Denver was an expensive hotel city this past week. Finding a best rate guarantee with Hilton Worldwide was the main reason I could afford a downtown hotel over the Labor Day four-day weekend holiday this year running Saturday through Tuesday, November 11.
Hilton Best Rate Guarantee and Upgrade
Hampton Inn Denver Downtown
The first part of this piece is about the Hilton Best Rate Guarantee procedure. This was a stay on an approved claim for a reduced rate and $50 American Express gift card. Skip down to the pictures if you just want to see the Hampton Inn Downtown Denver bi-level suites on the top sixth floor of the hotel.
Hampton Inn Denver Downtown was one of the lower rate hotels for Monday night at $149 for a standard queen. Last week I shared how I booked the $149 Hampton Inn Standard Queen room for Denver and filed a best rate guarantee claim against a $124 rate for the same room type at Expedia. All details, even the cancellation policy matched to the letter.
My BRG claim was a slam dunk. It was approved in 9 hours. The problem was the $124 Standard Queen room was no longer available on Expedia and the BRG representative matched a lower room rate on Expedia to $140 for a Two Queen Studio. My room rate dropped from $149 to $140, but I seriously doubted the room type would change to an upgrade Studio room category.
Hilton provides a $50 American Express card for an approved best rate guarantee claim. The card is mailed after the hotel stay is completed.
Hampton Inn Denver Rates on my first Hilton Best Rate Guarantee
- Hilton.com website $149 flexible cancellation room rate. $171 after tax. Standard Two Queens.
- Expedia.com website $124 room rate for same room type and flexible CX policy. (Lower $111 advance purchase rate available).
- Result was Hilton approved Best Rate Guarantee and dropped price to $140, the rate for a Two Queens Studio. This would still have been a $160 room. The net price $110 after the American Express card $50 rebate.
- After my Hilton best rate guarantee was approved, there were no rooms available the next day for the Hampton Inn Downtown Denver through Expedia.com. Sold Out.
Hampton Inn Denver Rates on Second Best Rate Guarantee
Two days after my best rate guarantee for Hampton Inn Denver Downtown was approved by Hilton, Expedia.com had all the same discount rates back up for the hotel, including the same $124 Two Queens room rate I originally used for my best rate guarantee claim. The sticking point for a Best Rate Guarantee is the claim has to be filed within 24 hours of booking.
I canceled the reservation for the approved best rate guarantee room and started over by booking the Hampton Inn Standard King room for $159 and filed another Hilton best rate guarantee against the $132 rate for the same room on Expedia.
- Hilton.com Standard King $159 ($182.45 after 14.75% tax).
- Expedia.com Standard King $132
- Best Rate Guarantee claim approved in 22 hours.
- Hilton adjusted rate = $131.90 or $151.44 after tax.
- $50 American Express gift card reduced net rate to $101.44.
- Saved $81.01 (44%) on Hilton’s published rate using Hilton Best Rate Guarantee.
Good thing I changed the Hampton Inn room booking to Standard King, as the lowest priced Standard Two Queens room once again was Sold Out on Expedia at the time of my Hilton best rate guarantee approval. That is something to keep in mind when filing best rate guarantee claims, where it might be more likely the room rate for a higher category room, rather than the lowest priced room, will still be around in 24 hours when your claim is validated.
Hotel Review: Hampton Downtown Denver
The polar vortex was taking hold of Denver as the temperature dropped from low 60s when we were eating breakfast at Hyatt Place Denver Cherry Creek to 18F eight hours later at 4:30pm when we arrived at Hampton Inn Denver Downtown.
The hotel charges $20 for parking. There are parking lots beside the hotel and across the street from the hotel with lower rates if you park yourself. The street was mostly empty for metered parking which is $1 per hour from 9am to 6pm. I dropped in six quarters and I was set for our entire stay. The next day was Veteran’s Day, a parking meter holiday.
My car had a great view of the Colorado State Capitol.
The Hampton Inn front desk staff offered us a choice of amenity items including popcorn and a soda. There were glass displays in the lobby on the way to the floor elevators and a large breakfast dining room on the street side adjacent to the front desk.
Hampton Inn Denver Downtown has six floors. There are several bi-level suites. The front desk did not mention I was upgraded, so there was a WOW factor (on a Hampton Inn level) when we saw the room.
There was no toilet downstairs and our luggage was upstairs. I nicknamed this suite, “The Workout Room” since I did 17 stairs many times through the stay.
The kitchen area is visible in background with sink, microwave and small refrigerator.
This felt like downtown Denver living in an apartment.
King bed upstairs with closet and a window that opened three inches on the right side.
There was a TV in the corner of the room that is slightly visible in closet mirror.
The window in the hallway has blinds that were closed. They were located about seven feet high above the stairs and unreachable for most people. The bottom level of the bi-level suite was interior with no windows for natural light.
The bedroom window kept the place from being a dark cave.
Downstairs had a regular sized couch and a desk by the front door.
The breakfast buffet offered pastries, oatmeal, hot scrambled eggs, hot potatoes, sausage patties, yogurt, breads and juices. I like the Breakfast-on-the-Run bags at the front desk for morning travelers with no time for sit down dining.
Morning breakfast, the decoratively clean lobby, easy parking and downtown location make this hotel a good option when in Denver if the price is right.
Hampton “We love having you here.”
I loved being at Hampton on a 44% rate discount with my approved best rate guarantee. The complimentary suite upgrade as a Hilton HHonors Gold member was a nice touch.
