I’d be happy to address your points and answer those queries.

I can assure you that I don’t have any special contacts at SPG that somehow are allowing me to get better treatment. In my opinion, the reason for my excellent treatment is a combination of my wonderful Ambassador and my very high spend even for a Plat100 customer, as well as judicious reaching out in advance when appropriate to a hotel GM or manager.

Other than the St Regis San Francisco (where I stay several times a year, as noted) and the St Regis Houston (where I last stayed 5 years ago), ALL of the hotel upgrades referenced in the quoted post (quoted below again to clarify for anyone else interested) are at my first and only stays at those particular hotels.

I included my future Dec 2017 and 2018 hotel stays to show that I’m consistently staying at and getting suite upgrades at the luxury level hotels/brands that I firmly believe and often have suggested offer the best chances for suite upgrades...because they have more suites. I also included the future Dec 2017 and 2018 hotel stays to demonstrate that I have been pre-suite upgraded a number of times...including both the St Regis Houston and St Regis San Francisco, and even the Suiran Kyoto where I’ve never stayed before.

You mention 3rd party bookings, but only my stay at the St Regis Bora Bora was a 3rd party booking (I’d won an Andrew Harper auction for a deluxe overwater villa for 6 nights...and was not expecting any upgrade though I did hope!) For that, my Ambassador and StR BB management still arranged an upgrade to the Royal Overwater Villa for us—the biggest OWV of any hotel in all of Bora Bora and French Polynesia as it were. I had no expectation for any special treatment knowing it was a 3rd party booking. Yet the hotel and my Ambassador really went out of their way to treat us incredibly well, presumably due to my status and the fact that it was to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

But every other stay was booked through SPG channels.

I do not have anyone else besides my amazing Ambassador who helps me get upgrades.

I do reach out occasionally to GMs in advance to highlight a special occasion, going beyond whatever my Ambassador may do on my behalf...but I’ve done the same for almost any luxury hotel stay for a special occasion where I may hope for an upgrade. As an example, during our Jan/Feb 2017 trip to India, I was in contact with the GMs at the Oberoi Udaivilas and Oberoi Amarvilas since the trip overlapped my birthday and was to celebrate our 20th anniversary. The GMs at both hotels were there to greet us on arrival, something a little unusual at both hotels, I suspect. And we did get an upgrade to a Pool Suite at the Oberoi Udaivilas (which did overlap my 47th bday) but no upgrade really at the Oberoi Amarvilas. You win some, but you don’t win them all!

That being said, I didn’t reach out to anyone in advance at the StR Bora Bora even though it did overlap our wedding anniversary—that was all my Ambassador and the hotel accommodating me. I didn’t reach out to anyone at the Gritti Palace Venice or Excelsior Gallia Milan; those again were thanks to my Ambassador and the hotels accommodating me.

I did reach out to the team at the Prince de Galles Paris in advance, since I was hosting the surprise bday party dinner for my husband. I did reach out to the Nines Portland in advance, since I was responsible for getting our friends to also stay at the property and I was interested in trying to arrange a nicer suite upgrade. The hotel sales manager agreed in advance to upgrade me to a nice specialty suite so we could entertain our friends (and since I was only a 1 night stay). In the end, they upgraded us even more and gave us the Nines Suite, the hotel’s top accommodation.

As for my other hotel stays and how many times I was upgraded, it was pretty often but not always. I currently have 148 nights on 83 stays, FWIW. It depends on the hotel type and whether I was traveling with a group (as I often book 20+ rooms at a hotel with my business) or whether I was traveling alone. With my groups, the LM Arlington (expert review posted) always upgrades me to a one bedroom suite or my preferred Executive junior suite; the Sheraton Philadelphia University City (expert review posted) always upgrades me to a one bedroom suite, despite me sometimes telling them I’m fine with a regular room; the LM Philadelphi always upgrades me to a suite; the Sheraton Times Square (expert review posted) has never upgraded me; the Four Points Midtown Times Square upgrades me to a nicer room but never a suite; the Four Points Chelsea (expert review posted) always upgrades me to a terrace suite (best view I’ve had in NYC ironically); the Sheraton Hartford South (expert review posted) always upgrades me to an executive suite; the LM Cambridge (expert review posted) always upgrades me to a suite, including the last stay to its Presidential Suite for my first time; the Sheraton Boston always upgrades me to the same suite; the Westin Charlotte (expert review posted) upgrades me to a nice room usually and once to a suite; the Westin Richmond (expert review posted) usually gives me a room but last stay upgraded me to a suite. For individual stays, The Parker LM New York upgraded me to a suite. The Chatwal has always upgraded me to a suite. The Sheraton Commander Cambridge always uparaded me to a suite. The Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf SF never upgraded me to a suite, only an upgraded room. The W San Francisco has upgraded me to a suite about half the time and to a corner room about half the time. The Westin Colonnade Coral Gbales (now Tribute) upgraded me usually to a suite, but infrequently to a nicer room. The Westin San Jose (expert review posted) always upgrades me to a junior suite or nicer. The W Los Angeles/Westwood (expert review posted) always upgraded me to a suite. I just stayed at the Gwen Chicago, and I was upgraded with SNA to junior suite but offered the Presidential for my last night (I declined)...with an expert review forthcoming!

I hope that info satisfactorily answers the questions you posed!

I am of the opinion that I'm a particularly high revenue SPG Plat100 customer, largely because of the many SPG Pro groups I organize that I put at SPG hotels whenever possible as part of my business...and also due to the fact that I spend a lot on paid stays at SPG luxury hotels and a lot on food/beverage and spa/excursions even on award stays at such SPG luxury hotels. I believe that my higher spend is a factor in my excellent treatment by SPG...though I have no way to prove that other than the examples I’ve already shared.