When you should book with Unmatched Voyages… and when not to

When booking hotels through Unmatched Voyages, you receive valuable benefits with every stay – from daily complimentary breakfast for two people to room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out, to $100 hotel credits or even free nights. Additionally, the rates you book are almost always flexible and cancellable free of charge. A deposit is usually required. However, there are situations where booking through us may not make sense.

These are some of the benefits you receive when booking through us.

As with all offers from the world of airlines, hotels, and loyalty programs, Unmatched Voyages bookings should only be used when they truly offer an advantage. For fans of luxury and chain hotels, this is often – but not always – the case. In this article, we take a look at when it may not be worthwhile.

What is the Flexible Rate for Hotel Bookings?

To fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of booking through Unmatched Voyages, it’s important to first understand what the so-called Best Available Rate (BAR), Flexible Rate, or Standard Rate is. This rate forms the basis of an Unmatched Voyages booking. The BAR is the lowest public, non-contracted daily rate offered by a hotel, available to all customers without restrictions. It is usually cancellable and can often be booked without prepayment.

Since an Unmatched Voyages booking is always priced at the BAR, we can always find the corresponding price directly on the hotel’s website. It’s usually labeled as “Standard Rate” (Hyatt), “Best Flexible Rate” (IHG), “Standard Rate” (Marriott), or “Flexible Rate” (Hilton).

Example of rate types, including “Flexible Rate”s at Hilton (Source: Hilton)

It’s important to understand that special promotional rates on a hotel’s website can be cheaper than the Best Available Rate. However, these usually come with stricter cancellation policies and/or a required deposit — examples include Early Bird or Advance Purchase rates.

Therefore, an Unmatched Voyages rate is not always the absolute lowest available. A potential price difference should be weighed against the benefits of an Unmatched Voyages booking.

A Rock-Bottom Price is the Top Priority

Booking through Unmatched Voyages may make less sense if securing the lowest possible nightly rate is the top priority. Take the Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai as an example: the Unmatched Voyages rate might be $192 per night, matching the standard rate. However, the Member Rate may be $188, saving $4 per night. Over longer stays, this difference can become more significant. Special long-term rates can also diverge even further from the standard rate.

Sample rates at the Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai (Source: Marriott)

Such situations exist at almost every hotel. An Unmatched Voyages booking therefore may involve a small surcharge. On the other hand, the cheaper Member and Advance Purchase rates often come with stricter cancellation and change policies. Plus, the Unmatched Voyages booking in the above example still includes a $100 hotel credit, free breakfast, complimentary room upgrades (subject to availability), and early check-in. Usually, these perks more than compensate for the small premium — but if securing the absolute lowest room rate is the goal, Member and Advance Purchase rates might be better. Of course, it’s fair to ask whether bargain hunters should even be staying at a Ritz-Carlton property or similar high-end chain hotels.

Your Stay is Very Short

This scenario becomes more realistic if we’re only staying for a very short time — for instance, arriving late at night, staying one night, and leaving early the next morning. In this case, most of the Unmatched Voyages benefits would go unused, and it would be smarter to book the cheapest available rate. However, even a quick drink at the hotel bar covered by the hotel credit could tilt the balance back in favor of booking with us.

Your Stay is Very Long

Similarly, an extremely long stay can also make an Unmatched Voyages booking less worthwhile. Each additional night increases potential savings from Member or Advance Purchase rates and erodes the value of Unmatched Voyages perks. Particularly, the $100 hotel credit becomes less impactful the longer the stay. However, when comparing the options, make sure to take into account the breakfast perk of our rates, as this can quickly add up (should it not already be included in your loyalty status benefit).

Fancy a stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok?

Cancellation and Change Flexibility is Not Important

The less important it is for us to be able to cancel or change a reservation, the more open we can be to non-refundable rates that are cheaper than the Best Available Rate. If we are 100% certain about our travel plans, we can tap into more aggressive offers that might not match Unmatched Voyages flexibility — but come with better prices. Of course, we should still factor in the added value of other benefits in our overall decision-making.

On the flip side, Unmatched Voyages bookings are especially worthwhile when we need or prefer a flexible or cancellable rate, since there’s no additional surcharge compared to booking the BAR directly.

We Prefer to Eat and Drink Elsewhere

While the $100 hotel credit is undoubtedly a great perk, it can sometimes become a burden. If our plan is to explore a city and dine with friends outside the hotel, we might feel unnecessarily pressured to stay within the hotel facilities just to use up the credit. In that case, it’s worth considering whether flexibility outweighs the provided benefits.

Status Benefits Already Cover Everything

If we already have elite hotel status that includes benefits like free breakfast, room upgrades, early check-in, and late check-out, the added value of an Unmatched Voyages booking might be diminished — particularly if the hotel does not offer the $100 hotel credit (which happens occasionally but is rare). In such cases, the nightly rate itself should be the deciding factor.

Get the VIP treatment every time when you book with us

Conclusion

Booking through Unmatched Voyages has the potential to make hotel stays significantly more comfortable with little or no extra cost. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to understand the perks and carefully compare them with the rates available directly through the hotel’s website. Strategic travelers evaluate each stay individually, aiming to maximize value rather than blindly relying on a single booking method.