If you shorten a hotel stay will the rate increase? A TravelSort client recently needed to shorten a stay at the Park Hyatt Vienna that I'd reserved with Virtuoso benefits, though the check-in date remained the same. Nevertheless, the stay, shortened by just one day, was being quoted at a new higher rate: Hyatt was pricing it as if we were making a new reservation today, and charging the prevailing higher rates.
Here are some of the reasons this can happen, and what to do:
Certain Offers Require a Minimum Stay Length
Chances are that you're aware of it if you've reserved a promotion that has a minimum stay length, although sometimes these aren't listed under the hotel offers yet are coded into the system such that stays that meet the minimum stay length automatically price at a lower rate. In this case you may not be aware that your rate was lower per night based on a minimum stay length until you try to change it, and find that a shorter stay significantly increases the rate per night.
Minimum stay requirements are especially prevalent during the peak holiday season of just before Christmas to just after New Year's, when the most popular resorts require 7-10 night stays–that's if you can make a reservation at all (see Hawaii Vacation for Christmas and New Year's? 6 Reasons to Go Another Time)
Hotels May Provide a Lower Rate for Stays That Include Lower Demand Days
Similar to the above, hotels may provide a better rate for stays that include lower demand nights. For cities that focus on serving business travelers, lower demand days, especially during non-holiday winter dates, are likely to be weekend nights such as Friday and Saturday night.
For resorts serving primarily a leisure market, such as the Caribbean, Hawaii, etc. mid-week nights may be lower, especially during low season.
Some Hotel Chains Reprice the Entire Stay if You Change a Stay, Including Shortening It
Even if your rate neither required a minimum stay nor a stay over low demand nights, some hotel chains will reprice your entire stay if you change it. While this is expected if you change to entirely different dates, it can also happen if you keep your original arrival date and just seek to shorten your stay by a day or two. And that's what I encountered with the Park Hyatt Vienna, when I was shortening the stay for my client.
What to Do to Preserve Your Original Rate
1. Know Your Rate: When Making Your Original Reservation, Check Night by Night
Before making your original reservation, check your stay dates night by night. You may discover that there is a lower rate that depends on a minimum number of nights stayed, or on including a given night or nights, in which case you'll have a better understanding of whether the rate you're reserving depends on these factors such that you should expect a higher rate if you change it and it no longer meets these parameters.
On the other hand, you may discover that some nights of your stay are *less expensive* if you book a subset of your dates and add on nights on either side of those, than if you input your entire stay dates. In this case, go ahead and reserve those lower cost dates and call Reservations to add on those additional dates to your stay.
2. If Several Dates are Uncertain, Book Them as Separate Reservations
If you've checked night by night as I recommended in #1, you'll know what the difference in rate is, if any, if you book the dates of your stay that are certain (or at least most certain) vs. the nights that you may or may not need. For the latter, assuming there's little to no difference in rate, book each night as a separate reservation. This is especially important for check-in dates, since most often repricing occurs when your new check-in date differs from your original reservation. Be sure that you're reserving the same room category, if you're hoping to have Reservations link these reservatioins so you can stay in the same room and not have to check-out/check-in during your stay.
While it will take more time to make all these individual reservations, you'll be glad you have them if you do need to drop any of your dates, as it will be as simple as canceling those individual night reservations.
3. Speak with the Hotel's In-House Reservations Department Directly
If you're speaking with a hotel chain's general customer service number and the agent is insisting any change will reprice your stay, don't expect to get far. Instead, call the hotel's reservations department directly, or if it's closed, try the front desk and explain that you just need to shorten your stay. Obviously the rate you originally reserved does need to be a flexible rate and not a prepaid non-refundable rate.
4. If the In-House Reservations Agent Insists on Repricing Your Entire Stay, Check with the Manager on Duty
As I mentioned above, expect to pay prevailing rates (which may be higher) if you're completely changing your dates, and often if you're changing your check-in date. But in my view, shortening a stay that is not otherwise subject to stay restrictions should not result in starting from scratch and having to pay a higher prevailing rate. If the reservations agent is intransigent, I'd politely ask to speak with the Manager on Duty.
5. Last Resort: Shorten Your Stay After Checking Into the Hotel
Now, note that many hotels will charge a one night penalty for shortening a stay once you've passed the cancellation period. Also note that during holiday periods or for popular resorts, you may have already prepaid the entire reservation in advance, in which case don't expect to get a refund of nights if you depart early. But for more ordinary hotels and times of year, as long as your arrival date remains the same as your original reservation, you may well be able to shorten your stay and at least not pay more than a 1 night penalty, or even avoid that, based on the hotel's discretion. If you're a loyal guest to the hotel or hotel chain, mention that when requesting to shorten your stay.
Have you experienced a rate increase when attempting to shorten a hotel stay?
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