IHG Rewards vs Booking.com

[Renato1]

I got an email from IHG rewards yesterday advising of 30% off at lots of locations. So, though not explicitly stated as a reward location, I checked a location I was thinking of for next year - two nights in Seminyak on 7 through 9th May 2019.

Up came Hotel Indigo Seminyak Beach Bali - cost for two nights plus breakfast in the Classic King Bed room ( non -refundable) - AUD$656.06

I then checked Bookings.com for the exact same thing - cost AUD$531

Pretty big price difference, 19% cheaper at Booking.com.

To be fair, I had some time back checked IHG Rewards versus Booking.com for The Crowne Plaza in Berlin, and found IHG Rewards to be 3 or 4% cheaper than Booking.com.

Still, I find this sort of price disparity between the good deal supposedly given to loyalty customers and that to the general public to be somewhat odd.

Any thoughts?
Regards,
Renato

 

[Kerrodt]

Price match them.

 

[Renato1]

Price match them.

Their site says,
"Best Price Guarantee
We promise you the lowest available price online, or we’ll match it and give you five times the IHG® Rewards Club points, up to a 40,000-point maximum."
which comes to around 20,000 points or just over half a night's stay at that hotel - presumably to be taken at another date in future before they expire. A lot of rigmarole, for points I most likely won't be using.

What I was really inferring in the original post is that had I only gone to their site, trusted their Guarantee, and not bothered to look at Bookings - I'd be paying a higher price.
Regards,
Renato

 

[burmans]

Any thoughts?

Caveat Emptor! Nothing much has changed to human behaviour since roman times.

Their site says,
"Best Price Guarantee
We promise you the lowest available price online, or we’ll match it and give you five times the IHG® Rewards Club points, up to a 40,000-point maximum."
which comes to around 20,000 points or just over half a night's stay at that hotel - presumably to be taken at another date in future before they expire. A lot of rigmarole, for points I most likely won't be using.

What I was really inferring in the original post is that had I only gone to their site, trusted their Guarantee, and not bothered to look at Bookings - I'd be paying a higher price.
Regards,
Renato

Despite their name Best Price Guarantees really aren't.! They are a promise to match which they hope will lull their punters into a false sense of security, and which they hope most people will be too lazy to redeem.

 

[Renato1]

Caveat Emptor! Nothing much has changed to human behaviour since roman times.

Despite their name Best Price Guarantees really aren't.! They are a promise to match which they hope will lull their punters into a false sense of security, and which they hope most people will be too lazy to redeem.

Thanks. I wonder - it's either that or people just being slack in parts of the world. If the latter, it suggests that Booking.com is more important for getting customers than their rewards club.
Regards,
Renato

 

[samh004]

Don't forget that you're also paying for the points and any benefits that you might get by way of IHG status if booked direct. Unlike an airline, if it isn't booked direct they can refuse to honour anything that status would have provided you at the hotel. Now, if you don't have status with them, that's all well and good, but they're not going to price the hotel according to status level... if they did that, the higher your status in the program, the more you'd be paying for the room as they'd have to do more for you.

When I last stayed in a Hotel Indigo I didn't bother to look anywhere else, and was rewarded with a really nice suite upgrade when I checked in, despite only being Platinum (not top-tier).

If you are seriously considering this property, I'd consider booking flexible now and looking every day from a week to a few days out, as the price often drops significantly.

 

[JohnK]

Price beat guarantees are a waste of time unless you are very good or very lucky. I don't factor these into any bookings.

In my experience Agoda, booking.com, hotels.com can sometimes be cheaper but I prefer to book direct via IHG as there's always some sort of promotion and the end result is 2-3 free nights after 10-15 nights/year.

Another thing to remember is the discount booking IHG via MrRebates. Can be as high as 10% depending on the promotion at the time.

 

[eric2011]

Another thing to remember is the discount booking IHG via MrRebates. Can be as high as 10% depending on the promotion at the time.

And that is why booking on the IHG app gets even better discounts and prices and offers

 

[Lynnelanne]

Regarding “MR REBATES”. Could you please tell us more about this. I have no idea what you are talking about but it sounds interesting. I use IHG quite a lot and am planning a big trip to UK/Europe next year so a 10% saving is very interesting.TIA.

 

[JohnK]

Regarding “MR REBATES”. Could you please tell us more about this. I have no idea what you are talking about but it sounds interesting. I use IHG quite a lot and am planning a big trip to UK/Europe next year so a 10% saving is very interesting.TIA.

Mr Rebates is a cashback site for lots of businesses that offer cashback for shopping or making bookings through their links. You need to sign up and then start making bookings. Not all bookings credit first time so you need to follow up.

Mr. Rebates - Cash Back Shopping at 2500+ Stores

 

[kookaburra75]

Thanks. I wonder - it's either that or people just being slack in parts of the world. If the latter, it suggests that Booking.com is more important for getting customers than their rewards club.
Regards,
Renato

There are all sorts of arrangements that the hotels sign up to when they use the booking sites like Booking.com One is that they won't advertise a cheaper price on their website than what is being offered through Booking.com

However, if you call them, they can offer a 'better' price. I usually check what the hotel's site offers, Booking.com etc, and then call the property direct and see what they can do, telling them what I seen on the various sites. If you book direct with them they save the commission, which means you get all the whistles and bells at a good price. A quick call can often get you a better deal.

 

[Renato1]

There are all sorts of arrangements that the hotels sign up to when they use the booking sites like Booking.com One is that they won't advertise a cheaper price on their website than what is being offered through Booking.com

However, if you call them, they can offer a 'better' price. I usually check what the hotel's site offers, Booking.com etc, and then call the property direct and see what they can do, telling them what I seen on the various sites. If you book direct with them they save the commission, which means you get all the whistles and bells at a good price. A quick call can often get you a better deal.

Thanks for that. I guess my question would then be whether you can easily negotiate the free cancellation feature present in most Booking.com listings - and no that there is some confidence that it will actually happen if one attempts it? I find that automatic feature at Booking.com very comforting, as I've had to use it a few times.
Regards,
Renato