I sent you a DM of my thoughts that are probably best left private. I learned to take online upgrade data points with a grain of salt very early on (after people told me I would not get an upgrade at the St. Regis Bangkok) for reasons outlined in my message.

Contrary to what others say online, I have stopped asking for free suite upgrades and, unlike many of the experienced travelers here, I have never challenged a GM to get a suite. These hotel conflicts definitely hurt guests in the long run, even if they are not aware of it. Hotels are run by people that have their own emotions and opinions. Getting pissy with FDAs over how one is entitled to a suite due to the (in their mind arbitrary) terms of status is supremely unproductive and DEFINITELY leads to comments being made on their profile. They win the battle but lose the war. I have read every post on the "secret" Marriott guest profile thread and have talked to FDAs and GMs about it on the Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG sides. For upgrades at the desk, I doubt it matters. For hotels that go through guest lists and pre-confirm upgrades, I am reasonably confident this has an impact somewhere. This was the only time I have ever had an experience that was even somewhat negative with the staff at a hotel: https://old.reddit.com/r/TalesFromTh...tain_customer/.

I will probably make a larger post about it documenting my data points and observations later on. It will obviously go on Reddit.

The biggest win in terms of upgrades was a 1-month upgrade to the Central Park View Suite at the Le Meridien Central Park during my apartment renovation. I ended up not needing the suite for even half the stay but kept it for the full reservation just because the upgrade was so generous.