Originally Posted by
Polytonic
Is that mostly when traveling in the US? I keep reading these weird and crazy fantastical stories about people redeeming their SNAs for thousands of dollars worth of perceived upgrades on a tropical island I will probably never get to see in my lifetime, heh.
I'm just kidding myself when it comes to upgrades, right? I'm starting to come around on the idea that upgraded rooms are the same as sitting up front -- want first, buy first ... want suite, buy suite?
Well, there's a few things to unpack here. SNAs used to be easier to use when they were first introduced by Marriott after the SPG acquisition. Hotels hadn't started playing games like restricting which room types could be requested or limiting upgrade inventory. You're right that international properties tend to be more generous than U.S. properties with upgrades (SNA or otherwise). Some of this may be cultural. For example, Asia tends to have a much higher standard of hospitality. Some of it is probably due to having a lower volume of top tier elites abroad.