Hilton HHonors - Changing number of nights and the rate changes?

I've been a loyal SPG member for the last few years but after getting comp'd Gold status from Hilton I've been exclusively stay at Hilton. I've run into my first issue with them that's really turning me off on Hilton. I did some searching and saw some other posts on this so it seems like it's a regular issue.

I have a 2-night stay (Friday & Saturday) this weekend at the Hilton Houston Americas. My plans changed and I'm going home Saturday night, so I only need 1 night. I booked months ago at $123 a night (AAA rate). I called to change it and while I was on the phone with the rep (who did not bother to tell me the rate changed) it bumped the rate to $161.

I caught it and asked her why...she said it was because that's the current rate. I can see if I wanted to add a night I would pay the current rate but I'm dropping a night before the cancellation period, so why does the rate go up? I've made changes like this dozens of times (mostly with SPG but with other brands too) with no problems ever like this. Since I did see this in some other posts is this a known issue with Hilton brand hotels?

:confused: that sounds perfectly normal to me :confused: You are shortening you stay and wonder why the rate is going up :confused: I see this @ Hilton and elsewhere routinely.

:confused: that sounds perfectly normal to me :confused: You are shortening you stay and wonder why the rate is going up :confused: I see this @ Hilton and elsewhere routinely.

Why? It's not like I got a discounted rate because I booked 2 nights instead of 1. With your rationale if I booked 10 nights my rate should be cheaper because I booked more nights and if I cancel nights then my nightly rate goes up...that doesn't make any sense.

I booked at $123 a night for 2 nights. Now I only need 1 night. Why do I lose my old reservation rate just because I'm dropping a day? I could see if I was adding a day or changing the days completely but I'm not...I asked to drop 1 day from my res.

Why are you assuming that you are somehow "entitled" to the same rate that you originally booked? You aren't. You have effectively cancelled your old reservation and replaced it with a new one. The current rate is whatever it is. Sometimes rates go up, sometimes they go down, sometimes they stay the same. (Yield management is at work here.) In fact, you should check the website periodically to see if you can snag a better deal than the one you currently have.

Also, the number of nights you book sometimes DOES affect the rate. I don't know if that's the case with your particular reservation, but I've seen it happen on much browsing/booking.

It's normal; you'll get the same at Starwood Properties (for example).

More to the point, in cases where the rate may have dropped in the interim you'll pay less.

What I do in these circumstance is check-in for the two nights - the next day simply advise your plans have changed and check-out. You will invariably pay only the rate originally booked for that first night.

More to the point sometimes rates can vary on different nights; in these cases you'll be booked at the higher of the rates for both nights. Simply make individual one night bookings at the differing rates.

The old rate may have required a Saturday night stay. You could have tried doing a reservation change online if that was possible to see if that would have been different. Otherwise, you could have taken your chances and told the front desk agent when you checked in that you would only stay one night and see what would happen.

Whenever I book stays with multiple nights I do check rates for all nights together and then each night individually (I've seen many times it defaults to the highest rate for all nights so you pay more per night when booking together).

With this reservation, it was $123 a night separately and there is no Saturday night stay required.

To whoever said this is standard, I know I've changed the number of nights on at least 10 reservations over the last few years and never lost my rate. I must say I'm shocked at the responses...I've never known this to be standard practice with any hotel chain, however before my comp'd Hilton Gold I hadn't stayed at Hilton in years (almost all SPG, with a few stays at some other chains).

I'm not sure when my Hilton Gold is up but my answer to this will be for every stay I'll book every night separately until it's up. After it's over I'll probably just go back to SPG because I never had to worry about this. By booking my nights separately I'll protect my rate and I can cancel any nights I want without having to worry about this happening again. Overall it's a bigger hassle for Hilton since when I check-in they're going to go through more steps to check me in for all my nights.

Whenever I book stays with multiple nights I do check rates for all nights together and then each night individually (I've seen many times it defaults to the highest rate for all nights so you pay more per night when booking together).

