After two paid stays at the government rate of $256 S$ on 11/26 and 11/28, I asked at the club lounge to change my reservation for 12/4 to a FFN stay. They did finally after a couple of reminders. But she said that my room would be in the old building, and any upgrade to the new tower would be based on availability. I asked if that meant that, at check-in, if there was a grand room available in the new tower, that I would get it. She said yes. Of course, I was skeptical and wrote a note to myself that "an upgrade to the new tower on a FFN stay depends on how they feel."

I check in around 4:30 p.m. on 12/4 and sure enough the clerk says I cannot be upgraded to the new tower. I ask if he has rooms available there. He says yes, but that the hotel is very full. I ask if I would get lounge access if I stay in the old tower, and he says yes, that he would do that for me. So, I go into my talk about how difficult it is to reach Diamond (you'd be surprised how many Hyatt employees, even general managers, don't know these details). So he pities me and puts me into the new tower, but before he hands me the key, he goes to the backroom to check with his supervisor. He comes out saying he cannot upgrade me because the policy is that if the hotel is at 60-70% occupancy, they do not upgrade people staying on award stays. I tell him that it is impossible for any customer to win that argument because it is impossible for the customer to know what the hotel occupancy rate is.

So, I ask him how much it would cost to pay for a room in the new tower and he says $285 S$ (a pretty low rate for one of their last available rooms!). But he says he can upgrade me for $60 S$. I tell him I'll pay that and he upgrades me to the new tower. Because of early check-out the next day to catch my United flight, I never got to use the lounge, and I never got my Diamond amenity (when the Grand Club delivers it, they don't come into the room; when housekeeping delivers it, they do). I told him I didn't mind paying the $60 S$ because I would get stay and FFN credit and he was surprised to hear it.

So I guess it is possible to negotiate with this hotel, but I don't see why us Diamonds should be forced to. Given the size of the new tower (at least 2x the size of the old tower) and the fact that all the rooms in the new tower are at least junior suites, why do they make it so difficult for Diamonds to get one?