Originally Posted by
BenCali
...jeopardize my chances of getting an upgrade since they might make the originally booked room (studio) ready when I arrive. Or should I also ask for an upgrade through my email?
I'm staying there with my family later this summer. We booked a 3BR oceanfront villa, and I asked my ambassador to reach out regarding the only possible upgrade, to the 4BR penthouse villa. They found out that this is basically a VRBO-like property; essentially, there are *never* any upgrades. Each unit is owned by an individual, and you're actually paying them (along with a fee to the operator) to rent their unit for the time you are there. If a unit goes empty, that owner gets no revenue for that night. So were they to do upgrade, the operating company would have to pay real cash money to various owners, which of course they're not going to do. It's not like a hotel where the operating cost is basically fixed whether you stay in your originally-booked room or in an upgraded room.
That's long way to say you're not going to jeopardize your upgrade chances, because they're nil already.