Originally Posted by
aww3583
You can't.
Book what you need and be happy with anything else.
I've had better luck with suite upgrades at Hampton Inns and Hilton Garden Inns (which are excluded from the upgrade benefit T&Cs) than at larger resort or full-service properties. There are so many different types of rooms that you may book a 1K standard room and get upgraded to a 1K standard room on a higher floor.
In my experience, true upgrades to suites happen rarely, but are usually at properties where I've stayed multiple times in the past.
My perspective exactly. Any Diamond booking the lowest category of room thinking they might get a suite since its still listed as available on the website is frankly delusional. First, do they have any idea how many other Diamonds are in the hotel with them on a particular night? Second, the hotel is under no obligation to give that suite to anyone as an upgrade. If you are lucky you will get a category upgrade (aka higher floor room, room with a slightly better view, etc) I will also agree with the sentiment that I have better strike rate with the Hampton and HGIs. I will also comment that the best upgrades is when I have reserved a premium room because the next level up is more pronounced. For example - reserved a Junior Suite and getting an upgrade to a proper 1 Bedroom Suite or reserved a regular 1 Bedroom Suite and upgraded to a bigger corner sutie or expansive Hospitality Suite. In all my years as Diamond there is exactly one time when I reserved an entry level room and got an upgrade to a proper 1 Bedroom Suite and that was the Hilton Times Square and it was not asked for but given by the front desk clerk as I was checking in for my one night stay.