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Hilton Best Rate Guarantee Approved with a Catch

Yesterday I posted Live testing Hilton Best Rate Guarantee where I found an exact match room discount on Expedia.com for Hampton Inn Denver Downtown. I booked a $149 room rate on Hilton and then submitted a Best Rate Guarantee claim against a $124 rate on Expedia.

Hilton’s response time was less than 8 hours to approve my claim. The email stated my $50 American Express gift card will come after my stay.

But, there was a catch!

Hilton notified me that the Standard Two Queens room type I booked was no longer available on Expedia. Ironically, I would have preferred a Standard King and received a lower rate if that had been the room type for my claim.

Expedia Hampton Denver BRG-1

Expedia rate for ‘Standard Room with Two Queen Beds’ is the room type I booked on Hilton for $149 and my best rate guarantee claim was based on the same room type listed for $124 on Expedia.

Hilton Best Rate Guarantee Approved with a Catch

Hilton approved my best rate guarantee claim using an entirely different higher room category rate. My rate dropped from $149 to $140 based on the Expedia rate for a Two Queens Studio.

Expedia Hampton Denver BRG-2

Hilton rate for a Two Queens Studio was $169 compared to Expedia $140.

My Best Rate Guarantee was approved by Hilton, however, the rate drop was only $9 rather than the $25 I anticipated. The adjusted $140 Hilton rate provided by the Best Rate Guarantee was still $8 more than the $132 rate on Expedia for a Standard King Room at the Hampton Inn Downtown Denver. There is nothing in the Hilton email to indicate I will receive the Two Queens Studio room category upgrade.

No way Hilton would have approved this BRG claim if room types were reversed and I made a claim for Two Queens Studio based on Hilton’s $169 rate citing the Expedia $124 rate for a Standard Queen.

Bottom line is the adjusted Hilton best rate guarantee room total after tax is $161 with a $50 American Express gift card to be delivered after the stay for a $111 hotel room.

My first thought was to simply cancel the reservation and start another Hilton best rate guarantee claim.

Then, I saw Expedia won’t work today for another best rate guarantee claim at this hotel.

Expedia Denver Hampton-3

Did Expedia get a hand slap from Hilton? Other online travel agencies and Hilton’s website show availability at the hotel, just not for the Standard two queens room type I booked.

*****

Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.

Loyalty Traveler shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. Check out current hotel loyalty program offers across all the major chains in Loyalty Traveler’s monthly hotel promotions guide.

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3 Comments

  • Michael November 6, 2014

    I’m tired of all the shenanigans.

    I had a perfectly acceptable best rate guarantee claim with Hyatt and they denied based on a technicality (deluxe twin room v twin room description even though it was the same category and the same room!)

  • Ric Garrido November 7, 2014

    @Michael – Talk about shenanigans.

    Hampton Inn Downtown Denver is available again on Expedia at the same rates I used to book my room on Wednesday at $124 for two queens and $132 for King.

    Hilton BRG rules disallow more than one claim on the same reservation. I canceled my $140 approved BRG reservation, rebooked on Hilton for a King room $159 and resubmitted the BRG claim to Hilton based on Expedia $132.

    How convenient for Hilton that the room type I submitted my BRG claim using Expedia showed the hotel was Sold Out for Expedia yesterday, yet the same low rates reappeared today.

    I’ll see if Hilton can weasel out of the BRG two times in a row. If approved, I will receive a higher category room for $132 rather than the $140 Hilton authorized for my approved BRG claim two days ago.

  • […] 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 […]

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