It's a similar situation at most resort hotels, especially the ones in Hawaii. I booked the Marriott in Waikiki in January 2006 and they pretty much had award availability at all the appropriate levels -- the standard, parking lot facing room. The upgraded garden view room. The double upgrade ocean view room. The triple upgrade deluxe ocean view room. The quadruple upgrade deluxe ocean view suite.

In my case I reserved the standard parking lot room and will hope I can at least get a garden view as a Platinum. My own feeling is that unless you are _willing_ to pay the upgrade fee (the hotel might comp you part of the fee, or upgrade you past that level as part of the platinum grade -- as happened to me at the JW in Oahu) then you shouldn't book the upgraded rooms, since you are guaranteeing yourself that level of room way in advance, when the Platinum upgrade is supposed to only be a day of arrival or slightly before type upgrade.