Marriott Best Rate Guarantee: 25% Discount on The Lower Rate or 5,000 Points!

Every hotel chain and every hotel booking platform promises in some way to offer the best price. This is to discourage you from looking elsewhere for cheaper prices. Most of the time, a best price guarantee is also offered, but the rules are often so complicated that every application can somehow be rejected.

Marriott is better in that aspect, though. Under the name Look No Further, the best price is guaranteed via Marriott’s direct booking channels (Marriott.com, hotline, or directly in the hotel):

However, if you find a cheaper price within 24 hours of making the reservation, the rate will be adjusted to the better price and on top, there will be another 25% discount. Alternatively, you can also opt for 5,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Cancel Non-refundable Rates Up to 1 Day After Booking

There is another advantage: You can usually book and submit non-refundable rates without risk because at Marriott you can cancel almost any rate free of charge until midnight of the following day. At the same time, Marriott guarantees you to confirm or reject your applications within 24 hours. This means that you have between a maximum of 48 and at least 24 hours to cancel the booking if it is rejected.

Before booking, however, you should check whether it applies to your rate. This is typically stated in the rate details as follows:

Non-refundable if canceled more than 1 day(s) after reservation

Example: You book on January 1 at 12:00 and then submit the application at 13:00. Marriott should then reply by 13:00 on January 2. You can cancel your booking free of charge until 2 January 23:59 at the latest.

Rules

Of course, there are also some rules at Marriott that you absolutely have to follow so that the application can be approved:

• 24 hours: From the moment you click on Book, the time for the application is ticking. You have exactly 24 hours to find a cheaper rate and fill out and submit the application form.
  If you only reserve a room on the day of arrival, you have until 10:00 p.m. on that day in the hotel’s time zone to find a cheaper rate. These applications should even be processed within 4 hours.
• Only the cheapest price: If you are shown several rates for the same room and reservation date on Marriott.com, you must book the cheapest rate. This means that you can usually only submit a best price case for the cheapest and therefore inflexible rate.
  However, you do not necessarily have to take the cheapest room type.
• Only room price: You may only compare the room price, i.e. without taxes or other fees. Your comparison site should break down the price accordingly.
  If this is not the case, the total price including taxes and fees should be lower than the room rate directly with Marriott.
• Identical conditions: The comparison price must be for the same room type and booking period. The cancellation and prepayment conditions of the two rates must also be identical.
  However, in my experience, you can compare a non-cancellable rate with a semi-flexible rate that is cheaper.
• At least $1 difference: There must be a difference of at least $1 between the room rate you booked and the room rate found.
• Currency doesn’t matter: IHG only allows you to submit comparison sites in the hotel’s currency. That’s not the case with Marriott. This gives you a much larger selection of comparison sites.
  However, Marriott reserves the right to deny the application if there is a price difference due to currency fluctuations.
• Not all hotels participate: Unfortunately, two hotels and even two hotel brands are excluded from the best price guarantee.
  The individual hotels are the Ritz-Carlton London and the Ritz-Carlton Montreal. The brands are Protea Hotels by Marriott, which is the largest hotel chain in Africa with almost 100 hotels, and Ritz-Carlton Residences, which rents flats with service like in a hotel.
• Excluded Rates: You may book and compare the rate with Marriott when it is publicly available, i.e. corporate and group rates, discounted rates for certain groups of people (senior citizens, members of the military…), rates for which a paid membership is required (e.g. AAA rates) and package rates (hotel+activity e.g. tickets or meals in the hotel except only breakfast…) are excluded.
  Also, don’t compare the rate with offers where you only find out about the hotel after booking (Hotwire, Priceline…) or auction sites.
• Excluded Booking Platforms: As of June 30, 2017, Marriott has explicitly excluded Ctrip, a Chinese booking platform.
• Compare prices directly from the hotel & hotline: You can also compare internal rates at Marriott. For example, you can call the hotel directly and get a cheaper price, try the reservation hotline or a travel agent.
  However, you then have to make two bookings. Marriott will then cancel the higher rate free of charge. Unfortunately, it is not entirely clear what happens if the application is rejected.

Find Cheaper Rates

Finding a better price can take a lot of time. You can get a quick overview of hotel price comparison sites:

• Skyscanner
• Momondo
• Expedia
• Opodo.

Conclusion

Even if there is no free night, it is worth looking for cheaper prices and submitting an application. Above all, the fact that you can also submit non-cancellable rates without risk is a big plus!

Your Experiences

You are welcome to leave a comment about your experiences and tips on Marriott’s best price guarantee.