Friday newsletters always feature luxury travel contests, tips, series, or news.
Today: Book a hotel room with a Best Rate Guarantee
Best Rate Guaranteed (BRG) programs are used by hotels chains around the world to guarantee that a hotel guest is given the lowest available rate for a night or a multiple-night stay. If means that if you find a better, publicly available rate on another website than the official hotel website, you can submit an online BRG claim. If your claim is approved, not only will the lower price be matched, but you will also receive an additional 10 to 25% discount (depending upon the hotel chain). Finding a better rate than the one on the official website is not difficult at all, as you can read in my tips how to book a luxury hotel at the cheapest price. Important: a BRG will only be approved for a booking of an identical room type, date and length of stay, and reservations must be made directly on the hotel websites (not on third-party websites).
Here’s a list of the BRG programs of the major luxury hotel chains. Click on the table for a larger version. There is more information – including links to the BRG claim forms – below the table).
MARRIOTT
- Luxury hotel brand: St Regis, Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, W Hotels, The Luxury Collection Hotels
- Best Rate Guarantee: Should you find a lower rate on another website, within 24 hours of completing a reservation using any Marriott reservation channel (Marriott.com, Marriott Hotel Telephone Reservations, or directly at a hotel), Marriott will match the lower rate and give you an additional 25% discount on the room or 5,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (up to your choice).
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel room on an official Marriott reservation channel.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation. Some Ritz-Carlton hotels are excluded.
- Link: BRG program of the Marriott hotel group
HYATT
- Luxury hotel brands: Park Hyatt, Andaz, Alila, Thompson, Miraval, Unbound Collection
- Best Rate Guarantee: If you find a better, publicly available rate on a non-Hyatt site, not only will the price be matched, but you will also get an additional 20% off or 5,000 World of Hyatt Bonus Points
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel room on the Hyatt website.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation.
- Link: BRG program of the Hyatt hotel group
ACCOR HOTELS
- Luxury hotel brands: Fairmont, Raffles, Swissôtel, Sofitel
- Best Rate Guarantee: Should you find a lower rate on another website, within 24 hours of completing a reservation directly with Accor, the lower rate found will be matched and it will be further discounted by an extra 25% off (except for Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel, where you’ll receive a 10% discount).
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel via Accor.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation. And the discount is only 10% (not 25%) for Accor’s luxury hotel brands Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel
- Link: BRG program of the Fairmont hotel group
INTERCONTINENTAL
- Luxury hotel brand: Six Senses, InterContinental
- Best Rate Guarantee: Should you find a lower rate on another website, within 24 hours of completing a reservation at IHG.com, IHG will match the lower rate and give you 5X the IHG Rewards Club points, up to a 40,000-point maximum, for the room rate for that hotel stay.
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel room on the IHG website.
- Disadvantage: you can only submit a claim after making a reservation, and not all rates are eligible for a BRG.
- Link: BRG program of the IHG group
HILTON
- Luxury hotel brands: Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR Hotels & Resorts
- Best Rate Guarantee: Should you find a lower rate on another website, within 24 hours of completing a reservation through an official Hilton Worldwide booking website, Hilton will match the lower rate found and take an additional 25% off the room rate for each night of your stay.
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel room on an official Hilton Worldwide booking website.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation.
- Link: BRG program of the Hilton hotel group
KEMPINSKI
- Best Rate Guarantee: Should you find a lower rate on another website, within 24 hours of completing a reservation at Kempinski.com, Kempinski will match the lower rate found and will discount it even further by an additional 25%. In addition to that, you’ll be upgraded to the next higher room category, subject to availability at the time of check in at the hotel.
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel room on the Kempinski website.
- (Dis)advantage: Kempinski offers the most generous BRG program of all luxury hotel chains, with a 25% discount and (potential) room upgrade, but you can only submit a claim after making a reservation.
- Link: BRG program of the Kempinski hotel group
MANDARIN ORIENTAL
- Best Rate Guarantee: Should you find a lower rate on another website, within 24 hours of completing a reservation at mandarinoriental.com, Mandarin Oriental will match the lower rate found and will discount it even further by an additional 10%.
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel room on the Mandarin Oriental website.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation.
- Link: BRG program of the Mandarin Oriental hotel group
OBEROI
- Best Rate Guarantee: Should you find a lower rate on another website, within 24 hours of completing a reservation directly with Oberoi, the lower rate found will be matched and it will be further discounted by an additional 10%.
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel room on the Oberoi website.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation.
- Link: BRG program of the Oberoi hotel group
SHANGRI-LA
- Best Rate Guarantee: Should you find a lower rate on another website, within 24 hours of completing a reservation directly with Shangri-La, the lower rate found will be matched and it will be further discounted by an additional 10%.
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel room on the Shangri-La website.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation.
- Link: BRG program of the Shangri-La hotel group
COMO HOTELS & RESORTS
- Best Rate Guarantee: Should you find a lower rate on another website, within 24 hours of completing a reservation directly with COMO hotels, the lower rate found will be matched and it will be further discounted by an additional 10%.
- Terms & conditions: You must email the COMO hotel group within 24 hours of booking your hotel room.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation.
- Link: BRG program of the COMO hotel group
JUMEIRAH
- Best Rate Guarantee: Should you find a lower rate on another website, within 24 hours of completing a reservation directly with Jumeirah hotels, the lower rate found will be matched and it will be further discounted by an additional 15%.
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim form within 24 hours of booking your hotel room directly with Jumeirah hotels.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation.
- Link: BRG program of the Jumeirah hotel group
LANGHAM
- Best Rate Guarantee: If within 24 hours of your booking on the Langham website, you find a lower rate on each night of the stay, for the same accommodation on another website, Langham will match it. Plus, they will award you an additional 10% off.
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel room on the Langham website.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation.
- Link: BRG program of the Langham hotel group
FOUR SEASONS
- Best Rate Guarantee: If you find a lower qualifying rate within 24 hours of making your reservation, Four Seasons will match the lower rate.
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim within 24 hours of booking your hotel room on the four µseasons website.
- Disadvantage: You can only submit a claim after making a reservation. And you don’t receive any additional discount.
- Link: BRG program of the Fours Seasons hotel group
HOTELS.COM
- Best Rate Guarantee: If you find a cheaper price, hotels.com will match that rate (and refund you the difference).
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim after booking your hotel room via hotels.com.
- Disadvantage: The BRG is available only for exact itinerary matches, including property, room type, and dates of travel (as is the case with all other BRG programs) but also includes an identical cancellation policy (which makes is harder for your BRG claim to be approved).
- Major advantage: You can submit a BRG claim from the moment of reservation until 23:59 (PST) the day before your stay (this large time span in unique in the world of BRG programs).
- Link: BRG program of hotels.com.
EXPEDIA
- Best Rate Guarantee: If you find a cheaper rate on your hotel reservation up to two days before your check-in, Expedia will refund the difference.
- Terms & conditions: You must submit an online claim after booking your hotel room via Expedia.
- Disadvantage: The BRG is available only for exact itinerary matches, including property, room type, and dates of travel (as is the case with all other BRG programs) but also includes an identical cancellation policy (which makes is harder for your BRG claim to be approved).
- Major advantage: You can submit a BRG claim from the moment of reservation until 2 days before your stay .
- Link: BRG program of Expedia
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