With this reservation, it was $123 a night separately and there is no Saturday night stay required.
But in the interim since you made the original reservation, rates have changed! Yield management will cause rates to fluctuate according to predicted supply/demand.

To whoever said this is standard, I know I've changed the number of nights on at least 10 reservations over the last few years and never lost my rate. I must say I'm shocked at the responses...I've never known this to be standard practice with any hotel chain, however before my comp'd Hilton Gold I hadn't stayed at Hilton in years (almost all SPG, with a few stays at some other chains).
Again, I suggest you bone up on the concept of yield management. As I said in my post above, rates can go up, down, or sideways over time, based on predicted supply/demand. This is true of ALL hotel chains, not just Hilton. If your rates didn't change on prior reservations (with other chains), it may have just been the luck of the draw.

I'm not sure when my Hilton Gold is up but my answer to this will be for every stay I'll book every night separately. That way I protect my rate and I can cancel any nights I want without having to worry about this happening again. Overall it's a bigger hassle for Hilton since when I check-in they're going to go through more steps to check me in for all my nights.
Suit yourself. You have to realize that not everyone demands the same combination of flexibility to change the dates PLUS guaranteed (low) rates that you seem to expect every time. I've occasionally done the same thing if I was unsure of my exact dates (e.g., hadn't booked the flight yet). ;)

It sounds to me like the OP is going to run out of hotel chains to be "loyal" to if every time there is a $38 rate change he/she changes frequency programs.

As one of the other posters in this thread said, SPG does the same thing. I think that all of the big players do, since they all use some form of yield management.

I have experienced rate changes with Starwood, Hilton, Hyatt, and even the luxury chains, Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton. This seems quite normal to me as well.

I have also seen some hotels charge an early departure fee of $50 if you shorten your stay after check-in. I have seen this practice at most hotel chains.

Prices go up and prices go down. Sometimes booking 2 nights as one stay is more expensive than booking 2 separate reservations back to back at the same hotel. The yield management algorithm is far from perfect.

MisterNice

When you call reservations to make a change the rate you get is usually the same as if you just made a new reservation. To keep the same rate I suggest you call the hotel directly and ask them to change your reservation. That usually works.

I have a 2-night stay (Friday & Saturday) this weekend at the Hilton Houston Americas. My plans changed and I'm going home Saturday night, so I only need 1 night. I booked months ago at $123 a night (AAA rate). I called to change it and while I was on the phone with the rep (who did not bother to tell me the rate changed) it bumped the rate to $161.

Yes, rates often change up or down and many members often check rates especially nearer the time of their stay to see if rates have gone down. The rates at the Hilton Americas Houston may go up or down further this week and a quick check a few minutes ago show a Best Available Rate of $139 for Friday 12 September, which is better than $161. Rates and stay periods can usually be changed on the Hilton website by entering your reservation number and name.

You can try two things.

1. Call the hotel directly and ask for the reservation to be changed to one night with the same rate.

2. AT checkin say that you only need a one night reservation and ask them to change it. Do this when checking in, not after or the next day. I've changed the number of nights at checkin a few times over the years without any problem.

Where the hotel is located is also going to make an impact. Big City Hilton, less likely they will change it and keep same rate......Hampton Inn or HGI in my hometown much more likely to change it and keep the rate, even when you check in.

Given that your going to dump Hilton over this one episode I would highly recommend the one hotel chain that might have the ability to meet your exacting standards...............

Home sweet Home :)

Good Luck

Was the "rep" you were talking to a Hilton Reservations Agent or someone at the hotel? While I don't disagree with other posters that this is a cost of doing business, changing an existing reservation is often better done by contacting the hotel directly, in this case I think you have a better chance of having them just change the check-out date on the original reservation without "repricing" the room rate for the first night.

