DelSen

New to the whole BRG thing - So I can essentially keep filing claims (which are accurate) and keep collecting points? any limit on the number of claims?

hmm...ok...i filed a claim yesterday for a Cozy room at the W and it was accepted - email asked me to go ahead and book the room within 24 hours. But the SPG site only has Spectacular rooms available now. How will this work? Do i get the spectacular suite at the cozy rate? or will the booking be changed to a Cozy room? and if I pay upfront (as required) how long for the refund to get processed?

Thanks for the help!

mahasamatman

Yes. No.

Just book whatever's available and they'll adjust it accordingly. It's good to mention the lack of availability in the email so they don't think you're tying to "pull a fast one".

chuckisduck

I reserved a prepaid rate at the Sheraton Dallas (on SPG.com) and saw the current prepaid rate was cheaper, within 24 hours of my purchase (on SPG.com). I filled the complaint and they said they wouldn't honor the rate. Shouldn't they at least give me the cheaper rate.

Kinda a cheesy exclusion, especially since its not explicitly stated.

DelSen

Thanks Mahasamatman!

Nice - i'm saving close to $300! Just can't decide which one to go with. Stayed at the W Times Sq last time, never been to Westin or W Midtown...

Hotel Name: W New York Midtown
Arrival Date : 09-09-2010
Departure Date : 09-12-2010
Number of Adults :2
Number of Children : 0
Number of Rooms : 1
Room Type : Spectacular
Starwood Brand Web Site Room Rate : 429 plus taxes
Company room provider : Hotels.com
Other Company room provider :
Competing rate : 343 plus taxes
Actual rate to be confirmed: $312.38USD plus tax ($347.09USD less 10%)

Hotel Name: Westin New York Times Square
Arrival Date : 09-09-2010
Departure Date : 09-12-2010
Number of Adults :2
Number of Children : 0
Number of Rooms : 1
Room Type : Corner King
Starwood Brand Web Site Room Rate : 429 plus taxes
Company room provider : Hotels.com
Other Company room provider :
Competing rate : 295 plus taxes
Actual confirmed rate: $270.71 USD plus tax ($300.79 less 10%)

ftv

Does anyone have experience doing a BRG claim with SPG?

I found one and am not sure if I'm supposed to reserve the room on the less expensive website forst because that's nonrefundabel. I'd rather book via SPG and get points/stay credit.

Does anyone have a simple set of instructions?

Thanks!

alanslegal

Read the FAQ on SPG.com; http://www.starwoodhotels.com/bestrate/faq.html

Also look at the BRG Master Thread; http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...er-thread.html

And personally, yes quite a few BRG claims myself and the most common method I use is 1) do not book anything 2) submit a BRG via the claim form 3) once approved, book a cancellable booking on SPG.com 4) reply back to BRG with the booking reference and 5) SPG BRG will adjust the rate and it's done.

nevansm

I'm at the Sheraton Albuquerque today. Was at the hotel bar last night chatting with a young woman and asked how much she paid, she said $54 for the night via hotwire. Does this qualify for the BRG? It was normal rate, not name-your-own-price. I paid 81 on government rate.

BEAV

No. Hotwire rates do not qualify for BRG. Also, unlike Priceline, Hotwire does not have a name-your-own-price product. But the official reason Hotwire is excluded from BRG is because it's an opaque site where the identify of the hotel isn't revealed until after purchase.

Mintman10

I tried to do a BRG for a sheraton, on a last minute booking for sunday 9/5 through monday 9/6. I got an expedia booking for at least 30 dollars cheaper, however the reps at BRG could not help me, because I booked the stay on a weekend where no reps were in the office.

If I had booked the trip a couple of days in advance, then I might have redeemed the BRG stay for the bonus, instead, I got stuck doing the 3rd party booking, got no points, and no bonus.


Do I have a case here with SPG customer service?

margarita girl

I get BRGs approved all the time over weekends? Who told you there was no one to approved the BRG?

