Hmm-
Top Tier Elite is supposed to equal brand loyal-- that is why you are asking for the exception. And that really is why you are not getting the "help" you are asking for.

You used Priceline- hardly Brand Loyal and certainly from experience not to a propety level person (even the GM or Rev Mgr) responsible for changes.

So you want the brand loyal benefits without being brand loyal-- really contrary to the underlying biz models of Top Tier Elite and PCLN.

To your question, speaking from experience.

PCLN reservations are handled differently by brand (different reservation systems with different rules). So my understanding is that some hotels can "adjust" the PCLN reservation in their res systems (although biz rules prevent it in all that I know of) and some really do have no ability to change the reservation--meaning it is actually "locked".

Now the customer service angle is a different question-

e.g. You are pre-paying for 1 night and asking as a "good" customer for them to accept that payment and "comp" you another night.

Although you really are a good customer of PCLN not of the hotel you are asking the favor of that is the crux of the issue. Certainly you can sometimes win at this but you are way off to expect it 1-3x per year.

IMHO you are asking the hotel to do something that runs contrary to their business reasons for being in PCLN (fill rooms to non-loyal customers at much lower profit margins) and contrary to your use of PCLN (where you accept the no changes rules and acknowledge that you are not brand loyal--forget BB or BFT which "may" allow you to pierce the opaque levels).

To say that you are going to withhold future business from that hotel will not hold much water as you are using PCLN to make this booking thus already doing that to the hotel level person.

Plain and simple-- some hotels truly can not adjust the booking but there are always workarounds.

The question is why should this hotel feel it in their best interest to help you when you are not showing loyalty to them. You can say you will not stay with them again but if you use PCLN you are already saying that by your actions.