margarita girl

I can't find any reference to OP using an SNA. If he/she had, they would have received an email confirming the upgrade. OP just happened to notice a room upgrade when checking the app which went away when suite was reassigned to what was presumably a paying customer.

I think the rudeness to Sharon was uncalled for.

r415

Exactly. Also, there are many reasons an upgrade might get pulled at last minute. For example, rooms have broken A/C, insect infestations, and evidence of crimes (do some searching on these forums if you don't believe me) all the time. If someone paying for a suite needs to be relocated, and there's nothing else available (they did say the hotel was sold out) it kind of makes sense to pull the nonguaranteed upgrade.

Now, if it had been confirmed with an SNA, that's another matter entirely.

Also, I agree with the point that learning about a 'pre-upgrade' through the app is not exactly the hotel flaunting the upgrade. To see this, you really have to navigate to a tab on the reservation that you have to go hunting for, it's not like the property is flashing in your face. There's really no reason to ever go to this tab if you're not seeing if you might've gotten 'pre-upgraded', and if you'd rather not know until it's confirmed, just don't look. Some of us would rather know, even though it's not guaranteed at that point in time.

Nitehawk

Funny... I've never even noticed that feature in the app. Lol. Then again I usually book same day. I find that impacts my upgrades negatively because the system doesn't "pick me up."

yosithezet

Yeah, if you go into the reservation details and look at room type you will see if they prepared an upgrade for you during the normal overnight prep work. I've certainly seen upgrades and then show up and gotten what I've booked. Sadly a few months ago I saw a preupgrade to the Presidential Suite, but I had to cancel the reservation. Bummer.

CPRich

And they have also "disappeared" before, as postulated.

margarita girl +1

CPRich

Translation: Waahhhh! DKNWIA??? I don't care what the programs rules say, I want it, I want it, I want it. Waaaahhhhh!

CPRich

I suspect that if you lost the last upgraded room available because it was being treated as a crime scene, and went with "but I have a confirmed SNA", not much is going to change.

But if you're OK living with insects, maybe they'd let you.

travelista

Per post #1, I did not use any SNA's to this stay. :-:

ftrichard

I often check the reservation on the app to see if they've already assigned me an upgraded room. I've seen the upgraded room type change in the hours before check in also to a lesser category. I just take it as an indication that somebody at the hotel is looking out for me and trying to secure me the best possible room based on availability so the FD agent doesn't have to use their discretion and go searching for an upgraded room. But I also understand the conditions of being an SPG Platinum and if I end up getting the room I paid for then I would accept that there was nothing better available.

RogerD408

Someone in the their infinite wisdom decided it would be good to tie the system the property uses to manage their rooms with the app/website. So when the property chooses to pre-block someone into a particular room that data comes available in the app/website. If an event comes up where they are not able to deliver that room, the guest loses out.

Over the years I've learned to not even count on what I am told at the front desk when checking in. I suspect many FDCs have never been in one of their rooms and to believe their claim "this is a great room" may not be true. I was once told the room was a single king bed, when I got to the room it was two queens. The FDC even tried to deny my claim as I stood between the two beds! The screen is not always correct, be it at the front desk, your PC, or your cellphone.

svo242

It's a disappointing experience, but completely fair/allowed by program rules. I do find it interesting, however, that I have seen pre-upgrades for some hotels but not others...maybe the systems are a bit different by property/brand?

MSPeconomist

Some hotels routinely preassign rooms while other properties do not do this and instead assign rooms when the guest appears at the front desk to check in.

travelswithmyself

Or you (svo242) may not be on the hotel's internal VVIP list, thus not warranting the pre-upgrade, which is why you don't see it .

svo242

All possible, but I remember for this stay that I asked for an upgrade at check-in, assuming we had a standard room, and the agent said "Well you're already in our studio suite which is one of our best rooms." And they had connecting rooms as requested, so everything was set before arrival although nothing showed up in the app.

I also once had an odd tech snafu where 2 rooms showed as upgraded to suites, then one of the rooms was shown was a standard room again on the app, and then when we checked-in, both rooms were still suites!

stargold

Frankly, SPG should probably just de-link the advance room type assignment from the app and continue to show the category booked, just to avoid the inevitable whining that it generates. Then none of this would happen.

Mind you, all this is going to be a moot point pretty soon! Looking forward to Marriott's generous upgrade policy... NOT.