Wondering if folks have any recent experience or advice for this situation. I have a 3 night stay reserved near DC at the Crystal City Reagan Airport Marriott on a AAA rate (so it's cancellable) in March. For personal reasons I now have to leave after 2 nights. However, the prices have changed now such that modifying the stay online to 2 nights actually costs $100 more than my current cost (and I'm paying out of pocket for this trip). I'm thinking my options are:
1. Call Reservations now (though I'm guessing they'll reprice it the same way as the website though)
2. Wait until I get there and ask at checkin (I've done this once successfully before at a conference hotel, but guessing that's a YMMV approach)
3. Call the property some time between now and March and ask them if I can drop the 3rd night
Any thoughts? I figure that the worst case is that I can keep the current reservation and leave a day early, and do the mobile checkout on the 3rd day - at least I wouldn't be spending any more than I currently am.
I've had to do this on numerous occasions in the past, doing it online either the rate was unavailable or it priced higher. Each time I've called reservations and they have dropped off the last night keeping the same rate for the first two nights - without prompting from me. I've had equal success doing so at the property, either shortening on check-in or just checking out on an earlier day.
If you are certain about the change in plans, I would call reservations and ask them to shorten it. If it has to be re-priced they will let you know, at which point you can say "never-mind leave it as it was for now" without having lost anything and can try option 2.