Originally Posted by
hailstorm
I'm pretty sure that they have no obligation to give you a room in the club level with these certs, though I can't imagine why they wouldn't give you a room in the club level if it was available.
With this card, Club level upgrades get confirmed at the time of booking (which is the big distinguishing feature of this card, as every other program only provides upgrades based on availability at the time of check-in and with most of them Club level upgrades are excluded). So, if you are booking a qualifying rate and a Club level room is available, you are immediately booked into it.
If you are booking a qualifying rate and a Club level room is not available, you generally will not get access to the Club lounge at all, as all the RC's that I've ever stayed at are extraordinarily protective of the Club lounge and won't let people staying on a non-Club level access it (there are exceptions, but those are extraordinarily uncommon).