...in this case I think you have a better chance of having them just change the check-out date on the original reservation without "repricing" the room rate for the first night.
I think the reality is that Hilton doesn't really do that. It appears to me that if you change your check-out date, they're going to reprice the reservation as though it were a cancellation followed by a new res. :confused:

I think the reality is that Hilton doesn't really do that. It appears to me that if you change your check-out date, they're going to reprice the reservation as though it were a cancellation followed by a new res. :confused:

I don't stay too often at the Hilton group hotels, but can tell from experience, if I had booked x nights at a hotel and leave earlier, I never get the stay repriced.
The OP is nice enough to inform the hotel that he only stays for one night and gets his rate repriced. Doesn't make sense to me.
But I guess, it's lesson learned for the OP. Never call reservations and tell them you want to shorten your stay.

JBa

I don't stay too often at the Hilton group hotels, but can tell from experience, if I had booked x nights at a hotel and leave earlier, I never get the stay repriced.
The OP is nice enough to inform the hotel that he only stays for one night and gets his rate repriced. Doesn't make sense to me.
But I guess, it's lesson learned for the OP. Never call reservations and tell them you want to shorten your stay.

JBa

Well, you've been lucky. All HHonors hotels (AFAIK), and other chains as well, reserve the right to charge you an early departure fee if you leave a day (or more) earlier than your reservation shows. They might waive this fee in some cases, but you can't count on it.

Thus, it's bad advice to tell someone they should 1) NOT change their res and 2) just show up at the hotel and inform them on the spot of their early departure. It worked for you so far, but it won't necessarily work for everyone all the time.

Well, you've been lucky. All HHonors hotels (AFAIK), and other chains as well, reserve the right to charge you an early departure fee if you leave a day (or more) earlier than your reservation shows. They might waive this fee in some cases, but you can't count on it.

Thus, it's bad advice to tell someone they should 1) NOT change their res and 2) just show up at the hotel and inform them on the spot of their early departure. It worked for you so far, but it won't necessarily work for everyone all the time. I guess it comes donw to what are you more afraid of an early departure fee or the higher rate. For the most part I do not think it is worth the trouble. The most I have seen rates change like that is $20- 30 a night. If I was paying for it though it might be another story

I guess it comes donw to what are you more afraid of an early departure fee or the higher rate. For the most part I do not think it is worth the trouble. The most I have seen rates change like that is $20- 30 a night. If I was paying for it though it might be another story
Of course! In this particular case, the OP was unhappy about the rate going from $123+tax to $161+tax. That's a difference of $38+tax, which is a little less than a $50 early departure fee.

So it's a game. He could 1) accept the new rate and pay $38+tax extra, or 2) keep the existing res, show up at the front desk and tell them he's leaving a day early, and they either will or will not charge him $50 (or maybe it's some other amount?). The only thing missing is the probability of whether they will or will not charge the early departure fee. ;)

I don't stay too often at the Hilton group hotels, but can tell from experience, if I had booked x nights at a hotel and leave earlier, I never get the stay repriced.
The OP is nice enough to inform the hotel that he only stays for one night and gets his rate repriced. Doesn't make sense to me.
But I guess, it's lesson learned for the OP. Never call reservations and tell them you want to shorten your stay.

JBa

Finally, someone who sees my point. I almost wasn't even going to respond because it seems like it would serve no purpose as everything disagrees but I know I'm not the only one as I did some searches and found at least 2 other posts on this Hilton board where people complained about this and saying they didn't have this with other chains. So thanks for chiming in.

It seems like everyone thinks I'm expecting the world from Hilton with this issue. All I'm saying is I'm dropping a night--why should they re-book the entire reservation? What if it were a 5 night reservation and it went up $50 a night because I wanted to drop 1 night? Does that seem logical?

Also, I didn't say I was dropping Hilton forever, I just said I'd probably go back to SPG because I never had this issue with them. I can name several SPG properties I changed my number of nights and didn't have a rate change (Sheraton Boston, Planet Hollywood, Sheraton Minneapolis, Sheraton Virginia Beach and others). However, something to note is when I called to make the change there were a few times it changed the rate. They noticed it, told me what happened and told me it would take them a minute to adjust it.

So, the reason I'd probably go back to SPG is because I like that customer service because they obviously agree with my philosophy that each night is independent of the next (unless there's a minimum stay requirement...and once a SPG agent even offered to call a hotel to get it waived for me and was able to get that done--now that's customer service!).

