I'm curious how some of you seasoned travelers ask/inform the hotel that as a diamond member your are supposed to get some upgrade or better room? I'm new to diamond and the first time I tried they looked at me like I was crazy and said they had never heard of it. Granted, this was at a Super 8 in the middle of nowhere so I didn't really expect much. I'm pretty sure all the rooms were the same anyway.

I'm checking in to The New Yorker in Manhattan next week and would love to hear any feedback/experiences specific to that hotel or just the diamond upgrades in general. fwiw, I think it's a slow time of year for traveling to NY (as slow as it gets anyway) so I'm hoping my diamond status is good for something. Thanks!