Hilton "Our Best Rates Guaranteed"

bkqiusbg

Hi all. This is my first post because I am so irritated by a recent experience I thought I should warn others.

I wanted to book a night at the Hilton Gatwick Airport Hotel for an early morning flight. I saw on the Hilton.co.uk website a "Best Rates Guarantee" so thought that I'll book with them to be sure to have the room then search around to see if I can't find a better deal. The booking was for 1 night and cost £102 inclusive of tax.

Then I found a website offering the room with breakfast and tax for £79. I promptly submitted the claim. It was rejected a day later because the submitted deal included breakfast.

The lower rate found includes bed and breakfast and the confirmed reservation with Hilton does not; therefore your claim is denied.

Given the following
Hilton: Room + VAT = £102
Other: Room + VAT + breakfast = £79
please help me to understand why Hilton is not standing by its guarantee.

To me the spirit of the guarantee is to give me the confidence that Hilton is offering me the best price to simply book through them. When I then find a better deal, shouldn't they honour the spirit of that offer?

In any case, Hilton has completely undermined any and all confidence I might place in their brand and hope others might take note before taking them up on their guarantee.

-K

bkqiusbg

P.S. The Terms and Conditions:

Terms & Conditions for Hotels outside the USA, Canada, Mexico, & Puerto Rico (except the Caribe Hilton & Ponce Hilton)

• When you next make a room booking, we guarantee that you will always be offered the best possible rates providing you book through our website, through Hilton Reservations Worldwide or direct with our hotels. In fact, we are so confident with our best rate guarantee, that in the unlikely event you do find a cheaper rate elsewhere within 24 hours of your booking, we will, once we verify your claim, not only match the lower rate but we will also adjust your bill by an additional US$50 (or local currency equivalent), subject to the following terms and conditions:
• You must have a confirmed retail reservation made:
• On any of the Hilton Family websites (hilton.com, conradhotels.com, doubletree.com, embassysuites.com, hamptoninn.com, hiltongardeninn.com, homewoodsuites.com, hiltonhhonors.com, hiltonfamily.com, hiltonworldwide.com and hgvc.com, MyLeisureTrip.com, hilton.co.uk, hilton.co.jp, hilton.de);
• Through Hilton Reservations Worldwide,
• Directly at a hotel; or
• Through an IATA accredited retail travel agent professional ("Travel Agent") booking through a Hilton family channel or the following Global Distribution Systems (Amadeus, Apollo/Galileo, Worldspan and SABRE).
• If you find a lower publicly available rate on a non-Hilton Family booking channel (except for "opaque" websites) for the same accommodations at the same hotel, same dates of stay, same length of stay, same number of guests and same room type, same booking conditions and available for purchase, within twenty-four (24) hours of booking your reservation, then fill out and submit a completed Claim Form within twenty-four (24) hours of booking the reservation.
• You must submit the Claim Form to Hilton's claims department in the manner prescribed in the Claim Form or you may call 00 800 888 44 888 to process the claim.
• A Claim Form or phone request must be received within 24 hours of the time the original reservation was confirmed and at least 72 hours prior to arrival at the hotel.
• Only one claim may be submitted and is eligible for each stay. For purposes of Our Best Rates. Guaranteed., a stay shall be defined as the total number of consecutive nights spent by the same guest, guests, or subset thereof, at the same participating hotel, without regard to whether a guest checks out and checks back into the participating hotel again.
• Earning of HHonors® Points & Miles® is subject to HHonors terms and conditions.
• Hilton International reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer and the terms and conditions at any time in its sole discretion.
• Our Best Rates. Guaranteed. OFFER DOES NOT APPLY to the following:
• Hilton Family hotels inside the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico (other than the Caribe Hilton and Ponce Hilton). See below for terms and conditions relating to Our Best Rates. Guaranteed., offer for Hilton Family hotels inside the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico (other than the Caribe Hilton and Ponce Hilton).
• Rates available on "opaque" websites where the hotel brand and specific hotel are not known until the booking is made (e.g., Priceline.com, Hotwire.com).
• Hotel packages (e.g., Romance, Park & Fly, Theatre Breaks) or travel packages which may include hotel, airfare, car rental, food and beverage offers or other similar packages or amenities.
• Discount or negotiated rates not available to the general public, including but not limited to the following rates: membership (e.g., Saga), corporate, government, promotional, unpublished, Senior HHonors®, employee, offline wholesale/FIT, pre-paid rates which may include a voucher (including electronic vouchers), group or other specially negotiated rates.

dmg24

If you find a lower publicly available rate on a non-Hilton Family booking channel (except for "opaque" websites) for the same accommodations at the same hotel, same dates of stay, same length of stay, same number of guests and same room type, same booking conditions and available for purchase, within twenty-four (24) hours of booking your reservation, then fill out and submit a completed Claim Form within twenty-four (24) hours of booking the reservation.

