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You want to stay in a Hilton hotel or resort. However, it’s a bit pricier than you want to pay. Don’t give up just yet. Thanks to the Hilton Price Match Guarantee, you might be able to get the room you want at a lower rate. Of course, there are a lot of restrictions to consider. But it’s definitely worth it to check out whether or not this can reduce your travel stay costs.

What Is a Price Match Guarantee?

When a store offers a price match guarantee, they’re essentially saying that they’ll give you the lowest available price. In other words, if you find the same item for a lower price, then they’ll match that price. They’ll honor the lower rate. You get the benefit of shopping at the stores you love while getting the lowest price.

That said, a price match guarantee usually has restrictions and limitations. For example, the item in question must be an exact match at both stores from size to brand. Likewise, the store may only price match other stores in the area or refuse to price match online prices. In most cases, they don’t match sales prices.

So, there are a lot of exceptions to any Price Match Guarantee. Nevertheless, you can often get reduced prices by shopping around and using a business’s price match guarantee.

Does Hilton Have a Price Match Guarantee?

If you love to stay at the Hilton then you’re in luck. The Hilton Price Match Guarantee is active and available. In fact, it’s one of the best price match guarantees you’ll find. That’s because if you manage to find a lower price that meets their requirements, they won’t just match the price. In addition to matching it, they’ll also give you 25% off of your stay! Therefore, your price is significantly reduced. It’s well worth it to learn the ins and outs of the Hilton Price Match Guarantee for that reason alone.

What Is The Hilton Price Match Guarantee?

According to their website, if you present a “lower qualified price” from another site, they match that price. Plus they give you 25% off of that stay.

What Is a Lower Qualified Price?

In order to qualify for the Hilton Price Match Guarantee, you have to find a “lower qualified price.”

The most important factor is that the lower price must be on one of Hilton’s official booking channels. Those include the official Hilton website, call center, and Hilton Honors App. You can also book directly at a Hilton hotel as well as through an Accredited Travel Agency. If you find a lower price on another site, then it doesn’t count for the Hilton Price Match Guarantee.

Moreover, you have to book your original rate at the lowest possible price. If a lower price already existed when you booked, then you don’t qualify. In other words, the Hilton Price Match Guarantee is simply a guarantee that you’re getting their lowest current available price when booking through their approved channels.

The “lower qualified price” must be for the same accommodations and terms as your original booking. For example, if you book a king bed then you can’t count a queen bed room as a lower qualified price. It must be viewable and bookable by anyone, not offered through special services. For example, special membership prices don’t apply.

Other Restrictions on the Hilton Price Match Guarantee

Here are some of the other terms and restrictions on the Hilton Price Match Guarantee:

You have until 24 hours after booking your appointment to find and request that lower price.
Additional features of the “same accommodations” requirement include that the room must have the same view, the dates of travel are the same, and the number of guests is the same.
You can’t resell / purchase a booking that was in someone else’s name in order to qualify for a Hilton Price Match Guarantee.
The booking site must include all applicable information. Moreover, it must have a direct link to booking. In other words, you can’t get the Hilton Price Match Guarantee based on an advertised price alone.
If the percentage difference between the two prices is 1% or less then Hilton may not match the price.
If you request a Hilton Price Match Guarantee and receive it, you can not go in and make changes to your reservation after the fact.

How to Get the Hilton Price Match Guarantee

Obviously, it’s not too easy to get the Hilton Price Match Guarantee. Basically, you’re just making sure that around the time of booking, you get the lowest available price. However, you should always check to make sure that’s so. After all, why pay any more than you have to? If you have done your homework and think that you qualify for price matching, here’s what to do next:

Decide how you want to file your claim. You can submit an online claim or call 1-800-445- 8667 to speak directly with a customer care representative.
Provide them with all of your information. This includes your reservation confirmation number as well as all details for where you have found the lower price.

That’s it. If you’ve met the requirements, then it’s pretty simple. Your claim will obviously go through a review process. If you’ve called the phone number above, then they’ll likely process it immediately. If you’ve gone through the online form, then you’ll usually receive a response within 24 hours. If they approve your claim, then they’ll adjust your rate to the lower price. Moreover, they’ll reduce the price by 25% off of the room rate. You’ll receive an email confirmation with all details.

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I recently had to book a two night stay at a hotel in Tampa. The excursion was going to be work for me and an opportunity to relax for my wife and one of my sons. The hotel was an upper end brand – partly because I am a bit germphobic and always find that brand to be well cleaned and partly because I got a fairly good deal on the room, but more on that in a moment.

I usually do not like to stay in hotels. Although I enjoy travel, the moment I am back in my hotel room I always wish I were in the comforts of my own home. I like knowing that I can sleep in my own bed. More importantly, perhaps, I like knowing I can get a can of soda out of my refrigerator without having to pay $4 for it.

My hotel stay began with a great deal of on-line comparison shopping. I looked at several brands and explored the various rates that I could find. I checked on AAA rates. I checked on Florida resident rates. I checked on rates associated with my credit card and every other group rate that I could imagine. I cross referenced the rates on several specific hotel sites against the rates I found on Expedia and Travelocity. Let it not be doubted, that I knew the best advertised rates by the time I had completed my research.

Armed with more than enough knowledge of the hotel market in Tampa, I called the reservation number at the hotel. I did not book the room rate on-line because I wanted to make sure that the hotel did not have any preferential unadvertised rates. The reservationist was quite pleasant. He was happy to place my reservation. I asked him for the best rate currently offered. He was happy – even eager — to give it to me. I heard a few moments of clicking on the reservationist’s computer and then . . . .”Mr. Mitchell, the best rate we have for that night is $389 plus tax and room charges.”

I paused. I was stunned. I had found much lower rates on-line so I asked the reservationist to check again. Click, click, click, the reservationist tapped away at his keyboard, but no, the best rate he could “find” was still $389. I asked, what about the Florida resident rate. There was more clicking and then a breakthrough. “Yes, Mr. Mitchell, we do have that rate and it will be $309.

I had made progress but I was still not where I wanted to be so I asked, “what about the AAA rate?” Still more clicking and then a triumphant, “Yes, Mr. Mitchell, we have that rate and it is $259” I thanked the reservationist for all of his “effort” and booked my room – for a rate about one-third less than I was originally quoted. Before you book your room at a hotel, make sure that you arm yourself with knowledge beforehand by:

Know the Rates Advertised on the Hotel’s Website: Hotel’s often run web-only specials. Thoroughly research the rates that appear on the hotel’s website and take the time to read the conditions associated with each one.

Know the Rates Advertised on Third Party Sites.: Get to know Expedia, Travelocity and other travel sites. They sometimes offer better discounts than even a hotel’s own proprietary site.

Be a Member of Hotel Reward Programs: Take a few moments over the next few days to explore the reward programs offered by both the hotels that you use and the hotels that you might use. Sign up for the programs and for the e-mail messages that the programs want to send you. Sometimes I see outrageous deals in my in-box and I have taken advantage of them on more than one occasion.

Always Talk to a Live Human After You Do Your Research: After you decide on the hotel at which you want to stay, call the hotel and talk to a reservationist. Although my recent experience with a reservationist was less than productive, a good reservation specialist may be able to help you to find a great unadvertised rate.

How do you find the best hotel and travel rates? Are there any websites that you particularly favor for travel research?

Hilton Price Match Guarantee