BRGs - Help Me Beat Hotel Rate

[Cruiser Elite]

All hotel chains now boast a 'Best Rate Guarantee' when booking directly with hotel rather than 3rd parties so let's use the wealth of knowledge and experience of the broader AFF community to assist member to 'Beat The Hotel' rates offered and claim those 'xx% discounts' they brag about - sharing is caring!

TBH - I have exactly ZERO knowledge of these BRGs - only ever tried once and that was with Hilton up against Ctrip - Hilton knocked me back without blinking.

Let's give it a test - Le Royal Meridien in Shanghai China - best online flexible rate for 4nts May 5 to 9 incl 1 x bfast that I can see currently on their web site is ¥1,458.20/nt = A$295.44 - who can beat that?

Note: This is sample test only - whilst I am staying in SH these 4 nts I am staying at WA on Citi '4/3' rate.

Go ahead good folks - post your desired hotels and applicable rates and let's see the AFF community jump to your assistance.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

In the 30,000 room nights processed by StayAngel over a 2 year period, around 3% of those we found lower rates on competing OTAs with in the first 24 hours of being booked.
This is due to rate parity agreements between hotels and online distribution channels like Expedia & Priceline owned sites where there is essentially collusion and prices will be the same or higher on non-hotel websites.

Good idea for a thread and I don't want to take value away from the concept - but the chances of finding a lower rate straight off the bat *that would qualify for a BRG* are statistically, very low.

But when you find them - it's Gold.

 

[Simo]

Hotel room rates do my head in and I understand law of supply and damand

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Hotel room rates do my head in and I understand law of supply and damand

Hence this thread - there really are some stars in AFF land when it comes to BRGs - hopefully many can benefit from their wisdom.

 

[Moindardt]

All hotel chains now boast a 'Best Rate Guarantee' when booking directly with hotel rather than 3rd parties so let's use the wealth of knowledge and experience of the broader AFF community to assist member to 'Beat The Hotel' rates offered and claim those 'xx% discounts' they brag about - sharing is caring!

TBH - I have exactly ZERO knowledge of these BRGs - only ever tried once and that was with Hilton up against Ctrip - Hilton knocked me back without blinking.

Let's give it a test - Le Royal Meridien in Shanghai China - best online flexible rate for 4nts May 5 to 9 incl 1 x bfast that I can see currently on their web site is ¥1,458.20/nt = A$295.44 - who can beat that?

Note: This is sample test only - whilst I am staying in SH these 4 nts I am staying at WA on Citi '4/3' rate.

Go ahead good folks - post your desired hotels and applicable rates and let's see the AFF community jump to your assistance.

What room?

 

[get me outta here]

Cruiser, the BRG has to be the exact same day for a (refundable) booking made on the hotel website and a cheaper room found elsewhere on that same day. The room has to be the exact same type specified. So, it is all a quick do processes.

When searching for comparisons, one needs to go all the way to the end of the process just before the cc entry to book, to ensure that you are including any and all ++ in the quote. I find that you look at the hotel room you want, get their price, look around and if found, start the process. Also, must compare the same currency.

Each hotel may have different requirements.

All hotel chains now boast a 'Best Rate Guarantee' when booking directly with hotel rather than 3rd parties so let's use the wealth of knowledge and experience of the broader AFF community to assist member to 'Beat The Hotel' rates offered and claim those 'xx% discounts' they brag about - sharing is caring!

TBH - I have exactly ZERO knowledge of these BRGs - only ever tried once and that was with Hilton up against Ctrip - Hilton knocked me back without blinking.

Let's give it a test - Le Royal Meridien in Shanghai China - best online flexible rate for 4nts May 5 to 9 incl 1 x bfast that I can see currently on their web site is ¥1,458.20/nt = A$295.44 - who can beat that?

Note: This is sample test only - whilst I am staying in SH these 4 nts I am staying at WA on Citi '4/3' rate.

Go ahead good folks - post your desired hotels and applicable rates and let's see the AFF community jump to your assistance.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

What room?

Grand Deluxe - King Bed - Flexible Rate incl 1 x Bfast:

 

[Moindardt]

The process for SPG now is to book the room as a flexible rate and then you provide that booking number in the BRG claim and, if approved, they update the price. This results in a Flexi booking at the BRG price.

 

[Moindardt]

I think the prices have gone up. I am now seeing base price as CNY1486.

This is a possibility: Le Royal Meridien Shanghai - 50% off booking | Ctrip

Also, that is breakfast every day, not just 1 day.

