Originally Posted by
MarkOK
I don't think it really works that way. There is no such thing as guarantee upgrades or X number of tier upgrades (it isn't Enterprise). You get upgrades based on the availability of rooms for the stay and status. Short term stays usually win over long term stays, and I think after that the tossup between upgrading you to a suite from in a mid-point room and upgrading me from a base level room is more about factors like who is the return customer (or maybe # of lifetime base points or something other factor they have access to), and pure chance.
Of course there is no guarantee, but we have choices. There are plenty of loyalty programs for us and I'd venture that the hotels need our money more than we need to stay with a particular brand. If I constantly get excuses instead of upgrades I'll move to a different brand. I've found that irrespective of brand, asking/insisting on the upgrade works best in cases where I haven't been upgraded before arrival. Most front desk staff don't care enough to fight you, they just want you to shut up and get out of their hair. I see no reason to grovel for an upgrade. The deal is simple: A particular brand gets a big chunk of our business in exchange for perks. I don't really care about the fine print, the perks are only worth anything if you get them.
like who is the return customer (or maybe # of lifetime base points or something other factor they have access to)
Afaik the profile screen on the reservation in Opera only shows membership level and previous nights stayed at the property and VIP level which can be different than Globalist at hotels you've stayed regularly. Not basepoints/points/nights stayed overall. Your Hyatt profile is obviously accessible, but I seriously doubt that staff has enough time to click through every reservation and build a ranking of upgrade seniority.