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I wrote yesterday about some potentially interesting deals available with UK Hiltons via Groupon.
One of the reasons for this was, with Hilton claiming to offer the best rates, whether the “deal power” of Groupon could in fact compete with that.
The answer was a resounding yes, and that brings us on to a potentially very interesting opportunity.
If Groupon is offering better rates than Hilton, then not only will Hilton match that rate, it will also reduce it by 25%!
The headline deal
As noted yesterday, you can currently get a queen room with dinner, bed and breakfast (plus late check out) at the Doubletree by Hilton London Excel for a very reasonable £99:
The same rate (both are flexible) is available on Hilton.com for a substantially higher £159:
(The example booking above is for the night of Friday 4 June, but this price seems widely applicable.)
Accordingly, via the Hilton Price Match Guarantee, Hilton should not only match this rate, but take a further 25% off it.
That takes your total nightly cost down to a very impressive £74.25 for two. If you fancy some London sightseeing with a comfortable night and meal at a riverside Hilton, this is a great option.
However…
A clear warning – and your safety net
I must be honest – Hilton have a bit of a reputation for being somewhat “obstructive” when it comes to the price math guarantee. However, you can book the Hilton £159 rate and then attempt the price match guarantee with the Groupon rate, safe in the knowledge that if Hilton do not give you the mega-deal, you can just cancel for a full refund.
If you do face resistance from Hilton re the price match guarantee for the Groupon deal, you can use this screenshot of my conversation with customer support as evidence in your favour:
While I don’t think “Kane” has full authority to deliver executive decisions on behalf of the Hilton Group, it may just help.
Rescuing the deal – even without the price match guarantee!
Note that if Hilton do not agree to the price match to take this down to £74, you can still turn the Groupon rate from a good deal (at £99) into a great one with an alternative rebate. Via Quidco, you can currently get 15% cashback on travel spend at Groupon.
That takes the price down to £84 – still an excellent price for dinner, bed and breakfast for two at a London Hilton.
(Cover photo courtesy of Hilton Doubletree Excel London Facebook page)
Has anyone tried this and had Hilton agree to the price match ?
Hotels usually use some sort of get out clause like “The check out time is an hour later so it’s not the same product thus can’t be price matched”.
I agree that the price matches are generally a struggle, but I simply don’t see how a directly comparable rate like this can be turned down. That’s not to say it won’t be of course, but it seems to be an excellent candidate for a price match.