Really, if you are qualifying for status every year, suite upgrades should be extended until you can use them. The idea of expiring upgrades is ridiculous.
I agree. Please tell USAir the same...their TA upgrades should never expire!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seanthepilot
Really, if you are qualifying for status every year, suite upgrades should be extended until you can use them. The idea of expiring upgrades is ridiculous.
If accounting-wise, SPG puts a value on the upgrades, then it makes a ton of sense for them to expire. Otherwise, they will end up with a huge liability on their balance sheet that will never be extinguished, as many of these Suite Night awards will truly never be used.
If accounting-wise, SPG puts a value on the upgrades, then it makes a ton of sense for them to expire. Otherwise, they will end up with a huge liability on their balance sheet that will never be extinguished, as many of these Suite Night awards will truly never be used.
My point was that they shouldn't expire, as long as you maintain Platinum.
At that point, you are still a revenue generator, and each Suite Night Award is an incentive to purchase another room night.
Just as the airline's (what once were known as System Wide Upgrades) upgrades do... if I have the upgrade in my account, I will buy the $1500 fare. The minute the upgrade expires, they lose my business. Keeping my upgrades from expiring would have earned United tens of thousands more dollars from me, than letting them expire has done. But, thankfully they expired, and I saved all that money.
With no deadline, there will always be procrastinators which just collect them and never use them. If you are staying 50 nights every year, surely you can find at least 10 of them where you wouldn't mind an upgrade. For accounting purposes they must have a value and keeping that liability on the books for years makes no sense.
With no deadline, there will always be procrastinators which just collect them and never use them. If you are staying 50 nights every year, surely you can find at least 10 of them where you wouldn't mind an upgrade. For accounting purposes they must have a value and keeping that liability on the books for years makes no sense.
This Platinum has had no need to use any of the SNA's. SPG doesn't reimburse properties for these so there is ZERO value to have them on books.
So the Disney Swan has found an interesting loophole in the Suite Night Award system. They don't apply for the online booking of suites for money, or through any of the national call centers. You can only book them directly through the hotel. Since no suites are in the reservation system you can't use a Suite Night Award. I chatted with a platinum agent who said that since no suites were available I could not use an award. I then checked the hotel website and it said rooms might be available but I'd need to call the hotel which I did. I then found out you can only book suites week days during normal office hours. I checked again with another platinum chat rep who confirmed with the front desk that Suites were available and that Suite Night Awards could be used but only by directly calling the hotel and having them applied. This really seems like a sketchy way for the hotel to keep the majority of people from using their awards. Hopefully one of the lurkers can respond.
I don't think he can explain since it has been stated many times that hotels do get some sort of compensation by honoring SNA awards.
Thanks; I am curious as to what he means. But, also, when you say "by honoring sna's" that makes it sound like it is an option for them. I know that in practice, it does seem to be optional for them but the official line is that it is not optional but compulsory...correct?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dingo
Thanks; I am curious as to what he means. But, also, when you say "by honoring sna's" that makes it sound like it is an option for them. I know that in practice, it does seem to be optional for them but the official line is that it is not optional but compulsory...correct?
They are not required to make suites available for SNA redemptions. If they even think they can sell the suite then they are no available for SNA. Not to mention the games of renaming the suites out of the "standard suite" category.
I'm sure there is some compensation, but if it's a choice of real $s and SPG $s, I suspect and expect the property to choose the real $s when they can. Playing games where they end up with zero $s and not the SPG $s, they don't win.
Man, I just keep getting more confused. Roger - are you saying that the hotel specifically makes suites available for SNA's as opposed to the SNA's being taken by SPG out of standard inventory? Is that fact or speculation? I had thought that the hotel had no say at all as to whether they were used for SNA's if there was inventory...that the "system" just grabbed them from bookable rooms. Is that wrong?
I know it is wrong based on the experience of several people on this thread, but thought it was always a "technical glitch" as opposed to the hotels denying use of SNA's at the upgrade window.
I had seen this benefit as a way to get away from the games that hotels play with upgrades...it sounds like it is the same game, just a different playing field?
Programs: AA EXP (LTG), Hilton Silver (former Dia), Marriott Plat (LTG, former PP), SPG Gold (soon to be LTP)
Posts: 3,668
Quote:
Originally Posted by dingo
Man, I just keep getting more confused. Roger - are you saying that the hotel specifically makes suites available for SNA's as opposed to the SNA's being taken by SPG out of standard inventory? Is that fact or speculation? I had thought that the hotel had no say at all as to whether they were used for SNA's if there was inventory...that the "system" just grabbed them from bookable rooms. Is that wrong?
I know it is wrong based on the experience of several people on this thread, but thought it was always a "technical glitch" as opposed to the hotels denying use of SNA's at the upgrade window.
I had seen this benefit as a way to get away from the games that hotels play with upgrades...it sounds like it is the same game, just a different playing field?
Second guessing property managers will drive one totally insane. We all have ideas how we would run the property, but then we have a different agenda.
As I understand it, the property has total discretion to determine what they wish to call their room types (i.e. the Ws), and they get to determine which ones will qualify as a "standard" suite. In this way they get to control the number of suites that qualify for the SNA program.
As for honoring the SNA requests, there does seem to be an issue with the system not always being able to select rooms and some requests are going unfilled. The Lurkers have offered to step in and check things out.
Many have reported even though their SNA request was denied, they were still able to get their Plat upgrades at check-in. Just supports the YMMV mantra.
Personally, I don't have SNAs and I have no plans on earning any. So my experience is from reading the posts here and my interpretation of the rules as I read them. As suggested by others, if your plans require a suite, book it and eliminate the option of chance.
All of the suites at this property are configurable, which means that rooms need to be attached to parlors to make a suite. Therefore, only the hotel can book a suite.
SPG is working with the property to identify a premium room type that can be attached by using SNA's; however, I have no idea when that will come to fruition.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
They are not required to make suites available for SNA redemptions. If they even think they can sell the suite then they are no available for SNA...
Nope. The properties that are able to do so identify a suite, several suites, and or a premium room type to be used for SNA's. Once identified and vetted by SPG as an appropriate choice, they are attached to a rate plan that supports the automated system that confirms them. Therefore, whether or not they think they can sell the suite/suites/premium room type is irrelevant because they have no control over the automated system. Once the 5 day window hits, if any of the suite/suites/premium room types are available, they are confirmed. If they aren't and the suite/suites/premium room types are selling, then there is some kind of technical error preventing it and that needs to be reported.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
