Southern Sun
Best Available Rate?!

When does "Best Available Rate" not mean what it says? When Tsogo Sun (as they are now named) says so!

After some introductory PR-speak, the Tsogo Sun website "Seniors Club" page offers; "If you are over the age of 63, get 50% off the Best Available Rate of the day" for two of their hotels.

But despite that being seemingly plain English, all is actually not what it seems. Because when looking at rates, three possible rates may or may not appear when available rooms are listed for requested dates. Sometimes one, sometimes two, and sometimes all three. (What determines that is a mystery to the uninitiated.)

Those rates are "Leisure Rate", "Advance Purchase" (payment upfront), and "Best Available Rate". But if the real best available rate (by any normal definition) is one of the first two, then according to Tsogo Sun's definition it is not "Best Available Rate" and the Senior's discount doesn't apply! (Call centre, who had to "check with the hotel" and call me back.)

Company: Southern Sun
Country: South Africa
City: Online

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