Originally Posted by
as219
I'm confused here. My understanding -- at least for Golds -- is that long before now you get a one-category, space-available upgrade that can easily be a room with a "better view" rather than a true upgrade.
I think that's the new reality for both Golds and Diamonds. They can use words like "standard" to refer to the worst room in the hotel and "deluxe" to refer to a room that is 1 square meter larger, has a better view, etc. If you go online and book a standard hotel room, they can put you in the "deluxe" room and say "Congratulations on your lovely elite upgrade!!" This is what I felt like the Arizona Biltmore did. (Not the Conrad HK - being on the Exec Level with, in some cases, upgraded amenities in the room is a legit upgrade to me.)
The wild card is what is supposed to happen when a Gold books one level below a suite. Are we in line for nothing or for a suite? (Note: I am not saying by any means that Golds should trump Diamonds. Obviously not.)
That's a good question. At all brands (not HH specific), I feel like when I pay for the Exec Level, I do not get upgraded beyond that. The upgrade beyond that point is usually a small suite. A pet peeve of mine is when I check in with a paid Exec Level booking and the FD clerk says "Oh, I see we've upgraded you to the Exec Level. Thanks for being Diamond/Platinum/Gold/Whatever..."
Can Diamonds "leap over" intermediate room classes and be upgraded to the highest level of accommodation available?
In the "old" days, that would happen at least semi-often. At least, in my example above with one or two semi-bogus intermediate categories, they'd still upgrade Diamond from standard room to exec level. These days, I would guess that some properties still try to do some sort of material upgrade for elites, even if that isn't a suite.