Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
I'm not a travel agent, but one obvious difference is that Virtuoso upgrades are often confirmed shortly after the reservation is made, while FHR (PTS) is normally upon arrival (which seems to really mean when the property preassigns rooms). (FHR tends to give Centurion (CTS) upgrades earlier and some hotels at times have an upgrade at booking as the property's special amenity.)
This is wrong. Most Virtuoso upgrades are subject to availability at checkin. There are a few instances were a property has a promotion that the upgrade is confirmed at the time of booking, but those are not the majority.
Virtuoso like STARS is subject to availability at check in. A good travel advisor will be proactive to work to ensure the client does indeed get the upgrade. That is the one downfall with FHR (you don’t really have anyone advocating for you).