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James Gilden takes on the subject of hotel companies’ “guaranteed lowest rates,” and how it’s often difficult, as a traveler, to enforce this rule. Companies promise you that their rates are the lowest, and that you can get a refund if you find a lower rate for the same room at the same property. But Gilden describes the travails of a customer who tried, at first in vain, to get Choice Hotels to honor their guarantee, after he found a lower rate elsewhere.

The company’s initial response is instructive: They replied that they were “unable to verify that the room offered at the lower rate is the same as the room you have booked.” In other words, was it a room with two beds, one king, etc.?

Falling back on this kind of mumbo-jumbo does a disservice to the company’s reputation and makes the guarantee itself seem silly. So how do you beat the system?

First, try to make sure you’re booking a specific room type that you can easily compare between websites for an apples-to-apples comparison. If you’ve got a reservation for a room with a king bed, you won’t be able to invoke the price guarantee if you find a lower price for a room with two double beds. The problem lies in the common description of hotel rooms, especially on some discounters’ sites, as “standard rooms” or “run-of-the house” rooms. Try to avoid booking these in the first place, since you never know what you’ll be stuck with.

Second, be persistent. If the company denies your request, escalate your request to a higher supervisor. Bring in the Better Business Bureau if you don’t get resolution. Consider alerting your credit card issuer as well, if you feel a credit is due, though this could be harder to manage.

Finally, vote with your wallet. If companies are failing to honor their guarantees, write to them and tell them you won’t be staying with them again.

And feel free to use the internet — like leaving comments or e-mail with this blog — to voice your frustrations.