What is the best available rate (BAR)?
Updated By Akkrev
The best available rate is a hotel's standard public price for a room on a given night, usually flexible. It's the price most AI agents compare across sites.
The best available rate (BAR) is the lowest publicly available, usually flexible, price a hotel offers for a room on a given night, without conditions like prepayment, membership or packages. It moves with demand and is often the reference for other rates (for example, non-refundable at BAR minus 10%).
BAR and AI agents
When an agent compares a hotel’s own website with OTAs, it is usually comparing public, unconditional prices, close to BAR. Discounts the agent can’t see, such as member rates behind a login or codes in a pop-up, don’t count in that comparison. If BAR on the hotel’s site is the same as on an OTA, the agent tends to choose whichever is easier to complete.
Related
Rate parity, rate plan, member-only rates and AI agents.
Why it matters for AI visibility
If AI can only see an OTA’s rate, it quotes and links that rate. Your own visible rate keeps the recommendation pointing to you.