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There was a time where the best rate guarantees offered by the big hotel chains were a valuable tool in getting great deals but over the past few years most programs have watered down their guarantees to such an extent that they’re not often worth very much (some don’t seem to be worth anything at all).
Still, every now and again we get a nice surprise and that’s exactly what we’ve just been given by Hyatt.
Hyatt’s Best Rate Guarantee
Hyatt’s old best rate guarantee offered to match the lower room rate found elsewhere as well as a $50 credit which could be used towards a future stay….but the credit expired a year from its issue so it could easily go unused.
The new Hyatt Best Rate Guarantee (which has gone into immediate effect) offers to match the lower room rate found elsewhere and also gives guests the choice between a 20% discount on their stay or 5,000 World of Hyatt points.
I value Hyatt points at 1.4 cents each which means that the 5,000 points on offer are equivalent to a $70 rebate….and that makes the points option best for stays costing under $350 while the 20% rebate will be the better way to go for stays costing more.
The improvement in the potential payouts isn’t the only change…there are some positive changes within the t&cs of the best rate guarantee too.
- Thompson Hotels are now included as participants of the Hyatt Best Rate Guarantee program.
- Websites which require a membership aren’t all automatically excluded any more – if the membership is free or if membership is created during the booking process Hyatt will not exclude the website from the guarantee.
- It would appear as if rates available as a result of a coupon/discount code are no longer excluded from the Hyatt Best Rate Guarantee.
Those are all very positive changes.
Hyatt brands excluded from the Best Rate Guarantee are (currently):
- Alila
- Exhale
- Destination Hotels
- Hyatt Residence Club
- Joie de Vivre
How To Make A Hyatt Best Rate Guarantee Claim
- Bookings must be made through a Hyatt website
- A claim can be made under the terms of the Best Rate Guarantee if, within 24 hours of making a booking, a guest finds a lower publicly available and immediately bookable room-only rate available on the Internet for the same stay (same hotel, same type of room, same number of guests, same dates of stay, same length of stay, same guarantee and cancellation policies, and same booking conditions)
- A claim must be submitted within 24 hours of making a booking.
To submit a claim for the Hyatt Best Rate Guarantee use the online claim form within 24 hours of booking or call Hyatt (1-877-247-3909 or 402-593-5445) or by contacting the local Hyatt Global Contact Center.
Bottom Line
Hats off to Hyatt here as this looks to be a genuine improvement on the old Best Rate Guarantee.
Clearly it will still be challenging to get a claim approved by Hyatt as the terms are incredibly strict (the same guarantee and booking conditions are often hard to match) but this is still better than what we had before….and now we can also pursue BRG claims at Thomson Hotels too.
[HT: Loyalty Lobby]
