Residence Inn Hotels in Billings

I’ve been staying at the Residence Inn in Billings for nearly a decade and, up until now, had been consistently satisfied with my visits. Even though I reserved a 2 bedroom suite for my latest stay, on arrival we were informed the 2 bedroom suites were no longer available. In place of the 2 bedroom, we were offered 2 separate 1 bedroom suites — which were not attached — for the same rate as the original reservation. Wanting to stay together, we opted for a single 1 bedroom unit and were eventually given a nicely reduced rate after it was clear we weren’t pleased with the situation.

 It’s a bit of a puzzle why and how the hotel determined to give up our 2 bedroom in particular. Not that it means much, apparently, but we have Marriott Titanium Elite status. Perhaps the Residence Inn staff felt it was at least an equal trade? They might consider that some families may not appreciate spending their vacation apart in separate (not even attached) hotel rooms and might consider such an arrangement a downgrade. We didn’t get the impression the staff treated our reservation change as an exceptional situation, so perhaps this is not an unusual occurrence? We just wish the staff would have reached out to us in advance to work with us or even assured us that this was totally not normal and would not happen again. Or, they could do like the airlines do when a flight is overbooked and ask for volunteers willing to give up their seat (room) in exchange for a bonus (Bonvoy Rewards Points?). 

I guess shortly before check in for future stays I would triple check the Marriott reservations web site to confirm there are still rooms available in the same room category as on my reservation. If there are none, I would consider canceling and looking at other lodging options in Billings.