is missing some required information and your claim form cannot be processed. I wish to advise you that our Best Rate Guarantee Terms & Conditions have recently been updated. Now all claims must be submitted within 24 hours after making a confirmed reservation through a Starwood Website with the exception of our property being sold out. Therefore, kindly resubmit the completed form at your earliest convenience with a confirmed reservation number so I may better assist you. For your convenience, The Best Rate Guarantee form is located here.
Mr. PW, your interest in our Best Rate Guarantee is appreciated and wish you many more stays with us. Have a lovely day ahead.
Best Regards,
<name withheld>
Associate, Best Rate Guarantee
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, LLC
Thank you for your email to the Starwood Best Rate Guarantee program. I welcome the opportunity to assist our loyalty member.
I have determined that your claim is missing some required information and your claim form cannot be processed. I wish to advise you that our Best Rate Guarantee Terms & Conditions have recently been updated. Now all claims must be submitted within 24 hours after making a confirmed reservation through a Starwood Website with the exception of our property being sold out. Therefore, kindly resubmit the completed form at your earliest convenience with a confirmed reservation number so I may better assist you. For your convenience, The Best Rate Guarantee form is located here.
Mr. PW, your interest in our Best Rate Guarantee is appreciated and wish you many more stays with us. Have a lovely day ahead.
Best Regards,
<name withheld>
Associate, Best Rate Guarantee
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, LLC
Sep 5, 2018, 3:38 pm
#1132
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: CPH
Programs: UAMP S, TK M&S E (*G), Marriott LTP, IHG P, SK EBG
Posts: 11,075
My experience is not as bad as yours but getting there:
In my original claim I wrote how exactly I found the rate step by step, called BRG dept. twice and the same agent picked up the phone and no one looked at it since. She was very apologetic though.
@Starwood Lurker - help!
Thank you for your email regarding your Best Rate Guarantee claim. It is my pleasure to assist you today.
XXXXX is not eligible for rates as it is a searching machine for different websites were you need to make the reservation, when you search with the hotel name different websites will appear. As the website is not eligible for BRG the claim has been denied.
You can make a new claim and add the website of YYYYY to the claim instead of XXXXX
Nacho, thank you for reaching out to us today and if you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact me back.
Best Regards,
XXXXX is not eligible for rates as it is a searching machine for different websites were you need to make the reservation, when you search with the hotel name different websites will appear. As the website is not eligible for BRG the claim has been denied.
You can make a new claim and add the website of YYYYY to the claim instead of XXXXX
Nacho, thank you for reaching out to us today and if you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact me back.
Best Regards,
@Starwood Lurker - help!
Sep 5, 2018, 4:01 pm
#1133
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
...@Starwood Lurker - help!
So, my best advice is to continue working with the BRG team and perhaps asking them to escalate the matter to one of their supervisors.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Marriott International
[email protected]
Sep 5, 2018, 10:09 pm
#1134
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 235
Under the new BRG/LMF form, the confirmation# field can only take up 8 digit, while the SPG confirmation has 9 digits.
So you may want to add the full confirmation# in comments field again
So you may want to add the full confirmation# in comments field again
Sep 6, 2018, 6:17 am
#1135
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: MEX/YVR/YYF
Programs: AS MVP/AC75K/AM Gold/UA*S/SPG-Marriott Lifetime Titanium/Accor-FPC Gold/HHDiamond/Hyatt Exp
Posts: 5,035
After yesterday's silliness, an approval last night without a follow-up phone call:
Dear Mr. PW,
Thank you for your reply. I welcome this opportunity to further assist one of our elite members.
Mr. PW, I have reviewed your claim and I am happy to inform you it is approved; however, the rate I located is higher than the rate you have submitted. The 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:
Guest Name: PW
Confirmation #: XXXXXXXX
Hotel Name: The Adelaide Hotel, Toronto
Arrival Date: September XX, 2018
Departure Date: October XX, 2018
Room Type: Superior King for two guests (room only)
Actual confirmed rate: $270.95 CAD plus taxed and fees ($361.27 CAD less 25%)
Claim reference number: XXXXXXXX
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.
We look forward to welcoming you back to Toronto.
Best Regards,
<name withheld>
Senior Associate, Best Rate Guarantee
Dear Mr. PW,
Thank you for your reply. I welcome this opportunity to further assist one of our elite members.
Mr. PW, I have reviewed your claim and I am happy to inform you it is approved; however, the rate I located is higher than the rate you have submitted. The 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:
Guest Name: PW
Confirmation #: XXXXXXXX
Hotel Name: The Adelaide Hotel, Toronto
Arrival Date: September XX, 2018
Departure Date: October XX, 2018
Room Type: Superior King for two guests (room only)
Actual confirmed rate: $270.95 CAD plus taxed and fees ($361.27 CAD less 25%)
Claim reference number: XXXXXXXX
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.
We look forward to welcoming you back to Toronto.
Best Regards,
<name withheld>
Senior Associate, Best Rate Guarantee
Sep 6, 2018, 7:49 am
#1136
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 815
Sep 6, 2018, 7:59 am
#1137
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 815
Was standing in a Sheraton lobby and was going to book a HotelsTonight.com rate (it was $79) when the agent at the desk told me that if I booked online ($133) and submitted a Look No Further claim that they would refund me the difference and I would still get my Platinum benefits.
