A question I get asked ALL the time is, “Tony, where should I search for and book my next hotel?” My answer to this has always been multi-pronged — because where you search and where you book may be two very different places. Let me break this all down for you right here, right now!
I’ve personally logged over 1,000 hotel nights across the globe — from luxury resorts to budget stays in places most people have never heard of. And I’m not just a traveler who stays in hotels — I’ve worked in them. Almost every position you can think of, from big resort properties to small boutique hotels. I’ve seen this industry from BOTH sides of the front desk, and that changes how you look at everything. That experience has taught me one thing above all else: how you book your hotel matters just as much as which hotel you pick.
The Golden Rule: Always Book Direct
Before I get into the comparison sites and price match tricks, let me be crystal clear about one thing: booking directly with the hotel or hotel chain is almost ALWAYS the smartest move. Here’s why:
- You get your loyalty points credited to your account
- You get the full member benefits (room upgrades, late checkout, free breakfast at certain tiers)
- You have a direct relationship with the hotel if anything goes wrong
- Hotels prioritize direct bookers over OTA (Online Travel Agency) guests — period
- And if you find a lower price elsewhere? You file a Best Rate Guarantee claim and win on BOTH fronts
Trust me on that last point. That’s where the magic happens.
What Is a Hotel Best Rate Guarantee?
Every major hotel chain has some version of a Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) — also called a price match guarantee. The whole idea is that the hotel chain promises you their official website has the lowest rate. If you find it cheaper somewhere else, they’ll match it — and then give you something extra on top.
Why do they offer this? Simple. Hotels DON’T want you booking through Expedia, Hotels.com, or any other third-party site because those sites charge the hotel a commission — sometimes 15-25%! By getting you to book direct, they keep more money AND they still get to have you as a loyalty member. Win-win for everyone. I’ve written about smart travel booking strategy before — the principles still hold true today.
So here’s how it works in practice: You find a hotel you want. You book it on the chain’s official website. THEN you go check other sites. If you find the identical room, same dates, same cancellation policy for less — you file a claim. The chain verifies it, matches the price, and gives you a bonus. I have done this DOZENS of times and saved hundreds of dollars. Let me break down each chain’s program:
Marriott Bonvoy Best Rate Guarantee
I’ve used this one more than any other over the years — I’ve racked up 629+ Marriott/Starwood nights, so I know this program inside and out. I once used it at the Sheraton Grand Rio and saved a fortune — that trip alone convinced me to ALWAYS check competing rates before calling it done.
Here’s how Marriott’s BRG works in 2026: You find a lower rate on a qualifying third-party site for the same room, same dates, same cancellation policy. You submit a claim. Important new rule as of 2025: you must now be a Marriott Bonvoy member to participate, and the competing rate must be at least 1% lower (or 2% lower if the currencies differ). If your claim is approved, Marriott matches the rate AND gives you your choice of either 5,000 Bonvoy points OR an additional 25% off the matched rate. You can now also track the status of your claim using your reservation number, which is a nice upgrade from the old black-box system.
One word of caution: Marriott has tightened the rules over the years. The cancellation policies must now match exactly, which can be tricky with some OTA rates. Read all the fine print before filing. But when you get a valid claim approved? Oh, it is SO worth it.
Hilton Price Match Guarantee
Hilton’s Price Match Guarantee works similarly to Marriott’s. Find a lower rate on a qualifying site for the same room and dates, submit a claim, and if approved they’ll match the price and give you an additional 25% off. With Hilton, you do NOT have an option to take points instead — it’s the 25% discount only. Still a solid deal when you can find a valid competing rate.
One thing I’ll say about Hilton: their direct booking benefits — especially at higher status tiers — are genuinely valuable. Free breakfast, space-available upgrades, and room selection through the app. Those perks disappear completely if you book through an OTA. Don’t give them up for a few dollars.
IHG Best Price Guarantee
IHG takes a slightly different approach. Instead of a cash discount or percentage off, they’ll match the competing rate and give you 5x the IHG One Rewards points on that stay. If you’re an IHG points collector, this can actually be very valuable. If you just want the cheapest rate possible, it’s less exciting. Still, an approved claim is a free win.
World of Hyatt Best Rate Guarantee
World of Hyatt will match the competing rate AND give you either an additional 20% off OR 5,000 Hyatt points. The 20% is slightly less generous than the 25% from Hilton and Marriott, but still solid. Hyatt is also often praised for having fewer gotcha clauses in their guarantee than some other chains — which means a higher approval rate when your claim is legit.
