qofmiwok

I booked a basic room Oct 15-22 with points at Hilton Diagonal Mar in Barcelona. I am Diamond so am obviously hoping for an upgrade, but per the wiki I should get executive lounge access even if I don't (thanks wiki!). Now I will actually be in BCN Oct 17-24.

- Can I drop Oct 15-17 from my reservation and keep 17-22? Or will it reprice and only from points rooms currently available?

- Oct 22-24 is only available at higher level room for more points or very high cost. I could book one of those separately though, maybe get lucky and they give me the better room the whole time. What do you think the odds are of that? Or I could move over to Hotel Indigo and use IHG points*. I originally was thinking to move to the Crowne Plaza which is highly rated and also has exec lounge, but I waited too long and it is sold out. I usually don't like to move hotels but it would be interesting to be in a different part of the city. It's a little closer to the airport also and we have a very early flight.

* I have a free night cert I could use at Indigo in lieu of 45,000 points. I'd rather use it at an Intercontinental in May/June, but my certificate expires April. While many people say they are able to use it as long as they book before it expires, some have said that isn't the case.

Thanks!

retiredfromhilton

You are unlikely to be able simply modify the reservation. You will need to make a new, shorter reservation, and then cancel your originally reservation. If you want to try a an approach direct to the hotel you could phone them and see if they agree to make an exception. When you call, do not take any phone option other than 'operator' or 'any other matter'. Any option that mentions making, modifying or canceling a reservation will take you to a call center that can not help.

writerguyfl

When modifying a room reservation, the systems checks current availability. If there is a room available for October 17 to 22, the modification will go through. The price will not be based on your original reservation; it will be based on the current price (in points or money) of the room.

That process is pretty much industry standard across all hotel chains. If the attempted modification is not possibile or results in a higher price, the only people with authority to override the system would be at the hotel.

Unless you find a FlyerTalker that is a regular guest at that hotel, whatever odds estimate you get here will be mostly guesses. From working in hotels, I can tell you that the factors involved in the decision to provide an upgrade are lengthy. While some hotels will upgrade that "lower" room reservation to avoid the hassle of dealing with a room change, other hotels will not even consider it if they believe they can still sell it to another guest.

craigthemif

First of all, lounge access is guaranteed for Diamonds. You don't need to research Flyertalk wikis for that. It's only Gold status that is hit-or-miss.

As for date adjustments, you essentially need to cancel your existing reservation and rebook using currently available inventory. This is why you should consider making multiple reservations when you aren't completely sure of your plans. (5 night blocks, etc.)

I personally would switch over to the Indigo for the last two nights. It is much more centrally located than the Hilton Diagonal Mar, and is far more convenient for the bus to the airport from Plaza Catalunya. Certainly better than paying a huge number of points for a "premium room" and having to switch rooms mid-stay. (or stay in the standard room whilst paying for a premium room)

Jaimito Cartero

qofmiwok

I tried the hotel but they said they can't modify points bookings.

The problem with re-booking is that a) in terms of making a new booking, the hotel is sold out for part of the nights for points, b) if I use the system to modify my existing reservation, it does let me but requires me to go from 276,000 points for 7 nights to 559,000 points. So then I'll just move to another hotel. But I'll try calling per the original reply and see if ti works.

qofmiwok

I also could upgrade a Marriott 7 day certificate to category 5 and stay at Renaissance Barcelona. That's my current backup. Doesn't have a lounge though, and it's not clear whether I would get breakfast. My status is currently showing as Platinum but I think should really be Gold which doesn't get breakfast.

qofmiwok

No help on the chat but they gave me the number to the Diamond Desk. Not really much help there either although they were able to reprice some things I wasn't able to due to lack of online availability.
- I could keep my existing reservation for 276,000 points and just check in 2 days late. That's my lowest cost and is for a basic room.
- I could re-book the first 5 nights for 345,000 points in a better room. It doesn't actually look better. But I assume Diamond upgrades are usually 1 room level, so if I'm starting from a better room am I more likely to get a suite? The rooms are fairly cheap to purchase so the point value isn't great. But can't win 'em all I guess.

qofmiwok

BTW, thanks for that awesome suggestion! I will keep it in mind. I have done it when booking non-refundable reservations but didn't think about it with points. I guess I didn't realize it wouldn't be possible to just drop a day. That really shouldn't matter.

writerguyfl

Sorry about that. For some reason, I always forget that hotels (in most chains) can't really touch points reservations.

I would be very wary of doing this. If you attempt it, be certain to contact the hotel prior to arrival to confirm it is okay. I'd strongly suggest getting approval in writing from someone with "Manager" in their title.

The reason I say that is because most hotels will consider your non-arrival as a no-show. The entire reservation will get canceled if you do not arrive by check-out time the day following the starting date of the reservation.