While hotels don't have to upgrade elites to a suite room, it can be helpful to know if a suite(s) are available. I sometimes find that instead of just asking for an generic upgrade, my chances of getting a good upgrade go up if I can state a very specific upgrade I would like. For CYs this works very well. I check online the day of arrival to see if they have any King suites available. Most of the time, if they show one available online, and I ask specifically for one at arrival, they will upgrade me. ^