Originally Posted by
Milhous Gloriosus
(9/7/24) I'm somewhat confused about access to Upper Stories lounge. …
Welcome to the club, so are many of us.
Originally Posted by
Milhous Gloriosus
(9/7/24) …the Upper Stories lounge is/was being treated as a "hotel within a hotel" so normal globalist access would not apply. Is that still the case?
Second question, I have club access awards. Do they get you in? … considering GOH award ... Any thoughts?
Upper Stories (US) rooms (and hence lounge access) has UNTIL RECENTLY been like a "hotel within a hotel" and if one wanted US one had to pay for US, neither Glob status nor a SUA nor a CAA nor a GOH award worked. However, a few days ago the quote below was posted.
Originally Posted by
synthzero
(9/3/24) Pleasant surprise: I was able to use an SUA to book an "upper floors" one bedroom suite, which prior to this Thompson had attempted to exclude from upgrades as well as SUAs by calling it part of a "separate" "hotel within a hotel" (which was just an excuse for not honoring upgrades to upper floor rooms). ...
My personal experience at this hotel is 2 stays as Glob, May 2023 and May 2024, 2-3 nights each. I’m Navy retired, both stays were during Fleet Week NYC, I played those cards via phone calls and emails prior to each stay. Last year (post # 347 above) I did not use a SUA and during a phone call the morning of my afternoon check-in I was told that they had extended me a “Globalist as available” upgrade to a studio suite, not US. I asked about US Lounge access, was denied. I ended up having a very unpleasant experience (post # 349) with their contracted parking garage for which the hotel graciously “took ownership”.
This year (post # 502) I chose to apply a SUA and was upgraded to a US 1BR suite.
I don’t know if my US suite upgrade was due to US suite now being standard for SUA awards OR further “customer service recovery” for my terrible experience last year OR in consideration of my Navy career and Fleet Week.