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Ritz-Carlton Cairo Marriott Versus OTA Pricing: $429 Compared To $211
We have covered OTA versus direct pricing on LoyaltyLobby several times, most recently noting how significant price differences there usually are when you book Mr & Mrs Smith and SLH hotels directly, through an OTA, through their common platform, or one of the loyalty programs […]
We have covered OTA versus direct pricing on LoyaltyLobby several times, most recently noting how significant price differences there usually are when you book Mr & Mrs Smith and SLH hotels directly, through an OTA, through their common platform, or one of the loyalty programs we cover (Hyatt & Hilton).
Yesterday, I was looking at some hotel options for Cairo tonight (yes, I often book at the last minute). I usually use an OTA, Trip, to book non-chain hotels and decided to see if there are properties that I should check. I saw that the Ritz-Carlton Cairo was reasonably priced, and I thought now would be the right time to stay there.
You can access Marriott’s page for Best Rate Guarantee here.
READ MORE: Marriott Bonvoy Rate & Bonus Points Offers
Trip.com Pricing:
Marriott.com Pricing:
When you see a price difference this significant, you may think that this is surely a slam dunk case regarding the Best Rate Guarantee, right? WRONG!
As we have noted several times, these “guarantees” are primarily marketing promises with minimal backing, and this is the case here as well.
Marriott excludes rates on websites that it cannot control from this guarantee:
Rates on auction websites, on sites that do not disclose the hotel brand until the reservation is completed (i.e., Priceline and Hotwire), on sites that require a login or specific credit card to view or book, on sites that don’t provide an immediate confirmation (e.g., an “on request” rate) or on sites that do not pass reservations to the Marriott Central Reservation System (CRS) for confirmation are not eligible. Pre-paid, advance purchase, or non-refundable rates on Qunar, eLong, Meituan Travel, Ctrip/Trip.com, Ctrip/Trip.com affiliate sites, or Fliggy are not eligible. Any rates on WeChat are not eligible.
So, rates found on Trip.com, which constantly undercut Marriott channels, are excluded from the “guarantee.”
If you want to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Cairo for $211, you must book it through Trip.com unless you wish to pay more than 100% and book it through Marriott.
Conclusion
I wish that any of these companies had a true, genuine Best Rate Guarantee program that was more than empty words.
It is maddening that you can book Ritz-Carlton Cairo for $211 through Trip (they likely pay $160 to $170) versus $429 through Marriott.
