Originally Posted by
EuropeanPete
I doubt it myself. If you follow that logic then properties are obligated to upgrade Plat Premiers to an empty Presidential Suite, which is clearly not on the cards.
My friend, that is a false equivalency. Presidential and other specialty suites never were included in the "guaranteed" pool for suite upgrades OR SNAs even with SPG. Nor are they included with Hyatt's "guarantee" either. Upgrades to those were rare and always have been at the hotel's discretion.
Note also how the language on SNA’s has been downgraded: the website actually mentions SNA’s can include “premium rooms” (so for the purposes of an SNA is any room apart from the base type).
That makes sense, and it isn't a downgrade to me. Premium rooms ALWAYS were part of the SNA pool for properties that had few suites--including many Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Tribute, and especially Four Points.
Most Marriott properties more or less are comparable to those same brands having few suites. Just as specialty suites are (and were) excluded from the "guaranteed" upgrade pool (even with SPG at hotel with many suites), any hotel with just a few suites might consider those to be their version of specialty suites, too. So a hotel with 5 suites and 300 rooms unsurprisingly would have more premium rooms among its upgrade pool. It's all relative.
There now are far more hotels like those than there were in the SPG portfolio. So Marriott specifically including/mentioning premium rooms makes sense and is far more honest IMO.
It's not like anyone has to use any SNAs for any room categories they don't think are warranted. If you don't want to use SNAs for premium rooms, you don't have to.
But none of that precludes that there still are suite upgrades guaranteed based on availability under the new T&C for Plat Premier elites at Ritz-Carlton (and Edition) hotels.