And when doing the above, I would expect to get the standard "I will note that request for you" because, as they have been trained, they need to look at many of the above mentioned factors and wont want to commit to anything at that point.

But it never hurts to ask. I have been Platinum for many years and have found they wont give you the good rooms, not even upgrades, by default. This week, I was placed on the bottom floor (4) of a 26 floor hotel in downtown Chicago. I checked in at 930pm. Outside of my room window was a parking garage, that went up several levels so you couldnt even see sky. There were also dumpsters for a nearby restaurant, and today was garbage day...at 4am.

This will definitely be my last stay in this property, they also hosed me on a platinum arrival gift guarantee on my last stay. Marriott corporate backed them too, stating that the local management could overule this guarantee. Im done there.