Hi there, disneymom!
Ok, this is how you use the best rate guarantee.
First of all, keep in mind that everything needs to be done within a 24 hour period. So make sure your ducks are in a row before you start!
Go to
www.starwood.com and punch in your location and dates in the reservation form. When the list of available hotels comes up, click on the NAME of one of the hotels, which will take you to the information page about that hotel. On the left, you should see a square orange banner ad advertising their best rate guarantee. Click on that, and read the directions carefully. Print off the form they link to that you need to fax in. Keep in mind, it is a .pdf file, and you will need adobe acrobat to view it. Also keep in mind that it may take a very long time to load--it took almost 15 minutes for me. I have no idea why, but I would just click on that link, and go find something to do for a while. Sitting and waiting for it will drive you bananas.
After you have the printed form in hand, go back to the starwood reservations page, and check your dates for the location you want. Take note of the best rate they offer--usually a guaranteed internet rate that is non-refundable.....that's why I'm having you make sure you have everything in place before making the reservation with them. Once you have the best rate on the site (don't make your reservations yet), check on the site you found the better rate and MAKE SURE the rooms are absolutely available for the dates you want, or Starwood will not honor the price. If you can get confirmation online (I used hotelkingdom.com, and they will show the availability broken down by day; that is what I faxed in to Starwood), take a screen shot (press control+alt+print screen, and then paste that into a word document--I used word pad), and print that off as well.
Now, go back to the Starwood site, and make your reservations through their site. They will honor the best rate guarantee ONLY if you make the reservations online through their site. Write down the information you need on the Best Rates form you printed off (you'll need your reservation confirmation number) and fax that along with the screenshot in to the number they give on the form. I requested that they contact me via email to notify me of my status; within 6 hours of sending in the form, I got that confirmation.
You will need to print off the email they send you confirming that they will honor the best rate guarantee, and present that at check-in. Keep in mind, it may take a while for them to get it all settled--it probably took about 10 minutes for me.
So there ya go! I do hope that helps out.
Warmly,
BK