KathyWdrf,

You seem to be hung up on the fact that it's only $38 difference. I agree--it's not a lot of money. It's not the money--it's the principle. As I previously mentioned, I priced the room with 1 night & 2 nights back when I booked months ago. It was the same price of $123 per night. So it's not like they're giving me a discount for booking multiple nights and I'm trying to cheat the system but dropping a night and trying to keep my rate.

...
KathyWdrf,

You seem to be hung up on the fact that it's only $38 difference.

:rolleyes:

NO, NO, NO!!!

This has NOTHING to do with "being hung up on a $38 difference." :td:

You obviously didn't read (or maybe you simply misunderstood) my posts! Please go back and read EVERY ONE of them. My points are these:

1) ALL hotel chains do this (it's the luck of the draw whether your rate goes up, down, or stays the same).

2) ALL hotel chains use yield management. This could happen with SPG or anyone. You seem to be hung up on the fact that Hilton has done this to you (once), but other chains have not. However, others on this board (who have, collectively, a GREAT DEAL of experience with hotels) have had different experiences than you have.

3) Please don't post threads here in the expectation that people are going to automatically agree with you. And, don't ignore or discount what others say just because it doesn't suit you. I see that you say in response to JBa, "Finally, someone who sees my point." This signals to me that you were just looking for agreement rather than trying to benefit from others' knowledge and experience. :td:

:rolleyes:

NO, NO, NO!!!

This has NOTHING to do with "being hung up on a $38 difference." :td:

You obviously didn't read (or maybe you simply misunderstood) my posts! Please go back and read EVERY ONE of them. My points are these:

1) ALL hotel chains do this (it's the luck of the draw whether your rate goes up, down, or stays the same).

2) ALL hotel chains use yield management. This could happen with SPG or anyone. You seem to be hung up on the fact that Hilton has done this to you (once), but other chains have not. However, others on this board (who have, collectively, a GREAT DEAL of experience with hotels) have had different experiences than you have.

3) Please don't post threads here in the expectation that people are going to automatically agree with you. And, don't ignore or discount what others say just because it doesn't suit you. I see that you say in response to JBa, "Finally, someone who sees my point." This signals to me that you were just looking for agreement rather than trying to benefit from others' knowledge and experience. :td:

1.) You may be right--but I've stayed at just about all the chains and have never had this happen before. As you could see from my post, I was able to quickly come up with a few I knew I changed checkout date with. Maybe I'm a high maintenance traveler but I often change dates. If it changes completely I'll cancel & re-book but usually I just need to add or drop a night.

2.) That's fine--maybe SPG (who I've deal with the most the last few years) has a way to override the YM system to continue to give the per night rate even when dropping a night. As far as Hilton doing this to me once, I appreciated Hilton's offer for Gold status. It has given me a chance to see how HHonors compares to the other hotel programs. For the most part I've enjoyed my stays. This issue stands out to me because the first (and only time so far) I've had to call Hilton I felt like the customer service wasn't what I was used to. I know you'll say they had no choice--it's their policy to re-book when you drop a night but that's completely ridiculous to me. As stated, if I had to drop one night off an extended stay and it raised the per night rate quite a bit should I have to pay for that or worry that I'll have to pay an early departure fee?

3.) I have no problem with people disagreeing with me--I was surprised that there were so many responses and no one could see my point. Again, if I wanted to add a night, I'm in complete agreement you pay the current rate. But to drop a night? You have to be kidding. There was no minimum stay, no Saturday stay, no difference in rate between nights, so why cancel the entire reservation and say I have to start from scratch and pay the current rate? If anything the hotel may make more money because now they have another room they can sell for the higher rate for the night I'm not staying. Yes, if they don't book it they lose that money but they would anyways if I just booked a 1 night reservation, so why tell me I get penalized if I'm staying more nights but I don't get penalized if I just have a 1 night res and I cancel it? Makes no sense to me.

