Terms & Conditions
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. ("Starwood") guarantees that Starwood-branded websites will have the best room rate for any Starwood branded hotel ("Best Rate Guarantee"). This Best Rate Guarantee applies to reservations for guest rooms at any hotels, resorts, and other transient stay facilities owned, managed or franchised by Starwood and/or its subsidiaries and affiliate and operated under one of the following brands: Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, Le Méridien, W Hotels, St. Regis, and The Luxury Collection (each, a "Starwood Hotel", and collectively, the "Starwood Hotels"). Starwood-branded websites include Sheraton.com, Westin.com, StRegis.com, Whotels.com, LeMeridien.com, FourPoints.com, LuxuryCollection.com, Alofthotels.com, Elementhotels.com, SPG.com, and Starwoodhotels.com (collectively, "Starwood-branded Websites"). For a claim to be valid under this Best Rate Guarantee, it must satisfy all of the terms and conditions herein (the “Terms and Conditions”) and be submitted in compliance with the claims processing procedures set forth below.

Subject to compliance with all Best Rate Guarantee terms and conditions, if you find and advise Starwood of a currently available lower, published, available room rate for the same Starwood Hotel, for the same room type and bed type, and for the same dates and number of guests (the "Competing Rate"), prior to, or within 24 hours after, making a reservation on a Starwood-branded Website, Starwood will honor the Competing Rate, along with your choice of one best rate guarantee reward. The best rate guarantee rewards available are (1) an additional ten percent (10%) discount off the Competing Rate, or (2) Two thousand (2,000) Starwood Preferred Guest® Starpoints® (collectively, the “Best Rate Guarantee Rewards”). For full terms and conditions of the Starwood Preferred Guest® program, go to SPG.com.


Additional Charges
The Best Rate Guarantee does not apply to taxes, gratuities, or any additional resort or guest charges or fees that may apply at Starwood Hotels.


Available Room Types
The Best Rate Guarantee applies to a competing room type that is substantially similar to a room type that can be booked on a Starwood-branded Website. Competing room types have features that include, but are not limited to, similar views, amenities, bedding, and room size as determined by Starwood in its sole discretion ("Competing Room"). If the Starwood-branded Websites do not have a substantially similar room type to the Competing Room, Starwood, in its sole discretion, may honor the rate for the Competing Room with applicable rate limitations, plus a Best Rate Guarantee Reward, provided such claim meets all other Terms and Conditions.


Different Currencies
In the event that the Competing Rate is in a different currency from the Starwood rate, the Customer Care Associate will convert the Competing Rate into the same currency as the rate offered on the Starwood-branded Website. The currency exchange rate to be applied will be based on the exchange rate that would have been used by the applicable Starwood Hotel at the time of making the original reservation. After converting the Competing Rate, Starwood reserves the right to deny a claim where the Competing Rate appears lower than the Starwood rate if it deems that the difference between the rates is due to, but not limited to, different currency exchange rates used by the two rate providers.


Multiple Night Stay
In the event of a multiple night stay, the Best Rate Guarantee will compare the total room cost of the stay as booked at the Starwood Rate with the total room cost of the stay booked at a Competing Rate and only one Best Rate Guarantee Reward will apply.
Multiple claims for a stay consisting of two or more consecutive nights at the same hotel will be treated as one claim for one stay and the Best Rate Guarantee will be applied to that one stay.


Opaque Providers
The Best Rate Guarantee does not apply to any rates from opaque providers including, but not limited to, Priceline.com or Hotwire.com. An opaque provider is any entity or service that prevents the buyer from obtaining information relating to available hotel rooms until after the buyer has guaranteed payment ("Opaque Provider"). A site is opaque if it does not divulge any of the following points; (a) the name of the property on which the available hotel room is located, (b) the precise location of the property on which the available hotel room is located, (c) the identity, brand or flag affiliation of the hotel that will provide such available room, and (d) other specific information that may divulge the property's identity (e.g., exact property restaurant name).


Packaged Rates
The Best Rate Guarantee does not apply to packaged rates. Packaged rates include (a)Hotel accommodations sold as part of a travel package, in which the property does not provide the extra service, including, but not limited to accommodations plus airfare and/or car rental and/or cruise, and (b) hotel accommodations sold with value added amenities, including, but not limited to, free breakfast and hotel parking.


Rate Limitations
The Best Rate Guarantee applies to a Competing Rate with rate limitations that are substantially similar to the rate limitations of the rate that can be booked on a Starwood-branded Website (the "Starwood Rate"). Rate limitations include, but are not limited to, advance purchase requirements, prepayment and deposit requirements, and cancellation and change policies. If there is no Starwood Rate available that has substantially similar rate rules to that of the Competing Rate, and the Competing Rate is lower than any available Starwood Rate, Starwood, in its sole discretion, may honor the Competing Rate with the applicable Starwood Rate Limitations, room type, and amenities plus a Best Rate Guarantee Reward, provided it meets all other Terms and Conditions. Starwood reserves the right to deny a claim where the Competing Rate is equal to the Starwood Rate, and the rate limitations are substantially the same or the Competing Rate has more restrictive rate limitations than the Starwood Rate.


