Re FHR, I typically have gotten an upgrade of some sort when checking in. At the Palace Hotel, I book non-balcony, and they put me in balcony. At a Langham property in NZ, the hotel put me on a higher floor (lol). At FS Sensei on Lanai'i, I never get upgraded to a suite when I book the higheest non-suite category.

Just tried booking some stays with a travel agent. At a Rosewood, he got me a confirmed 1-bedroom suite at time of booking a studio suite. At a FS, I got a higher floor One of the great things he was able to get with both reservations was the cancel until 24-hour booking at the non-cancellable rate.