Grand Deluxe - King Bed - Flexible Rate incl 1 x Bfast:

View attachment 68800

View attachment 68801

View attachment 68802

 

[Cruiser Elite]

I still see the rates I posted - check here. Also rate I posted include b/fast every day - just bfast for 1 and not bfast for 2

 

[Moindardt]

I still see the rates I posted - check here.

Ok. You have the rate for 1 person. The one I had was for 2. I just noticed CTRIP only does one as well.

That would still work as it is CNY5832 v CNY5776.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Ok. You have the rate for 1 person. The one I had was for 2. I just noticed CTRIP only does one as well.

That would still work as it is CNY5832 v CNY5776.

The only time I ever tried a price beat with a hotel chain was WA in SH up against Ctrip and they refused it point blank for some reason about Ctrip - I cannot remember exactly why now.

 

[travelislife]

IHGs BRG is a scam. They often 'lose' claims. The rates often change in between. If the competing rate includes breakfast and IHGs one doesn't they won't beat it.

 

[Moindardt]

Ok. You have the rate for 1 person. The one I had was for 2. I just noticed CTRIP only does one as well.

That would still work as it is CNY5832 v CNY5776.

Actually that wouldn't work. Ctrip has been added to the listed of non-accepted.

I normally run through the list of providers of people who have successful ones. Make sure you check out the wiki as well. Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) 2016 : Success, failure & discussion thread - FlyerTalk Forums

OTAs not eligible because they do not confirm instantly:

• AsiaWeb
• Ctrip
• Elvoline
• HappyRooms
• Hoteling
• HotelsClick (Some rates on request, some instant)
• Ostrovok

 

[Cruiser Elite]

If the competing rate includes breakfast and IHGs one doesn't they won't beat it.

I fully understand that - you would have to compare oranges to oranges - and indeed navels to navels rather than navels to valencias.

 

[SponsorSFC]

No luck for me at that hotel on those dates but I have generally found SPG to be the easiest to BRG, Hyatt are much more particular about the OTAs you can use.

I would say that 80-90% of my paid stays are on BRGs. In my experience it is generally easier to find rate discrepancies in rooms above the base room.

My tactic is usually to look at SPG.com in one window and use hotelscombined.com.au to show the full range of rates. With judicious use of CTRL+F to find the lowest priced of each room type.

My most recent success was a deluxe room at Le Meridien Munich on a flex rate with Breakfast was 339EUR on SPG.com the rate I have booked is 179.20EUR (224EUR - 20%) the OTA was http://www.hotelreservierung.de/

 

[get me outta here]

I just tried an obscure US site to try to get a better price. I have had success with in the past, but it was much more expensive and didn't mention breakfast. It may be a case of the earlier you start, the better too ... sometimes.

 

[travelislife]

I fully understand that - you would have to compare oranges to oranges - and indeed navels to navels rather than navels to valencias.

Yeah I don't really agree with that. If the 3rd party is offering a cheaper rate but it includes not just the same room type but all of these other inclusions vs. just the room on the hotel website it is pretty obvious that the rate is better on the 3rd party. But no you pay more for less inclusions on the hotels website, doesn't make sense.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Yeah I don't really agree with that. If the 3rd party is offering a cheaper rate but it includes not just the same room type but all of these other inclusions vs. just the room on the hotel website it is pretty obvious that the rate is better on the 3rd party. But no you pay more for less inclusions on the hotels website, doesn't make sense.

I am confused - isn't that what BRGs are for? Find a cheaper rate - go back to hotel - say hey here is cheaper rate? What am I missing?

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I am confused - isn't that what BRGs are for? Find a cheaper rate - go back to hotel - say hey here is cheaper rate? What am I missing?

BRGs were fundamentally introduced as a marketing gimmick to make you think they are the cheapest. Because otherwise why would they offer a Guarantee right?

The role of BRGs has changed over the years and now it serves a few purposes:

- for major chain hotels it's still a gimmick but also acts as a cheap workforce for hotels to enforce internal policies. You go out and find a better rate and submit it to any major chain. Someone investigates and if okay; the chain will 'fine' the hotel for breaching rate parity. Hotel wears the fine and a lower room rate.

- OTAs also have best rate guarantees and works in reverse. You find a cheape rate on another OTA or direct with the hotel and the OTA can impose penalties for the hotel including charging the hotel for lost commissions.

There's more to it than only this but that should give some insight from a hotel point of view.

There was a site a while ago where u enter where u wanted to stay and it looked at prices all over the net and factored in best rate guarantees. So you would generally be booking through the 2nd or 3rd cheapest provider to take advantage of their best rate guarantee which would lower the overall room rate to below the cheapest initial rate published anywhere online.