When I was lucky enough to be a Velocity Platinum member, I leveraged this for a status match with the Hilton Honors top-tier equivalent Diamond status. This benefit unlocked the door to suite upgrades, lounge access, free breakfast and a very cheerful “welcome back” every time I checked into a Hilton property.
But with my Hilton Diamond status set to expire, I decided it was time for one last hurrah. This would be my last opportunity to enjoy the benefits of Hilton status until I had a chance to get another Hilton status match or took out an American Express Platinum card.
So, I booked three nights at the Conrad Hong Kong to make the most of the benefits while I still had them. And while the stay didn’t disappoint, it was just a bit too hard to justify paying over $500 per night.
That’s where Hilton’s Price Match Guarantee came in.
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Hilton’s Price Match Guarantee (PMG) program
Because Hilton wants to encourage people to book directly, instead of through a third-party travel agent that takes a commission, they offer a Price Match Guarantee program for eligible bookings. To qualify, the price must:
- Be lower than the official Hilton price
- Not be listed on an official Hilton channel (i.e. the Hilton website, app, call centres or at the hotel itself)
- Include the same accommodations and terms (e.g. room type, bed type, cancellation policy)
- Be available with no booking limitations or restrictions (so the price must be viewable and immediately bookable by anyone)
If you think the third-party rate meets Hilton’s conditions, you can submit a claim either by completing the online form no more than 24 hours after booking, or by contacting the Customer Care team via phone.
It’s not quite as simple as it sounds
Unfortunately, the forums have numerous posts about people being denied their Price Match Guarantee claims – even when they meet all of Hilton’s criteria.
Some travellers have also reported that the information from the Customer Care team about particular claims can be inconsistent at best, or just incorrect at worst. This is just one of many posts on the AFF forum expressing frustration with getting Hilton to honour their Price Match Guarantee:
Third time the charm for me this time around. Exasperated but got there in the end after a final 40 minute call.
The excuses varied, as they did last time I did a Hilton price match.
Must…Fly! on the AFF forum
My experience was unfortunately quite similar…
A key criteria to note
One detail that is often overlooked in the Price Match Guarantee program is that you do not have to book before submitting a claim.
I repeat, you do not have to book a room before submitting a claim. Don’t risk it!
How I found the best price
One of my favourite ways to compare prices for hotel stays is using the Google Travel feature.
Firstly, it’s great because it allows you to track prices in a consistent currency. No matter what currency the original website uses, you’ll see every listing converted into your preferred currency.
Secondly, you can switch the prices to be shown as your “Stay Total (including taxes)” rather than your “Nightly Total”. This makes comparing different websites prices easier at a quick glance. As you can see below, Trivago may be offering a better rate on these random example dates than the hotel’s own website. You would then need to click through to confirm, but if all looks good, then Bingo!
My experience claiming Hilton’s Price Match Guarantee
When I saw a great rate advertised on Booking.com, I immediately verified that all of the room conditions were the same as the Hilton website (bed type, cancellation policy, and breakfast inclusions). I then took multiple screenshots of the final booking confirmation page (without actually booking!) to show the total price including fees and taxes, and sent them through Hilton’s online PMG claim form.
Guess what happened? Rejected.
Why? The Customer Care team member claimed they couldn’t see the rate I was seeing.
Thus began a saga of multiple emails and screenshots backwards and forwards, over six days, each accompanied by another excuse to deny my claim.
This is where most people would probably give up. But, I’m not afraid to admit that I am extremely competitive. And Hilton had started the game that I was determined to finish.
Turns out, sometimes persistence pays off
Ultimately, this was Hilton Customer Care’s final word on the matter:
“After further review, I have determined this claim does not meet the Price Match Guarantee conditions; therefore, the denial of the claim still stands. This will be our final review of your claim.”
Or was it? I knew that my claim met all of Hilton’s criteria, and so I was going to be persistent.
At this point I did what I should have done in the first place. I picked up the phone and called Hilton’s Global Support number.
This Customer Care representative I spoke to was extremely helpful. I was able to talk her through the prices I was seeing on my end. She then verified immediately that she could also see the same. We got it in the system, she took my Hilton Honors number, and the confirmation came through to my app and email within a couple of minutes.
The total time I spent on the phone was 16 minutes. I really should’ve just done that to start with!
Instead of paying over $1,500, I paid just $835.
It was worth the effort. Our trip to Hong Kong was absolutely amazing. And most importantly, I got to take home the quintessential Conrad stuffed teddy bear, for a fraction of the price.
One final thing to remember
One quirk of Hilton’s Price Match Guarantee is that any rate type can qualify – as long as the third-party site’s conditions match Hilton’s exactly.
In my case, I booked a “Stay Longer and Save – with Breakfast” rate, even though I already had Diamond status which gives me free breakfast.
Even if Hilton shows the cheapest rate overall, other sites may offer better value on higher room types. So it’s always worth checking.
And that’s how I spent multiple hours over email – then less than 20 minutes on the phone – to save myself over $700 across a three-night stay at the Conrad in Hong Kong. Those executive lounge cocktail hour wines never tasted so good.
