Can you ask a hotel to open up award availability?
 

I'd like to use my IHG points for a stay at a HIX in Montana. The IHG website shows no award availability. This is availability the next night where the published room rate is a whopping $2 cheaper! This seems ridiculous. Is there anyone I can call, like the hotel manager, to ask if they could make an award room available for me on the night I want? Would my status as a Spire elite make any difference?

Yes. Chances are that this is all handled by an algorithm and there is no reason why -- if you reach the right person -- they can't offer you a room at a different rate (which is all this is for purposes of your needs).

However, it's extraordinarily unlikely to happen, so be thrilled if it happens and figure it was worth a call when it doesn't.

IHG hotels only have to offer a small % of their rooms as awards. Essentially they are paid almost nothing for award nights, until occupancy goes above 95% or they reach annual targets for award nights. (unlikely due to COVID)

So, a manager would have to decide that $25-30 from you (as award reimbursement) is better than nothing, or just gamble that you'll book a paid rate instead of going to a different hotel.

IMO saying that you are Spire makes it more likely that the hotel will assume that you're so loyal to IHG that you'll stay anyhow (on a paid rate).

Why would they do this? If all rooms available for awards nights have already been reserved, the hotel is hardly likely to think, "oh great, let's put some more rooms out there on rewards night and lose even more money"!

This. 100%. Only time I tell my revenue managers this make sense is if we will reach the high occupancy reward. If not it is just bleeding from the top and bottom lines.

I had the same situation 2 years ago when trying to book the Indigo @Rome, Italy, I approached the hotel management and they agreed to open up 1 room in points for me.
In a different occasion, HIX Amsterdam City Hall refused to do that for me when I was trying to extend for 2 more nights, anx I moved to CP ZUID in points.

Bottom line, be nice and try it, you might succeed.
Goid Luck.

I dont think status with any program amounts to much any longer. In this case had the OP had ahistory of staying at this hotel and having dropped some nice $s in the past theres a chance that since theres Loyalty to the Hotel the Hotel may help out. Never had stayed there and not having dropped any $s or no rev nights this trip Id be very surprised if they opened a room

OP you have nothing to lose by calling and asking, as was said already be prepared for the SOL answer, if it was me Id call as I would have nothing to lose and only what to gain

Yes you can try it. For me, it worked about half the time.

Thanks. I guess I'll call. I do have reasonable alternative accommodations, so my enthusiasm to take on this customer service challenge is modest! These days, with IHG's variable award pricing, I'm not even sure what the points rate would be for the night.

I've done it successfully although it was a hassle. In my case, we were looking to stay 5-6 nights and one in the middle was unavailable. I emailed the manager and she approved it but didn't actually put more inventory in the system. I had to call IHG reservations to get it done as they could override the system. The hardest part was that the 4th night free was not properly applying then and the folks at reservations couldn't understand what benefit I was talking about. In the end it all worked out but I was probably on the phone for 30 minutes and had to be pretty firm about what I was trying to do.