Good old Ramada Plaza
I'm staying in SF for Potlatch this weekend; seemed easier than trying to get to SF by a reasonable hour Saturday and Sunday mornings (which would likely have resulted in my not getting there 'til midafternoon). The hotel is the Ramada Plaza, and I'm ~pleased~ to report that my customer-service demon seems to be friends with the reservations people. Or at least distant acquaintances; as these things go, this one wasn't that bad.
Reserved a room there last October; wasn't sure at the time whether Mary Anne was going to come to the con, so got a room for two people, with two beds, just in case. (I have a hard time sleeping in a bed with someone else.) Today it finally occurred to me that I ought to let them know it was just one person, so they could give their two-bed rooms to people who needed 'em. So I called their reservations desk, and had a conversation that went something like this:
Me: I'd like to change my reservation from a room with two beds to a room with one bed.
Her: So you're calling to tell me your credit card number?
Me: I could do that, but I'm actually calling to change my reservation from a room with two beds to a room with one bed. The other person who was going to be sharing my room isn't coming.
Her: Let me tell you what I've got listed for you: queen-sized room, non-smoking, two people, arriving March 4, leaving March 6, rate is $109 a night.
Me [noticing that the rate is higher than it's supposed to be]: Well, first of all, I'm there for Potlatch—
Her: Oh, you're here for Potlatch? There's a reduced rate, let me change that. [Changes it—and to her credit, does so quickly and easily.]
Me: And when I made the reservation, they told me it was a room with two beds. But now it sounds like you're saying there's just one bed, so that's fine.
Her: Oh, you want a room with two beds? Here, let me change it.
Me: No, wait! I want a room with just one bed! When I called before they said they were giving me two beds, but now I only want one!
Her: Oh, so should I change the reservation from two people to one?
I said yes, and it was fairly smooth sailing from that point on. Or so I think. We'll see what kind of room I end up with.
I ought to know by now that I really shouldn't try to make such phone calls before breakfast.
I should note, btw, that the Ramada Plaza has always been good to me in the past, so I'm willing to write this off as a fluke. And a minor one at that.