Starwood Preferred Guest Awarding for the Stay
The number of Starpoints to be awarded for the stay to Starwood Preferred Guest members will be based on the rate actually paid by the guest at checkout.


Unpublished Rates
The Best Rate Guarantee does not apply to unpublished rates. Unpublished rates are rates not available to the general public. Rates not available to the general public include, but are not limited to:
Corporate discount rates
Group rates
Meeting rates
Any rates requiring membership in a club such as AAA rates or AARP rates, affinity program, or other organization where the rates are targeted specifically toward a specific group of individuals and not intended for the general public.
Direct mail solicitations
Electronic mail solicitations
Any rates requiring a discount code or coupon
Starwood Customer Care Associates have the sole right and discretion to determine the validity of any claim, including, but not limited to, determining that the claim is for the same hotel, room type, dates, and that it meets all Terms and Conditions, and Claims Processing requirements.
Claims Processing
A claim must be submitted prior to, or within 24 hours after, making a reservation through a Starwood-branded Website, and 24 hours before scheduled arrival. If the original reservation was made within 24 hours of arrival, the Best Rate Guarantee is not applicable. For non-English websites, 48 hours prior to arrival is required for claim processing. An original reservation refers to the initial reservation made through a Starwood-branded Website and does not include modified or cancelled reservations.
The Starwood Best Rate Guarantee does not apply to existing reservations booked through a Competing Room provider. If a reservation is booked through a Competing Room provider, Starwood is not responsible for any fees associated with the cancellation of that reservation.
The Starwood Best Rate Guarantee does not apply if the Competing Rate is found on a Starwood-branded Website.
Starwood reserves the right to deny a claim, if it cannot independently verify the availability of a Competing Rate at the time it processes the claim.
Best Rate Guarantee Reward - Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints
Starpoints shall only be available as a Best Rate Guarantee Reward for claims related to reservations at Starwood Hotels that participate in the Starwood Preferred Guest program. If you elect the 2,000 Starpoints as your Best Rate Guarantee Reward, it will post with your stay. If, for any reason, your Starwood Preferred Guest account is not credited with that reward within 2 weeks of your stay, you must contact the Customer Care Department. A Customer Care Associate will research your Starwood Preferred Guest account and will credit it with the Best Rate Guarantee Reward, if missing. You must apply for retroactive credits within 180 days of the checkout date of the hotel stay.
Claim Submittal Form
A claim submittal web form is available on Starwood-branded Websites at Starwood Best Rate Guarantee Claim Form. To submit this claim form, fill out all the required fields, agree to these Terms and Conditions, and click the submit button.


Communication for Valid Claim
Upon validation of the claim, the Customer Care Associate will send an email or other communication to you that includes the reservation confirmation number, the new rate you will be charged, and, if applicable, confirmation of the 2,000 Starpoints you will be awarded after your stay.
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If you have not received a confirmation from the Customer Care Department within 24 hours of submitting a claim, you may contact a Customer Care Associate by email or phone to check the status of your claim.
A customer who submits a claim prior to making a reservation and whose claim is deemed valid by the Customer Care Department will be contacted to inform them that they have a valid claim. The customer must respond to the Customer Care Department within 24 hours or prior to local check-in time, which ever comes first, to complete the booking process. Otherwise, the customer will not be able book at the valid Best Rate Guarantee claim rate.
Contact
Any questions regarding claims should be directed to best.rate@starwoodhotels.com or call 1-866-500-0368.
Denied Best Rate Guarantee Rate
If, for any reason, following receipt of confirmation of a valid claim and creation of a Best Rate Guarantee reservation, the Starwood Hotel does not honor the Best Rate Guarantee rate, you must contact the Customer Care Department within 15 days of the conclusion of your stay with the reservation number for your claim. The Customer Care Department will investigate the denied Best Rate Guarantee rate and will arrange reimbursement of the difference between the room rate charged and the confirmed Best Rate Guarantee rate, provided the room rate charged is higher than the confirmed Best Rate Guarantee rate.


Pre-paid Rates
In the case of a fully prepaid rate booked through a Starwood-branded Website, Starwood will refund the difference to your credit card, if applicable, within 30 business days of submitting your claim. If a pre-paid reservation is booked through a Competing Room provider, Starwood is not responsible for any fees associated with the cancellation of that reservation.


Rate at Checkout
Upon checkout at the Starwood Hotel, you will be automatically charged the confirmed lower rate. If requested, you may present your email confirmation from the Customer Care Associate to the front desk agent as validation for the lower rate.


Additional Terms
Any disputes arising out of or related to the Best Rate Guarantee or these Terms and Conditions shall be handled individually without any class action, and shall be governed by, construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
Void where prohibited by law. Starwood reserves the right to amend, revise, supplement, suspend or discontinue the Best Rate Guarantee at anytime in its sole discretion and without prior notice.


Revised: October 10, 2007

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