Do hotel price guarantees work?

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Many hotel booking services advertise a best price guarantee. They promise to refund the price difference or more if the same hotel room is found for a cheaper price on another booking site. Is this just marketing talk or are these promises true? Read about our experience with the Exe Hotels Best Price Guarantee.

Affordable Hotel Rooms: How to Take Advantage of Best Rate Guarantees

Most travelers shop around before booking a hotel, and for good reason. Hotel room prices can fluctuate more widely than airline ticket prices, which means there’s plenty of room to save if you keep an eye on it. Between the countless booking sites and the option to book directly through hotels, comparing prices really pays off – especially during busy times like the Eurovision Song Contest.

Many hotel chains and booking platforms promote Best price guarantee or Lowest price guarantee. Simply put, they promise you that you won’t find a cheaper price anywhere else, and if you do, they’ll compensate you. We no longer take these claims seriously – we always do our own research to make sure we’re getting a fair price. However, years ago, during a trip to Spain, we actually tested one of these safeguards – and got results.

Putting the price guarantee to the test in Madrid

Planning our trip to Madrid, we decided X. Moncloa Hotel near the city center. It was conveniently located near a metro station, looked clean based on photographs, and offered a price that fit our budget. Overall, it seemed like solid value for money.

At the time, Exe Hotels was part of the Hotusa group, a Spain-based travel company that operates mostly within Spain but also has properties elsewhere in Europe, such as Berlin. The series overall received a 4-star rating.

Before booking, we carefully compared prices using sites like Trivago and HotelsCombined.com.

On the official website of Exe Moncloa, we discovered a guarantee of the best prices (called the guaranteed minimum price). We were promised that if we found the same room, with the same dates and cancellation terms, at a lower price elsewhere, the hotel would refund the difference plus an additional 10%. This is a very generous offer.

Since our research showed cheaper prices with the same conditions elsewhere, we decided to see if the guarantee actually holds up.

Booking and requesting a refund

We booked a room directly on the hotel’s website, then immediately emailed them requesting a refund, following their instructions exactly. Problem: Claims had to be submitted within just two hours, making timing tight. We’ve included screenshots as proof of the price drop.

Although the claim period was short, the hotel was slow to respond. It took several days and several follow-up emails before we heard back. They explained the delay due to absence on vacation.

Processing our claim was not a smooth process. The staff clearly struggled to understand the situation. The responses were scattered, and our demands were divided into different sections. We had to resubmit the evidence several times, and the hotel initially rejected the claim on weak grounds. Overall, the process was frustratingly slow.

After constant emails and patient waiting, the hotel finally delivered on its promise. We can’t say it was easy, many travelers probably gave up midway. We may have been among the first to test this guarantee in practice. We reached out to the hotel chain for comment, but they chose not to respond.

Is it worth accepting a voucher offer from an airline?

What you should know about price guarantees

Since that trip, the hotel has changed ownership, and the guarantee no longer exists in quite the same way. However, price guarantees still appear on various booking sites from time to time.

Strict conditions

Price guarantees usually come with strict conditions. The room must be the same, cancellation policies must match, and Special promotional rates are usually excluded. This means that loyalty discounts or secret deals usually do not count. The clock often starts ticking immediately after booking, requiring proof to be provided quickly. The rules can be so detailed that getting a refund seems almost impossible. For this reason, most customers are not interested in filing claims, and when they do, they are often denied. Our experience showed that the hotel was not prepared to handle claims smoothly.

How to make the price guarantee work for you

Price guarantees aren’t always the easiest way to save on hotels. It is usually easier to carefully compare prices before booking. But if you want to go the warranty route, here are some tips:

• Read the warranty terms and conditions carefully.
• Gather solid evidence of a price drop — screenshots work great.
• Submit your refund claim on time and according to the rules.
• Double-check that you are comparing the same room type with identical cancellation policies.
• Expect some emails back and forth and be prepared to follow up.
• Wait for the refund (fingers crossed!).

Patience usually pays off, and refunds are often obtained in the end. But the hassle can sometimes outweigh the savings.

How to get the most out of flight deals?

Why comparing prices beforehand is more important

We will not rely solely on price guarantees to reduce our accommodation costs. It’s much easier to shop around first and make sure the price of your reservation is reasonable. However, we highly recommend booking directly with the hotel if the price difference with other booking sites is small. Booking directly with the hotel provides better service, flexibility and benefits. Even with a small difference in price, it is easier to deal with changes and communicate special requests.

Why aren’t the added services from online travel agencies worth it?

Bottom line

In our experience, hotel price guarantees can be legitimate – but they’re rarely as simple as the ads make them seem. We’re confident that other booking sites’ guarantees work similarly, so reading all the details in their terms is crucial.

In most cases, a comprehensive price comparison before booking is your best bet. Many online tools make this process easy. Don’t forget to check the hotel’s website, you may find some great rates there too.

Have you ever had to ask for a price guarantee on a hotel or booking site? What happened? Drop your stories and tips in the comments below, we’d love to hear them!

Tags: hotel, price guarantee, reservation
Destinations: Spain