Originally Posted by
azepine00
Do we have any clarity on how the properties prioritize NOR1 requests vs free diamond upgrades? Is there a general policy or left up to individual hotels?
I am quite certain that someone with no status (or plat) will most certainly jump on $35 offer and in OP's case $35 seems a nobrainer to me - with luck perhaps the property will waive the fee as diamond.
The NOR1 requests will be checked around the same time Diamond upgrades are taken care of..., so normally 12-72 hours in advance depending on the individual handling of the hotel.
This means that the NOR1 upgrades are taken out of the Diamond inventory, because most hotels prefer to cash in on the NOR1 upgrade fee instead of giving the same room away for free.
This does not necessarily mean that the Diamond will suffer from it, because of very limited inventory, but it certainly means that one does not have to invest a lot of money to gain a status, when most of the perks are available anyhow against $$$