1.) You may be right--but I've stayed at just about all the chains and have never had this happen before. As you could see from my post, I was able to quickly come up with a few I knew I changed checkout date with. Maybe I'm a high maintenance traveler but I often change dates. If it changes completely I'll cancel & re-book but usually I just need to add or drop a night.

2.) That's fine--maybe SPG (who I've deal with the most the last few years) has a way to override the YM system to continue to give the per night rate even when dropping a night. As far as Hilton doing this to me once, I appreciated Hilton's offer for Gold status. It has given me a chance to see how HHonors compares to the other hotel programs. For the most part I've enjoyed my stays. This issue stands out to me because the first (and only time so far) I've had to call Hilton I felt like the customer service wasn't what I was used to. I know you'll say they had no choice--it's their policy to re-book when you drop a night but that's completely ridiculous to me. As stated, if I had to drop one night off an extended stay and it raised the per night rate quite a bit should I have to pay for that or worry that I'll have to pay an early departure fee?

3.) I have no problem with people disagreeing with me--I was surprised that there were so many responses and no one could see my point. Again, if I wanted to add a night, I'm in complete agreement you pay the current rate. But to drop a night? You have to be kidding. There was no minimum stay, no Saturday stay, no difference in rate between nights, so why cancel the entire reservation and say I have to start from scratch and pay the current rate? If anything the hotel may make more money because now they have another room they can sell for the higher rate for the night I'm not staying. Yes, if they don't book it they lose that money but they would anyways if I just booked a 1 night reservation, so why tell me I get penalized if I'm staying more nights but I don't get penalized if I just have a 1 night res and I cancel it? Makes no sense to me.

OK, maybe you're right -- maybe Hilton should be willing to override the YM algorithm as a courtesy to you, because otherwise you might just cancel the whole thing.

A lot of CSRs are not "empowered" enough to do these things, or they just feel that they have to do things by the book, "or else." Sometimes, to get people to bend the rules, you have to try again -- call again later, or else talk to a supervisor and negotiate with them. I don't recall if you tried those things. I would recommend that you do so. It sounds like, if you get the right person on the phone, you could make a compelling argument. Good luck! ;)

Sorry I'm w/ Kathy & the others on this.

It frequently happens that if you change your stay it can impact your rate. Heck, a lot of ressies now say this when you book. It's across the chain gang, so good luck on finding ANY chain that will grant you immunity. The $38 dif is irrelevant. It can vary. I had to change a date in SanFran one time & drop a night - rate went up significantly, not just $38.

Bottom line - it's inventory management & when you booked the 2-night rate was X. The fact that you're changing X to Y at a later date & still expect X isn't necessarily reasonable (even if in your eyes it is) because the parameters have changed. For example, if you booked a single night stay right now at your earlier rate then perhaps you'd have something to complain about. But if you tried booking a 1-night stay right now & it's the higher rate, then if you were booking a night now w/o the earlier ressie, that would indeed be the rate & thus the one you should be paying. Why would you think you're grandfathered in? Changes can result in changes. 'Nuf said.

Others have mentioned they've encountered this across chains (me included). Not always, but it happens & often it's in the rules. BTW - especially if certain properties are highly booked. It's one thing if you're in podunkland; another if you're in major city.

You've said you've been happy to Hilton to date & you're just cranky due to this one experience. If you're that upset then go back to *wood or wherever you think you'll never get hit w/ a similar situation. If you're happy w/ Hilton, give them a pass on this one.

Also rule of thumb --- ALWAYS do a dummy booking on your new stay (ie, 1-night) to see if the rate is the same or it's changed. If it's changed for the higher you'll know you're stuck. If it's not, then rebook the lower. Heck, if it's still less than if by chance you get hit w/ a higher rate you can argue it. NEVER cancel the old until you've confirmed the new.

Cheers.

When you call reservations to make a change the rate you get is usually the same as if you just made a new reservation. To keep the same rate I suggest you call the hotel directly and ask them to change your reservation. That usually works.It's definitely worth a shot. I know it has worked for me at least once in the past. YMMV, but it only takes a minute or two to find out.