What happened
Hilton now requires guests to complete a Hilton booking before filing a Best Rate Guarantee claim, effective August 20, 2026. The third-party rate must be at least 1% lower or the claim is denied. Claims must be filed on the website form and phone claims are no longer accepted.
Rates on mobile apps and mobile sites do not qualify. The reservation name and email must match the claim, so agents cannot file for clients. Checking in or requesting a digital key before a decision voids the claim. Hilton aims to review claims within 24 hours. That is not a promise. Hilton now includes the comparison site's fees in the matched price and leaves hotel taxes and resort fees out.
Small Luxury Hotels partner hotels in additional countries including Switzerland are excluded from matching. Direct Hilton bookings that earn Honors points and elite benefits are less likely to be matched when a third party is cheaper.
Compare the all-in third-party price before booking Hilton and do not check in until any claim is processed.
- Starts
- Aug 20, 2026
- Numbers
- 1%: minimum third-party price difference required for a BRG claim
- 24 hours: time Hilton aims to review BRG claims
- 24 hours: previous window to submit a BRG claim
- Where
- Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland
- Takeaway
- Treat Hilton’s Best Rate Guarantee as unreliable; if a gap matters, compare the all-in third-party price before booking, and do not check in until any claim is processed.