Change in Arrival Date ... rate jumps ...
 

I have a reservation at a Residence Inn in Orlando for March using code LPR. Got a great rate for a two bedroom suite of $129/night. Unfortunately I jumped the gun and rather than arriving on Saturday as I reserved I am arriving on the following Tuesday ... still staying until Friday. When I called the 1-800 number they told me they could change my arrival date but the rate jumped to $229/night (same as it shows if I book a new reservation for the new dates with the same code). I said that wasn't what I wanted and they recommended I contact the hotel directly. When I did the hotel said there was nothing they could do as the rate goes up the fewer nights I stay ... as they are an extended stay hotel. I thanked them and left the reservation for now ... but went on the marriott website to check out their contention that a shorter stay would cost more. When I compared my previous arrival date (6 days) with my new arrival date (3 days) the 3 days was actually $20 per night cheaper ... flying in the face of their explanation for not being able to do anything. Any suggestions for strategies to have them just drop the 3 nights I don't need while maintaining the rate?

Thanks so much....

D

I have recently experienced this "new" policy as well. I have tried to have the stay shortened and alas, the nightly rate increases.

Extremely frustrating.

I am at odds end too!

Hopefully; someone will post a solution; or possibly Marriott will change back the policy if there are more situations like this where guests are complaining enough.

Dash

I've noticed this too. Tried booking one, two, or three nights and was quoted a much higher nightly rate. Appears the magic number in my case was four nights. So I went ahead and made the reservation for four nights. When I check in I ask them to change my check out date. So far I haven't seen an increase in rate doing it this way.

Actually this isn't a new policy, as long as your stay doesn't add a night which wasn't in your original reservation you should be able to book the same rate at the same $$$....I'm fairly sure that is the case this time too but Residence Inn's are a little different where their rates are discounted based upon the length of a guests stay, in this case it sounds like the guest is no longer staying long enough to get the same discount as before but I'm sure they are still recieving the same rate but with a different discount

BTW: if your stay is M-F and you shorten it to M-Th or T-F you should recieve the same rate but if you add a night or add/drop a night you could end up with different rate ie M-F becomes S-Th or T-Sa could results in a different rate, the exception to this is rates/brands which are discounted based upon the length of a guests stay or rates which are only available on specific nights

Extended stay brands are suppose to change your rate to reflex the correct discount based upon your correct length of stay

This was a FS Marriott which I was looking to book a room at the govt rate. M-Th got the message the rate was not available, M-F was able to book at the govt rate. This was true for three separate weeks I was looking to book.

I'm also a government business traveler, and I've found the same thing. Sometimes the government rate is only available for stays over a certain length. I don't know why; it just "is".

Sometimes calling the hotel and asking to speak to the GM helps (as, I'm sure, does the fact that I'm platinum). Sometimes booking the long stay then adjusting my check-out date at check-in helps (but I personally have ethical issues with doing this, even though I've been guilty of it in the past).

Sometimes all you can do is book a different Marriott property, or even switch to a different brand. Sorry, but I don't think there's a magic code to get around this. Just out of curiosity, why are you using LPR if you're a GOV traveler?

In this case then there was a length of stay restriction on the government rate requiring a 4 night stay, different rates can be yielded differently

Exactly, if the hotel is forecasting excess demand then they will yield "yieldable" rates (government typically is yieldable), ethics do absolutely play a part in this and travel professions have been known to get in trouble for bending the rules....as demand continues to climb in the country the discounted rates will be yielded more and more

Except in my case when I went to check this theory the 3 night stay I wanted was approx. $239 night while the 6 night stay I had booked was now $269. Wouldn't you expect the reverse? There could of course be other factors at play ... including availability.

Don't believe the OP stated they were a GOV traveler. It was my post that referenced my experience using a GOV rate.

If I understand you correctly, and I may not have, it sounds like you are saying that if you start the reservation from scratch, you get the lower rate. If that's the case, why not simply book a new reservation and cancel the old one?

Sorry if I made the situation more confusing. I currently have a reservation ... for 6 days starting on a Saturday and ending on the following Friday. The rate is $129/night. I wanted to shorten it ... and arrive on the Tuesday ... making the reservation Tue-Fri ... for 3 nights. On the phone they told me the rate would go up to $229 or $239 per night is I reduced the reservation from 6 nights to 3 night ... with their stated reason being that the shorter the stay the more expensive it is ... as that is how "extened stay" properties work.

Without cancelling my current reservation I tested that theory by starting from scratch and seeing what the rates would be for 2 new reservations ... one for 6 nights and one for 3 (using the dates I have). Contrary to what I was told, although the rates have now gone up considerably, the 6 night reservation would be $20 more expensive per night than the 3 night reservation. That's the part that doesn't make sense.

I hope that makes sense :)

Yes I would and I am sure there are

it sounds as though the expected demand has changed since your original reservation was made and thus availabilty has changed