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What does a complimetary upgrade mean anyway?

What does a complimetary upgrade mean anyway?

 
Old Apr 18, 2015, 1:36 pm
  #1  
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What does a complimetary upgrade mean anyway?

I had a couple of rooms booked for tonight at a Residence Inn (Fairfax, VA).

Called ahead to ask for an upgrade since otherwise one of us will be sleeping on the sofa bed. The FDC says "Yes I have a 2 bedroom but it's for sale, not available for an upgrade. I'd give you one if I had one but I only have the ones for sale left, no upgrades."

???

Ignoring the fact I'm not actually at the hotel now, which would have been a perfectly acceptable response ("if it is still open when you arrive I will give it to you"), am I correct to think that I should get this UG from a 1 bedroom suite to a 2 bedroom suite if I ask for it?

Added: From the T&C:
Complimentary Room Upgrade: Based on room availability at check-in and limited to a Member's personal guestroom. Upgrades may include rooms with desirable views, rooms on high floors, corner rooms, rooms with special amenities, rooms on Executive Floors, or suites. All upgrades are granted on a space-available basis, as determined at the time of check-in. Upgrades are subject to availability and identified by each hotel.

Are they perhaps invoking the "upgrades are identified by the hotel?" I thought that meant they could say "that slightly better room is an upgrade" not "that obviously better room is not an upgrade."

Last edited by orca15; Apr 18, 2015 at 1:42 pm
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Old Apr 18, 2015, 1:54 pm
  #2  
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Originally Posted by orca15
I had a couple of rooms booked for tonight at a Residence Inn (Fairfax, VA).

Called ahead to ask for an upgrade since otherwise one of us will be sleeping on the sofa bed. The FDC says "Yes I have a 2 bedroom but it's for sale, not available for an upgrade. I'd give you one if I had one but I only have the ones for sale left, no upgrades."

???

Ignoring the fact I'm not actually at the hotel now, which would have been a perfectly acceptable response ("if it is still open when you arrive I will give it to you"), am I correct to think that I should get this UG from a 1 bedroom suite to a 2 bedroom suite if I ask for it?

Added: From the T&C:
Complimentary Room Upgrade: Based on room availability at check-in and limited to a Member's personal guestroom. Upgrades may include rooms with desirable views, rooms on high floors, corner rooms, rooms with special amenities, rooms on Executive Floors, or suites. All upgrades are granted on a space-available basis, as determined at the time of check-in. Upgrades are subject to availability and identified by each hotel.

Are they perhaps invoking the "upgrades are identified by the hotel?" I thought that meant they could say "that slightly better room is an upgrade" not "that obviously better room is not an upgrade."
The upgrade does not apply to 2-bedroom suites for RI properties. It is permissible for the hotel to upgrade you, but you are supposed to use an instant upgrade instead generally.
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Old Apr 18, 2015, 2:24 pm
  #3  
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What is an instant upgrade?
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Old Apr 18, 2015, 4:07 pm
  #4  
 
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Originally Posted by NDN
The upgrade does not apply to 2-bedroom suites for RI properties.
Is that stated somewhere? I don't see it in the MR T&C
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Old Apr 18, 2015, 4:43 pm
  #5  
 
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The whole UPG terminology thing is a joke IMO.

You get upgraded to a view room or concierge level or larger room with an extra pillow. It's very misleading but that's our own fault. Never heard we upgraded you Mr. Zzyzx to the presidential suite or something like that. Never going to happen. A one bedroom to two bedroom at RI has happened to me before and the front desk person thought I was asking for Fort Knox.
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Old Apr 18, 2015, 4:52 pm
  #6  
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It is subject to availability and subject to what the hotel terms an upgrade -- you should know better OP!

Look, it would be nice that the hotel would upgrade you, but they are under no obligation to do so -- especially to a 2 BR suite -- which goes for far much more than either the usual studio or 1 BR suites at most RI properties.

I generally hope that if I have booked a Studio suite they would upgrade me to a 1 BR suite -- as the studio costs less but is not so outrageously out of the ball park as sometimes the 2 BR suites are.

If one comes in late in the night and they see that it is not likely to be sold then that is one thing, but to call early in the day on Saturday to EXPECT an upgrade to a 2 BR suite is not only unrealistic, it is classic DYKWIA Piggishness, IMHO.

I you did not get it, grow up, move on and endure the sofa bed, or better yet, DYKWIA Platinum, spring for another room big spender!
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Old Apr 18, 2015, 5:28 pm
  #7  
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Every program I've belonged to has had such restrictions. None of them gave run of the house upgrades. Some go out of their way to allow properties to name their suites that don't match what the program calls for. Gets to be a crap shoot trying to figure out what you can expect.

Asking nicely is the best approach, if they refuse then move on. If the room is still available when you arrive then doing a point upgrade may be a cheap way to get what you want.
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Old Apr 18, 2015, 7:05 pm
  #8  
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Originally Posted by njcommodore
Is that stated somewhere? I don't see it in the MR T&C
Not exactly, but the type of upgrade to be provided is left with the hotel:


5.

Complimentary Room Upgrade:

Based on room availability at check-in and limited to a Member's personal guestroom.

Upgrades may include rooms with desirable views, rooms on high floors, corner rooms, rooms with special amenities, rooms on Executive Floors, or suites.

