Originally Posted by
Isochronous
Also, I found it interesting that the welcome email I received within a few hours of making the suite upgrade referred to my Platinum status and said I was entitled to an upgrade subject to availability, whereas the email from the hotel for the base room I booked a few days earlier (but subsequently cancelled) makes no reference to status benefits and simply asks me if I want to pay $1k per night for club access. Is their policy to only upgrade Platinums if they book a suite?
Not sure if I totally understand your question, but Ritz-Carltons are not required to offer club access to any elite members, and most don't. I believe the general experience at this property has been that even for those who are upgraded to a suite, club access is *not* extended for free alongside it. And AFAIK this hotel doesn't have separate dedicated club rooms (except possibly for the highest suite categories); any club room/suite category is just one of the same-category rooms with club access permitted. So buying club access is a separate consideration from any possible upgrade.
That said, there is a separate issue that a lot of hotels also have standard emails that go out talking about buying upgrades that are sent to everyone with no consideration of what one's elite status may already get you, either.