On Wednesday I fly to Dublin, Ireland from San Francisco. Yesterday I wrote about my 12 nights in Ireland and London with six paid nights and six reward nights. I thought my travel plans were all set…until I woke up this morning and realized I have seven hotel reservations for 12 nights.
I kept thinking to myself that I had three nights in Dublin before flying home. In reality, I will be in Dublin four nights. I needed one more hotel night since I am on a 13 night trip.
Powerscourt Hotel, Marriott Autograph Collection
In February 2013, the 200-room Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt Hotel was foreclosed and shuttered. The hotel is in County Wicklow, 25 km south of Dublin. Powerscourt Hotel changed ownership and reopened in late 2013 as an Autograph Collection brand hotel of Marriott.
Loyalty Traveler (Oct 3, 2013) – Bye-Bye Ritz Carlton, Hello Powerscourt Autograph Hotel Ireland
Powerscourt Estate is a 13th century historic estate. National Geographic voted the estate as the #3 garden in the world. The highest waterfall in Ireland is located on Powerscourt Estate. Lonely Planet named the Powerscourt house as one of the top 10 houses of the world.
Powerscourt Hotel is in this walking area setting of gardens around the Wicklow Mountains.
Marriott Look No Further Best Rate Guarantee for 25% discount.
This morning I filed a best rate guarantee claim for Powerscourt Hotel.
Marriott.com offers 150 EUR rate for a King resort view room. Apparently, the mountain view is preferred view since it is a higher rate.
Travelocity.com offered a rate of $172.36 for same room type with same cancellation policy. I had a couple of best rate guarantee claims denied over the past two months with IHG due to rates being in different currencies.
Travelocity.com $172.36 for Powerscourt Hotel.
150 EUR = $187.88 USD
Interestingly, all the European sites show the rate for Powerscourt Hotel as 150 EUR. There is no discrepancy when I look at a site like Booking.com.
I checked Marriott’s Look No Further best rate guarantee and there is no requirement that hotel rates need to be in the same currency.
IHG has denied best rate guarantee claims I made when the hotel price is Euros and the lower rate is in dollars. I have found several rate discrepancies in recent searches where the rate on a US online travel site like Expedia.com listed in US Dollars offers a lower rate, yet when I search European hotel booking sites, these sites priced in Euros are the same rate as the hotel website. IHG will not approve that kind of rate discrepancy.
IHG Best Price Guarantee term:
6. b. Matching Prices – Currency Requirements. The currency of the hotel controls the comparison with the room price and the total room cost on the non-IHG website, and the room price and the total room cost on the non-IHG website must be available, viewable, quoted, booked, and paid for in the currency of the hotel.
Marriott’s Look No Further Best Rate Guarantee does not have a requirement that compared rates be in the same currency.
Rate comparison will be made net of any taxes, gratuities, or any other fees associated with the room rate, and the Comparison Rate must still be available at the time Marriott validates the claim. Rate disparities solely attributable to fluctuations and/or differences in currency exchange rates are excluded from the guarantee. Marriott may deny claims where the difference between the comparison rate and the rate on the Marriott reservation channel is less than $1.
The $15 rate discrepancy is an 8% difference, which should be sufficiently large to negate any currency exchange difference between euros and dollars.
If Marriott approves my Look No Further rate guarantee, my room rate will be matched to $173 and then reduced by 25% to around $130 per night.
I’ll know in 24 hours whether Powerscourt is a go for Ireland.
On another note, Marriott.com offered a Marriott Rewards member rate at Powerscourt with breakfast included for 148.50 EUR ($186 EUR). That is less than the lowest priced publicly available room at 150 EUR.
If my best rate guarantee is approved, I assume I can buy breakfast for one at Powerscourt for less than $56.
TripAdvisor Powerscourt Hotel – Autograph Collection Travelers Choice 2014 Winner Luxury Hotel.
Marriott.com Powerscourt Hotel
*****
Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.
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