All upgrades are granted on a space-available basis, as determined at the time of check-in.

Upgrades are subject to availability and identified by each hotel.

Not available at Marriott Vacation Club.
Emphasis added pursuant to the very terms and conditions you have cited above.

Therefore, pursuant to the above, upgrades are GRANTED at the HOTEL'S DISCRETION, AT CHECK-IN, on a SPACE AVAILABLE BASIS pursuant to the room types/suites that the individual hotel has self-identified as subject to an upgrade.

Nowhere in the above, does it state that the MR elite member can just call ahead, in advance of check-in, and demand a suite, let alone a 2 BR suite!

CASE CLOSED.
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Old Apr 19, 2015, 6:42 am
  #9  
 
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Originally Posted by NJUPINTHEAIR
Not exactly, but the type of upgrade to be provided is left with the hotel:



Emphasis added pursuant to the very terms and conditions you have cited above.

Therefore, pursuant to the above, upgrades are GRANTED at the HOTEL'S DISCRETION, AT CHECK-IN, on a SPACE AVAILABLE BASIS pursuant to the room types/suites that the individual hotel has self-identified as subject to an upgrade.

Nowhere in the above, does it state that the MR elite member can just call ahead, in advance of check-in, and demand a suite, let alone a 2 BR suite!

CASE CLOSED.
I didn't need you to list the T&C considering I posted a link to them

What I was getting at is if you book a studio or 1BR an upgrade to a 2BR isn't unreasonable. Expected or guaranteed, no. But to say, as NDN did, that 2BR suites are excluded just isn't true. I've been upgraded to them on at least 2 or 3 occasions. I agree that it's at the property's discretion.
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Old Apr 19, 2015, 7:21 am
  #10  
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OP is simply an example of no good deed going unpunished. Properties are free to grant whatever customer concessions they wish. Those are neither guaranteed nor the usual course of business.

What OP sought and was not granted was neither promised nor guarantee. He simply did not book or pay for it. End of story.

The solution to this stuff is for properties to stick to the program and never vary from it. This stops the "but, I got it last week" silliness.

W2BRSPF2BRS (Want 2-bedroom suite, pay for 2-bedroom suite).
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Old Apr 19, 2015, 7:51 am
  #11  
 
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Originally Posted by Often1

The solution to this stuff is for properties to stick to the program and never vary from it. This stops the "but, I got it last week" silliness.
The program allows for upgrades. They are "sticking to the program". The traveler needs to be educated, not the hotel.

ETA: I see no problem with what the OP did. Selling upgrades, in a program that provides for complementary upgrades, is sleazy. OP wasn't asking for the presidential suite, it was a one category upgrade. I personally would have done it in person instead of over the phone. If presented with the "buy up" option at check in (and have before at the Essex House) I would have questioned what about the complementary upgrades offered as part of MR.
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Old Apr 19, 2015, 8:04 am
  #12  
 
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The whole Marriott upgrade proposition just has no value, there is no incentive for the properties to give you an upgrade. Personally I have no real need for upgrades so it doesn't matter to me. After several hundred stays with Marriott I have only had 2 or 3 suite upgrades.
If you value suite upgrades you probably need to go with Starwood or Hyatt or both.
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Old Apr 19, 2015, 9:41 am
  #13  
 
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Originally Posted by escapefromphl
The whole Marriott upgrade proposition just has no value, there is no incentive for the properties to give you an upgrade. Personally I have no real need for upgrades so it doesn't matter to me. After several hundred stays with Marriott I have only had 2 or 3 suite upgrades.
If you value suite upgrades you probably need to go with Starwood or Hyatt or both.

I don't agree that properties have no incentive to give an upgrade. My travel has me going to the same areas on a very regular basis. When I'm in the Minneapolis area, for example, I have a wide selection of Marriott family hotels, and they're not all owned by the same entity. There's a Residence Inn that works hard for my loyalty and my upgrade percentage to a 2BR suite is probably close to 70% at that property.

Contrast that with the SHS down the street, which basically has no upgrades (never been given a whirlpool room), I usually choose the RI.
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Old Apr 19, 2015, 9:58 am
  #14  
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Originally Posted by Sousaphil
I don't agree that properties have no incentive to give an upgrade. My travel has me going to the same areas on a very regular basis. When I'm in the Minneapolis area, for example, I have a wide selection of Marriott family hotels, and they're not all owned by the same entity. There's a Residence Inn that works hard for my loyalty and my upgrade percentage to a 2BR suite is probably close to 70% at that property.
And this is where the program sucks for people like my husband. Close to 1000 lifetime nights the majority are not repeat stays. What incentive is there for a franchisee or property manager to treat him well when chances are he will never be back?
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Old Apr 19, 2015, 10:34 am
  #15  
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Originally Posted by VickiSoCal
And this is where the program sucks for people like my husband. Close to 1000 lifetime nights the majority are not repeat stays. What incentive is there for a franchisee or property manager to treat him well when chances are he will never be back?
Granted frequent stays at the same property increases benefits gained, just the fact that your husband belongs to the chain's program should enhance his ability to enjoy benefits not granted to the non-member guest (unless a property HVC). What the franchisee should look at is the member may have picked their property due to the flagging more so than just the cost.
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