Reducing a Pointbreak reservation

Old Jul 29, 2016, 8:19 am
  #1  
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Reducing a Pointbreak reservation

I've reserved a PointBreak stay for 3 nights. My plans have changed and I will have to leave a day early. I tried to modify the reservation online but the system says 'You do not have enough points for this reservation'

I called into the Rewards HelpDesk to be told that in order to change from 3 to 2 nights the reservation must be re-booked and that there are no PointBreak nights left in inventory.

While I accept that there must be a system in place, common sense tells me that since I have 3 nights in hand, surely IHG can just cancel night 3 and leave nights 1 and 2 inplace. The Agent tells me that there is nothing they can do other than book me a new reservation at full rate or for cash. However they suggest that I tell the hotel at check-in that I shall leave a night early, and then call the Help Desk who will refund my 5,000 points for the unused night.

Does this make any sense? Can anyone suggest a better route?

thanks as always for any help....
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Old Jul 29, 2016, 9:00 am
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Originally Posted by peter1962
... common sense tells me that since I have 3 nights in hand, surely IHG can just cancel night 3 and leave nights 1 and 2 inplace. ...
Unfortunately, common sense isn't all that common.

That's the way the system works. Your best bet is probably indeed to speak to the hotel directly. I had a situation last month where I was going to miss the first night of a 6-night reward stay. I called beforehand and the hotel did what needed to be done.

You may still lose the 5k points for the one night, but might be able to avoid having the other nights re-price at a much higher rate. Good luck!
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Old Jul 29, 2016, 9:25 am
  #3  
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Originally Posted by peter1962
Does this make any sense? Can anyone suggest a better route?
Whether it makes sense, or not: it's the way it is. My understanding is that even regular, full-price, reward stays can be curtailed only by cancelling and rebooking: this creates an interesting situation when no reward nights are left

I had to abandon a PB stay with a night left to run, the only penalty was leaving behind 5K points. Never thought about asking for the points to be refunded.
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Old Jul 29, 2016, 10:40 am
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That's the way it is. The hotel might be able to help you. Otherwise just try to remember that 15,000 points for a 2-night stay is still a bargain...

In order to avoid this in the future, you need to split any Point Breaks reservation into two. (it used to be each night individually, but IHG have cracked down on this and capped each member at 2 reservations per PB hotel)

For example I have a PB booked where I was not sure whether it would be 2 or 3 nights, so I booked the first night on its own separately, then a 2-night reservation. If I don't want the first night after all, I can just cancel that reservation, leaving the other two-nighter intact. And, as it happens, PB inventory is already gone at this property...
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Old Jul 29, 2016, 12:42 pm
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Agreed, 5,000 points is neither here nor there in the bigger picture, it just seems odd that common sense didn't apply....
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Old Jul 29, 2016, 2:57 pm
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I've changed a PB reservation by reducing the nights and gotten my 5000 points back, and many others have posted here that they had success, as well. the key is to go thru the hotel. You can't do it online.
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Old Jul 29, 2016, 3:31 pm
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Originally Posted by peter1962
Agreed, 5,000 points is neither here nor there in the bigger picture, it just seems odd that common sense didn't apply....
It's simply that the system works by cancelling and rebooking: and in the normal course of events this achieves the required objective of shortening the stay.

But when there are no longer reward nights available, it can't be done (cancelled rewards cease to exist, they don't go back into a pot for redemption anew).

Similarly PB nights disappear when cancelled, so if the PB ration is finished you are out of luck - you can only get regular reward night (or even no reward nights at all, if these are no longer available).

=================

In a way, the system works to our wider advantage. There's a need to be more circumspect in making reservations, rather than opportunistically blanket booking a few weeks' of nights, then coming back to prune these to requirements. The problem there being that cancelled nights don't get returned to a PB inventory for other PC members to use.

For a time we were able to do this by booking stays one night at a time, and later cancelling unwanted nights - but PC blocked that game.
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Old Jul 30, 2016, 1:29 am
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Originally Posted by IAN-UK
It's simply that the system works by cancelling and rebooking: and in the normal course of events this achieves the required objective of shortening the stay.

But when there are no longer reward nights available, it can't be done (cancelled rewards cease to exist, they don't go back into a pot for redemption anew).

Similarly PB nights disappear when cancelled, so if the PB ration is finished you are out of luck - you can only get regular reward night (or even no reward nights at all, if these are no longer available).

=================

In a way, the system works to our wider advantage. There's a need to be more circumspect in making reservations, rather than opportunistically blanket booking a few weeks' of nights, then coming back to prune these to requirements. The problem there being that cancelled nights don't get returned to a PB inventory for other PC members to use.

For a time we were able to do this by booking stays one night at a time, and later cancelling unwanted nights - but PC blocked that game.
Yes. This rule curbs speculative reservations where one cast a wider net (removing inventory) only to reduce it later and the property has lesser time to sell them. Another thing. System is designed not to allow trimming of nights on a reservation (points, cash, points and cash) that was already confirmed because properties frequently price their inventory with limitations like mininum nights. Minimum nights are common for discounted and advance bookings. It can be for slow period to move inventory or peak period to balance demands and revenue. Trimming a booked reservation will bypass the minimum nights rule.
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Old Jul 31, 2016, 7:26 am
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A properly trained hotel staff knows who to contact within IHG to make amendments to pointsbreak reservations. I have fortunately had points refunded for nights I needed to shorten on stays before. Its a hit or miss to be frank.
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Old Aug 1, 2016, 1:08 pm
  #10  
 
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Originally Posted by onthego15
I've changed a PB reservation by reducing the nights and gotten my 5000 points back, and many others have posted here that they had success, as well. the key is to go thru the hotel. You can't do it online.
This. I don't know why people keep posting in various threads that this is impossible- that's really bad information.

Calling IHG, even if possessing the much desired and incredible Spire (if you're not familiar with Spire, research SPG Preferred Guest level (ie: general member with no stays) and adjust expectations DOWN from there!) , will only end in crashing and burning at a call center outside MNL.

Call the hotel and have a backup plan before you call so they don't hold all the leverage. better, if the days are coming off the back end, wait until you're there and have a rapport. In asia anyway, i'd be surprised if you fail to adjust and get your 5k points back for the nights you trim off.
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