I did this, submitted the claim and within 6 hours recevied a rejection because I made the claim within 24 hours of the check-in time. I asked them how I could make it earlier when I had not yet booked the hotel and they responded that it needs to be submitted a minimum of 24 hours in advance. What a load of crap.
I did this, submitted the claim and within 6 hours recevied a rejection because I made the claim within 24 hours of the check-in time. I asked them how I could make it earlier when I had not yet booked the hotel and they responded that it needs to be submitted a minimum of 24 hours in advance. What a load of crap.
Sep 6, 2018, 12:44 pm
#1138
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 130
The agent was wrong. LNF/BRG says the claim must be submitted 24 hours before check in. A few months ago, you could have submitted up to 10 pm local time on check in day and they'd usually reply in under an hour.
In the future in this case - ask for a Manager and show them the competing rate. If it's a reputable provider (Expedia, Priceline non-opaque, HotelTonight) I've have a >90% success rate in having the Manager match the rate. Some even further apply the LNF 25% rate (some after I mention it to them).
In the future in this case - ask for a Manager and show them the competing rate. If it's a reputable provider (Expedia, Priceline non-opaque, HotelTonight) I've have a >90% success rate in having the Manager match the rate. Some even further apply the LNF 25% rate (some after I mention it to them).
Sep 7, 2018, 7:09 pm
#1139
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 26
Is this normal?
Thank you for your reply regarding your Best Rate Guarantee claim.
I have reviewed your claim for our W Doha Hotel, including all of the associated documentation and I can confirm that your claim was processed correctly, in accordance with the published Terms & Conditions of our Best Rate Guarantee program.
All Best Rate Guarantee claims are approved or denied based on our findings at the time that we process each claim. We are required to independently validate the availability and the rates offered on both the competing application or website and our own branded website at the time of processing. We do not have the ability to verify the availability or rates that were available prior to this time. For the complete details of our Best Rate Guarantee program, please refer to the published Terms & Conditions for our program.
In order for a Competing Rate to be eligible for processing, the room type, amenities, cancellation and deposit policies offered by the competing service provider must match the details booked on the original reservation. When processing a Best Rate Guarantee claim, we are comparing the lowest rate offered by both service providers that matches the details booked on your reservation. Best Rate Guarantee claims are approved or denied based on whichever service provider has the lowest rate at the time that we process each claim and not on what was booked on your reservation. At the time your claim was processed, a rate of 607.26QAR for a spectacular room was observed on our branded website and on Hotels.com, a rate of 615.92QAR was found. Since the rate is lower on our branded website, we were unable to approve your claim. I apologize for any frustration this has caused.
I have reviewed your reservation for our W Doha Hotel and I noticed that your reservation was booked using a prepaid rate, which cannot be modified or cancelled without penalty. We are unable to update the rate on a reservation that is not associated with an approved Best Rate Guarantee claim or make changes to a reservation that would be financially impacting to our guests via email. I have sent a communication to my colleagues at our W Doha Hotel and inquired if the rate on your reservation could be adjusted to the rate that was observed on our branded website. However, I cannot guarantee that the rate booked on your reservation will be adjusted, as the final decision remains with the property.
Thank you for your reply regarding your Best Rate Guarantee claim.
I have reviewed your claim for our W Doha Hotel, including all of the associated documentation and I can confirm that your claim was processed correctly, in accordance with the published Terms & Conditions of our Best Rate Guarantee program.
All Best Rate Guarantee claims are approved or denied based on our findings at the time that we process each claim. We are required to independently validate the availability and the rates offered on both the competing application or website and our own branded website at the time of processing. We do not have the ability to verify the availability or rates that were available prior to this time. For the complete details of our Best Rate Guarantee program, please refer to the published Terms & Conditions for our program.
In order for a Competing Rate to be eligible for processing, the room type, amenities, cancellation and deposit policies offered by the competing service provider must match the details booked on the original reservation. When processing a Best Rate Guarantee claim, we are comparing the lowest rate offered by both service providers that matches the details booked on your reservation. Best Rate Guarantee claims are approved or denied based on whichever service provider has the lowest rate at the time that we process each claim and not on what was booked on your reservation. At the time your claim was processed, a rate of 607.26QAR for a spectacular room was observed on our branded website and on Hotels.com, a rate of 615.92QAR was found. Since the rate is lower on our branded website, we were unable to approve your claim. I apologize for any frustration this has caused.
I have reviewed your reservation for our W Doha Hotel and I noticed that your reservation was booked using a prepaid rate, which cannot be modified or cancelled without penalty. We are unable to update the rate on a reservation that is not associated with an approved Best Rate Guarantee claim or make changes to a reservation that would be financially impacting to our guests via email. I have sent a communication to my colleagues at our W Doha Hotel and inquired if the rate on your reservation could be adjusted to the rate that was observed on our branded website. However, I cannot guarantee that the rate booked on your reservation will be adjusted, as the final decision remains with the property.
Sep 7, 2018, 9:59 pm
#1140
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 12,476
