Although I never ask for them, I have a pretty good hit rate at getting upgrades. At FI's I almost always get upgraded to an executive king or king suite. The suite is just a larger room with a fridge and a microwave but never the less still nice.

At full service MI's, I almost always get upgraded to the concierge level. Other than being closer to the lounge, the room is essentially the same. Occasionally I get a corner room or other larger room on the concierge level. Sometimes I also get Free Internet.

CY's I very rarely get upgraded. Once in a while I get upgraded to a suite. Ditto for RI's were I rarely get upgraded to a two bedroom suite. As others have noted, there really isn't anything to upgrade to at most SHS's, so it is moot for them.

At all Marriott brands my preference for a high floor is almost always honored.
Bottom line I do get some upgrades and my preferences are generally honored. With very few exceptions, the properties are clean and comfortable. The consistency is a big win for me.

Last week I stayed at a Candlewood Suites for internal corporate training (no choice of hotel). It reminded me why I like Marriott. The room wasn't clean. There were drinks in the refrigerator from the previous guest. There was hair on the sheets in the bed. So most likely they didn't change them from the previous guest. With 100's of Marriott stays, I can count on a single hand how many times I have issues like I had at the Candlewood. With IHG, I say %30 of my stays have had those kinds of issues. Of the IHG brands I have tried, Staybridge Suites is the most consistent and I like them. HIX and HI are very variable. So far only one Candlewood stay, so not enough of a sample set to generalize on that brand.

Back to my main point, consistency and reasonably nice standard rooms is much more important to me than upgrades. If I really need an upgrade for a particular stay (e.g. beach vacation), I am willing to spend some money and/or extra points to make sure I get it. Your mileage and/or priorities may vary....


--Jon