Do Hotel Price Guarantees Work?

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Numerous hotel booking services advertise a best price guarantee. They promise to refund the price difference or even more if the same hotel room is found cheaper on another booking site. Is this just marketing talk, or do these promises hold true? Read about our experience with the Exe Hotels chain’s best price guarantee.

Most travellers shop around before booking a hotel, and for good reason. Hotel room prices can swing even more wildly than airfares, which means there’s plenty of room to save if you keep an eye out. Between countless booking sites and the option to book directly through hotels, price comparison really pays off—especially during busy times like the Eurovision Song Contest.

Many hotel chains and booking platforms tout a best price guarantee or lowest price guarantee. Simply put, they promise you won’t find a cheaper rate elsewhere, and if you do, they’ll compensate you. We no longer take these claims at face value — we always conduct our own research to ensure we’re getting a fair price. That said, years ago on a trip to Spain, we actually put one of these guarantees to the test—and got results.

Planning our trip to Madrid, we decided on the Exe Moncloa hotel near the city center. It was conveniently located near a metro station, appeared clean based on the photos, and offered a price that fit our budget. Overall, it seemed like solid value for money.

At the time, Exe Hotels was part of Hotusa Group, a Spain-based travel company operating mostly within Spain but also with properties elsewhere in Europe, such as Berlin. The chain generally held a 4-star rating.

Before booking, we carefully compared prices using sites like Trivago and HotelsCombined.com.

On Exe Moncloa’s official website, we spotted a best price guarantee (called the Minimum Guaranteed Rate). It promised that if we found the same room, for the same dates and cancellation terms, at a lower price elsewhere, the hotel would refund the difference plus an extra 10%. That’s a very generous offer.

Since our own research showed cheaper rates with the same conditions elsewhere, we decided to see if the guarantee really held up.

We booked a room directly on the hotel’s site, then emailed them immediately to request the refund, following their instructions exactly. The catch: claims had to be submitted within just two hours, making the timing tight. We included screenshots as proof of the lower price.

Despite the short claim window, the hotel was slow to respond. It took several days and many follow-up emails before we heard back. They explained the delay due to holiday absences.

Getting our claim processed wasn’t smooth sailing. The staff clearly struggled to grasp the situation. Replies were sporadic, and our claim was bounced around different departments. We had to resend our evidence multiple times, and the hotel initially rejected the claim on weak grounds. Overall, it was a frustratingly slow process.

After persistent emails and patient waiting, the hotel finally honoured its promise. We wouldn’t say it was easy — many travellers might have given up halfway. It’s possible we were among the first actually to test this guarantee in practice. We reached out to the hotel chain for comment, but they chose not to respond.

Since that trip, ownership of the hotel has changed, and the guarantee doesn’t exist in quite the same way anymore. However, price guarantees still appear on various booking sites from time to time.

Price guarantees usually come with strict conditions. The room must be the same, cancellation policies have to match, and special promo rates are typically excluded. That means loyalty discounts or secret deals usually don’t count. The clock often starts ticking right after booking, requiring quick submission of proof. The rules can be so detailed that getting a refund feels almost impossible. Because of this, most customers don’t bother filing claims, and when they do, they’re often denied. Our experience showed the hotel wasn’t quite set up to handle claims smoothly.

Price guarantees aren’t always the easiest way to save on hotels. It’s usually simpler to compare prices carefully before booking. But if you want to go down the guarantee route, here are some tips:

• Read the guarantee’s terms and conditions thoroughly.
• Collect solid proof of the lower price — screenshots work great.
• Submit your refund claim on time and according to the rules.
• Double-check that you’re comparing the same room type with matching cancellation policies.
• Expect some back-and-forth emails and be prepared to follow up.
• Wait for the refund (and fingers crossed it arrives!).

Patience usually pays off, and refunds are often honoured in the end. But the hassle can sometimes outweigh the savings.

We wouldn’t rely solely on price guarantees to cut our accommodation costs. It’s far simpler to shop around first and ensure your booking is priced reasonably. However, we strongly recommend booking directly with the hotel if the price difference with other booking sites is small. Booking directly with the hotel offers better service, flexibility, and perks. Even with a small price difference, it’s easier to handle changes and communicate special requests.

From our experience, hotel price guarantees can be legitimate — but they’re rarely as simple as the ads make them sound. We’re confident that other booking sites’ guarantees work similarly, so reading every detail in their terms is crucial.

In most cases, a thorough price comparison ahead of booking is your best bet. Numerous online tools make this process easy. And don’t forget to check the hotel’s own website — you might find some great rates there too.

Have you ever had to claim a hotel or booking site’s price guarantee? What happened? Drop your stories and tips in the comments below—we’d love to hear them!

Tags: hotel, price guarantee, booking Destinations: Spain

This article was originally published in in Finnish and later translated into English with minor edits.