How a single phone call saved me hundreds on my hotel stay

While browsing a hotel website, you may have noticed an ad for a best-rate guarantee. Most major hotel chains offer these, although some make them more visible than others.

These guarantees are designed to assure customers that booking directly with the hotel will yield the best deal. If you find a lower price for the same room elsewhere, the hotel will typically match it and often throw in an extra discount or bonus points.

Many people dismiss this benefit, thinking it's a marketing ploy and not worth the hassle. However, as I learned firsthand, these guarantees are quite legitimate and can lead to substantial savings — all you need is to understand how they function.

Best-rate guarantees from hotels

Most major hotel chains provide best-rate guarantees, including:

• Marriott: Matches the lower rate and offers a choice of an extra 25% off (20% for Design Hotels) or 5,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (valued at $40 based on TPG valuations).
• Hilton: Matches the lower rate and adds an additional 25% off.
• Hyatt: Matches the lower rate and gives you the option of an extra 20% off or 5,000 World of Hyatt points (valued at $85).
• IHG: Matches the lower rate and awards five times the IHG Rewards Club points, up to a maximum of 40,000 points.

While each guarantee has many terms and conditions, here are the key requirements common across these chains:

• You must have booked the room directly at the lowest publicly available rate (with the exception of Hilton).
• Claims typically need to be made within 24 hours of booking.
• The lower rate must be from a valid third-party retailer (such as Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, and Hotels.com).
• This excludes sites that don't reveal the hotel name until after booking, membership-required sites, mobile-only rates, sites without immediate confirmations, and a few others.
• The lower rate must match the same conditions as the rate booked directly through the hotel chain:
• Same booking dates.
• Same room type.
• Same cancellation policies.

This final point is essential — both rates need to match exactly. For example, if one flexible rate states you can change or cancel "up to Jan. 1" and the other says "before Jan. 1," your claim may be denied, as the latter suggests 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31. Similarly, if you're reserving a king room and the competitor's listing simply states "standard room," that discrepancy could invalidate your claim.

While not mandatory, it's a good idea to take a screenshot of the lower rate on the competitor's website and attach it to your claim form when possible.

My experience with Hilton's price-matching policy

In my opinion, Hilton's price-match policy is the most favorable. Besides the impressive 25% discount, I appreciate that it allows you to verify rates over the phone before making a reservation. This means you can directly explain to the agent how you found the rate, avoiding any back-and-forth via email.

Recently, I utilized this benefit to secure a stay at the Oceana Santa Monica, LXR Hotels & Resorts.

The nightly price for an Oceana King room on Hilton's website was $686 before taxes and fees.

However, as I often do, I compared rates on Google Hotels and discovered that Expedia listed rooms starting at $621 per night.

Upon further examination, I verified that it was for the identical room and shared the same cancellation policy, so I called Hilton to make my reservation. As a top-tier elite, I was able to use the dedicated Diamond line, which assisted me right away without needing to transfer me to the price-match department.

I detailed that I first discovered the rate through Google Hotels and guided the agent in replicating the search.

While Expedia used the phrase "fully refundable before" on the room selection page, Hilton stated "fully refundable until." However, I confirmed on Expedia's checkout page that the cancellation window extended until 11:59 p.m. on the same day as Hilton's. My claim might have been initially rejected via email due to this discrepancy, but I was able to easily point the agent to this important detail over the phone.

The agent agreed to match the lower price and applied the additional 25% discount. My new nightly rate ended up being just $465, saving me over $200 per night with only a 10-minute call.

In conclusion

Securing price matches can be challenging due to the numerous terms and conditions involved. However, when successful, they can lead to substantial savings and are certainly worth the effort. Furthermore, unlike booking through a third party, you'll still accumulate hotel points and enjoy your elite benefits as usual.