Several hotel chains offer best rate guarantees on their prices. They offer benefits if you book direct and find a lower price on a competing booking site. Those benefits have been devalued over the years, but you can still get a 25% discount or 2K Starpoints with Starwood, 25% off Marriott, 25% off Hilton, 25% off Club Carlson, $50 Hyatt credit or 3,000 Wyndham points. Even Expedia offers a $50 credit if you find a cheaper price elsewhere. Choice hotels used to offer a free night if you found a better rate on another site, now US customers get a $50 credit, though international customers can still get a free night.
IHG has traditionally given a free night if you find a better rate on another site. I used to post free BRG hotel deals fairly often. That is, until a 2013 post where I wrote about using the IHG BRG for a free night at the Intercontinental New York Barclay hotel.
Hold times to speak to IHG spiked to several hours and IHG changed some BRG abuse terms. Eventually they killed the option to file a claim over the phone. The internets were highly displeased with that post and people let me know that loud and clear, from name calling to posting death threats on some forums. I pledged to stop posting BRG deals online, though the techniques to find free BRG hotel stays remained featured in DansDeals Seminars over the years.
At any rate, IHG has just killed the free night BRG offer and will instead offer 5x the normal points for the stay, up to 40K points. For most stays, that’s a big devaluation from a free night offer.
It’s been a fun run, but all good things eventually come to an end.
Have you been able to take advantage of a BRG free night?
Probably had to get rid of that perk due to all of the $$ lost by having to refund so many point thefts due to their high security 4 digit PIN…
Ugh. Don’t get me started with that.
Got a good story?
I used to stay in Choice Hotels in midtown for free once a month because of BRG.
Well it was a good run. Back in the old days when you could claim via phone, I found a BRG in the Intercontinental Barclay in Manhattan the night before the NY bar. Sent a detailed email to everyone I knew taking the bar and we booked about 20 rooms with a minyan for shachris the next morning in one of the rooms.
on expedia it says only for bookings made before 10/18/2017, was it discontinued?
It’s been mostly dead since they quietly changed the terms requiring the IHG rate being matched to be the lowest (non refundable) rate. Made it too risky. Especially since web agents were often incompetent and denied claims for no good reason.
I only managed to score one, but at least it was a solid score: mid-range room at InterContinental Times Square.
Club carlson best rate guarantee is a joke, unlike the others, you have to book the most expensive rate on their website and that is the only rate they will match. If you book a member’s rate, those cannot be matched. Also if you sign into hotels.com and book a room they will not match it since you are getting a discount. Every other hotel chain allows you to get a match against a member’s rate and then they give you 25% off but Club Carlson gives you nothing. Very frustrating dealing with this group
Just out of curiosity, since this is effectively dead, what was the pearl of wisdom shared at the seminar?
Got it twice. Once in Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv.
IHG points and free nights are now redeemable at Kimpton hotels
I was able to take great advantage of their BRG perk! I’ve gotten to travel all over the world and stay at many fun hotels. Most notably was the Intercontinental Presidente Cozumel Resort and Spa – Reef Suite (price for those dates were $1,500/night).