Originally Posted by
swintec
Having been only marriott all these years, I am not familiar with SNAs but reading this has me wondering. If an SNA is denied due to no suites available, how / why is is possible to still be upgraded by the hotel?
The SPG central reservations system automatically checks for available SNA suite upgrades based on its algorithms starting 5 days prior to arrival and continues to check up to 1 day prior to arrival. It is possible that your SNA won't clear through this automatic process...and yet someone still can cancel within 24 hours of your arrival for ANY or ALL of the nights that were required for your SNAs to clear, allowing the possibility that the hotel still might be able to upgrade you on arrival. Not sure why that's so difficult to understand.
Are SNAs processed / cleared by the central reservation system, completely independent of the hotel and the system only sees whether or not standard suites (not even looking at the higher end suites) are available for the length of stay and approves / denies based on that which leaves the hotel still able to do as they please?
Yes, SNAs are processed/cleared entirely by the central reservation system. The hotel, despite ridiculous suspicions and conspiracy theories perpetuated by bitter people in the SPG threads, has no control over SNAs. (The hotel can categorize certain suites as being in the standard suite pool eligible for SNAs, however--but that's done well in advance.)
Higher end and specialty suites are not available for the SNA standard suite pool in almost all cases. But that doesn't mean the hotel cannot on its own discretion give you oen as a complimentary Platinum upgrade on arrival. That's particularly and most often true for the highest value elite customers such as Ambassador guests like me.
Can hotels see that an SNA was redeemed or does it show up to them as you simply paid / redeemed for that room? Are hotels likely to upgrade the suite further even if an SNA was redeemed or do most simply look at it as though you were already upgraded, good enough?
Of course a hotel can see you've been upgraded by central reservations using an SNA. Whether the front desk agent can see that or understands that is another question altogether.
Hotels are not likely to upgrade further beyond the SNA standard suite pool...but they can do so if they choose. That is entirely up to the discretion of the hotel.
One of the many benefits of Ambassador status is that I almost always get upgraded to a suite, and often get upgraded to a suite beyond the normal SNA upgrade pool. But that still depends on the types of hotels frequented (I stay more often at luxury level hotels with more suites and more types of suites; others may stay at Sheraton/Marriott/Renaissance/Le Meridien/Westin upper upscale or even less upscale hotel that have far fewer suites, let alone any many speciality suites!). It also depends on the occupancy of the hotel: if I stay at a sold out St Regis Osaka, I won't get a suite upgrade no matter how VIP I am!