Glossary · Travel distribution
Best available rate (BAR)
The best available rate (BAR) is a hotel's lowest publicly bookable rate for a given room type and night that any guest can book without a membership, corporate contract or other qualification; the exact definition varies by hotel group, and some count only flexible, unrestricted rates.
Reviewed 30 Oct 2026
How BAR anchors a hotel's prices
Many hotels set BAR per night and derive other public rates from it: a non-refundable rate a fixed percentage below, a member rate below that, packages above it. Moving BAR moves the whole structure, which is why it is the number a revenue manager or revenue management system changes as demand forecasts shift — the hotel side of dynamic pricing.
BAR and the rates around it
| Rate | Who can book it | Typical relation to BAR |
|---|---|---|
| BAR | Anyone | The reference |
| Non-refundable / advance purchase | Anyone, with restrictions | Below BAR |
| Member or loyalty | Signed-in members | Below BAR |
| Corporate negotiated | Contracted companies | Fixed or a discount off BAR |
| Package or opaque | Only with other products | Hidden inside a bundle |
Member, corporate and package rates sit behind logins or bundles, so public collection sees BAR and the restricted public rates only.
Best, not cheapest
"Best" refers to the hotel's own rate structure on that night, not a promise that no channel sells the room for less; that question belongs to rate parity. Taxes and fees also change what BAR means on screen: the UK Competition and Markets Authority's 2019 commitments with booking sites required compulsory charges, including resort fees, to appear in the headline price.
Tracking BAR
Track the lowest flexible public rate for a fixed room type, occupancy and length of stay, per night, with taxes treated consistently and the market recorded. Repeated over arrival dates, that gives a hotel's pricing curve. Hotel rate shopping covers competitors, trade-fair hotel prices the event spikes, and how hotel dynamic pricing works the mechanics.
FAQ
Questions
Something not covered? Write to contact@arcproxies.io.
Is the best available rate the cheapest rate?
Not necessarily. BAR is usually the lowest rate open to everyone without restrictions; non-refundable, member and package rates can be lower. It is the reference price, not the floor.
Does BAR include taxes?
It depends on the market and the site. Some show nightly rates before tax, others an inclusive total. In the UK, the CMA's 2019 commitments required booking sites to include compulsory charges in the headline price.
Why does a hotel's BAR change from day to day?
Because it tracks forecast demand: bookings on hand, events, the season and competitors' prices. Hotels review it often and adjust it per arrival night.
Is BAR refundable?
Usually, where a hotel defines BAR as its flexible public rate. Some groups use the term for their lowest public rate whatever its conditions, so read the cancellation terms shown with it.
Sources & review
Last reviewed by the ARC Proxies team. Prices are read from the live catalog at build time.
- [1]Competition and Markets Authority: Hotel booking sites to make major changes after CMA probe
In practice