IHG has again changed the terms and conditions of its Best Price Guarantee Program effective January 17, 2014.
You can get a free night (or stay if your stay is just a night) by finding a lower rate on a third party site and fulfilling the (sometime onerous) requirement of the guarantee.
You can access IHG’s web page for Best Price Guarantee here.
The following changes were made to the therms and conditions:
At all IHG hotels globally, however, pre-paid rates on non-IHG sites will be compared with the IHG hotel’s lowest available rate on IHG websites.
Previously this was only available for Greater China properties. This means that you can compare third party non-refundable rate for refundable one on IHG’s website IF the refundable rate on IHG’s site is the lowest one.
Previously, you could only compare non-refundable rates on 3rd party sites against non-refundable ones on IHG’s websites outside of Greater China.
All InterContinental Alliance Resort packages are excluded from the Guarantee.
You can only compare rooms/suites without any extra under the guarantee.
Conclusion
Overall, this time the changes made to the Best Price Guarantee are positive. I like the fact that you can now compare non-refundable rate on a third party site to a refundable one on IHG’s websites as long it is the lowest.
Wow. Thats a good news. Hopefully they will do something to speed up the timeframe of their response to claim.
Yeah. The current response time is not acceptable.
This makes life easier, especially if you book <14 days in advance in Europe.
Yep when the advance purchase rates are gone from IHG’s site but 3rd party ones are still happily selling non-refundable rates.
How could this be easier? The terms still have to match, don’t they? Which means a non-refundable 3rd party prepaid rate cannot be compared with a refundable IHG rate?
“At all IHG hotels globally, however, pre-paid rates on non-IHG sites
will be compared with the IHG hotel’s lowest available rate on IHG
websites.”
If the best flex is the LOWEST price on IHG’s website for the room type in question, it can be compared to even prepaid rates on 3rd party sites.
Submitted a claim 3 days ago and still no reply. I heard many people say the same thing, that since they got rid of the phone BRG channel, they just choose to not reply at all, or reply with something that completely doesn’t make sense.
Yeah. I need to contact IHG to find out what is going on with these BRG’s. Maybe I should do one to find out the state of the affairs?
If you have some channel to IHG other than the Philippines clueless phone reps, we’ll all be sincerely grateful if you can do us all a favour and find out what’s going on with their BRG. The state it’s sitting at right now, it’s a complete lie. They will simply not respond or respond after >3 days with complete garbage with absolutely no human logic that doesn’t even sound like it’s written by people who understand English.
Jiabao, that’s exactly what they do. And they aren’t alone… Radisson and Accor do the exact same thing. These BRG groups are a joke and I don’t waste my time with them anymore. Just too stressful for too little return.
I made a reply in another thread regarding IHG Best rate. I have three pending two I put in more then 10 days ago for one a reply came after 3 days and I replied to that. I put in one also 4 days ago still no answer. So they can change the T&C what they want they don’t even reply to your claim anyway. One night IC for 570 euro and another IC for 650 Euro, nice BRG …. not
That is ridiculous? Where do you live? I would open a complaints with Attorney General, BBB or FTC if you are in the States or consumer ombudsman body of the country you live in.
It’s way too hard to complain to those channels over a BRG claim. Swa, I recommend going to their social media sites (FB, Twitter) and complaining there. They have a social media group that will likely escalate for you. Much quicker/easier than going to the FTC and Attorney General.
The complainant may well wish to avoid “social media”. Not everyone is sufficiently unwise as to become involved with those scourges on society.
I sent them today on both cases emails again. If they not reply then I will put it on the FB and Twitter. Luckily the rates are still there on the websites so that is not the issue. I live in Poland John
The current terms still exclude comparing pre-paid third party rates to fully refundable rates on IHG.
5. Matching Terms. All terms of the
comparison room reservation, including, but not limited to pre-payment,
deposit, number of guests, or other requirements must be equal in all respects
to the terms found on an IHG website for your claim to be valid. For example, when you book a room that
may be cancelled without penalty on an IHG website, you may not compare it to a
room with a pre-paid or non-refundable price on a non-IHG website. At
all IHG hotels globally, pre-paid rates on non-IHG sites will be compared with
the IHG hotel’s lowest available rate on IHG websites. The Guarantee is not
available for bookings on websites where the booking details are unknown until
after purchase. Sites that do not reveal the hotel brand name until after the
payment has been completed (including bidding sites) do not qualify for this
Guarantee.
They just did it to clarify some language. Terms seem the same to me.
Old terms:
5. Matching Terms. All terms for the room price, including, but not
limited to pre-payment, deposit or other requirements must be equal to
or more restrictive than the terms found on an IHG website to be used
for comparison. For example, when you book a room that may be cancelled
without penalty on an IHG website, you may not compare it to a room with
a pre-paid or non-refundable price on a non-IHG website. If, however,
you book a pre-paid or non-refundable price on an IHG website, you may
compare it to a cancellable or refundable price on a non-IHG website.
The Best Price Guarantee is not available for bookings on websites where
the booking details are unknown until after purchase.
New Terms:
5. Matching Terms. All terms of the comparison room reservation, including, but
not limited to pre-payment, deposit, number of guests, or other requirements
must be equal in all respects to the terms found on an IHG website for your
claim to be valid. For example, when you book a room that may be cancelled
without penalty on an IHG website, you may not compare it to a room with a
pre-paid or non-refundable price on a non-IHG website. At all IHG hotels globally,
pre-paid rates on non-IHG sites will be compared with the IHG hotel’s lowest
available rate on IHG websites. The Guarantee is not available for bookings on
websites where the booking details are unknown until after purchase. Sites that
do not reveal the hotel brand name until after the payment has been completed
(including bidding sites) do not qualify for this Guarantee.
We’ll see. It is really confusing.
Booked on Sunday the 19th of January and found a much cheaper pre-paid rate. Got the confirmation of the refund today 22nd of January (within the 3 business days advertised). No problems and fast reply. It was at an Intercontinental in China and I am Platinum Ambassador. 2 night stay.
Good that it worked for you.