Comparison Sites I Actually Use
Here’s the thing — I’m not telling you to use third-party booking sites. I’m telling you to use them to FIND a price, then take that price to the hotel chain and file a claim. Big difference! Here are the sites I check:
- Google Hotels — My first stop. It aggregates rates from everywhere in one clean interface. Fast, free, no account required. Start here EVERY time.
- TripAdvisor — Still useful for reading reviews AND comparing prices. Double duty.
- Booking.com — One of the largest hotel inventories on earth. Particularly strong in Europe and Latin America. Great for finding rates to use in BRG claims.
- Kayak — Another solid meta-search engine that pulls from multiple sources at once.
Again — use these to RESEARCH. Then go book direct with the hotel chain and use that lower price to your advantage.
What About Hotels.com? A Word of Warning.
I used to recommend Hotels.com as a “Plan B” option — their old “stay 10 nights, get 1 free” program was genuinely good value, essentially giving you about 10% back. But I have to be real with you: that program is gone.
Hotels.com killed their beloved rewards program in July 2023 and replaced it with something called “One Key” — a unified program shared with Expedia and Vrbo. The problem? the return dropped from roughly 10% down to just 2%. That is an 80% devaluation. EIGHTY PERCENT.
And you know what? I am SO tired of this. We’ve seen it over and over again in the travel industry. Companies merge, consolidate, or “unify” programs, and they come out with these big splashy announcements about how this is GREAT for travelers — more options, more flexibility, more value! And then you read the fine print and realize you just got taken. The Marriott-Starwood merger did it to SPG loyalists. Airlines do it every time they merge. And now Hotels.com did it to their most loyal customers. The people who BUILT their business by booking 10, 20, 30 nights a year with them — those are the exact people who got hurt the most by this change. That is NOT how you treat your best customers.
The backlash was so bad that Hotels.com actually scrapped the global rollout in August 2024 and has been trying to bring back a version of the old program for some markets — but the damage to their reputation is done. When you break trust with travelers, it’s very hard to earn it back.
The moral of the story? OTA loyalty programs come and go. Hotel chain loyalty programs, for all their flaws and devaluations over the years, are still your best long-term bet. If you must use a third-party OTA for a property that isn’t part of a major chain, that’s fine — just go in knowing you’re not earning any meaningful loyalty benefits.
My Personal Booking Process (Every Single Time)
Here’s exactly what I do when I need to book a hotel:
- Search Google Hotels first to get a quick overview of rates from multiple sources.
- Check Booking.com and Kayak to see if any third-party sites are showing a lower rate.
- Go directly to the hotel chain’s website or app and book there at whatever rate they’re showing.
- If I found a lower price on a third-party site, I immediately file a Best Rate Guarantee claim with the chain.
- Profit. I keep my loyalty benefits, earn my points, AND potentially get an extra 25% off or bonus points.
It takes maybe 10-15 extra minutes. I’ve saved HUNDREDS of dollars doing this. Please — don’t skip these steps just because it feels like extra work. Travel is expensive enough. Make your money go further!
A Few More Travel Tips While I Have You
Since you’re here and clearly serious about traveling smarter, a few quick bonus tips:
- Get an eSIM before you travel internationally. I use Airalo and it has saved me a fortune in roaming charges. You can get data plans for almost every country in the world, bought right from your phone. No hunting for SIM cards at the airport.
- Use a VPN when booking on public Wi-Fi — hotel lobbies, airports, coffee shops. You don’t want your payment info floating around on an open network. I personally use NordVPN. It’s simple, fast, and has been rock solid for me.
- Read the airline news too — sometimes baggage fee changes and fare class rules affect what kind of hotel you CAN afford. Check my 2026 Airline Bag Fees breakdown so you’re not caught off guard.
Wrap-Up
Here’s the bottom line: the smart traveler always searches wide, then books narrow. Use the comparison sites to find the best price available. Then go book DIRECT with the hotel chain, use that lower price to file a Best Rate Guarantee claim, and walk away with your loyalty points, your member benefits, AND potentially an even better rate than any OTA was showing.
The hotel industry is DESIGNED to confuse you into thinking you’re getting a deal when you book through a third-party site. Now you know how to beat them at their own game.
Have you ever filed a Best Rate Guarantee claim? Did it work? Drop a comment below and let me know — I read every single one!
Thanks for reading, and PLEASE, TRAVEL MORE!