Note, BRGs must be submitted at least 24 hrs before the stay. That has always been the rule whether it's a week day or a weekend.

samuel99

I recently submitted two BRG requests for the Westin LAX for 2 different dates a week apart from each other found on cheapostay.com. The SPG rate was $179 each night while cheapostay.com was $88. I received 2 different responses from different agents :

1)The competing rate you submitted is only available to United States and Canadian credit card holders and is therefore ineligible under the terms and conditions of the Best Rate Guarantee Program. As this rate is not eligible for the Best Rate Guarantee, I am unable to approve your claim.

The Best Rate Guarantee Program does not apply to unpublished rates such as package rates, private rates, corporate rates, club membership rates, or any rate targeted to a specific group and not available to the general public.

The competing site that you have submitted is also an "on request" website which means that you are not able to get an instant confirmation of your reservation. With these websites you will submit a request for an advertised rate. Once your request is received, the Competing Website will contact the hotel to see if the rate will be available for the dates of your stay. You will receive correspondence back regarding your request usually within 24 to 72 hours.

In order to approve a Best Rate Guarantee claim we must be able to independently verify the availability of the competing rate.

For complete program details of the Best Rate Guarantee program please visit our website.

Your interest in our Best Rate Guarantee is appreciated and we welcome any claims you may submit in the future. The Best Rate Guarantee form is located here.

and 2) The Best Rate Guarantee Program does not apply to unpublished rates such as package rates, private rates, corporate rates, club membership rates, or any rate targeted to a specific group and not available to the general public.

The competing rate you submitted is targeted to only Canadian and US citizens and is therefore ineligible under the terms and conditions of the Best Rate Guarantee Program. As this rate is not eligible for the Best Rate Guarantee, I am unable to approve your claim.

For complete program details of the Best Rate Guarantee program, please visit our website.

Your interest in our Best Rate Guarantee is appreciated and we welcome any claims you may submit in the future. The Best Rate Guarantee form is located here.

Given I have seen other approved BRG's from cheapostay.com here I was a little surprised. I did read the terms and conditions again and it looks like they are correct in refusing these because they are not available to the general "worldwide" public and only the general public who have credit cards issued from the US or Canada. There is also the issue that cheapostay.com may not issue an instant confirmation but I guess you don't know that until you complete the reservation request with your credit card and cheapostay.com has a no refund policy as far as I can tell?

Just an FYI....perhaps I was just unlucky with the luck of the draw for the agents that reviewed my requests. Appreciate any insight from those that have had successful BRG's using cheapostay.com because this site does have good rates if they can be booked.

mahasamatman

Though the wording may be slightly different ("citizens" vs "credit card holders"), they both say the same thing in the first two paragraphs.

The "on request" issue is interesting to note.

sc flier

Back in May 2010, I commented about this same CC issue for CheapoAir.com:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/14004090-post436.html

The rates are available to anyone. The credit card has to have a US or Canadian billing address. Third-party payments are acceptable. You don't have to be a US/Canadian citizen or resident.

The lack of ability to get an instant confirmation is a valid reason to reject the BRG, though. Cheapostay.com is not saying that they can get you a room for $88. They are saying that they think that they probably can (or could previously have been able to) get you a room for $88.

"Starwood reserves the right to deny a claim, if it cannot independently verify the availability of a Competing Rate at the time it processes the claim."

The Starwood Customer Care Associates should stick to the valid reason(s) for denying a claim and not make up artificial reasons.

wise2u

If cheepo is offering the room for over 50% cheaper, screw the points and BRG and try and book it. If the bottom line is getting the best price then go for it. Thanks for the heads up on this site, if they can really get prices that beat SPG by 50% then I can live without the extra points.
Fairly cheesy of SPG to twist the T&C to suit a denial on their part.
I think I will collect a few points from credit card offers and spending for hotels, but will just go for the best rate when it comes to booking. It seems like the rates are always artificially inflated when you stay for points or on a promo. It's not just SPG, but most hotels want you to book directly through their site to "qualify" a stay at the jacked up rates they offer. while any site with a lower price usually doesnt count for points or stays, according to their program rules. Getting them to match rates is like pulling teeth and you need a lawyer to interpret the terms to be sure your eligible...the term "loyalty program" was meant to be about staying at the hotel, not booking at their site.

samuel99

Yes sc flier I remember you posted that about cheapoair a few months ago now that you mention it. I guess this approval from August slipped through the cracks with BRG if it was approved.