You have not met this condition.

Murtle

Firstly have you asked them?

and secondly I think it doesn't comply with

If you find a lower publicly available rate on a non-Hilton Family booking channel (except for "opaque" websites) for the same accommodations at the same hotel, same dates of stay, same length of stay, same number of guests and same room type, same booking conditions and available for purchase, within twenty-four (24) hours of booking your reservation, then fill out and submit a completed Claim Form within twenty-four (24) hours of booking the reservation.

and check this one

Hotel packages (e.g., Romance, Park & Fly, Theatre Breaks) or travel packages which may include hotel, airfare, car rental, food and beverage offers or other similar packages or amenities.

lastly, can't you cancel with Hilton and rebook with the other website??

Blue264

Murtle wrote: »

...lastly, can't you cancel with Hilton and rebook with the other website??

That's the crux of it.
Most bookings made with thrid party websites are prepaid and cannot be cancelled. Hilton do their own Advanced Purchase rates. Did you compare these? Or did you book a fully flexible rate and are comparing it to and advanced purchase rate?

bkqiusbg

dmg24 wrote: »

You have not met this condition.

I am surprised how fast replies have started. Thanks so much.

The hotel is the same. The dates are the same. The room is the same. The only difference is the other website is cheaper and they threw in a free breakfast. Do you believe that this should invalidate Hilton's guarantee to have the best price?

-K

bkqiusbg

Blue264 wrote: »

That's the crux of it.
Most bookings made with thrid party websites are prepaid and cannot be cancelled. Hilton do their own Advanced Purchase rates. Did you compare these? Or did you book a fully flexible rate and are comparing it to and advanced purchase rate?

Both Hilton's rate and the third-party rate were non-refundable. So like-for-like there too (unfortunately!)

bkqiusbg

As for

Hotel packages (e.g., Romance, Park & Fly, Theatre Breaks) or travel packages which may include hotel, airfare, car rental, food and beverage offers or other similar packages or amenities.

it is not like I booked theatre tickets, rented a car, bought a flight or anything else which complicates the cost of the room booking. It is a free Hilton breakfast. The underlying room rate should be obviously and apparently lower.

Murtle

Blue264 wrote: »

That's the crux of it.
Most bookings made with thrid party websites are prepaid and cannot be cancelled. Hilton do their own Advanced Purchase rates. Did you compare these? Or did you book a fully flexible rate and are comparing it to and advanced purchase rate?

But this wasn't via a third party it was direct with Hilton.

Was only asking as when we booked Hilton rooms recently we had until 3pm on day of arrival to cancel if we didn't want the room. We also only paid on departure, not in advance.

It's not a case of *throwing in a free breakfast* it makes it a different room grade.
- rooms with breakfast are not always more expensive then room only. Strange but true in the wonderful world of hotels!!

bkqiusbg

Murtle wrote: »

It's not a case of *throwing in a free breakfast* it makes it a different room grade.
- rooms with breakfast are not always more expensive then room only. Strange but true in the wonderful world of hotels!!

Which is why I am so disappointed by the guarantee. They say "We promise that if you find a lower rate through any other booking channel, we'll match that rate". At the end of the day I booked a room+VAT through Hilton and found the same thing (plus breakfast) for less money. Isn't that a lower rate for the same room+VAT?

I don't care what room grade Hilton puts it on their computer system--all I want is the room at the best rate. I found the room at a better rate.

Sadly, it looks like I am the only one that thinks Hilton are being unfair.

brazilianwax

bkqiusbg wrote: »

Which is why I am so disappointed by the guarantee. They say "We promise that if you find a lower rate through any other booking channel, we'll match that rate". At the end of the day I booked a room+VAT through Hilton and found the same thing (plus breakfast) for less money. Isn't that a lower rate for the same room+VAT?

I don't care what room grade Hilton puts it on their computer system--all I want is the room at the best rate. I found the room at a better rate.

Sadly, it looks like I am the only one that thinks Hilton are being unfair.

Best Western is the same. Their get out is on cancellation clauses

And no, a room rate including breakfast is not the same as a room only rate, so you don't meet the conditions.