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For travelers with an eye for details and the time for some online research, a best rate guarantee can offer enormous value in the form of free and discounted hotel stays. IHG, for example, offers five times the points if you find a lower rate on a different site within 24 hours. That's significant savings.
Best rate guarantees are as varied as the hotel chains that offer them. Read on for more info on the guarantee each major hotel brand offers.
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How Does a Hotel Best Rate Guarantee Work?
Claiming a best rate or best price guarantee (as it's known on some sites) is straightforward. Book a room directly with the hotel or through an online travel agency (depending on who offers the guarantee), follow the claim process with the lower rate you’ve found on another site, and wait to receive your free night, bonus points, or credit.
Why do hotels and travel sites offer best rate guarantees?
From the hotel’s perspective, offering a best rate guarantee is one of the easiest ways to encourage guests to book directly instead of through third-party sites. This saves the hotel from paying a commission on the room and keeps guests within the hotel's system throughout the booking process.
The terms and conditions surrounding Best Rate Guarantees are often murky and technical, so it’s essential you familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations for the platform you use to book accommodation. To qualify for a Best Rate Guarantee, rooms need to be identical on the platform you’ve found, and numerous conditions must be satisfied before a claim is approved.
Related: How To Reprice Your Flights and Hotels To Save Money
Marriott Best Rate Guarantee
If you book a room through Marriott and then discover a lower rate for that exact room on a non-Marriott site, Marriott guarantees they will match the lower rate and give you an additional 25% off or 5,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after you complete your stay.
To qualify, the lower rate you find must be for the same room, at the same property, and during the same dates you booked. All claims must be filed within 24 hours of booking your Marriott stay and more than 24 hours before checking in.
Click here for the claim form.
Related: The Marriott Bonvoy Rewards Program: Everything You Want To Know
Marriott Best Rate Guarantee exclusions
Marriott's Best Rate Guarantee doesn't cover certain rates, including corporate, senior, group, negotiated extended stay rates, rates with different cancellation or refund policies, rates that include guaranteed custom room options, government-funded tourism stimulus promotions, or paid membership rates like AAA. Package rates that include a combination of room and other travel expenses are often ineligible.
Moreover, all Marriott brands offer a Best Rate Guarantee, except:
- Ritz-Carlton Montreal
- The Ritz London
- Ritz-Carlton Residences
- The Ritz-Carlton Club
- Marriott Vacation Club
- Marriott's Grand Residence Club
- Properties operating under Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation brands, its subsidiaries and its affiliates.
- Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
- Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club
- Properties/units owned or managed by Vistana Signature Experiences, Inc., its subsidiaries and its affiliates.
- All-Inclusive properties
- MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy properties
- Elegant Hotels branded properties.
- Design Hotels partner hotels
To learn more about the inclusions and exclusions of Marriott's Best Rate Guarantee, click here to view the FAQ page.
Hyatt Best Rate Guarantee
Similar to Marriott, if you find a better rate on a Hyatt stay you've booked, fill out the claim form within 24 hours, and Hyatt will match the rate, plus give you 20% off or 5,000 Hyatt points.
Participating brands include:
- Park Hyatt
- Miraval
- Grand Hyatt
- Hyatt Regency
- Hyatt
- Andaz
- Hyatt Centric
- The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
- Hyatt Place
- Hyatt House
- Impression by Secrets
- Hyatt Ziva
- Hyatt Zilara
- Alila
- JdV by Hyatt
- Destination by Hyatt
- Caption by Hyatt
- Dreams
- Thompson Hotels
- Breathless Resorts & Spas
- Sunscape Resorts & Spas
- Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts
- Secrets Resorts & Spas,
- Dreams Resorts & Spas
- Alua Hotels & Resorts brands
Ensure the claim you're submitting matches the room you booked through Hyatt and has the same number of guests, days, and inclusions. One room is permitted per claim, with up to three claims per guest. You can view the rest of Hyatt's Best Rate Guarantee terms and conditions here.
Related: The World of Hyatt Rewards Program Complete Guide
Hilton Price Match Guarantee
If you find a lower price for a Hilton room you booked, Hilton will match the rate, plus give you 25% off. You're required to submit your claim before you book or within 24 hours of booking your room through Hilton. If you file a claim within 24 hours of your booked reservation (the day before you check in), submit a request for a phone call from their customer care center.
Generally, Hilton will try to resolve claims within 48 hours of submission. Hilton will inform you via email or phone what steps you need take to complete your new discounted reservation. For non-refundable rates, Hilton won't be able to proceed until you give a representative your verbal approval.
In addition, all Hilton brands offer the Price Match Guarantee, including:
- Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts
- LXR Hotels & Resorts
- Conrad Hotels & Resorts
- Canopy by Hilton
- Signia by Hilton
- Curio Collection by Hilton
- DoubleTree by Hilton
For the full ins and outs of Hilton's Price Match Guarantee, check out the terms and conditions here.
Related: Hilton Honors Program Guide
IHG Best Price Guarantee
Last but not least, IHG offers a superior Best Price Guarantee. IHG will not only match lower rates you find on non-IHG websites, but it'll give you five times the room rate in IHG points — up to 40,000 points. Submit your claim within 24 hours of booking, more than 24 hours before your reservation begins.
Additionally, all IHG brands except Iberostar participate in Best Price Guarantee. Click here for the full terms and conditions.
Related: Everything You Need To Know About IHG One Rewards
Tips for Getting a Best Rate Guarantee Claim Approved
Getting a Best Rate Guarantee claim approved is not always easy. Forums and blogs abound with horror stories of guests not having claims approved due to small differences in the cancellation policy or because the room has a different view.
To get a claim approved, absolutely everything must match up between the rooms, policies, and conditions, and those conditions will change depending on whether you are claiming directly from the hotel or through an online travel agency (OTA). Below are a few of the different conditions you’ll come across where claims will not be approved.
- When a website doesn't disclose the brand or hotel until the reservation is complete.
- When the lower price is listed on auction websites.
- As the hotel component of a package booking.
- Bookings that don't provide an immediate confirmation.
- Deals not available to the general public (for example member rates and contract rates) or require a login, credit card number or a code to see.
- If price is on a website that doesn't let you click through to book.
- On websites or apps that are in an unsupported language, or use a different currency.
- Reservations made within 24 hours of the hotel's standard check-in time on your day of arrival.
- Promotional offers via coupon or email not intended for public sale.
Related: 9 Steps to Get Fair Compensation from an Airline or Hotel
Final Thoughts
All four major hotel brands offer some sort of best rate guarantee, and we found many similarities between their terms and conditions. The standout best rate guarantee is hands down the five-times-the-points from IHG. If you can leverage the guarantee on a stay at the Intercontinental, the value could run into the hundreds of dollars.
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