In an effort to simplify the Best Price Guarantee process as a response to feedback from customers around the world — Hilton Worldwide will offer a discount of 25 percent off of the lower third party rate for approved claims of its Best Price Guarantee starting next week.

The current policy of approving a Best Price Guarantee and awarding the customer with either an American Express gift card worth $50.00 or international folio credit will be discontinued.

The new Best Price Guarantee process — which is designed to be easier to use and significantly more efficient — is as follows:

• Book a confirmed reservation through one of the official booking channels of Hilton
• If you find a qualifying lower price for the same accommodations within 24 hours after booking your reservation, submit a Best Price Guarantee claim for the team at Hilton to review
• If your claim is approved, the lower price will be honored and take an additional 25 percent off the room rate for each night of your stay
• You will receive confirmation of your new room rate

Summary

Although the new Best Price Guarantee policy initially seems as though it will have been improved over the current policy, the true test will be as to how many Best Price Guarantee claims are approved — as that seems to be the primary complaint amongst customers — as well as to whether or not the response time to claims will be shortened.

“I’m used to the Starwood brg where you can submit a BRG claim without actually making a reservation,” InsideFlyer member estnet posted greater than two years ago pertaining to another issue which has not been addressed with the new Best Price Guarantee policy from Hilton. “With Hilton it appears that you have to make a reservation FIRST, so if I make a non-cancellable rate reservation and the claim is denied I’m stuck with a much higher rate. Am I missing something?”

No, you are not missing anything, estnet. “Hyatt and Starwood Hotels are the only two hotel chains to allow Best Rate Guarantee claims prior to booking the hotel room on their branded websites. This is a consumer-friendly policy, particularly when the rates being compared for a Best Rate Guarantee claim are prepaid, nonrefundable rates”, according to this article written by Randy Petersen on Friday, July 20, 2012. “Most hotel chains including Best Western, Carlson, Choice, Hilton, IHG, Marriott and Wyndham require booking the hotel room on their proprietary sites prior to submitting a Best Rate Guarantee claim.”

Still — with the advent of acknowledging lower rates from third party sources and topping that with a discount of 25 percent as part of the new Best Price Guarantee — this appears to be a welcome change which could potentially save you more money on room rates in the future.

Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.