Book or earring is a good suggestion on things to lose. So is a phone or tablet charger (the front desk often has left behind ones they will offer you).
Also...don't worry about the actual mileage away from the hotel. 115 Miles is sufficient for requiring a stay there. The spirit of the rule is the make sure you would have reason to book a hotel room and ask out-of-towner questions.
The lack of response is most likely related to the urgency of your request. There are more pressing items for support to deal with and they know your distance from the hotel will not be an issue.
As far as the pre-arrival call goes; Most calls can be made without a reservation being present. If the agent on the phone asked about your reservation, you could say that you would be making it later that day, but wanted an answer to the question first. Either way, I would suggest making the call the day prior and if the editor asks why you wanted, simple explain that you had emailed support and not heard back. There will be a record of that, so I expect it would not be an issue....and it will not affect the rest of the assignment.
A key to being successful at Coyle is often understanding the need for a particular request. Often, the standards (Checklist) the questions is attached to will gave it away. Other times it may be common sense. Just ask yourself what the client or MSC may be trying to gauge with that particular request. Is it the speed of response, the helpfulness of the staff, weather or not the request is noted in your profile or all of the above?